Meet my new best friend –

I used to not care so much for artichokes. That was before this recipe. Now we’re best friends. Especially, since the recipe calls for already prepped frozen artichokes. No awkward man-handling of vegetables for this pizza pie! This Artichoke and Fontina Pizza was adapted from Food and Wine Magazine.

Ingredients:
12 ounces frozen artichokes, thawed and drained
3/4 cup olive oil, plus 1 tb.
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 smashed garlic cloves
2 each: thyme sprigs and rosemary sprigs (fresh!)
1 bay leaf
Pinch crushed red pepper
Salt and Pepper
Cornmeal for dusting
1 ball of bakery pizza dough (I have a good recipe for this I’ll post later)
1 1/2 – 2 cups shredded fontina (use a box grater or food processor)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the artichoke hearts with 3/4 cup of the olive oil, the lemon juice, garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf and crushed pepper. Season with salt. Cover and refrigerate the artichokes overnight or for up to 3 days.
2. Preheat the oven to 425°. Dust a work surface with cornmeal and roll out the pizza dough. Transfer to baking sheet. Drizzle the round with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bake for about 8 minutes, until the dough looks dry and bubbles appear on the surface. Remove from the oven.
3. Remove the bay leaf and chop the artichokes, garlic and herbs into bite-size pieces; drain them on paper towels. Sprinkle the Fontina over the pizza; distribute the artichoke mixture over the cheese. Season with salt and pepper; return the pizza to the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges are browned. Serve hot.
4. Invite me over for dinner. I’ll bring the wine.