Six-Onion Pizza

Give me sweet and savoury onion pizza and I’ll give you anything — seriously. This recipe hails from Michael Leviton, chef and co-owner of Area Four in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I’ve never had the honour of sampling chef Leviton’s version, but lucky for us, Saveur: the New Classics Cookbook made this gem of a recipe available.

I confess: the crust is not handcrafted. My newest BFF, Mindy Theroux, gifted me four spectacularly delicious Venice Bakery gluten-free crusts (she has a genuine need to eat gluten-free), and they made a whopping good base for these Six-Onion Pizzas.

Six-Onion Pizza

• 4 T olive oil
• 1 each large regular and Vidalia onions, chopped
• 1 T dried oregano or thyme
• coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 8 oz leeks, white part only, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced
• 5 dry shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 6 oz pecorino or Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
• 5 scallions, thinly sliced
• 4 10-12-inch pizza crusts or flatbreads

In a large pan, over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add regular and Vidalia onions with oregano, a teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Cook, covered, on medium-low for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, to soften the onions without browning them. Transfer the onions to a blender to purée.

In a 12-inch pan, over medium heat, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and add the leeks with some salt and pepper. Cook, on medium-low, for about 12-15 minutes, stirring until softened but not browned. Put the leeks aside in a small bowl.

In the same pan, over medium heat, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and add the shallots and the red onion with some salt and pepper. Cook, on medium-low, for about 15-18 minutes, stirring until softened.

Preheat oven to 500F.

Cover a baking pan with parchment paper. Divide the onion purée on each crust. Add leeks, shallots and red onion. Sprinkle on the cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted. Garnish with scallions. Serves 4.

Six-Onion Pizza Print Ready Recipe

Final notes:

• According to Harriet Sugar Miller, onions and other alliums are just about the healthiest foods we can ingest. So by munching on these Six-Onion Pizzas, you’ll have one of the tastiest meals you can imagine, and you’ll be giving your body some much needed nourishment.  
• Many thanks to librarian, Stacy Alesi, for sharing her love of cookbooks in her cookbook book club. Saveur: the New Classics Cookbook is a winner.
• Forget about trying not to cry while chopping onions —  crying has its benefits.
• Sing along with Roy Orbison’s “Crying” while you chop, chop,chop.