Beet Ricotta Pizza

Last week my friend Heather told me about a simple dish of beets, ricotta, and olive oil. It sounded just delightful, so I thought I would make it. Except on a pizza.

I cooked the beets first following the Times' method, as usual:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the greens away from the beets, leaving about 1/4 inch of stems. (Later this week, we'll show you how to sauté the greens.) Scrub the beets and place in a baking dish (or lidded ovenproof casserole dish). Add 1/4 inch of water to the dish. Cover tightly. Place in the oven and roast small beets (three ounces or less) for 30 to 40 minutes, medium beets (four to six ounces) for 40 to 45 minutes, and large beets (eight ounces or more) for 50 to 60 minutes. They’re done when they’re easily penetrated with the tip of a knife. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the covered baking dish. Cut away the ends and slip off the skins.

For the crust:

1 1/8 cups warm water
1 packet active dry yeast
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more)

With your pizza stone inside, preheat your oven to its hottest setting.

Mix the yeast and water. Set aside. Put the flour, sugar, and salt into a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. With the processor running, add the olive oil, then the water-yeast solution (once the yeast is dissolved). Continue with the machine running until a ball begins to form. If the dough is too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it produces the desired consistency. Remove the dough and form it into a ball, then dump it into a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, non-drafty place for an hour or so.

This recipe makes two crusts. Roll out one half of the dough, brush it with olive oil, then cover it with sliced beets, ricotta, coarse salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Bake on the preheated pizza stone for about ten minutes. Do the same for the second half of the dough, or place it in a plastic bag and save it in the refrigerator for tomorrow.