Lemon Ricotta & Brussels Sprout Pizza

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator to bring to room temperature. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel, halve and thinly slice the onion. Cut off and discard the stem ends of the Brussels sprouts. Pick off and reserve the Brussels sprout leaves until you reach the lighter cores; discard the cores. Cut off and discard the root ends of the lettuce; roughly chop the leaves. Thinly slice the celery on an angle. Roughly chop the walnuts. Pick the parsley leaves off the stems; discard the stems. Quarter and deseed the lemons. Core the apple and cut into matchsticks; toss with the juice of 1 lemon wedge.

In a medium pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium until hot. Add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add 1 tablespoon of water. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 4 minutes, or until the onion is browned and very tender. Stir in an additional tablespoon of water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

While the onion caramelizes, in a bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and the juice of 3 lemon wedges; season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Lightly oil a sheet pan. On a clean, dry work surface, using your hands, gently stretch the dough to a ¼-inch thickness. (If the dough is resistant, let rest for 5 minutes.) Carefully transfer to the oiled sheet pan; rub the dough into the pan to coat the bottom in oil.

Evenly spread the lemon ricotta onto the prepared dough, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Top with the mozzarella cheese (tearing into bite-sized pieces before adding), caramelized onion and Brussels sprouts; season with salt and pepper. Bake, rotating the sheet pan halfway through, 16 to 18 minutes, or until the mozzarella cheese has melted and the crust is browned. Remove from the oven and let cool for 2 minutes before serving.

While the pizza bakes, squeeze the juice of the remaining lemon wedges into a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until well combined.

Just before serving, in a large bowl, combine the lettuce, apple, celery and walnuts; season with salt and pepper. Add as much of the dressing as you’d like (you may have extra). Toss to coat; season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving dish. Serve with the baked pizza. Garnish with the parsley. Enjoy!