Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Belgian Endive, Gorgonzola, and Walnuts
- 2 large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- Kosher salt
- 3 Belgian endives
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- Pizza dough (page 192)
- Cornmeal or durum flour for dusting
- 6 ounces Gorgonzola dolce
- 1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Put the onions, olive oil, thyme sprig, and a large pinch of salt in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, moist, and steaming in their own juices but not browned, about 30 minutes.
- Uncover, raise the heat to medium, and continue cooking, stirring often, until the onions are well caramelized and meltingly tender, 15 minutes or more depending on how moist they are.
- Cut the endives crosswise into 1-inch pieces.
- Separate into individual layers.
- Discard the cores.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat.
- Add the butter, endive, sugar, lemon juice, and salt to taste.
- Cook until the endives are soft and tender, stirring occasionally to prevent browning, 5 to 10 minutes.
- You should have about 1 cup.
- Bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan.
- Simmer until reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 5 minutes.
- Let cool.
- At least 45 minutes before baking, put a pizza stone on a rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to its highest setting (500F to 550F).
- With lightly floured fingers on a lightly floured work surface, flatten a ball of pizza dough into a round.
- Pick up the round with both hands and, grasping the round by an edge, rotate the dough clockwise between your fingertips, always holding it by the edge.
- As you rotate the dough, stretch it into an 8-inch circle; the dough will also stretch and lengthen from its own weight.
- Alternatively, drape the flattened round over your lightly floured knuckles and rotate the dough, moving your knuckles slightly farther apart, until the round stretches into an 8-inch circle.
- Place the dough on a pizza peel lightly dusted with cornmeal or durum flour.
- Work quickly now to prevent sticking.
- Spread one-quarter of the onion mixture over the dough.
- Scatter about 1/4 cup endive over the onions, then place several small spoonfuls of the cheese on top, using a total of 1 1/2 ounces.
- Slide onto the pizza stone and bake until the crust is brown and crisp, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven.
- Scatter 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts and a sprinkle of parsley on top and drizzle with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the balsamic syrup.
- Cut into serving slices and serve while still warm.
- Repeat with the remaining 3 balls of dough.
- Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Dancing Bear Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon or another full-bodied red wine.
yellow onions, extravirgin olive oil, thyme, kosher salt, endives, unsalted butter, sugar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, cornmeal, dolce, walnuts, flatleaf parsley
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/pizza-with-caramelized-onions-belgian-endive-gorgonzola-and-walnuts-388264 (may not work)