Part 6 of My Favorite Restaurants Series~ Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana!

You may or may not remember that we went to Italy last year. That trip was my first trip to Europe and it was fantastic! Almost everyone I know that has visited that romantic, beautiful country dreams of going back. Brad Otton, owner of Settebello restaurants is no exception. Brad lived in Italy for two years. He fell in love with the people, the culture and the food. Today he is sharing this beautiful Artichoke Heart Crostini  with us, aren’t we lucky?!

The Story Behind Settebello:

After a successful career as a quarterback at USC and football coach at UNLV Brad and his wife Deanna decided to go back to Italy and learn to make the authentic Napoletana Pizza. And from that experience Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana was born!

Pizza Napoletana is made with a soft dough and takes about one minute to cook in a wood-burning oven. Because of this, Pizza Napoletana has several distinctive characteristics. Pizza in Napoli is soft and foldable and can be considered “wet” by American standards, for this reason the people in Napoli generally eat their pizza with a knife and a fork. 

Blackened char spots on the pizza crust are a tell-tale sign that the pizza has been cooked in a blistering hot, wood burning oven. Each pizza is an individual work of art. The owners and chefs at Settebello have a goal: to make the most authentic pizza Napoletana possible. First rate ingredients are essential in creating an authentic pizza Napoletana. Whenever possible the actual ingredients used in Settebello’s pizzerias are imported from Italy. When importing is not a possibility they search for the highest quality American products to complete their pizzas. 

After spending over a month perfecting his pizza making skills with Chef Enzo Coccia, Brad returned to the states and opened his first Settebello location in Henderson Nevada with his brother Tim Otton and friend Michael Brooks. That was in 2006 and since then seven more locations have been added. Lucky for me, four of those locations are in Southern California!

Settebello’s eight locations don’t just offer delicious authentic Napoli pizza, their menu also features mouth watering appetizers (recipe for this amazing crostini below)…

…a pasta dish or two…

…and decadent desserts!

So far I have visited four Settebello locations, Pasadena, Oxnard, Newport Beach and Salt Lake City. I have never left disappointed! The food and ambiance are are always on point. And my gluten free daughter is always very happy because Settebello restaurants have mastered a gluten free pizza dough.

The recipe: Artichoke Heart Crostini 

Tips and what you will need: “speck” is a very thinly sliced Italian cured ham, similar to prosciutto but with more texture. It can be found in most deli’s and high end grocery stores. You can find Roman style artichokes with stalks here. Balsamic glaze is a thick syrupy balsamic vinegar. (affiliate links)

Print

Artichoke and Goat Cheese Crostini

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

5 mins

Total Time

10 mins

 

Speck is similar to Prosciutto but with more texture. If you can't find it use Prosciutto.

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: classic recipe, easy appetizer recipe

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Settebello Restaurant

Ingredients

• Italian loaf or baguette slice 1/2" thick
• 8 oz soft goat cheese
• 16 slices of thinly sliced speck
• 8 Marinated artichokes roman style quartered if they come whole
• 3 Tablespoons chopped parsley
• Olive Oil
• Balsamic Glaze

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400, place rack in upper third of oven.
2. Slice bread and brush the bread with olive oil, place on cookie sheet.
3. Place in oven and toast till golden (five minutes)
4. Spread each slice with goat cheese and top with 2 slices of speck and 3 pieces of the artichoke. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze. Garnish with parsley. Serve

If you would like to see my past “Favorite Restaurant Posts” just click!

Kale Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette from 370 Common
The Secrets to Making the Best Burger Ever from The Rustic Burger
Pasta with Pea Sauce from The Foundry Grill
Citrus Stuffed Roasted Chicken from The Communal
Chopped Chinese Chicken Salad from Katsuya by Starck

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