Flatbreads with Minted Fava Beans, English Peas & Pecorino

As spring wraps its green tendrils around my heart, I immediately think of this Pizza with Minted Fava Beans, English Peas & Pecorino. Bright in color and flavor, it is flecked with mint and topped with savory, nutty Pecorino cheese. To me, it is “spring on a plate”. For a restaurant-quality experience, drizzle the flatbreads with a flavored oil such as truffle oil or Meyer lemon oil just before serving. This recipe is written for a standard oven, but can be done in a pizza oven according to manufacturer’s directions. Enjoy a taste of spring! Adapted by Chef Rachelle Boucher from Chef Ann Rudorf

Ingredients:
Yield: Makes 2 ea. 10-12 in. flatbreads

1lb. fresh or store bought pizza dough, at room temperature
2 tablespoons of olive oil, plus more for brushing
¾ cup Fresh fava beans, shelled, cooked and outer skins removed
¾ cup Fresh English peas, shelled and cooked
1 large clove Garlic, minced
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon high quality vinegar (OTOT Lemongrass Mint Balsamic)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ cup Fresh mint leaves, sliced into chiffonade (thin ribbons)
4 oz. Pecorino Romano, grated or shaved
3 oz. Mozzarella, grated
Truffle oil or lemon oil for drizzling onto the finished flatbreads (OTOT Truffle or Meyer Lemon Oil)
Directions:
Standard Oven Temperature: 550-580° F (non-convection settings). Place dough with 2 tablespoons oil in a bowl.
Pulse the beans, peas, garlic, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor until roughly puréed. Use a scant amount of water as needed to facilitate blending. Stir in half of the mint leaves.
Par-cook your dough first. If you have a pizza stone, use as directed in the oven. Otherwise, place a steel pan or heavy aluminum sheet pan in the oven BOTTOM UP, on the lowest rack and heat. Spit dough into two equal pieces, making sure not to overwork the dough. On a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with flour or cornmeal, roll and stretch the dough to one quarter inch thickness. Lightly brush dough with olive oil and with a pizza peel, lift parchment and dough together and carefully slide it all on top of the upside down pre-heated pan. Bake for about 5 minutes, remove and discard parchment, leaving hot pan inside the oven.
Spread a generous amount of the purée in the center of your pizza and use a circular motion to spread it to about ¾-in. from the edge. Distribute half of the pecorino and then mozzarella evenly over the top. Return to oven and place directly onto the hot pan or pizza stone for another 4- 6 minutes until crisp and brown. Remove to a cooling screen or rack and season with salt and pepper, garnish with remaining mint and additional pecorino. Just before serving, drizzle with lemon oil or truffle oil.

Chef Rachelle Boucher
“The Flavor Agent”
@FlavorAgent
www.facebook.com/rachelleboucher