Roasted Pepper and Caramelized Onion Pie
This pie pays homage to the French pissaladière, a crust topped with olive oil, onions, and anchovies. It can easily go cheeseless for those who want a dairy-free dish.
Makes two 12-inch pizzas
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large Vidalia onions, sliced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 large green bell pepper
- 1 large red bell pepper
- ½ recipe California Thin Crust dough
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or 2 tablespoons cornmeal
- 1 cup Slow-Simmered Tomato Sauce
- 1 cup Asiago cheese (optional)
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, combine onions, butter, and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until onions turn a rich brown.
To roast peppers, hold over a hot grill or open flame with a long-handled fork until skin is charred and blistered. (If it's more convenient, peppers can be cored and halved, then roasted on a rack in the oven until skin chars.) Place peppers in a paper or resealable plastic bag and close loosely. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then peel off the charred skin. Core and seed peppers and cut into vertical strips.
Roll dough into two 12-inch circles, slightly thicker at the edges than in the center. If using pizza pans, sprinkle the bottom with cornmeal or coat with olive oil and place dough in pan. If using a pizza stone, sprinkle with cornmeal and place stone in oven. Preheat oven to 400°.
Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce over each crust, leaving one inch around the edges bare. Sprinkle pizzas with Asiago cheese, if desired. Spread a tangle of caramelized onions over the sauce. Arrange strips of roasted peppers in alternating colors in a spoke pattern over the pizzas.
Bake pizzas, one at a time if necessary, at 400° in the center of the oven for 15 minutes or until browned. Remove and let stand for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.
