Good eats: White bean and bacon flatbread

This is so very, very true.

I’m a very firm believer in bacon. I even have a t-shirt to that effect. So when I saw a recipe for white bean and pancetta “pizzas” in Food & Wine magazine, it was a must-try. And lo, we had a new standard to the household eating repetoire. In fact, it was dinner both last night and tonight. Yes, it’s that good.

I’ve tinkered with the recipe (as seen in the link) somewhat. Pancetta is good, but I actually like using thick-cut traditional bacon a lot more. And only four ounces? Please. Double that. And don’t mix it in with the beans; sprinkle it on top before you finish it with the cheese. Double the rosemary and garlic, too. (I’m not subtle with the spices.) Keep the fontina cheese, as it’s subtle enough to mesh well. I use Trader Joe’s garlic naan for the base.

I also don’t have a pizza stone, which seems slightly superfluous in New Jersey, where pizza was perfected. Just spray a cookie sheet with olive oil. It’ll give the bottom of the bread a little firmness.

And that’s that. It makes a very filling meal, or you can dice it up and serve it as an hors d’oeurve. Food & Wine says it pairs well with chardonnay, but a fruity red like a beaujolais does the trick. For beer snobs like me, it goes great with pilsners, lagers and IPAs, though not so much with the heavier, sweeter beers.