Fig and Prosciutto Pizza
It was not until three years of living in our house that I discovered the fig tree hidden in the far corner of the back yard. Doing the dishes one early summer evening and dreaming about being anywhere else but the kitchen, I thought I saw a fig leaf out the window. The spindly trunk was about as thick as a crayon, but there was no question those very distinct leaves were fig. As soon as I moved it to a sunny location very close to my kitchen window, it quickly tripled in size and I discovered it was my favorite kind of fig, Black Mission. Fig trees send up shoots from the bottom and many people suggest planting them with barriers around the roots, so they don’t spread, but I just cut off the shoots that surface so that I have just one trunk. If you have the room though they will spread like a bush. Figs don’t ripen once they have been picked so you can’t pick them early; sometimes it’s a contest between you and the wild critters who also like the sweet juicy fruit. Fig season doesn’t last more than a couple of weeks and we’re in it now.
Photo by: Claudia Alexander
Note: I use a pizza stone and heat the oven for 45 minutes before adding the pizza.
Place your stone or steel in the middle of the oven and preheat to 475°
Makes 1-14” pizza
Ingredients:
1 pizza dough, store bought or homemade
6-8 figs stemmed and quartered
4-6oz. fresh mozzarella bocconcini
4 oz. sliced prosciutto
¼ cup of tomato sauce (optional)
¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Large handful of spinach, arugula, or combination of both
sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional)
Directions:
Roll out dough and brush the surface lightly with olive oil. Next add the tomato sauce if using it, brushing it on very lightly. Next, layer with torn pieces of mozzarella, and torn pieces of prosciutto on the very top. Lay the figs cut side up. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Put in the middle of oven for 18-20 minutes. Cut and then put a generous handful of greens on top. Serve right away.
Variation: A great substitution -skip the tomato sauce, pears for the figs and stilton for the Parmesan.
Photo by: Claudia Alexander