The mark of a cook. If you’re a regular in the kitchen, you know what I’m talking about – that 1/2-inch or so long burn that you get generally just above the wrist when you’re either adjusting something in the oven or you’re quickly trying to add or remove trays. A chef-friend of mine, wears them like a badge of honor.
The one above my right wrist was just beginning to fade when I got another one on the left while quickly trying to remove this Pizza Carbonara from a 500 degree oven. Having not quite gotten used to my new oven branding, I spent the entire weekend seeing the blistered-burn out of the corner of my eye and thinking it was some large creepy-crawly critter. I even swatted at it once or twice, and let me tell you, that didn’t feel great.
In any event, on to the pizza. As you may have presumed, this dish takes the components of pasta carbonara – crispy pancetta, creamy eggs, and delicious cheese; and puts it on a pizza. It’s like the best of both worlds in one amazing dish! Oh, and did I mention the base? Instead of using a tomato sauce, it’s brushed with roasted garlic puree. Who here think that the smell of garlic roasting in the oven is one of the most wonderful fragrances to come from the kitchen?
The rich and mellowed taste of the roasted garlic pairs just beautifully with the other ingredients and it’s the combination of all of these incredible flavors that make this pizza truly irresistible!
- ½ bulb of garlic
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces pizza dough*
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 (8 ounce) ball of mozzarella, torn*
- 4 thin slices of pancetta , torn
- 4 eggs
- Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, torn
- To roast the garlic, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Do not peel them, but slice ¼-inch off the top of the garlic cloves and set on a piece of foil. Drizzle the cloves with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper. Fold up the sides of the foil to create a tent (make sure there's enough room for air to circulate). Place in the oven and cook for 40 minutes. Check the garlic by piercing with a knife, it should be very soft when done.
- Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the pulp out of the papery casings, into a small bowl and mash with a fork until you form a paste. Set aside until ready to use.
- Raise the heat of the oven to 500 degrees F. And move the pizza stone or baking sheet to the middle rack.
- Generously flour your work surface and begin to work the dough into a disk shape. Roll and gently stretch the dough until it's a ¼-inch thick, approximately 10-inches in diameter. Place the rolled dough onto a sheet of parchment paper (you'll use this to transfer the pizza to the oven).
- Spread the roasted garlic paste evenly over the pizza dough. Add the extra tablespoon of olive oil to the bowl that just contained the garlic paste (for extra garlic flavor) and brush the rim of the pizza dough with it. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella, torn mozzarella, and pancetta over top.
- Crack each egg (one of a time) into a fine-meshed sieve. Gently swirl around until all of the excess white has drained away. Then gently place each strained egg into a separate cup or small bowl. (Straining your eggs removes removes the excess, wispy whites and leaves you with a nice, tight egg that won't run all over the pizza).
- Remove the warmed pizza stone or baking sheet from the oven and place on a heat safe surface, like on top of the stove. Transfer the pizza along with the parchment paper to the pizza stone/baking sheet and place in the oven. If using a stone, cook for 7-8 minutes, until the cheeses are melted and the crust is very lightly browned (it's not going to be cooked all the way at this point). If you're using a baking sheet cook for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and add the eggs. I find it best to take a ½ cup measuring cup or even the bottom of a glass to make 4 impressions in the pizza where you want the eggs to sit. This will help to keep them in place as you transfer and cook. Season the tops of the eggs with salt and pepper and place back in the oven. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the egg whites are fairly firm and the yolks are barely set. Remember the eggs will continue to a bit once out of the oven.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and add the shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano and parsley. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
* If you're using mozzarella packed in water, tear and pat as much moisture away as possible. Otherwise, you'll have soggy pizza.
I am gonna make my husband read this, he always says stop cooking n baking if you get burns like these.. funny I got one right wear the gloves end! And I thought I am the fussy one but it seems I am not alone. Coming to pizza I love that egg on top.
Lol! It’s totally a badge of honor in the kitchen! And getting a burn right above where your gloves end sounds like something I would do 😉
Saw this on instagram and I am dying!!!! crispy pancetta, creamy eggs, and that roasted garlic puree?!!! oh my gawd, this is a work of art! delicious and beautiful!
My goodness, Kathleen… you TRULY sold this to me within your first couple of paragraphs. Not only does it look absolutely INCREDIBLE in the photos, but the idea of that roasted garlic spread over the base – yum!
I had a giggle at you swatting your burn all weekend! A similar thing happens to me after I (regularly) burn myself on my hair straighteners!
Thanks, Helen 🙂 And yeah, swatting at my burn all weekend was definitely not one of my finer moments – talk about your lizard brain taking over 😉
Ouch! Hope your burn heals very soon! I know exactly what you are talking about. I got a burn on my upper arm one time from moving a hot baking sheet. 😛
This pizza will absolutely heal any burn or cut! So gorgeous! Carbonara in pizza form? Brilliant! Gotta try making pizza at home soon.
Yikes – the upper arm?! Somehow that seem more sensitive to me. I always get them above my wrist, so it’s been kinda interesting to hear about all the different places people seem to get them – like some nerdy kitchen stats 😉
You had me at name pizza carbonara. I am intrigued to this pizza, Kathleen. First because I love pizzas, and second you combined my another favorite ‘ pasta carbonara’ here. Such a genius share! Hope that burn has healed by the time your read it! 🙂
I know right? Who doesn’t love carbonara and pizza? Thank, Anu 🙂
Yikes! I know the burn you speak of very well. Swatting it because you thought is was a cootie is funny/not funny! ouch. I think the sacrifice may have been worth it for this pizza!
Lol… yeah, my husband laughed at me when I did that 😉 The sacrifice, so worth it!
Omg, the mark of a cook! I have way too many scars on my hands and arms to ever be a hand model, that’s for sure!! And I just burned my elbow on the inside of the oven.. talent I tell ya!! I hope your burn heals quickly, girlfriend!! As much as getting a burn sucks, if it involved getting to devour this pizza afterwards, I think it’s totally worth it! This looks INCREDIBLE!! I seriously love the way your brain works!! I could eat this carb-tastic beauty for ALL the meals daily! Pinned! Cheers and heal quick! xo
Thanks girl. It’s already healing nicely. I always seem to get them on the tops of my wrists, but as I’m finding out, people get them ALL over! My chef-friend has one her bicep! I was like, how the hell did you do that?! Turns out she was pulling out a large tray and it slide back and hit her in the bicep. Ouch!
OMG crispy pancetta, creamy eggs, and delicious cheese on top of a pizza – you just made my day 🙂
So glad that I could 🙂
Oh I know exactly what you mean Kathleen!! Just about everyone in the kitchen I worked in at a bakery last summer had them, though my little burns are pretty faded now. Hope yours heal fast!
Love the sound of this pizza- I’ve never cracked an egg on top of mine before but it looks amazing, will have to give it a try! x
Oh it’s already on the mend. Thanks, Claudia 🙂 You’ve gotta try an egg on top of your pizza – SO good!
This looks like my dream pizza – the eggs are done to perfection! I happen to have a ‘mark of a cook’ on my right wrist that I earned over the weekend. 🙂 I also have much compromised feeling in my fingertips – my husband always marvels at the molten things I can pick up without even flinching. #sosexy 😉
I loved the twitter pic you sent! #MarkOfACook 😉 I think I’ve compromised the feeling in my mouth like you have in your fingertips. My husbands looks at me in wonder at how I can start tearing into food straight off the stove or out of the oven.
Unfortunate about your burn, but I think I read that before about that specific type of burn being a badge of honour 😉 Well, hopefully, you’ve been there, done that so it doesn’t happen again!
Ok, this pizza?!?!?! What? This looks crazy good, Kathleen! I absolutely LOVE carbonara (who doesn’t, right?) and I love pizza, so to have the two combined in one delicious dish? Sold! Can’t wait to give this one a try. Hopefully soon ’cause hubby and I love homemade pizza, especially on the weekend 🙂 Pinned, of course 😉
Lol, for me it’s more like been there, been done that, it will happen again. I just never learn 😉 Girl… I could eat carbonara all day everyday and homemade pizza… can’t beat it 🙂
Sorry to hear about your burn! Hope it heals quickly! This pizza looks amazing! Have to definitely try it!
Oh no worries, it’s already feeling better. Thanks, Mira!
Burns and cuts are the worst!! Sorry to hear about your burn but at least it was for a good cause because this pizza looks so delicious! My hubby would love this recipe too. He’s a big fan of a big runny egg on a pizza. Guess I’ll be making this over the weekend 😉
Oh, the burn was totally worth the pizza 😉 And I love a runny egg on just about anything!
I can’t tell you the number of sears and cuts I have on both hands… and knuckles! Lord. Burns are the worst and you’d think we would be a bit more aware then others! This looks so darn tasty, what a perfect pizza in my eyes. I just want to run a pizza cutter through the yolks and dig in.
I know…. I just never seem to learn. No matter how many cuts, burns, and scrapes I get – I keep running around the kitchen like a tornado 😉
Oh damn! I do wear mine as a badge of honor as well! I have two huge ones on the inner forearms of both arms. AS we speak one is currently healing from this weekend of cooking 🙂 They suck but secretly remind us of what badasses we are or in my case what absolute klutzes we are 🙂 And this pizza…HOLY HELL! This is gorgeous! And so up my alley! I make one very similar to this ALL THE TIME. But I never thought to brush it with basil oil. MMMM…seriously salivating here.
Lol, I love that! Unfortunately, I think I’m way more of a klutz than a badass 😉
What a fantastic idea to turn pasta carbonara into a pizza! Sounds and looks delicious! Those burns are the reason why I always were my oven mitts now!
Yeah… I never seem to learn my lesson 😉
OMG does this ever look good!! I can relate to that burn haha. I haven’t done one for a bit, so I’m probably overdue 😛
Oh no… hope I don’t jinx you, Natasha! 😛
I hope your burn heals soon, they are not fun. This pizza is a delicious idea and so pretty too. I have to try this soon.
Thanks, Janette 🙂