Artichoke Pizza Margherita with Fresh Ricotta

In Florence, Italy, you will find Pizza Margherita - tomato, cheese, fresh basil.  But after several trys, you might want a variation.  Here's one with a bit of artichoke and ricotta - both very Italian.  And a crust that is at the same time light and crispy, and nutritious.  Use ground flax seeds so your body can access their omega-3 oils.  Whole flax seeds aren't processed by the body and the omega-3 value is largely lost.
Crust:
3-1/4 cups general purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup ground flax seeds, or ground bran or wheat germ
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp granulated baker's yeast
1 Tbsp olive oil
1-1/2 cup water, warmed to 105F

1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
2 dozen leaves fresh basil
1 lb mozzarella cheese, sliced into matchsticks
1/2 lb Monterrey Pepper Jack cheese, sliced into matchsticks
16 oz fresh ricotta cheese
3-4 cups favorite tomato sauce

About 2-3 hours before you are ready to eat, start the dough by mixing the dry ingredients together in a blender fitted with a dough hook. Turn blender on medium and add the oil then slowly drizzle in the water, adding only just enough to let the dough pull together. Depending on your flour and the weather, you may not need all the water. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, until it is shiny and elastic. Form dough into a ball and roll in a bowl with about a dash of olive oil until completely coated. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit in a relatively warm spot.

When the dough has risen to at least twice it's size, preheat oven to 500F. Remove dough to a well- floured counter. Cut in two and roll each half out to a 12-14 inch disk to fit your pizza pan. (see Cook’s Note if you want to do a pizza roll). Spread sauce evenly about the dough.

Top with cheese, artichoke, ricotta and basil leaves, interlacing everything to form several ‘layers’.

Bake each pizza separately for about 10 minutes, until brown and bubbly.

Makes 2 pizzas.

Cook’s Note: Another way to prepare this dish is to make a pizza roll, which is similar to a Calzone, in that the filling is baked inside the dough, instead of on top. For a pizza roll, roll out the dough to about a 9x13-inch rectangle. Lay out the filling on top of the dough.

Roll up the dough and seal the edges by pinching together, and bake about 15 minutes at 450F, making sure the dough does not burn.

Slice on a bias and serve.

You could of course make this pizza with your favorite crust - there is no magic between the combination of these fillings and the rich whole grain crust. Though if you are going vegetarian, you should look for nutrients in everything, including pizza crust!

Florence, Italy