The recipe
Ingredients
- 250 g proofed pizza dough, ready to bake
- 100 g broccoli, trimmed
- 50 g ricotta, separated whey poured away
- 60 g mozzarella, well drained
- ½ small garlic clove
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp finely grated lemon zest, peel suitable for eating
- Salt and black pepper
- A little flour or fine semolina for shaping
Method
- Preheat to 250°C with conventional top and bottom heat. Heat a suitable stone or steel according to its instructions. Keep dough covered until supple.
- Divide broccoli into florets about 2 cm across and thinly slice thick stems. Blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, spread out, cool and pat thoroughly dry.
- Lightly coat florets with the oil. Mix ricotta with finely grated garlic, a little salt and pepper. Cut up mozzarella.
- Open dough to 28 to 30 cm. Check that it slides on a lightly dusted peel. Spread ricotta thinly, then distribute mozzarella and broccoli.
- Bake for approximately 8 to 12 minutes, checking from minute six. Cook the base through without burning the broccoli tips.
- Remove, finish with a little lemon zest, slice and serve.
Briefly blanch small florets
Weigh 100 g trimmed broccoli and divide it into small florets approximately two centimetres across. Slice thicker stems more finely so they cook at a similar rate. Add the vegetables to boiling water for about two minutes. They should retain some bite while no longer being completely raw. Drain and spread on a clean towel or kitchen paper. Let the broccoli cool and pat it dry. Water trapped between the florets would otherwise run into the ricotta layer during baking.
Large whole broccoli crowns are awkward on a thin pizza. Their tips may darken before the stems soften. Smaller pieces distribute more evenly and make the pizza easier to cut. Toss the dry florets with a teaspoon of olive oil, using just enough to lightly coat them. The centre does not need a solid blanket of vegetables. Leave gaps so the cheese remains visible and the topping does not form tall piles.
Spread a thin white base
Stir 50 g ricotta with half a small finely grated garlic clove, a little salt and pepper. Gently spread the cream over the opened dough, then add 60 g well-drained mozzarella. Keep the garlic incorporated in the cream rather than leaving loose pieces on top where they could burn. Use a lemon with peel suitable for eating. Scatter a quarter teaspoon of finely grated yellow zest over the pizza only after baking. This version does not include lemon juice.
The stated preparation time starts with a fully proofed dough ball. Making the dough and preheating are additional. Watch the broccoli tips in the oven and check the underside as well. Darkened tips alone do not establish that the base is cooked. If your oven delivers particularly strong top heat, a slightly lower shelf position may suit it better. Serve immediately. For a variation, add a few chilli flakes to individual slices after baking without making the entire pizza hot.