It may be onerous to seek out straightforward vegetarian appetizers which have as a lot texture, complexity and spice as their meat-forward counterparts, however our marinated broccolini and ricotta pizza crostini have all that and extra.
Broccolini, broccoli’s slim-stemmed cousin, is great when softened only a bit on the stovetop. Throughout cooking, it will get flavored with garlic, shallots, pink pepper flakes and herbs. The key ingredient, although, is the Calabrian chile paste, which, because the title would counsel, comes from Calabria in southern Italy (the toe of the boot, if you’ll). Entire chiles — seeds and all — together with salt and oil make for a brilliant pink paste that’s each fruity and decidedly spicy. Mixed with the marginally bitter broccolini, it sings. A base of ricotta balances out the warmth, and a chewy, blistered pizza crust serves as a superb base.
We blind bake our pizza dough, docking it with a fork so it doesn’t broaden, after which minimize it into party-size squares. Relying on how substantial you’d like your bites to be, minimize a 12-inch pizza into 12 or 16 squares. A dollop of ricotta, a heaping serving to of broccolini and a drizzle of leftover marinade (hat stuff is liquid gold!) make for a chewy, crunchy, and creamy veggie chew.
Need extra crostini inspiration? Take a look at our Pizza Crostini with Burrata and Trout Roe and our Pizza Crostini with Ricotta, Speck, and Marcona Almonds.
This recipe is featured in “This New Year’s Eve, Forget the Knife and Fork.”
Time
half-hour
Yield
12-16 crostini
Tools
Ooni Pizza Dough Scraper
sauté pan
Ooni pizza oven
Ooni Infrared Thermometer
Ooni Perforated Pizza Peel
Ooni Pizza Turning Peel
Ooni Pizza Cutter Wheel or Pizza Cutter Rocker Blade
Substances
one 250-gram Traditional Pizza Dough ball
7 tablespoons (100 grams) extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
14 ounces (400 grams) broccolini, sliced into ½-inch items
9 ounces (250 grams) ricotta
3 tablespoons (30 grams) garlic, sliced
⅓ cup (60 grams) shallots, sliced
1 teaspoon (5 grams) pink chile flakes
1 teaspoon (5 grams) dried oregano
2 tablespoons (15 grams) kosher salt
1 ounces (20 grams) Calabrian chile paste
1½ tablespoons (20 grams) white wine vinegar
3 teaspoons (20 grams) contemporary oreganoTechnique
This recipe would go well with a variety of pizza styles, however we predict our classic pizza dough could be an awesome match. Make sure that to organize your dough forward of time to make sure it rises at room temperature earlier than firing up your oven.
To arrange the broccolini, warmth a sauté pan over medium-high warmth. Add 40 grams of olive oil and the broccolini and cook dinner for 4 minutes, stirring sometimes. Add the garlic, shallots, pink chile flakes, dried oregano, and salt, then cook dinner for 5-8 extra minutes, or till broccolini is softened.
Take away from warmth and pour right into a medium-sized bowl. Add Calabrian chile paste, 60 grams olive oil, vinegar, and contemporary oregano, then marinate for a minimum of half-hour.
Hearth up your oven. Purpose for 750 to 850°F (400 to 450°C) on the baking stone inside. (Use the infrared thermometer to shortly and precisely test the temperature.) Stretch your dough on a flippantly floured floor. Push the air from the middle out towards the crust, then use your knuckles to stretch out the bottom to 12 inches.
Dock with a fork, gently urgent into the dough throughout, to forestall the dough from absolutely increasing within the oven.
Drizzle with olive oil, then launch into your oven. 
Cook dinner the dough absolutely, turning to make sure a good bake, for about 1 to 2 minutes. 
Take away from the oven, and let the dough cool fully.
Slice every pizza into squares; you need to get 12-16 items out of every pizza, relying on how massive you need your crostini. 
Dollop ricotta onto every bit.
Spoon the broccolini on high of the ricotta. Drizzle among the marinade onto every bit and serve.
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