White Pita Pizzas and Red and Green Prosciutto Salad

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White Pita Pizzas and Red and Green Prosciutto Salad

Source: Rachael Ray. 365: No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners. Clarkson Potter Publishers: New York. pg. 198.

Ingredients:
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
4 10-12 inch pita breads
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 1/2 C. whole milk ricotta cheese
1 lemon, zested
10 oz. (2 C.) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 small fennel bulb
1 head romaine lettuce
1 medium head of radicchio
8 slices prosciutto di parma, cut into strips
20 basil leaves, shredded
a generous drizzle of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Drizzle EVOO over the pitas and rub them with the crushed clove of garlic. Season with a little salt and pepper and arrange on 2 cookie sheets or place directly on oven racks. Transfer the bread to the oven and toast for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the pitas start to flirt with being crispy.

While the pitas are in the oven, in a bowl combine the ricotta, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. 

Remove the slightly crispy seasoned pitas from the oven; spread the ricotta mixture over the bread, covering it from edge to edge. Sprinkle the ricotta with the shredded mozzarella and return the pitas to the oven for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese melts and browns at the edges.

Trim the tops of the fennel bulb and quarter lengthwise. Remove the core from each quarter with an angled cut. Slice the fennel across into thin pieces and add to a salad bowl. Shred the romaine and the radicchio and add to the bowl. Add the prosciutto and basil, then drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the salad and season with a little salt and pepper. Toss the salad thoroughly.

To serve, remove the pitas from the oven, arrange them on 4 serving plates, and arrange a pile of the red and green salad on top. If eating pizza with a knife and fork isn't your style, then serve the salad on the side.