Monday, July 13, 2009

Fig, Basil and Caramelized Onion Pizza


Basil, basil, basil--it's everywhere this time of year, and we're taking advantage of the period before tomato season starts up in earnest to try some more adventurous basil pairings. The latest entry: this sizzling and decadent pizza, which combines whole basil leaves with the luscious, oozy figs that are just starting to grace our farmer's market. We've sauced this pizza with a caramelized onion and black pepper puree, which plays very nicely with the sweet figs.

A note about pizza dough: we're not providing a recipe here because the toppings--not the crust--are what makes this dish, and we don't want to deter anyone from eating this due to dietary restrictions or fear of making crust from scratch. Use a pre-made crust if you want. Our intrepid gluten-free friend Denise makes a mean crust with Pamela's baking mix. Also, full disclosure: we used the ready-made whole wheat pizza dough from the Berkeley Bowl for this. (We know, not what you've come here to hear--but until that glorious day when we can blog full-time, we've both got day jobs that sometimes preclude making crust from scratch on a weeknight).

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. pizza dough
6 figs, quartered and tossed with a little olive oil
2 cups packed grated mozzarella
1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves
More olive oil for greasing the pan and drizzling on top

First, caramelize the onions: heat a medium-sized cast-iron skillet, add olive oil, and cook onions over low heat, stirring occasionally, until they are completely wilted and have turned brown, about half an hour to 45 minutes. Remove from heat and puree in a food processor with the black pepper.

Next, assemble the pizza. Preheat oven to 450. Roll out pizza dough on a floured surface, transfer to a greased pan, and spread with the caramelized onion mixture. Sprinkle on the cheese and top with the basil leaves and figs. Bake about 8-10 minutes, until cheese is bubbling.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh be still my beating heart! That looks AMAZING.

Also, it reminds me of the pizza irreverence found at this store around the corner from me called Zing Pizza. My favorite of theirs is called Blue October--blue cheese, roasted butternut squash sauce, spinach, mozzarella, and caramelized onions. It sounds weird but is phenomenal.

Kalinda said...

Wow ladies, what an unusual combination. Can't wait to give it a try.

Comfrey Cottages said...

yum yum!! thanks for posting this! it sounds amazing and i must try it! hugs :)

I Heart Kale said...

Thanks everyone, enjoy! Sarah, we'll have to go on a pizza tour next time I'm in Boston--I still think about that roasted butternut squash and goat cheese pizza at Veggie Planet, the one that's named after her cat.

kasha said...

oh man. i saw this and wanted to make it immediately for a dinner i'm hosting tonight. so i walked down to the ferry building farmers' market and searched and searched but i guess none of those folks are stocking figs yet. so sad. so i had to revert to pear feta basil pizza, with bacon. :)

I Heart Kale said...

Oh, tragic! ;)

I'm surprised there are no figs at the ferry building yet! They've been at the Berkeley market for a few weeks now.

Kate said...

Oh man... I love figs and caramelized onions. For this pizza, I'd try to get my hands on some fresh moz from Claudio's or perhaps some fresh goat cheese.