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Caramelized Onion, Gorgonzola and Walnut Pizza
September 23, 2007
It’s autumn! The leaves are starting to turn, the nights are cool, and the air just feels different. And richer, heartier foods are suddenly very appealing! This pizza recipe is one of our favorites and it’s terrific for this turning season. The Gorgonzola provides a salty snap in counterpoint to the sweet, jammy richness of the caramelized onion, and the walnuts bring an earthy crunch to this elegant, uncomplicated pizza. Serve with a simple salad of well-dressed greens and a nice zinfandel, syrah, or even a chianti. Mmmmm.
Makes one 15-inch pizza
Dough:
1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
Shy 2/3 cup of warm water (about 110º)
Pinch of sugar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fine cornmeal
¾ teaspoon salt
About 1 ¾ cups unbleached white flour (you can replace ½ cup of this with whole wheat flour if you like)
Additional flour for rolling
Topping:
4 yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 ½ tablespoons butter
1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Shy ¼ pound of Gorgonzola Piccante
½ teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
Dissolve the yeast in warm water with sugar and set aside in a warm place for 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the olive oil and cornmeal in a 1 quart bowl. Add the yeast mixture and salt, and mix well. Gradually add the flour, making a soft, workable dough. Turn onto a floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle additional flour on as necessary to keep dough from sticking to the surface, but add as little as possible. Put dough into an oiled bowl and flip over so the surface is coated with oil. Cover and set aside in a warm place until it is doubled in bulk (about an hour). If dough completes its rise before onions are finished, punch down and let it rise again.
Melt butter and olive oil together in a skillet and add sliced onions and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook gently over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, for about an hour, until the onions are browned and caramelized.
Preheat oven to 500 º. If you’re using a pizza stone, put it in the oven when you turn it on.
Roll out the dough on a well floured surface. It should make a 15” circle, about 1/8” thick in the center and slightly thicker at the edge. Put the dough onto an oiled pizza pan or a well-floured pizza peel.
Gently spread the onions over the dough, and dot with Gorgonzola. Sprinkle the rosemary over the top. Put the pizza into the oven.
After about 5 minutes, sprinkle the walnuts over the pizza and return it to the oven for another few minutes. Total baking time is 8-12 minutes. When pizza is cooked, garnish it with a few turns of freshly ground black pepper. Let it rest briefly then slice and enjoy!
