Three-Cheese Pizza with Grilled Radicchio and Fig
My kids, Ella, Lulu, and Harry, love making pizza at home and getting their hands in the dough. You don’t need a special oven to make great pizza at home, although I recommend purchasing a pizza stone from your local kitchen store to ensure a crispy and crunchy crust. While you are at it, pick up a pizza paddle too. They often are sold as a set and run only around $30, so they’re not a major investment. The pizza dough in Basics is extremely versatile and can be topped with basically anything you can come up with. Here I wanted to come up with a vegetarian pizza that was so packed with interesting flavors, no one would miss the meat. Radicchio and arugula provide a slightly bitter balance to the melted and wondrous cheeses.
Recipe information
Yield
makes one 10-inch pizza
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 500°F. Put a pizza stone or a baking sheet on the middle rack and preheat it along with the oven for at least 20 minutes.
Step 2
Preheat an outdoor grill or a grill pan to medium-high heat (alternatively, you can preheat the broiler).
Step 3
Discard any limp or loose outer leaves from the radicchio. Halve the radicchio through the stem end. Drizzle the pieces with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper.
Step 4
Rub the grill with oil to prevent sticking. Place the radicchio on the grill (or in a baking dish under the broiler). Grill, turning with tongs, until the radicchio is lightly charred on all sides, about 4 minutes. You want the radicchio to still have some color and crunch.
Step 5
Transfer the radicchio to a cutting board, cut out the core, and cut the leaves crosswise into 1-inch pieces.
Step 6
To prepare the pizza, dip the ball of dough into a little flour, shake off the excess, and set on a clean, lightly floured surface. Stretch the dough with your hands, turning the ball as you press down the center. Continue spreading the dough into a 10-inch circle with either your hands or a rolling pin. Don’t worry if it is not perfect; it looks homemade and rustic. Leave the dough slightly thick so the topping does not seep through.
Step 7
Dust a pizza paddle (if you don’t have a paddle you can use a rimless cookie sheet as a substitute) with flour and slide it under the dough. Lightly brush the outer edge of the dough with oil to create a sheen on the surface of the crust. An important tip: take care not to get any oil on the pizza paddle (or pan), or else when you try to slide the dough off, it will stick.
Step 8
Spread the mozzarella evenly on the pizza and scatter the Gorgonzola on top, leaving about a 1/4-inch border. Distribute the radicchio evenly over the cheese; it will look like a lot but don’t worry, it will wilt down and shrink. Arrange the figs on top and season with salt and pepper.
Step 9
Slide the prepared pizza onto the hot baking stone and bake until the crust is nicely browned, roughly 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. Shower with arugula, sprinkle with the Pecorino, and drizzle with a little oil. Cut into slices with a pizza cutter. Serve immediately.
Ingredient note
Step 10
Fior di latte
Step 11
Mozzarella Fior di Latte literally means “milk of flower.” It’s a fresh cow’s milk cheese made in a similar way to buffalo mozzarella. I prefer it because the flavor is subtle and delicate, even floral. You can find the creamy white mozzarella balls packed in water at Italian markets and fine grocery stores.
