Onion Herb Pizza

This isn’t a typical pizza loaded with cheese and tomato sauce. It’s closer to a French pissaladière or an Italian focaccia: a thin crust topped with deeply browned onions, rosemary, garlic, Parmesan, and a sharp hit of red wine vinegar that keeps all that sweet onion in check.

The dough comes together in a food processor in under a minute. Half the flour goes in first, then olive oil and the proofed yeast mixture, then the rest of the flour. The machine does the kneading for you, turning out a soft, pliable dough that spreads easily onto an oiled pan. Pricking the dough before topping prevents big air bubbles from forming underneath.

Four large onions sautéed in a half cup of olive oil until brown is the heart of this pizza. Low and slow gets you caramelization, not burning. The garlic goes in at the end so it doesn’t scorch, and the red wine vinegar added off heat cuts through the richness with a tart, bright finish. Parmesan melts into the onions during baking, adding salty depth.

Chef Tips

• Brown the onions slowly. Rushing them over high heat gives you burnt edges and raw centers instead of even, sweet caramelization.
• Add the garlic after the onions are browned. Garlic burns in the time it takes onions to caramelize.
• Prick the dough all over with a fork. Skip this and the crust will puff up unevenly under the topping.
• The vinegar should be added to the hot onions off the heat. It deglazes the pan and captures all the browned bits.

Variations

• Scatter Kalamata olives over the onions before baking for a Mediterranean touch.
• Add thinly sliced fennel to the onion sauté for a sweeter, more aromatic topping.
• Top with crumbled goat cheese instead of Parmesan after baking for a tangy, creamy contrast.