Author Notes: I have a small bottle of ramp oil, it is sitting in my fridge, its the color of liquid emeralds, it’s been begging for something amazing, amazing like….Burrata. My original thought was to do a wild mushroom calzone with burratta and white truffle oil, which would be dizzying in its umami-ness. But then I thought about the ramp oil and a bit of spice and that was it. AHA I’ve got it. You could probably make mini pizzas for starters, or individuals. If you haven’t any burratta, substitute fresh mozzarella + equal amounts ricotta and marscapone, also up the salt a wee bit. Oh I don’t usually make my own pizza dough, really I haven’t the time or the space or frankly the patience. I buy dough, sometimes from the bakery down the block (when I can get there in time), sometimes the Acme, or Whole Foods or Trader Joes. Where ever I happen to be. I keep a few balls in the freezer for emergencies and whether I buy fresh or I defrost I let them sit in a warm place under a clean towel in an olive oil coated bowl for at least 45 minutes before shaping so the yeast can get active again. – Aliwaks —Aliwaks
Food52 Review: Absolutely lovely and delicious. We has expected some big flavors from this pizza, but were pleasantly surprised by the delicate tastes, and perfect balance, of all the elements. Aliwaks cleverly tames the assertiveness of chive/leeks (or ramps) by gently blanching them, and then infusing in oil with fragrant nutmeg and white pepper (we used 1/2 teaspoon). The dried peppers get a nice and mild smoky depth from a quick toast before chopping, and the burrata lusciously pulls everything together. So good! – Jennifer Ann —The Editors
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
The Pizza
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1
“Bulb” Burrata
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1
whole dried guadillo or ancho pepper
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3
tablespoons Olive Oil
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3
tablespoons Ramp (or Chive Oil)
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1
clove garlic, minced
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1
1# ball pizza dough
Ramp (Chive) OIl
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1
cup Ramp Greens or mix or 1/2 cup chives + 1/2 cup leek greens
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1
cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
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2
teaspoons salt
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1/2
teaspoon fresh nutmeg
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1/
teaspoons white pepper, ground
Directions
- Blanch herbs quickly in boiling salted water the plunge into ice bath. Dry well, squeeze out any extra moisture. Chop
- Add herbs to blender, add oil & seasonings while the blender is running, transfer to glass or other non reactive bowl, let sit over night in fridge, strain store in clean sterilized glass jar. Should keep about 2 weeks.
- The Pizza… If using prepared dough that has been in the fridge or freezer let dough develop a bit, set in well oiled bowl in a warm place for at least half hour.
- Toast chile in a pan or over direct flame or grill till fragrant and softened ( you know I loves to toast my spices), Chop well, into small bits. You want about 1-2 tablespoon or so total chillies
- Chop up burratta, make sure you keep all the luscious amazingness from the inside all together set in a bowl
- Assembly: rub top of dough with a bit of olive oil to cover entire surface, Sprinkle with minced garlic, Cover center with chopped burrata, take care to evenly distribute creamy bits, leaving an edge for a crust, Sprinkle chopped chilies, Drizzle chive oil over cheese.
- There are much more professional ways to make pizza, I don’t have a pizza stone or one of those pizza taking out of the oven things so here’s what I do:
- Prepare a sheet pan with some coarse cornmeal (I usually just grab some polenta). LIGHTLY flour a work surface and roll dough out gently, then oil your hands a bit and shape to desired shape (square, round etc), gently pulling, trying not to tear the dough)
- Oven : Get your oven as hot as it can get, place 1 sheet pan in upside down in oven. Place shaped dough on back of 2nd sheet tray (covered in cornmeal), place toppings on dough, place 2nd sheet pan on top of 1st and bake till brown & bubbly @ 10 -12 minutes
- Grilled: get grill really hot, as hot as it will go. Oil the shaped dough well on both sides. Toss dough on the grill, cover about 3-4 minutes till comes up off the grill easily. Flip in to sheet pan, place topping on grilled side.. return to grill close cover & grill another 6-8 minutes. FYI, you can pre-grill crusts on one side ahead of time & stack them between parchment paper on a tray. I do this when I have make your own pizza parties (gets rid of leftovers!)
- Garnish with chive flowers if you have them. I think this could also benefit from a sprinkling of roasted fresh white corn.
- Serve with salad of nice bitter greens and a few sliced ripe tomatoes.
/c9d60647-a80e-487b-b92c-7dc617aa9f80--burratta.JPG "White Pizza with Burrata, Dried Chilies & Ramp (or Chive) Oil 2")
