Summer Strawberry Pizza with Sauteed Ramps, Crumbled Gorgonzola, Shaved Speck, Baby Arugula, + a Balsamic Reduction Drizzle on Multigrain Pizza Dough

Every time Summer starts to creep around, I begin to crave a rustic pizza with fruit as the star ingredient. It might sound delicious to some of y'all... and it might sound absolutely-down-right-disgusting to the rest. But bless your heart, you couldn't be more wrong. Just take my word for it. This pizza came about on a Saturday at our local farmer's market. Don't you love when dishes just come together so spontaneously? We saw  lusciously ripe, ruby red strawberries and some perfectly pungent (yet still mild) wild ramps and I thought, well heck, let's marry those two flavors. I am on a real ramp kick lately. I can't find them at grocery stores in our hood, but at the edge of Spring, you can find them by the barrel, freshly pulled out of the ground by your friendly local farmer. They are the loveliest combination of a leek, green onion, shallot, and garlic. And when they are sauteed, they just mellow out a bit and give any extremely rich recipe a itty bitty kick. So, I spread a thin pesto-like sauteed ramp base on the pizza dough before I loaded it up with a bunch of different cheeses. I crumbled the ever-so-sticky gorgonzola cheese on top for an extra pop of flavor. It perfectly paired with the sweet strawberries. UM YUM. The pizza is finished with shaved Speck, which we prefer to Prosciutto, if you get in a pickle, just use that instead... no biggie. Baby arugula is scattered across the top for its' peppery bite, and anyway, it goes amazingly with strawberries and gorgonzola. And no fruity pizza would be complete without a drizzle of syrupy balsamic reduction. It just wouldn't. So take our word for it, this is something that can't be missed during these hot summer months. I guarantee it!! Enjoy :)

For the Strawberry Pizza:

1 Ball of Multigrain Pizza Dough (regular or whole wheat dough can be substituted)

1 Small Bunch of Ramps, Chopped

2T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

8oz Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella (sliced, torn into small pieces, or shredded)

4-8oz of Ripe Strawberries, Thinly Sliced

¼C Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese

¼t Dried Red Pepper Flakes

4oz Shaved Prosciutto (we actually used Speck just because we prefer it over prosciutto)

2T Fresh Basil, Minced

Homemade Balsamic Reduction, For Drizzling

1-2 Handfuls of Baby Arugula, For Garnishing
Kosher Salt + Fresh Cracked Pepper, To Taste

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to its hottest setting, around 500-550 degrees, and arrange a rack in the middle of the oven. Let your pizza stone heat up in the oven for at least 30-45 minutes.

2. For the Sautéed Ramps: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in olive oil, red pepper flakes, and chopped ramps. Sauté until they become fragrant and translucent, but still slightly crunchy and sharp. This usually 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set them aside to cool before you spread them on the pizza dough.

3. For the Strawberry Pizza: Create a 12inch round of dough on a semolina dusted pizza peel and spread the sautéed ramps over the top. Place the torn fresh mozzarella evenly across the dough, and then add on the sliced strawberries, crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, some red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and fresh cracked pepper. Slide the pizza onto the heated pizza stone and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted and begun to caramelize. Remove it from the oven and immediately lay small piles of the thin slices of speck (or prosciutto) over the hot pizza. Just before serving, scatter the baby arugula on top, followed by a drizzle of balsamic reduction.

4. Cut into slices and serve immediately!