Artichoke and Ricotta Pizza
I forgot how much I love artichokes. I had them a couple of weeks ago in Evian, France at the restaurant at the newly renovated five-star Hotel Royal, served with wild Bar, a tender white-fleshed fish from Normandy, and again at one of my favorite neighborhood bistrots in Paris, Le Casse-Noix, also with fish.
Then I saw this recipe for artichoke ricotta pizza for in one of my favorite French food magazines. Coincidence? The universe was obviously trying to tell me something.
So here you go, an ever so slightly adapted version of the one I saw in the magazine — I added olives Nicoise, and forgot the shaved Parmesan, but next time I won’t. Assuming you’ve got the precooked pizza doughs in your fridge, then this is a 15-minute from start to finish deal. Terribly easy. Good enough for company (when the temperature cools off and you feel like sitting outside again). Would make the perfect snack for apero hour. Or in my case, any time at all.
Artichoke and Ricotta Pizza
Makes 2
Adapted from Saveurs magazine
- 1 (8-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts in oil
- 2 individual-size precooked pizza crusts
- 4 heaping tablespoons ricotta
- 12 or so Nicoise olives
- 1 handful arugula
- olive oil for serving
- Preheat the oven to broil.
- Drain the artichoke hearts, reserving the oil. Put them in a food processor or blender, add 1 tablespoon of the oil, and purée until smooth. Taste for seasonings. (You may need salt and pepper, but I didn’t, so I didn’t put it on the ingredients list.)
- Get your pizza crusts out of the freezer, put them on a sheet pan, and add 2 tablespoons of the artichoke purée to each one. Top with 2 tablespoons of ricotta, added in small bits scattered around. Divide the olives between the two pizzas. Slide into the oven to cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until warmed through and the crust is browned on the edges. Serve right away with some arugula on top and a drizzle of good olive oil.
