Artichoke, Shallot, and Fig Pizza

Before I dive into this delicious creamy artichoke and fig pizza, I wanted to share some fun news with you. [The class is now full, thanks so much you guys!] I’m hosting afA virtual lesson on how to work with natural light in photographyI’ve been shooting with a camera for over 18 years now, and I’m sharing my lighting tips and strategies in this 1-hour lesson. I’ll also go over the equipment I use to light my images (which costs less than $45 total). It’s a super fun class, it’s free, and I’d really love to see you there! I’m hosting a couple of live sessions and you can hold your seat Here 🙂

Now let’s move on to the pizza! This recipe really does it two pizzas, because they taste so good that you will definitely want that second one for extra portions. It’s also really, really easy to make. The part that takes the longest is the kneading, which is not difficult, it just requires leavening time. But if you’re in a hurry, you can always use store-bought pizza dough. My favorite part of this pizza, though, is the sauce. It’s a mixture of artichoke hearts, garlic, parmesan, lemon, walnuts and rosemary blended together in a food processor until smooth and creamy. When spread on pizza dough and baked alongside the grapes and shallots, everything caramelizes and creates a wonderful fusion of sweet and savory flavors.

And since I simply can’t eat enough figs this time of year, I throw some raw on top along with fresh basil, some microgreens, and a drizzle of good balsamic. Turns out fig pizza = HEAVEN. The result is a truly Mediterranean pizza, celebrating the best parts of those regions’ late summer produce (and luckily for me, Portland too!) This pizza pairs really well with a sparkling white wine, or even green wine, if you want. a small tasty drink to accompany. Have fun my friend!

Artichoke, Shallot and Fig Pizza

Pizza dough

• 2
  cups
  plus 2 tablespoons bread flour
• 1
  teaspoon
  fine salt
• 1/2
  teaspoon
  dried thyme leaves
• 1
  cup
  warm water
• 3/4
  teaspoon
  active dry yeast
• 1
  teaspoon
  extra virgin olive oil

Artichoke dip (makes about 1 1/3 cups dip)

• 1 10-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
• 8
  Cloves
  garlic
  chopped
• 1
  cup
  freshly grated parmesan
• 3
  spoons
  freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2
  ounces
  about 3/4 cup walnut halves and pieces
• 1
  teaspoon
  chopped fresh rosemary
• 3/4
  teaspoon
  kosher salt
• 1/4
  teaspoon
  freshly ground black pepper

Gasket. (for 2 pizzas)

• 3
  ounces
  about 1 1/4 cups grated pecorino romano
• 1
  ounce
  about 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 4
  large shallot
  finely sliced
• 1/
  cup
  dark red or black grapes
• 6
  fresh figs
  halved or quartered
• 1/2
  cup
  fresh basil leaves
• 1/2
  cup
  microgreens
  optional
• 2
  spoons
  of balsamic

Dough

1. Mix the dough ingredients together in an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook on low speed for 3 minutes (pausing to scrape the flour down the sides of the bowl as needed). Cover and let rest at room temperature, away from direct sunlight, for 15 minutes.

2. Then knead with the electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook at low speed for 3 minutes. Place the dough on a well-floured surface (such as a cutting board) and divide it into 2. Form each into a ball, then pat into a circle. Cover each with a piece of lightly oiled bee wrap or cling film or foil and let rise at room temperature out of direct sunlight for 3 hours or covered overnight in the refrigerator.

Artichoke Sauce

1. Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor until smooth.

Topping + Assembly

1. Preheat the oven to 260°C (500°F) with a baking stone inside. Alternatively you can cook the pizza on a round metal pan.

2. Place a piece of baking paper on a large cutting board. Place one of the pizza doughs on the parchment paper and roll out the dough to about 10 to 12 inches in diameter, leaving a 1-inch border of crust around the slightly raised edge.

3. Spread half of the artichoke dip in the center of the pizza, leaving a 1-inch border for the crust. Sprinkle half the cheese over the pizza and spread the shallot half and grapes evenly over the pizza.

4. To transfer the pizza to the refractory stone, open the oven and hold the cutting board close to the refractory stone, with the other hand detach the baking paper from the cutting board and slide it (along with the pizza) onto the refractory stone. Close the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Repeat with the second pizza.

5. Evenly distribute the fresh figs, basil leaves and microgreens over the two pizzas. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon of balsamic each and serve.