Finish baking the pizza first
Prepare the tomato sauce, cheese and other ingredients that need baking according to your recipe. Take the fully cooked pizza out of the oven and add the rocket on its serving plate. This preserves its fresh leafy character, even though the immediate warmth may make it wilt slightly.
For this topping, do not return the pizza to the hot oven afterwards. A deliberately cooked vegetable topping needs its own suitable method. Fresh rocket added at the end has a different role from spinach or other vegetables that have been cooked beforehand.
Wash the leaves and dry them well
Remove wilted or spoiled leaves and trim particularly long, coarse stalks if necessary. Wash the rocket under running water and dry it carefully in a clean salad spinner or with a clean cloth. Dripping salad leaves transfer their water straight onto the cheese and base.
Keep the prepared leaves separate from the warm topping until finishing. Wash only the quantity needed and follow storage and use instructions on packaged leaves. The final minute before serving is for scattering the rocket, rather than searching for a colander or beginning the washing.
Scatter loosely and dress lightly
Begin with a small loose handful for a medium pizza and add more according to taste. The baked topping should remain visible between the leaves. A tall mound tends to slide off in large pieces at the first bite and makes the pizza harder to cut.
Rocket does not necessarily need a complete salad dressing. If adding oil or a little lemon juice, toss a small amount through the leaves immediately before using them. Do not pour dressing left in the bowl over the pizza base. Ham, cheese and olives already contribute seasoning as well.
Choose accompaniments and serve promptly
Tomato and mozzarella make a simple foundation. A few hard cheese shavings, drained sun-dried tomatoes or thinly arranged prosciutto are possible additions. Select two or three suitable components rather than adding a full quantity of every salty ingredient at once.
For a vegetarian pizza, leave out meat and choose suitable cheese. Serve promptly after adding the leaves. When baking several pizzas in succession, keep the rocket in a separate bowl and add it to each pizza only when that pizza is actually going to the table.