Sausage & fennel pizza

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SAUSAGE & FENNEL PIZZA BY SCRUMMY LANE

When I was a student in London, way back when, I had a fabulous time sharing a flat with a wonderful collection of people, some of whom I’m still good friends with today. It was a strange old rented place that I’m sure none of us would choose to live in now. There was a long almost institution-style corridor with, as I remember, 4 bedrooms leading off it, a small living room with an old couch that was stuck together with a sort of Velcro that meant it was always sliding apart, frayed carpets, a bath (no shower!) and … well, that was pretty much it. Oh, apart from the ‘pet mouse’ that we saw scurry in front of the TV and over to the gap between the wall and the floor a few times … eek!

I remember one particular week, a strange smell surfaced in the kitchen. It was an odour like nothing I’d ever encountered before, and got steadily worse each day. One of my house mates assured me that he had already thoroughly sifted through the contents of our fridge which was, shall we say, not the most ordered and well-maintained. After searching high and low for the source of the stink, we finally discovered that it was in fact emanating from the fridge – specifically from a large piece of steak that said house mate had shoved to the back and forgotten about. Let me tell you, that is a smell that I would like to NEVER let grace my nostrils again. Vile.

sausage & fennel pizza by Scrummy Lane

Sorry about the yucky little story there … but will it make you feel better if I tell you that I was considering telling you an even more disgusting one involving maggots but decided against it? No? Oh well, I tried. You’ll at least be happy to know that my fridge tends to be a little more ordered these days. On the other hand, don’t judge, but at the moment I have things sitting in there that could be in danger of heading down a similar stinky path to the aforementioned meat because I have no idea how to use them. There’s a half tin of coconut milk that is probably past its best and that I should really have frozen to use later, a couple of lemons that I’ve grated the zest from, a potato that I peeled and didn’t use today and a half roasted leg of lamb with all the trimmings.

Yup. Leftovers. Lots of them. Which I have nothing against (I know that quite a lot of people, curiously, won’t touch them), but I do often find it a challenge to use them all up before they spoil.

sausage & fennel pizza by Scrummy Lane

Having said all this, one lot of leftovers that I had absolutely no problem ‘repurposing’ a few days ago was the sausage and fennel ragu sauce that I made. This is unbelievably tasty served with pappardelle, toasted breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, but as I was eating it this way it suddenly occurred to me how perfect it would be for an easy and super tasty pizza topping. Provided you’ve already got some homemade pizza dough in the freezer (highly recommended – the recipe I’ve included below is suggested by the lovely Sally of Sally’s Baking Addiction), this pizza takes absolutely no time at all to throw together.

Just a couple of little ‘pointers’ before you rush into the kitchen to make the next TWO nights’ meals (yes, two – sausage and fennel pappardelle followed by sausage and fennel pizza the next evening). I like my pizza thin and crispy, so the dough I made was enough for 5 (FIVE!) pizzas, four of which are currently hanging out in my freezer for our next pizza craving. I would also recommend adding some kind of ‘greenery’ to the top of your pizza along with your leftover ragu sauce and cheese – I sprinkled over chopped chives but I’m thinking that any other kind of fresh herb or rocket salad leaves would be just as great.

sausage & fennel pizza by Scrummy Lane

We really enjoyed this tasty pizza, and I hope you do, too. How do you feel about leftovers? Have you got any favourite ways to use them up? Any suggestions gratefully received!

sausage & fennel pizza

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SAUSAGE & FENNEL PIZZA BY SCRUMMY LANE
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Sausage & fennel pizza

A delicious sausage and fennel ragu sauce to eat with pappardelle pasta one night and to top a pizza the next. A perfect '2-in-1' meal!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients 
 

For the ragu sauce (serve stirred through pappardelle pasta on the first night)

  • olive oil
  • one bulb of fennel, trimmed and chopped into small pieces
  • 14 ounces best quality pork sausages
  • 3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • the leaves from about 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 1 cup red wine, a large wine glass or a third of a bottle
  • 3 1/2 cups jar passata, pureed tomatoes
  • salt and pepper

For the pizza (dough recipe ‘borrowed’ & slightly adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction – thanks, Sally!)

  • 1 standard 0.25 ounces/7 gram packet of yeast
  • 1 1/3 cups warm water
  • 3 1/2 cups plain flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • for the topping: grated cheese of your choice, I used a pizza blend plus fresh chives or salad leaves or herbs

Instructions 

For the ragu sauce

  • Heat up about a tablespoon of olive oil in a wide heavy pan. Make a slit down the side of each sausage and squeeze the sausage meat into the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes, continually breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon.
  • Add the fennel, fennel seeds and rosemary and cook for about another 5 minutes, stirring.
  • Pour in the wine, passata and about 1 cup/200 ml water, then leave to simmer gently for about an hour. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For the pizza

  • Pour the water into a large bowl and empty the packet of yeast into it. Leave for a couple of minutes to allow the yeast to dissolve.
  • Add the flour, oil, salt and sugar and combine with a knife or wooden spoon. Bring together the dough with your hands and knead for a minute or two until elastic.
  • Leave the dough to rise in a warm place for at least a couple of hours, then knead it again briefly to knock out some of the air.
  • Divide into 5 equal-sized balls of dough. Freeze any you don't want to use immediately at this point. (I wrap each ball tightly in plastic wrap and put in a ziplock bag.) Leave the dough balls you do want to use immediately to rest for half an hour.
  • Pre-heat your oven to hot (I set mine to 480F/250C). Stretch or roll out the dough pretty thinly (stretching is better but I can never do this!) and put onto a pizza stone or pizza or baking tray (pre-heat for best results), fairly quickly add your ragu topping and cheese and bake for about 10 minutes or until nicely browned and crisp.
  • Top with your chives or other greens just before serving.

Notes

I enjoyed this ragu sauce with pappardelle pasta one night and then made a pizza with it the second. Try it - it's delicious both ways! I used Sally's pizza dough recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction and it worked really well. Sally has some great tips in her post, too!

Nutrition

Calories: 454kcal, Carbohydrates: 53g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 35mg, Sodium: 568mg, Potassium: 699mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 595IU, Vitamin C: 12mg, Calcium: 37mg, Iron: 5.2mg
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About Helen Schofield

Don't expect to find anything fussy or complicated here. Just QUICK, EASY & (mostly!) HEALTHY recipes from the Mediterranean and beyond. ENJOY!

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74 Comments

  1. First, yummy looking, sounding pizza! I”m always on the look out for easy recipes to feed my boys and they like pizza a lot.

    Second, Cheshire Street! I so wish I had taken more photos. I take so many photos and document most of my life these days. Photos help to bring back the memories.

    Third, beautiful blog. I love that you are doing this.So fun to browse and I’ll definitely be back looking for recipes.

    Fourth, I miss our London friends and times. It’s great to connect with many on social media. Blessings Helen!

    1. Melissa! It’s so wonderful to see a comment from an old friend here! Cheshire Street really was a very special time, wasn’t it? I wish I’d realised it at the time a bit more, but I do still have many great memories.
      Thanks so much for the encouragement – it’s so appreciated as it has taken a bit of bravery to start and continue this little space. So happy you like the look of the pizza and hope you enjoy it if you do get around to giving it a whirl. The topping is great by itself on pasta, too!
      OK, so now I’m off to check out your blog, too! Old blogger friends unite! 🙂
      P.S. All the very best to you and your wonderful family!

  2. That looks fabulous Helen! Sausage just so happens to be one of my favorite toppings. Delish!
    Have a great day!

    1. Thanks so much, Melanie … so glad you like the pizza and hope you have a great day too!

  3. I have a similar story with a bag of rotten potatoes. So disgusting! I don’t know who these no-leftover people are, but I also love to repurpose. The sound of this pizza is making me hungry. And the photos. Basically, it looks and sounds like I should have it for dinner. Thin crust is the best crust 🙂

    Saving this dough recipe because if you’re going to make dough, you better make dough! Freezers are my friend! Another wonderful story, post, and recipe, Helen!

    1. Thanks so much for the kind words, Allison, and the gushing about my pizza! I do highly recommend this pizza dough (thanks to the great Sally of Sally’s Baking Addiction no less). I love having so much dough ready to go in the freezer!
      I’m glad I’m not the only one with a few gross rotten food stories! Makes me feel a bit less disgusted with myself! 🙂

  4. Helen!! I love your recipes.. fennel and sausage as pizza toppings is such an incredible idea.. Love the photographs too.. 🙂

  5. I am with you! I have too many left over things that I do not know what to do with them. I am glad I am not the only one that has zested lemons roaming around lol! I love this easy wonderful pizza!

    1. Oh yes, those zested lemons!! I have at least 2 in there right now … maybe a lemon meringue should be on the menu!

  6. Love the idea of using the sauce on the pizza – I too like my pizza with a really thin crust. I always have trouble getting it thin enough, any tips?

    1. Hmmmm … to be honest I struggle getting it thin enough, too. Usually I cheat and roll it with a rolling pin and just do the best I can. My main problem is getting the bottom crispy enough … I’m using a borrowed oven at the moment which is old and lets a bit of air escape so I’m hoping that’s the issue so as soon as I have my own oven the issue will be solved!

  7. Oh dear! That sounds like a terrible experience and I can just imagine the smell. Hehe yes thankful it wasn’t a story about maggots! 😛 Now let’s focus on this delicious looking pizza now 😀

    1. I might tell the story about the maggots some day, but I need to choose my moment well I think … make sure there’s a phenomenal recipe to go with it to distract from the disgustingness of it all!
      Glad you like the pizza … yum yum!