Pea Soup Pizza

I hate peas. It's not the flavor. It's for the most common reason: I really don't like the texture. However, I really do enjoy the flavor and am a big fan of pea soup. My fiance is a fan of peas, especially fresh peas, so when they came in our CSA, I knew I couldn't get out of it. At just about 4oz shelled, I knew there wasn't enough to make soup, so I scoured the internet for a way that I could cook the peas to get the flavor without the texture. After looking through a hodge podge of recipes, I came up with my own. The pea part is really just a pea pesto without the Parmesan. The prosciutto topping mimics the delicious flavor of the ham, and using ricotta instead of the traditional mozzarella gives it a creaminess that you wouldn't normally get in a pizza and the mild flavor lets the pea shine through. This was a definite winner in our house, and I have a sneaking suspicion that it would be a big hit with kids too.

Serves 4-6

Pea Soup Pizza

• pizza dough for 2 pizzas, separated
• olive oil cooking spray
• 1 c Pea Pesto (see recipe below)
• 2 oz prosciutto, cut into 1 inch squares
• 8 oz fat free ricotta
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, to serve
• Parmesan, to serve

Preheat oven to 500F. Roll dough out very thin, to less than 1/4 inch thick, on lightly floured surface. Spray two cooking sheets with olive oil cooking spray. Transfer dough to cooking sheets. Spread pesto evenly over dough. Drop spoonfuls of ricotta on top of the peso, and press cheese down to spread. Top ricotta with sliced prosciutto. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until crust is golden brown.

Pea Pesto

• 4 oz fresh shucked peas (you can substitute frozen, but I wouldn't recommend canned)
• 1/8 c chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor until as smooth as possible. It's ok if it's still a little chunky. You just want to be able to spread it easily.