Fiddlehead, Potato, and Ramp Pizza

I can't tell you how nice it is to go to the Greenmarket early Friday morning.  I am almost hesitant to tell you, because I don't want people to hear and it to become crowded!  Anyways, I made my rounds last Friday on a mission to get ramps, rhubarb, asparagus, and fiddlehead ferns.  I ended up with all of those and a small basil plant, eggs, and shiitake mushrooms.  In the booth where I bought the fiddleheads and ramps, some guys from The Spotted Pig (my favorite restaurant) were buying a hefty load of fiddleheads!  By the way, I am noticing a trend - if you carry herb plants with you, someone is bound to talk to you.   It happened to me with my rosemary, and it happened to with my basil on Friday.

Homemade Pizza

Ordering pizza is great to do when I am feeling lazy, but by the time the delivery man bikes his way over 10 blocks, the pizza is lukewarm and soggy. So I have recently gotten in the habit of making pizza myself. It is especially easy with House of Pasta pizza dough, which comes with two frozen balls of dough - enough to make two large pizzas. The only catch is you have to remember to thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator or thaw for 6 hours on the counter. The great thing about pizza is you can make it just how you want. You can control the thickness of the crust, the amount of cheese, and the toppings - plus it is cheaper at home.
Here are the ingredients for my Bell Pepper Pizza:
-1 ball of House of Pasta pizza dough, thawed
-1 can of tomato sauce (I use about half the can)
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
-2 artichoke hearts marinated in oil, chopped
-Pepperoncini peppers, chopped and stems removed
-Shredded Parmesan cheese, how ever much you like
-Red pepper flakes to taste
-Olive oil

To begin, thaw your dough in advance.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Roll out dough to the thickness desired. Allow your dough to rest if you can't get it to the size you want, and then re-roll.
Place dough on a lightly oiled baking sheet or pizza pan. Oil top of dough, then spoon out tomato sauce in center of dough and add minced garlic and pepper flakes. Use back of a spoon to spread seasoned sauce.
Place bell peppers evenly across dough and add chopped artichoke hearts and pepperoncini peppers in open spaces.
Shred Parmesan and sprinkle over toppings.
Place in oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes (I do mine for 20). Let cool for a minute and then slice. I like to place my slices on a wire rack so the crust stays crisp. I think this pizza is better the next day when I place the slices directly on the middle rack in the oven and warm up for a few minutes. The crust gets even crispier. Enjoy.
Note: Follow the baking temperature and time based on what dough you use. Better yet, make your own dough if you have time.

Click here for a whole wheat pizza dough recipe.