Four Seasons Pizza

Pizza Dough, recipe follows
2 cups grated mozzarella
2 cups grated Fontina
6 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 pound steamed clams
1 tomato
8 thin slices prosciutto, cut into julienne
1 1/2 cups Tomato Sauce, recipe follows
2 tablespoons basil, chiffonade
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan

Prepare the dough 1 hour prior to making pizza. Divide the dough into 4 6 ounce balls. Allow to rise until ready to shape. Preheat oven with pizza stone to 500F. Prepare the toppings. In a bowl, combine the mozzarella and Fontina. In a small saute pan, over high heat, saute the mushrooms in the olive oil until done. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool. Reserve. Remove the meat from the steamed clams and reserve. Discard the shells. Slice the tomato into at least 6 thin round slices. Reserve. To assemble the pizzas: Place a ball of dough on floured board and stretch to about 10 or 12 inches. Repeat with 2 additional balls. Divide last dough ball into 6 pieces, and roll each one into 10 inch strips. Divide tomato sauce evenly on dough circles leaving a small rim. Divide the cheese on top of each pizza. Carefully place 2 strips of dough over each pizza so that you have 4 quarters which represent the 4 seasons. Garnish each quarter: 1 with tomato, 1 with clams, 1 with mushrooms and 1 with prosciutto julienne. Slide pizza onto hot pizza stone. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle basil over tomato section and grated Parmesan over the mushroom section. Serve immediately.

Pizza Dough:
1 package active dry or fresh yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup warm water, 105 to 115F
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup warm water. In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour and the salt. Add the oil, the yeast mixture, and the remaining 3/4 cup of water and mix on low speed until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and clusters around the dough hook, about 5 minutes. The pizza dough can also be made in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse once or twice, add the remaining ingredients, and process until the dough begins to form a ball. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand 2 or 3 minutes longer. The dough should be smooth and firm. Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for about 30 minutes. When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled. Divide the dough into 4 balls, about 6 ounces each. Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times. Then on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest 15 to 20 minutes. At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Makes 4 8 inch pizzas.

Tomato Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 pounds Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 cup homemade chicken stock or store bought, heated
3 ounces butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup basil, chiffonade
salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil. Over medium heat, saute the onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes or until sauce thickens. Strain into a clean saucepan. Whisk in butter, piece by piece. Add basil. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Use as needed. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Spicy Crab Pizza Recipe

1 Sourdough pizza dough
1 pound lump crabmeat
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
½ cup chopped pickled jalapeno
¼ pound monterey jack cheese with jalapeno grated
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
½ teaspoon salt
½cup mayonnaise
2 ounces parmigiano-reggiano cheese grated

Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Combine crabmeat, garlic, jalapeno, monterey jack, worcestershire, hot sauce, salt, mayonnaise in a medium sized mixing bowl and toss gently. Spoon the mixture into a medium sized oven save bowl. Sprinkle parmesan cheese evenly on top of the crabmeat mixture. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes.

Form the dough into the desired shape and cook untopped at 415°F for 5-7 minutes. Remove dough from the oven. Spread the crab mixture on the dough and top with cheese. Cook at 415°F for 7-10 minutes or until cheese starts to brown. Remove from the oven and let stand for 2-4 minutes before enjoying.

Every night is a special occasion when you have spicy crab pizza.

Four Seasons Pizza

Pizza Dough, recipe follows
2 cups grated mozzarella
2 cups grated Fontina
6 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 pound steamed clams
1 tomato
8 thin slices prosciutto, cut into julienne
1 1/2 cups Tomato Sauce, recipe follows
2 tablespoons basil, chiffonade
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan

Prepare the dough 1 hour prior to making pizza. Divide the dough into 4 6 ounce balls. Allow to rise until ready to shape. Preheat oven with pizza stone to 500F. Prepare the toppings. In a bowl, combine the mozzarella and Fontina. In a small saute pan, over high heat, saute the mushrooms in the olive oil until done. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool. Reserve. Remove the meat from the steamed clams and reserve. Discard the shells. Slice the tomato into at least 6 thin round slices. Reserve. To assemble the pizzas: Place a ball of dough on floured board and stretch to about 10 or 12 inches. Repeat with 2 additional balls. Divide last dough ball into 6 pieces, and roll each one into 10 inch strips. Divide tomato sauce evenly on dough circles leaving a small rim. Divide the cheese on top of each pizza. Carefully place 2 strips of dough over each pizza so that you have 4 quarters which represent the 4 seasons. Garnish each quarter: 1 with tomato, 1 with clams, 1 with mushrooms and 1 with prosciutto julienne. Slide pizza onto hot pizza stone. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle basil over tomato section and grated Parmesan over the mushroom section. Serve immediately.

Pizza Dough:
1 package active dry or fresh yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup warm water, 105 to 115F
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup warm water. In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour and the salt. Add the oil, the yeast mixture, and the remaining 3/4 cup of water and mix on low speed until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and clusters around the dough hook, about 5 minutes. The pizza dough can also be made in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse once or twice, add the remaining ingredients, and process until the dough begins to form a ball. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand 2 or 3 minutes longer. The dough should be smooth and firm. Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for about 30 minutes. When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled. Divide the dough into 4 balls, about 6 ounces each. Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times. Then on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest 15 to 20 minutes. At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Makes 4 8 inch pizzas.

Tomato Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 pounds Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 cup homemade chicken stock or store bought, heated
3 ounces butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup basil, chiffonade
salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil. Over medium heat, saute the onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes or until sauce thickens. Strain into a clean saucepan. Whisk in butter, piece by piece. Add basil. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Use as needed. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Ligurian Pizza

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brewers yeast
1 cup warm water
1 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
4 minced garlic cloves
1 chopped onion
16 pitted black olives
8 ounces anchovies or sardines

Mix yeast and warm water add yeast and water to 1/4 cup flour allow to ferment one hour in warm place Mix the rest of the flour and salt or salt substitute add fermented yeast and olive oil add more flour if necessary to create uniform, shiny dough allow dough to rise for two hours in a warm place divide dough into 2 to 8 balls add more flour if necessary press balls of dough to fit pans lightly fry onions and garlic in olive oil; do not brown mix onion, garlic, basil and tomato paste spread mixture on dough, leaving 1/2 inch margins cut anchovies and olives into strips distribute strips on pizzas bake in oven at 475F for 10 to 15 minuets, until crust margins are well brown