Ramp Pizza

Ramps are a perfect ode to spring and especially lovely on pizza.

This pizza is nice and simple and seasonal, although if you don’t have ramps you could use scallions or kale or chard as a replacement. The uncooked tomato sauce gives a freshness and lightness to the pizza, and lets the ramps take center stage.

Dough from Mark Bittman
Pizza adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

Dough

1 1/2 cups (180 grams) all-purpose flour, or more as needed, plus more for kneading
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more as necessary

Pizza

2 bunches ramps
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes (or a 32-ounce can, as I did, saving the rest for harissa)
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces fresh mozzarella
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
Salt and pepper
Cornmeal
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preparation

Make the dough:
Put the 1 1/2 cups flour, yeast, 1 teaspoons salt and 1 tablespoons of the olive oil in a food processor. Turn the machine on and add 1/2 cup water through the feed tube. Process until the mixture forms a slightly sticky ball, about 30 seconds. If the mixture is too dry, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time and process for 5 to 10 seconds after each addition. If the mixture refuses to come together, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time and process until it does.

Rub a little olive oil or sprinkle a little flour onto your hands and shape the dough into a ball. Set in bowl, cover with plastic and let rest at room temperature until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours. You can also refrigerate for several hours, deflating if necessary if it threatens to burst the plastic. Let it return to room temperature before proceeding.

Reshape the dough into a ball. Put it on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle with flour and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Let rest for about 20 minutes. In the meantime...

Prepare the toppings:
Trim hairy ends off ramp bulbs. Separate ramp bulbs/stems from darker leafy ends. Thinly slice the stem ends; cut the leafier ends into 1/2-inch thick ribbons.

Heat large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the sliced bulbs and sautee until translucent but still a little crunchy/sharp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add ramp leaves and cook until just wilted, barely 1 minute. Season with salt and set aside.

Prepare the pizza:
Heat your oven to its hottest temperature (I heated to 450). Coat a baking sheet or pizza pan lightly with cornmeal (so that dough doesn’t stick). Stretch pizza dough into a very thin 11 to 12-inch round or large rectangle with your fingers. Don’t worry if it’s uneven or misshapen.

If using whole canned tomatoes, either chop or puree them until you have your desired sauce consistency. In a small bowl, mix them with garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, and fennel. Taste for seasoning. Spread this mixed tomato puree thinly over your dough almost to the edges. Spread thin slices of mozzarella over tomatoes. Scatter sauteed ramps over pizza, followed by grated parmesan. Season with additional salt and pepper and drizzle with remaining tablespoon of olive oil.

Bake in heated oven for 12 to 14 minutes, until crust is golden all around and mozzarella has some charred spots. Remove pizza from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve!