Black Clam And Garlic Pizza Food

CLAMS, CHILIES, AND PARSLEY PIZZA

Steps:

• Remove the pizza dough from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before baking.
• Place 1/4 cup oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, and saute until it is limp, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, bay leaf and a pinch of chili flakes. Reduce heat to low and cook 7 minutes longer. Add wine, and bring to a simmer. Add clams, cover pot, and cook till they start to open, about 10 minutes. As they open, use tongs to transfer them to a large bowl. When all clams are cooked and cooled, pluck out meat, and discard shells.
• Simmer liquid left in pot until it reduces to a thick, syrupy glaze, about 10 minutes. Add cream, and continue simmering until mixture is reduced by a quarter, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, and set aside.
• Take a pizza peel and dust the surface with flour. Form the dough into a 12-inch round.
• Working quickly, paint the entire surface of the pizza with one-quarter of the clam glaze. Scatter a dozen or so clams over the pizza and sprinkle with chili flakes. Drizzle with oil.
• Place peel into brick oven. Slide off the peel. Watch the pizza and continue to rotate it in the oven until all sides of the crust bubble up, allowing for some black bubbles, but not too many. (Approximately 2 minutes.)
• Take the pizza out of the oven and sprinkle with chili flakes and scatter with parsley.
• Repeat with the remaining dough balls and toppings.
• If using fresh yeast, mix 1 1/2 cups cold water and yeast together in an electric mixer until yeast is dissolved. If using dry active yeast, mix water and yeast and let sit until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes. Beat in flour and salt and mix with dough hook until the dough comes together to form a smooth, slightly elastic dough, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not knead. Place the dough into oil-coated bowl, cover loosely with plastic and store in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days to proof. At Franny's we let it proof for 48 hours, at which point we feel the dough has the optimal texture and flavor.
• When you are ready to make the pizza, divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and shape into balls. Return the dough to the refrigerator to rest for 4 to 6 hours, or until needed, up to 12 hours. Remove the dough and let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before using (take the dough out of the fridge while you preheat the pizza stone). You can let it sit out longer as long as it doesn't get too soft and floppy, which will make it difficult to shape. Soft dough is also more likely to stick to the cookie sheet or pizza peel, making it harder to slide onto the stone. If the dough gets too soft, stick it back in the fridge for 10 minutes or so to give it a chance to firm up. Shape and top as directed for in the pizza recipe.

NEW YORK STYLE PIZZA WITH CLAMS AND BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• Make the dough. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 500˚ F (use the convection setting, if available) with a pizza stone, baking steel or inverted large baking sheet in the lower third of the oven. Put the clams in a large bowl of cold water; let sit 20 minutes to remove any excess grit.
• Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and cook until bright green and just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl of ice water. Drain and pat dry, then roughly chop.
• Drain the clams and rinse under cold water. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until softened, 1 minute. Stir in the wine, oregano and clams. Cover and cook until the clams open, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the clams to a bowl with tongs, reserving the cooking liquid in the skillet; discard any unopened clams.
• Simmer the clam cooking liquid over medium heat until reduced by two-thirds, 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the heavy cream. Return the heat to medium, bring to a simmer and cook until thickened and the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 2 to 4 minutes. Let cool until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes; discard the oregano sprigs. Remove the clams from their shells and roughly chop.
• Working on a floured or cornmeal-dusted piece of parchment, gently stretch and press the dough into a 12- to 13-inch round. Sprinkle all over with the Parmesan, then top with the clam sauce (the sauce will spread as it bakes). Top with the clams, broccoli rabe and Calabrian chiles.
• Transfer the pizza (on the parchment) to the hot stone and bake until the crust is golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Slide the pizza onto a cutting board and let cool slightly. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
• Sprinkle the yeast over the hot water in a small bowl. Let stand until dissolved and slightly foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk the bread flour, all-purpose flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the yeast mixture into the well and add the olive oil. Stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, dust the dough with flour and knead, dusting with more flour as needed, until very smooth and elastic but still slightly tacky, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Divide the dough into two 1-pound balls. (If making sheet-pan pizza, let the dough rise, covered, on an 11-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet coated with 3 tablespoons olive oil instead of in a bowl; do not divide into two balls.)
• If not using the dough right away, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature before using.

WHITE CLAM PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place a pizza stone or inverted rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack.
• Mix the garlic and 1/4 cup olive oil in a small bowl. Knead the dough about 6 times on a lightly floured surface. Roll and stretch into a 12-inch round. Place the dough on a pizza peel, or another inverted baking sheet, dusted with cornmeal.
• Brush half of the garlic-oil over the dough; season with salt. Scatter the mozzarella and clams over the crust; drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the reserved clam juice and the remaining garlic-oil. Sprinkle with the oregano, parmesan, and salt to taste. Slip the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone or baking sheet (the cornmeal will help it slide off). Bake until the crust is light brown, 13 to 15 minutes.
• Just before the pizza is done, drizzle the arugula with olive oil and lemon juice. Slice the pizza; top each piece with arugula and season with red pepper flakes, if desired.

CLAM PIZZA WITH RED SAUCE

Steps:

• Prepare sauce: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minutes. Stir in tomato paste. Add crushed tomatoes and season with oregano, salt, and pepper. Simmer pizza sauce for about 20 minutes.
• While the sauce is simmering, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Brush pizza crust with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and spread with a thin layer of hot pizza sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup Italian cheese blend. Evenly sprinkle with clams, sun-dried tomatoes, pineapple, and basil. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, 10 to 12 minutes.

NEW HAVEN-STYLE CLAM PIZZA

Steps:

• 1. In a small bowl dissolve sugar in 1/4 cup water. Sprinkle yeast over water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• 2. In a large bowl stir together 2 cups flour, remaining 3/4 cup water, salt, and yeast mixture.
• 3. Transfer dough to a floured surface and clean and oil large bowl.
• 4. Knead dough vigorously, incorporating as much of remaining 3/4 cup flour as necessary to create a silky dough, a full 15 minutes.
• 5. Transfer dough to prepared bowl, turning to coat slightly with oil, and cover bowl with 2 tight layers of plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a warm place 2 to 3 hours, or until doubled in bulk.
• 6. While dough is rising, in a small bowl combine garlic and oil and chill, covered.
• 7. Punch down dough and flatten on a lightly floured surface. Pounding with heel of hand and lifting, stretch dough carefully and work into a round about 15 inches in diameter (or into 2 smaller rounds).
• 8. Put pizza stone on bottom shelf of oven and preheat oven to 500°F.
• 9. Sprinkle baker's peel with cornmeal and slide dough onto it. Cover dough with a kitchen towel and let it rest, covered with the kitchen towel, about 15 minutes. While dough is resting, let garlic oil come to room temperature.
• 10. Brush dough evenly with garlic oil, leaving a 1/2-inch border untouched. Arrange clams with a dash of reserved liquor over garlic oil and sprinkle with oregano and Romano.
• 11. Shake and slide pizza off baker's peel onto pizza stone in oven. Reduce oven temperature to 450°F. and bake pizza 15 minutes, or until crust is medium brown.
• 12. Serve pizza immediately with plenty of napkins. Serves 2 as an entrée or 4 as an hors d'oeuvre.

CLAM-CHOWDER PIZZA

Steps:

• Place a pizza stone or tiles on the middle rack of your oven, and turn heat to its highest setting. Let it heat for at least an hour.
• Put the clams in a large, heavy Dutch oven, add about 2 cups of water and 3/4 cup of the wine, then set over medium-high heat. Cover, and cook until clams have opened, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. (Clams that fail to open after 15 to 20 minutes should be discarded.) Strain clam broth through a sieve lined with cheesecloth or doubled-up paper towels, and set aside. Remove clams from shells, chop roughly and set aside.
• Rinse out the pot, and return it to the stove. Add butter, and turn heat to medium low. Add bacon, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the bacon has started to brown, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon from fat, and set aside.
• Add the leeks to the fat, and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and half of the parsley. Continue cooking and stirring until the leeks are soft but not brown, about 5 minutes more.
• Stir in the remaining wine and approximately 1 cup of the reserved clam stock (save the rest for another use), and continue cooking until the liquids have reduced almost to syrup.
• Add cream and black pepper. Let the mixture come to a bare simmer, then allow to reduce and thicken, then add reserved clams and remove from heat. (You can do all this the day before you make the pizza, then refrigerate until ready to use.)
• Make the pizza. Lightly flour a work surface, and stretch or roll the dough into a 12-inch round. Place on a lightly floured pizza peel or rimless baking sheet. Using a pastry brush or a spoon, lightly paint the surface of the dough with some of the cream from the clams, leaving a half-inch border all around. Then top the pizza with the chopped clams, bacon and leeks, and the cheese. (If there is any remaining liquid, you can lightly - lightly! - drizzle the pie with it.)
• Shake the pizza peel slightly to make sure the dough is not sticking. (Gently lift any sections that are sticking, and sprinkle the peel with flour.) Carefully slide the pizza directly onto the baking stone in one quick, forward-and-back motion. Cook until the crust has browned on the bottom and the top is bubbling and browning in spots, about 7 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley, the lemon zest and red-pepper flakes to taste, then serve.

RED CLAM PIZZA

Steps:

• Spread pizza sauce over the surface of the crust, leaving a 1/4 inch border.
• Sprinkle with garlic slices and capers.
• Spoon clams evenly over top.
• Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.
• Bake according to the directions for your chosen crust.
• Pass cheese at table for those who prefer it.