Prosciutto and Arugula White Pizza

It’s not everyday that I get to stand in front of the cheese counter and pick up not one, not two, but three cheeses. I’m easily buying 1-2 cheese a week these days, but three at once? Heaven. I do love me some cheese counter at the fridge New Seasons, but it’s no Foster & Dobbs. That’s probably my favorite cheese counter so far. Still on my list are Cheese Bar and Atomic Cheese. I’ll get there someday.

[remember how I started this blog avoiding dairy cheese? my how things change…]

New Seasons is great for the simple things, which is exactly what I needed to get — asiago, mozzarella, ricotta. None of that skim crap. Only whole milk will do [for taste and less likely to have a reaction]. This was an epic pizza. It needed three cheeses. It needed white truffle oil. I can’t believe I caved and bought some, but I did. It added such a subtle complexity to the cheese. Did I mention the cheese sat atop a layer of roasted garlic spread?

Because it did. Roasting your own garlic is easy, but takes longer to roast than the pizza to cook, so I bought the pre-roasted stuff. Drizzle in a little olive oil and blend. Sweet creamy garlic bliss. Arugula was a nice, spicy kick to the pile of subtle complexity. It’s amazing how a little bit of olive oil mixed in subdues it’s intensity. Lastly? Prosciutto. It’s added last and is not heated. It gets salty when cooked, remember? Let’s not do that again.

Sublime. That’s the only way I can describe this pizza. It’s my new favorite. Hands down. I ate way more than I should have, and have zero qualms about it. It’s just that good. So far this book is two for two. I’m liking these stats.

Inspiration: Pizza on the Grill

Ingredients

• 1 ball of pizza dough
• 1/4 cup grits or polenta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1/2 cup roasted garlic with a touch of olive oil, blended or mashed with a fork
• 2/3 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
• 2/3 cup asiago cheese, grated
• 2/3 cup ricotta cheese, full-fat
• 2 teaspoons white truffle oil
• 1 cup fresh baby arugula
• 4oz prosciutto, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Preheat the grill on high for 10 minutes before turning it down to medium. Spread the grits out on your flat surface. Roll the dough out as large as you can get it, until it’s about 1/4″ thick. Drizzle both sides with olive oil. Grill on one side for 2-3 minutes. You want to see nice grill marks on the dough. Remove to a rimless baking sheet, grilled side up.

Spread the roasted garlic paste in an equal layer on the bottom of the pizza. Sprinkle the asiago and mozzarella cheese throughout. Add dollops of ricotta cheese. Turn off the middle burner if your grill has three burners, or turn everything down to a medium low. Place the pizza back on the grill for 6-8 minutes.

Once the cheese is melted and you have grill marks on the bottom of the pizza, remove it to your pan again. Drizzle the truffle oil on the finished pizza. I used a pastry brush to even it out. That’s your call. Toss the arugula with a little bit of olive oil before spreading it in a light, even layer over the pizza. Top with your bite sized pieces of prosciutto.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper before serving.