A Summer Delight: Spinach, Ricotta and Red Onion Pizza

I love making pizza, you get really messy and it's good fun. This is a delicious supper, or as lunch or dinner served with a nice salad.

Ingredients:

For the pizza dough (roughly makes 3 pizzas):

500g strong plain flour

Couple pinches of salt

1 x 7g sachet dried yeast

A bit of Semolina for dusting

300ml lukewarm water

For the topping: (this is what I used, but you can really put on whatever you like!)

3 Small Red Onions, thinly chopped

Bag of Spinach, wilted and drained

About 160g Ricotta Cheese

About 160g  crème fraîche

Handful whatever hard cheese you have left in the fridge, finely grated

3-4 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped

Sea Salt and Fresh Black Pepper

Method: 

1. Mix flour salt and yeast in a large bowl. Gradually add the water until well combined - this is when to get your hands dirty! If the dough is too sticky  add a little more flour, but not too much otherwise the base will get too dry.
2. Shape dough into a ball and cover with a cloth or clingfilm and leave for about five minutes. Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes. One way to know if you've kneaded it enough is to shape the dough into a ball, take a floured finger and press a small dint into the side: if it springs back it is ready. Shape into three balls and put onto floured tray or floured clean tea towel. cover with a slightly damp clean clot or tea towel and leave to rise somewhere warm. This will take at least half an hour, ideally, leave it for 40-60 minutes.
3. While the dough is rising preheat the oven to 240 degrees. Also, make the topping. Mix together the cheeses, crème fraîche and garlic (add fresh basil or parsley if you have some). Season with salt and pepper and set to one side.
4. When the dough is ready, flour a clean work surface and spread each dough ball into whatever shape you want. I always try to do circles, but inevitably they don't fit onto my baking trays and end up as a sort of round-edged oblong! Try to roll the dough as thin as possible, the thinner the better!
5. Place onto baking trays scattered with Semolina.
6. Add topping: liberally spread over mixture right to the edges with only a small gap. Then scatter over generous portions of red onion and spinach. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Place into hot oven for about 10 minutes on a middle shelf. You will have to cook the third pizza afterwards if you have a small oven as if you place it onto a lower/higher shelf it will not cook evenly.
8. Serve immediately with a nice salad of rocket, black olives, tomato and balsamic vinegar, a glass of Frascati and enjoy! An excellent summer food!