As the second of three pizzas in my weekend pizza party, I made a white pizza with salty ham, homemade easy pickled onion and red peppers. The cheesiness of the ricotta, parmesan and jack cheese add a nice balance to the kick of the pickled onion. Plus the kick of salty meat and sweet peppers. Delicious!

Laurie paired this pizza with a Tommasi Soave. A nice crisp white wine that paired quite well. Yum!

White Pizza with Pickled Onions and Red Peppers

• 1 cup ricotta
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
• 1 cup grated Monterey Jack
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking sheet and drizzling
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 store-bought dough
• 1/2 cups pickled onion (see below)
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 2 ounces soppressata, very thinly sliced
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Stir together cheeses, garlic, and oil in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.

2. Roll out dough. Dot with half of cheese mixture, top with onions, peppers and soppressata.

3. Bake until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbling.

Quick Pickled Red Onion: Bring 3/4 cup white vinegar with 3 tablespoons of sugar, a pinch of salt and about 4 juniper berries to a boil. Add a half red onion, sliced thin. Simmer for about 30 seconds, remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer to a jar and keep cool. They will last about a month – but I’d use them within the week!