Spring Onion and Chive Pizza with Genius White Sauce

Chives are by far my favorite herb, and one of my all-time favorite plants, too. They're reliable and prompt, poking through the soil each year at the very beginning of spring, and their purple blossoms are usually the first flowers to bloom in the whole garden. After a long, gray-brown winter, these tender alliums are the first green things I can pluck from the garden, and this spring onion and chive pizza is my favorite way to celebrate their arrival.

Because the delicate flavors of spring onions and chives are easily overpowered, I keep things as simple as possible on this pizza, tying the alliums together with nothing more than olive oil, salt and pepper, and some heavy cream. The "genius white sauce" comes together when cream and olive oil are baked together on the pizza, and then more cream is drizzled on top after baking. I know it sounds strange, but trust me: once you master this very simple "sauce," you'll never go back to gluey cooked white sauces again.

If you like, once you've tried the recipe as is, free to jazz up this spring onion and chive pizza with a little shredded aged Gouda or Cheddar cheese, or even some cooked chopped bacon.

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3.77 from 17 votes

Spring Onion and Chive Pizza with Genius White Sauce

A super-simple pizza to showcase early-spring chives and spring onions (or scallions). All you need is a bunch of chives, a few scallions or spring onions, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American, French, Italian

Keyword: chives, quick and easy, scallions, spring, spring onions, vegetarian, white pizza

Makes: 1 (12-inch) pizza

Cost: $5

Equipment

• 2 bowls
• pastry brush
• Large rimmed baking sheet or baking stone/steel
• Pizza peel (optional)

Ingredients

• 1 bunch fresh chives with flowers or buds chopped, flowers/buds left whole
• 3 spring onions or scallions white an light green parts only, sliced in half lengthwise and then cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough
• ⅓ cup heavy cream divided

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as it will go (if using a baking stone/steel; place the stone/steel in the oven before you start preheating).
• Place the chives and spring onions in separate bowls and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to each. Toss to coat, then season the chives and spring onions with a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper; toss again.
• If you're using a baking stone/steel, turn the oven to Broil on high.
• Stretch or roll out your dough to a 12-inch circle, then transfer it to an oiled baking sheet or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
• Drizzle the dough very lightly with olive oil, and use a pastry brush to spread the oil all the way to the edges of the dough. Scatter on the spring onions, then the chives. Drizzle half of the cream evenly over top.
  
• Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese has browned in spots—8 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet, 6 to 8 minutes on the baking stone/steel.
• Remove the pizza from the oven, and immediately drizzle the remaining cream evenly over top and season with a pinch of salt. Let the pizza sit for 5 minutes or until the cream has congealed, then slice and serve.