Pancetta, Fig and Gorgonzola Grilled Flatbread with Arugula Tossed in Truffle Oil

A butcher shop in Gainesville?! I think I am in heaven. My love for cured, smoked and cooked meats has me ecstatic about this new gem that just opened this past weekend. There was no question that I would attend the grand opening of the new butcher shop downtown called Fehrenbacher’s Artisan Sausages. I absolutely love to try food that someone has put so much time and love into making. Food artisans usually have a story for everything they make that instantly connects me to them and the food they are talking about. I met the owners a few weeks back while they were out selling their sausages at the farmers market and I was impressed by their product samples and their knowledge in the art of making all the different types of meat that you would typically see on a charcuterie board. Not only does Adam Fehrenbacher’s have a wide range of meat selections for purchase, but he also serves beer, wine and a limited seasonal menu that he creates every day. At the grand opening, I tried his lamb sausage gyro, burrata cheese plate and green peppercorn pate sandwich and they were all exceptionally delicious. I would definitely come back to purchase his meat products and try some more of his yummy creations.

By the time I was getting ready to leave the event, there were people lined up all the way outside the door waiting to try their showcased meats in his refrigerated case. I was literally salivating when I initially saw this. How do you choose which one to buy? I couldn’t.

One of the items I picked up was their pancetta, which is an Italian bacon made of pork belly meat and salt cured versus bacon that is brined and then smoked. I love to dice pancetta and use it in my pasta or vegetable dishes and I like to slice it really thin and wrap meats or vegetables with it as well. My favorite application is to put it on pizza so I created a pizza recipe inspired by Adam and his pate dish that he served last weekend…. Pancetta, Fig and Gorgonzola Grilled Flatbread with Arugula tossed in Truffle Oil, Click on recipe title for recipe.

Look at this piece of meat! So many layers of meat and fat and you can still see the seasoning that they used during the curing process on the very top.

First you want to cut the pancetta into slices and then into smaller pieces before your render the meat in a sauté pan. All of a sudden I am craving breakfast food after seeing this photo.

I prefer to grill my pizza dough so that you get a charbroiled taste, a crispy crust and a soft center. It is actually easier than you think to do. Carefully place the dough on the grill, wait about five minutes, flip and then wait another 5 minutes before taking it off the grill. Then I applied the sauce, Italian cheese mix, chopped figs, crispy pancetta and some crumbled gorgonzola cheese. I baked it for another 20-30 minutes in the oven at about 350 degrees. This is what it looked like before I put it in the oven.

Once the pizza was finished in the oven, I tossed some arugula with salt, pepper and a little drizzle of truffle oil and then added it to the top of the pizza.

The figs provide the sweetness, the pancetta gives it a smoky flavor, the pungent salty taste comes from the gorgonzola cheese, the peppery notes comes from the arugula and the earthy tones come from the truffle oil. It was a phenomenal combination that was described to me as a “symphony in your mouth.” It really was that good. Smoky, salty, sweet, peppery and earthy…. talk about sensory overload!   I ate way more pizza than I normally would eat. In fact, we were all eyeing the next slice that we were going to grab next while we were still eating the one on our plate. Needless to say, there wasn’t a morsel left!