I love crazy pizza, but there’s something about a classic pie that really feeds my soul in addition to my stomach. The original Margherita Pizza was made for a Queen Margherita in the late 1800s, and now really is the archetype of pizza as many people know it today. Tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil. Done. That’s some good eating right there. I did essentially that, but instead of basil on top, I used fresh ramp greens (because I had sooooo many from a trip to the green market). They add a really fantastic herbacious onion-garlic flavor that’s a bit on the subtle side, so make sure you use a lot.

Ingredients (Good for 2-3 pies):

Pizza dough (see previous post)

1 large sweet onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 T fresh oregano, chopped

8 good size basil leaves, chopped

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

salt & pepper to taste

1-1.5 lbs fresh mozzarella, sliced (please don’t buy one of those part-skim blocks of garbage that masquerade as mozzarella)

4 cups ramp greens, chiffonaded (it’s a new word, just go with it; “to have been cut in the style of a chiffonade”)

– Get a sauce pan going on medium heat, and cook your garlic and onions down in the olive oil until caramelizing.

– Stir in the herbs, and cook until they’re wilted.

– Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper.

– Bring to a simmer, turn down the heat to low, and let it keep going for about 20 minutes.

– Put a thin layer of sauce on your pizza, using a spatula or the back of a wooden spoon to help you smear it around.

– Put a layer of cheese on.

– Top with an abundance of ramp greens.

– Bake for 10-15 minutes at 450-500 F on  your pre-heated pizza stone, or until the crust is brown and the cheese is melted.