Chard and Onion Pizza with Ricotta

I picked up my second CSA "box" on Tuesday evening. This week I received:

• Head of bok choy
• Head of lettuce
• Bunch of Swiss chard
• 1 onion
• Bag of green peas
• Bunch of radishes
• 1 tomato
• Bunch of dinosaur/lacinato kale
• 1 zucchini

I had mixed feelings about receiving Swiss chard again because I didn't love it last time. However, I viewed this as a opportunity to try it again - prepared in a different way - and give it a second shot. After more research about Swiss chard, I found that boiling the chard for a few minutes reduces its acid content, making it less bitter.

As an extra precautionary measure, I decided to pick a recipe that would incorporate the Swiss chard into something involving cheese, garlic and bread (how can anything be bad when mixed with cheese, garlic and bread?). So, the obvious answer was pizza! I found the original recipe in New York Times' Fitness and Nutrition section (slightly altered).

Chard and Onion Pizza with Ricotta

(Yields 3-4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 large onions, sliced
• 1 tsp. thyme, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4-6 chard leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 14-inch pizza crust
• 3/4 cup ricotta
• 1/2 cup parmesan, grated
• 1 egg yolk
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Heat pan over medium heat. Once hot, add small amount of olive oil (enough to coat pan)
3. Add the onions, cook until tender - about 10 minutes
4. Add garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Lower the heat and continue to cook until onions are golden brown, sweet and soft - about another 10-20 minutes. Once caramelized, remove from heat
5. While onions are caramelizing, bring a pot of water to a boil
6. Thoroughly wash Swiss chard, then roughly chop the leaves (discard stalks) into about 3/4 inch pieces
7. Once water is boiling, place chopped chard leaves into the water. Boil for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, drain and discard water (it is now semi-acidic!). Pat dry Swiss chard leaves
8. Roll out pizza dough and place onto a pizza stone or pan
9. Combine ricotta, parmesan, and egg yolk in a bowl. Spread in a thin later over the pizza dough
10. Spread chard and then onions over ricotta mixture
11. Place pizza into a hot oven and cook for about 15 minutes, or until pizza dough is lightly browned and crispy