Name: Lemon Ricotta Pizza with Calabrian Chili Oil
Ingredients: 1 pizza dough, either store bought or homemade; 8 fresh basil leaves; olive oil; 8oz whole milk ricotta cheese; 1/4c grated parmesan cheese; 1/4c parsley, finely chopped; The zest of 1 lemon; The juice of 3/4 of the same lemon; 1/4tsp freshly grated nutmeg; 2 Tb olive oil; Salt, black pepper, and cayenne to taste; 2 Tb Italian Bomba Sauce/Chopped Calabrian chili peppers packed in oil (see note); The juice of 1/4 of the lemon used to make the lemon ricotta; 1/4c olive oil

Ingredients

Scale

For the Pizza

1 pizza dough, either store bought or homemade
8 fresh basil leaves
olive oil

For the Lemon Ricotta Topping

8oz whole milk ricotta cheese
1/4c grated parmesan cheese
1/4c parsley, finely chopped
The zest of 1 lemon
The juice of 3/4 of the same lemon
1/4tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 Tb olive oil
Salt, black pepper, and cayenne to taste

For the Calabrian Chili Oil

2 Tb Italian Bomba Sauce/Chopped Calabrian chili peppers packed in oil (see note)
The juice of 1/4 of the lemon used to make the lemon ricotta
1/4c olive oil

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Grease the dough with a light coating of olive oil and place it in a large bowl. Cover with a dish towel and let it rise at room temperature for several hours.
Make your lemon ricotta mixture by placing the ricotta, parmesan, parsley, lemon zest and juice, nutmeg, salt/pepper/cayenne, and olive oil in a medium sized bowl. Stir well to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the Calabrian chili oil by combining the Calabrian chilis and lemon juice in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil until well combined. Cover and set aside until ready to use. You may need to re-whisk this right before using.
Once the dough has risen, preheat oven to 450F, and lightly grease the bottom and sides of a sheet pan with olive oil. Gently press and stretch the dough until it fills the area of the sheet pan. Stretching works well, just be careful not to tear the dough.
Spread ricotta mixture all over the pizza, then top with a drizzle of your Calabrian chili oil. Bake for 20 minutes. When the pizza is done, it will be crispy on the bottom and cooked through. Top with fresh basil leaves.
Transfer pizza from sheet pan onto a large cutting board, slice the pizza, and serve with more Calabrian chili oil.

Notes

Italian Bomba Sauce is ideal, and Trader Joe's actually makes a really good one. If you don't live near a TJs, look for chopped Calabrian chili peppers in oil near the other jarred peppers in your grocery store. You can also check your local Italian deli or market, or order them online.