Red Clam Pizza Recipes

CLAM PIZZA

Steps:

• Position a rack in the lower third of oven; place a pizza stone on rack. Preheat oven to 500 degrees at least 30 minutes before cooking.
• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and bay leaf; cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft and fragrant. Add wine and cover pot; bring liquid to a boil. Add clams, cover, and cook, until clams have opened, about 5 minutes. Remove clams from pot and let cool. Remove clams from shells, discarding shells; set aside.
• Strain liquid into a medium saucepan; discard solids. Cook liquid over medium-high heat until reduced and thickened. Add cream and continue cooking until reduced and thickened. Remove from heat and let sauce cool.
• Divide dough into six equal pieces; shape one piece into a 10-inch-round on a pizza peel or the back of a baking sheet. Spoon just enough of the clam sauce over pizza to cover. Top pizza with 9 clams and sprinkle with pepper flakes.
• Carefully transfer pizza to pizza stone and bake until pizza is crisp and nicely browned. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately; repeat process with remaining dough and toppings.

CLAM PIZZA

Steps:

• Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
• Portion the pizza dough into six golf ball-size pieces; wrap four of the pieces in plastic and refrigerate for later use. Dust a work surface with flour and roll out the remaining two pieces of dough into your desired shape.
• Top the pizzas with the Sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan and banana peppers; transfer to the pizza stone and bake for 15 minutes. Top with the reserved clams from the Sauce.
• Add the warm water, yeast and sugar to a small bowl; stir to combine. Let sit until the water bubbles and smells very yeasty, 15 minutes.
• Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the olive oil and the yeast mixture. Using a fork, gradually stir most of the flour into the yeast mixture. Turn out the dough onto a flour-dusted work surface and knead until smooth.
• Lightly coat the mixing bowl with oil and return the dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, at least 1 hour.
• Steam the clams in a medium pot. Remove the clams from their shells and chop half; reserve the other half for topping the pizzas.
• Sweat the onions in a pan with olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, crushed red pepper, a splash of water, the chopped clams and some salt. Bring to boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

GRILLED PIZZAS WITH CLAMS AND BACON

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a large pot over medium-low heat until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate using a slotted spoon. Add oil, garlic, and onion to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes.
• Add wine and clams. Bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, until clams open, about 5 minutes. Transfer clams to a plate using a slotted spoon. Discard any unopened clams. Remove remaining clams from shells.
• Strain cooking liquid through a fine sieve, and return to pot. Add cream, and cook over medium heat until thick and reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Add red-pepper flakes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees (or heat grill to medium). Spoon 1/3 cup sauce over each grilled pizza crust. Top with reserved clams and bacon. Bake or grill, covered with lid, directly on grates, until sauce is bubbling, 5 to 7 minutes (time may vary slightly if grilling). Remove from oven or grill. Top with parsley, and drizzle with oil.

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.

CLAMS CASINO PIZZA

Steps:

• Make the pizza dough as directed in the master recipe. Stick a pizza stone in the oven and preheat them to 500 degrees F.
• Wash and scrub clams well to remove the exterior sand. Fill a steamer or pot with 1-inch of water, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and toss in the bay leaves. Heat until the water is simmering and then add the clams. Cover and steam for 5 to 10 minutes until the clams open - discard any that do not. Remove the clams from the shells, coarsely chop them up, and put in a bowl. Add the lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper; set aside.
• Coat a saute pan with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil gets hazy, add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomatoes, and oregano. Cook and stir until the vegetables have cooked down and are really soft, about 10 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
• Spread the ricotta evenly on the crust with a back of a spoon. Scatter the chopped clams all around and top with the sauteed red pepper mixture. Distribute the pieces of bacon on top. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and crisp, and the cheese is bubbly.
• Before cutting the pizza into slices, drizzle with olive oil, grate pecorino on top, and shower with chopped parsley.
• In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water; stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Turn the mixer on low and add the salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium; stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Get a feel for the dough by squeezing a small amount together: if it's crumbly, add more water; if it's sticky, add more flour - 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix until the dough gathers into a ball, this should take about 5 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a few times; kneading until it's smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a round and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot (i.e. over a gas pilot light) until doubled in size, about 1 hour. This is a good time to stick a pizza stone in the oven and preheat them to 500 degrees F.
• Once the dough is domed and spongy, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter. Roll and stretch the dough into a cylinder and divide into 3 equal pieces. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes so it will be easier to roll out.
• Roll or pat out a piece of dough into a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Dust a pizza paddle with flour and slide it under the pizza dough. Brush the crust with a thin layer of olive oil, and top with your favorite flavors. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and crisp. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Yield: 3 pizza crusts

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.

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.