Wednesday, March 30, 2011

a pizza for the end of march...

... with caramelized onions and roasted radicchio. Sweet, bitter, a little salty and completely impromptu. I love it when a weeknight dinner comes off with little effort and still feels a bit sophisticated. Caramelized Onion and Roasted Radicchio Pizza Preheat the broiler. Caramelize the 2 small yellow onions*. Roast a small head of radicchio* while the onions are cooking. Set both aside, turn the oven down to 450. Spread a small ball of pizza dough onto a pizza pan, baking sheet, or piece of parchment paper (if transporting dough directly to a pizza stone). Drizzle the dough with a little olive oil and scatter a minced clove of garlic over the surface. Now grate on a little provolone - just a tablespoon or two. Top this with onions and the radicchio. Bake in the hot oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges of the crust are beginning to brown nicely. Remove, add a few curls of Parmesan (I use a vegetable peeler), slice and nibble with a glass of wine and a green salad. *To caramelize the onions: Peel and trim two small yellow onions. Cut them in half and slice the halves into thin half-moons. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, a 1/2 teaspoon of lemon thyme (regular thyme, or whatever you like), and season them with a pinch of coarse salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cover the pan and leave undisturbed for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook until the onions are beautifully browned and sweet - about 20 minutes more - adding a spoonful of water every so often when the onions begin to stick to break up the browned bits. *To roast the radicchio: Preheat the broiler. Remove any wilted outer leaves from the head, trim the stem end, but don't remove it completely. Slice the head into small wedges - about 1 - 1 1/2 inches thick. Toss the wedges with a good drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and ground pepper. Spread them onto a baking sheet in a single layer and place under the broiler for about 4 to 5 minutes, watching all the while, until they begin to wilt and caramelize.

2 comments:

Through My Kitchen Window said...

You can make a pizza for me anytime. Sounds delectable. Im not a big fan of radicchio but I would give the roasted version a go. Your caramelized onions are totally different to how I make mine. I never have the lid on, I never add water. I sweat them down over the lowest heat possible for about forty or fifty minutes. Then I increase the heat at the end. I rather like the addition of thyme - never thought of doing that before. Hope you have a good weekend. mariana x

Chelsea said...

I bet your onions are delish - I tend to go with this method because it always seems to work for me ;)

The radicchio can be quite bitter on its own, but when it's roasted it becomes much sweeter. I also like to tear a few raw leaves and mix them in with other greens for a salad.