Sausage, Fennel, and Ricotta Pizza

Ingredients

• 0.5 teaspoon pepper black freshly ground
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal 
• 0.5 teaspoon pepper red crushed
• 1 cup fennel bulb thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds 
• 1 teaspoon garlic fresh minced
• 4 ounce turkey sausage italian
• 0.1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil extra-virgin
• 0.3 cup part-skim ricotta 
• 0.3 cup onion red thinly sliced
• 12 ounces pizza dough fresh refrigerated

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• baking sheet
• oven
• pizza stone

Directions

1. Place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in oven. Preheat oven to 500 (keep pizza stone or baking sheet in oven as it preheats).
2. Let pizza dough stand at room temperature, covered, while oven preheats.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Remove casing from sausage.
5. Add sausage to pan; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring to crumble.
6. Add fennel bulb; cook 4 minutes or until tender.
7. Roll pizza dough into a 16-inch oval on a lightly floured surface. Carefully remove pizza stone from oven.
8. Sprinkle cornmeal over pizza stone; place dough on pizza stone.
9. Brush dough evenly with oil.
10. Sprinkle sausage mixture evenly over dough, leaving a 1-inch border.
11. Combine ricotta and garlic in a small bowl; top pizza with teaspoonfuls of ricotta mixture.
12. Sprinkle red onion and remaining ingredients evenly over pizza.
13. Bake at 500 for 11 minutes or until golden.
14. Cut into 8 slices.