Even though we make homemade pizza weekly, (usually on Fridays) it has been almost nine months since I posted a pizza recipe! (Six months if you want to count a flatbread appetizer in the pizza category.) The lack of pizza posts is due to the increased cooking we’ve been doing over the past year. When we are preparing 5 new dishes a week, (our average during the pandemic) we have been taking Friday evenings off from experimentation and enjoying a more basic cheese pizza, plain or perhaps with some giardiniera on it. As we ease back into our pre-pandemic lives with Eric traveling during the week, we’re getting back into our former routine of making new recipes over the weekends instead of all week long. I expect to find (and post) more pizza variations in the upcoming months than I have in the previous months.

What drew me out of my pizza routine was the ricotta cheese in this recipe. I adore ricotta! It is the essential ingredient in my favorite Italian dessert, cannoli. I have been known to eat ricotta with fruit for breakfast, in a wide variety of baked goods and desserts, and yup, by the huge spoonful, right out of the container.

In addition to the the ricotta cheese, this pizza is a riff on French onion soup. Shallots take the place of the onions, becoming jammy and sweet as they caramelize. A touch of balsamic vinegar added to the shallots intensifies their flavor. Nutty Gruyère cheese replaces traditional mozzarella cheese on the pizza and creamy ricotta tops it all off before it is baked. The finished product is sprinkled with fresh parsley and thyme just before serving. The weekend has arrived!

Caramelized Shallot Pizza (adapted from realsimple.com)  Total Time Required: 45 minutes, Hands-On Time: 25 minutes, Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound shallots, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 pound pizza dough, at room temperature
• cornmeal (for sprinkling on the pizza peel)
• 4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475°F with the pizza stone in it, on a rack in the lowest position. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time (up to 1/4 cup) as needed if the shallots start to burn.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vinegar.

Generously sprinkle cornmeal all over the pizza peel and set it aside. On a flour dusted pastry board, roll the dough out into a circle to fit the pizza stone. Transfer the dough to the prepared pizza peel. (Alternately, brush a large baking sheet with a generous amount of oil. Stretch the dough into a rough circle and place it on the baking sheet.) Brush the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil onto the dough.

Spread the shallot mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border.

Top the shallots with the grated Gruyère cheese and distribute 1/2 tablespoons of ricotta cheese around the pizza. Transfer the prepared pizza to the pizza stone.

Bake the pizza until the crust has puffed, the Gruyère has melted, and the ricotta has browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven.

Sprinkle the pizza with the parsley and thyme. Allow the pizza to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

TGIF!  ~Linda

Caramelized Shallot Pizza (adapted from realsimple.com)  Total Time Required: 35 minutes, Hands-On Time: 25 minutes, Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound shallots, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 pound pizza dough, at room temperature
• cornmeal (for sprinkling on the pizza peel)
• 4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475°F with a pizza stone in it, on a rack in the lowest position. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time (up to 1/4 cup) as needed if the shallots start to burn. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vinegar.

Generously sprinkle cornmeal all over the pizza peel and set it aside. On a flour dusted pastry board, roll the dough out into a circle to fit the pizza stone. Transfer the dough to the prepared pizza peel. (Alternately, brush a large baking sheet with a generous amount of oil. Stretch the dough into a rough circle and place it on the baking sheet.)

Brush the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil onto the dough. Spread the shallot mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top the shallots with the Gruyère cheese and distribute 1/2 tablespoons of ricotta around the pizza. Transfer the prepared pizza to the pizza stone.

Bake the pizza until the crust has puffed, the Gruyère has melted, and the ricotta has browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle it with the parsley and thyme. Allow the pizza to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.