Late Harvest Pizza - Everyday Annie

Guys, we made it. If your week has been anything like mine, it may have been just barely, but nevertheless – we made it. It’s Friday. Hallelujah! Clearly, pizza is in order. And if we’re going to do it, let’s do it right. This pizza is perfectly seasonal featuring a spicy pumpkin cream sauce, caramelized apples, caramelized onions, thinly sliced kale and radicchio, and garlic herb ricotta. In short, I LOVE it.

Admittedly, given the various toppings, this takes slightly longer than a basic cheese pizza but it is definitely worth it. Plus, sipping a glass of wine or two while you prep the meal makes it that much more enjoyable. This was a huge hit in our house, and Andrew in particular raved about it with every bite. We are getting to the point now where the growing kids with their growing appetites means that one pizza is just not quite enough for all of us, so the recipe below is for two pies. Even if you don’t need more than one, I recommend making both anyway. We had a ton left over and it was delicious the following days as well. Cheers to fall, cheers to Friday, and cheers to pizza!

Yield 2 (12-14 inch) pizzas

Ingredients

1 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced
Pinch of sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. butter, divided
2 medium-large apples (I used Pink Lady), peeled, cored and sliced
1 tbsp. brown sugar
Dash of ground cinnamon
Dash of freshly grated nutmeg
2 tbsp. water
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed, divided
½-1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1½ cups pumpkin puree
3-4 tbsp. heavy cream
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
½ tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 recipe perfect homemade pizza crust
8 oz. shredded mozzarella
2 oz. grated Parmesan
1-1½ cups thinly sliced radicchio, plus more for finishing (optional)
1-1½ cups thinly sliced kale

Directions

01
Place a pizza stone in the oven and heat to 500˚ F. Preheat for at least 30 minutes.
02
Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onion to the pan along with the sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has fully softened, browned and caramelized, about 20-30 minutes. Transfer the onions to a bowl and set aside.
03
Return the pan to medium heat and melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to the pan along with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples soften and brown. Add the water to the pan to deglaze and stir until the apples are evenly coated in their darkened juices. Set the pan aside to let cool.
04
In a clean medium-large skillet over medium heat, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Add 3 cloves of the garlic, the red pepper flakes and tomato paste to the pan. Cook about 1 minute, just until fragrant and beginning to brown. Add the pumpkin puree to the pan and stir in, cooking just a few minutes to warm through. Season with salt and pepper generously. Stir in the cream. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Set aside.
05
In a small bowl, combine the ricotta with the remaining 1 clove of garlic, rosemary and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
06
Divide the dough into two equal portions. Roll out the pizza dough into a 12-14 inch round on a piece of parchment paper. Lightly brush the perimeter of each dough round with olive oil. Spread half of the pumpkin sauce onto each pizza in an even layer. Sprinkle half of the shredded mozzarella and half of the grated Parmesan over each pizza. Spread the radicchio and kale slices over both pizzas. Divide the caramelized onions and apples between the two pizzas as well. Dot both pies with the herbed ricotta.
07
Bake one pizza at a time. Transfer the pizza to the preheated pizza stone by sliding the parchment with the assembled pizza onto the stone, and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust and toppings are lightly browned, about 12 minutes total. Remove from the oven. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving. Top with additional fresh radicchio for an extra pop of texture and color, if desired.