pizza with ricotta, caramelized onions, and prosciutto

ricotta prosciutto pizza 5

My pizza making goes in phases. I’ll go through long stretches where, every other Friday, I’m arranging turkey pepperoni over green chile-spiked tomato sauce. If I want to get fancy, I’ll add sliced mushrooms.

ricotta prosciutto pizza 2

And then that will turn around, and each pizza for months will be different from last. Rarely do these varied pizzas have tomato sauce and mozzarella; it seems that if I’m choosing anything resembling a traditional pizza, it’s going to be topped with that pepperoni and green chile. In fact, of the last few pizzas I’ve made, this is the only one that even uses predominately Italian ingredients.

ricotta prosciutto pizza 3

But those ingredients make it a safe bet, because you can never go wrong with creamy fresh ricotta, salty prosciutto, and sweet onions. The original recipe made the onions into a marmalade with sugar and balsamic vinegar, but I think caramelized onions are plenty sweet on their own. I chose to add the prosciutto after removing the pizza from the oven, instead of before baking, because I find the baked prosciutto turns into little more than crisp bits of salt. Letting the heat of the pizza soften the bite-sized pieces of ham leaves their meaty flavor. Altogether, it makes for a worthy departure from pepperoni and green chile.

ricotta prosciutto pizza 4

One year ago: Turkey Ricotta Meatloaf
Two years ago: Red Kidney Bean Curry
Three years ago: Brown Rice with Black Beans
Four years ago: Mulled Cider

Printer Friendly Recipe
Pizza with Ricotta, Caramelized Onions, and Prosciutto (adapted from The New York Times via Smitten Kitchen)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced
salt
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
2 ounces prosciutto, cut or torn into approximately 1-inch pieces
1 cup ricotta cheese (made from 4 cups milk, if homemade)
1 pound pizza dough, fully risen and at room temperature (⅓ of this recipe)

1. Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven and heat the oven to 500 degrees.

2. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering; stir in the onions and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions just begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the crushed red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions have softened and are medium golden brown, about 15 minutes longer.

3. Meanwhile, shape the dough into a ball. Set it aside for 10 to 30 minutes, loosely covered, to allow the gluten to relax.

4. Working on a lightly floured surface or a damp cloth, flatten the dough, then pick it up and gently stretch it out, trying to keep it as circular as possible. Curl your fingers and let the dough hang on your knuckles, moving and rotating the dough so it stretches evenly. If it tears, piece it together. If the dough stretches too much, put it down and gently tug on the thick spots. Transfer the round of dough to a large square of parchment paper; slide the parchment with the dough onto a pizza peel.

5. Spread the ricotta evenly over the dough, then evenly disperse the onions over the ricotta. Slide the pizza with the parchment onto the hot baking stone. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the crust is browned around the edges. Transfer the pizza to a cooling rack without the parchment. Top with the prosciutto. Let the pizza rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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Comments

  1. What a wonderful combination of pizza toppings. I have been on a caramelized onions kick lately and am putting them on everything.

  2. It’s hard to think of better things than caramelized onions, especially when they’re cooking on your stove. Leave the prosciutto off a few slices, add some arugula, and I’m so there!

  3. I am totally obsessed with creative flavors for homemade pizza right now! Just did a butternut squash + caramelized onions + goat cheese + sage that I bet would be outstanding with prosciutto. Also caramelized onions are the best. I don’t think I can ever go back!

  4. i love the idea of ricotta on pizza. delish!

  5. I absolutely love this creative trio of toppings! Onions are a must on any pizza, and I can’t wait to try this one!

  6. I love different pizza toppings than the traditional. Can’t say I really get sick of the traditional toppings either! This is such a simple and delicious sounding combination!

  7. Cherise says:

    I question I’ve always had is, how do you stop the water retained in the ricotta from making the dough all soggy?

  8. Cherise – It might depend on your ricotta. I make my own and strain the mixture until it’s pretty dry, so it isn’t an issue. You can try straining store-bought ricotta as well. Or, the heat of the oven might evaporate enough water to keep the dough from absorbing it.