Stephencooks

Calamari Pizza with Goat Cheese and Oregano

8 slices, 14" diameter

Ingredients

• Dough for 1 pizza (recipe HERE)
• 3/4 lb calamari  (cleaned squid), cut in rings and tentacle chunks 
• 1 cup (packed) oregano leaves
• 1/2 cup (packed) baby spinach leaves
• 4 large garlic, peeled, sliced
• 1/8 cup (packed) mint leaves
• olive oil
• 1 egg white
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheeses: parmeggiano reggiano, sharp provolone, etc. 
• Chives or scallions, threads
• 8 Greek olives, pitted and chopped
• 1/3 red bell pepper, cut in 8 thin spears
• 2 oz goat cheese

Method

Turn the oven on 450º with the pizza stone in place.

Roll or stretch the risen dough ball to a pizza shell. Set aside, covered, to rise 30 min.

Wash and dry the spinach and the herbs. Place in a food processor with the egg white and the garlic and pulse for a few seconds until the greens are roughly minced. Season the mixture with salt, lemon juice and hot sauce.

Wash and dry the calamari. Sauté calamari in a little olive oil - hot but not smoking - about 60 seconds, drain, season with a little salt and hot sauce and set aside. Sauté the red pepper spears about a minute, season and set aside.

When the shell has completed the second rising, spread it with olive oil and then the greens mixture. Bake 10 min.

Cut 8 disks from the goat cheese and arrange around the pizza in an 8-point star pattern. Crumble and scatter the rest of the goat cheese over the pizza. Place a red pepper spear across each goat cheese disk, again in the 8-point star pattern. Place a tentacle chunk on each of the goat cheese disks and the scatter the rest of the calamari over the pizza.

Return the pizza to the oven and reduce the temp to 400º and bake for 10 more minutes. The crust should be just browning. Remove from oven, brush the edges with olive oil and scatter on the olives and minced chives or scallions.