Roasted Garlic Spinach White Pizza With Optional Chicken Recipes

ROASTED GARLIC & SPINACH WHITE PIZZA (WITH OPTIONAL CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Drizzle a baking sheet with a little olive oil and place the pizza dough on top to rest before working. (Trader Joe's pizza dough requires 30 minutes sitting at room temperature, so I usually do that first).
• Lay out a large square of foil and place the garlic cloves on top (be sure you leave the peel on!). Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with a couple of pinches of kosher salt. Fold the foil into a sealed packet and place in the oven (put it on a baking sheet if you're worried about leaking). Roast the garlic until soft, golden, and fragrant, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel the cloves and discard the skins. Increase oven heat to 450 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare it for baking the pizza.
• Add 8 of the peeled garlic cloves to a small bowl. Smash with a fork. Add the ricotta, 2 teaspoons olive oil, basil, honey, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and pepper. Mix well.
• If using chicken, heat the outdoor grill or an indoor grill pan on medium-high. Rub the chicken with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, flipping occasionally, until cooked through (we always check the internal temperature, which should register 165 degrees Fahrenheit). Set aside to cool. Once cool, cut into chunks.
• Stretch the pizza crust into a large (approx. 14-inch) round and place on greased cookie sheet or a pizza stone. If creating one meatless version and one chicken version, split the dough in half and stretch each into smaller rounds, approximately 8 inches or so, and place each on an olive-oil-greased cookie sheet.
• Top the crust(s) with tablespoon-sized mounts of ricotta, as evenly spaced as possible (but it doesn't have to be perfect!) Scatter with spinach and remaining garlic cloves. Top with cooked chicken chunks if using (you may only want to use half of the chicken if you're making two smaller pizzas). Scatter mozzarella cheese over the top(s).
• Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit until the crust is crisp and golden and the cheese is melted and bubbling, 9-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes before slicing into wedges with a pizza cutter and serving.

ROASTED GARLIC, CHICKEN AND SPINACH WHITE PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut head of garlic, about 1/4-inch, to expose tops of garlic cloves. Place garlic head, cut side up, in a sheet of foil. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Fold up all 4 sides of the foil and cover tightly. Place into oven and roast until cloves are golden brown and tender, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool before squeezing cloves from skin; reserve and mince 8 garlic cloves.* Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly coat a baking sheet or pizza pan with olive oil. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to the skillet and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet. Stir in spinach until wilted, about 2-3 minutes; season with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, thyme, oregano, basil and reserved garlic cloves; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Working on a surface that has been sprinkled with cornmeal, roll out the pizza into a 12-inch-diameter round. Transfer to prepared baking sheet or pizza pan. Top with mozzarella, dollops of ricotta mixture, chicken and spinach. Place into oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheeses have melted. Serve immediately.

GRILLED CHICKEN PIZZA WITH MOZZARELLA AND ROASTED GARLIC

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Wrap garlic heads in foil and place on small rimmed baking pan. Transfer to oven and cook 1 hour or until garlic is dark golden brown and very soft. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes or until cool enough to touch. Squeeze garlic cloves from their skin into a small bowl.
• Preheat grill for two-zone grilling: half of grill should be set to medium-high; other half should be off (indirect heat).
• Stretch and shape dough into 14-inch circle and place on pizza pan or large tray. Brush one side of dough with 1 tablespoon oil. Use hands to transfer dough to direct heat side of grill, oiled side down. Do not worry if dough becomes a little misshapen during the transfer. Cook 2 minutes, or until the dough releases itself from the grates (do not disturb dough before it releases).
• Brush top side of dough with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, then use tongs to flip dough. Cook 2 minutes or until dough releases from grates. Continue cooking dough 3 to 4 minutes longer or until dough is firm and grill-marked in all areas, flipping and rotating frequently but keeping grill closed when not flipping.
• Remove dough from grill and spread with sauce. Top with chicken, Stella® Mozzarella Cheese, everything bagel seasoning, and roasted garlic cloves.
• Transfer pizza back to grill on indirect heat side. Close grill and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until toppings are warmed through and crust is fully cooked.
• Remove pizza from grill and top with spinach. Cut and serve immediately.

ROASTED GARLIC WHITE PIZZA WITH GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• Gently heat milk in a small saucepan, just until barely simmering. Remove and keep covered.
• In a separate saucepan, melt butter. When foam subsides, add flour and stir until smooth. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring. Do not allow flour to color. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking to combine. Add the salt and cayenne and increase the heat to medium. Cook the mixture, whisking continuously, until the sauce comes to a boil and is thickened. Remove from heat and add 10 of the roasted garlic cloves. Pour the hot mixture into a blender, cover tightly, and process until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and cool slightly, placing a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface.
• Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees F.
• Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of the yellow cornmeal on a baker's peel or baking sheet. Place the rolled out pizza dough circle on the prepared baker's peel or baking sheet.
• Spread the cooled sauce over pizza dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border. Place sliced mozzarella on top of the sauce. Sprinkle the remaining roasted garlic cloves (whole) over the cheese and top with the grated fontina. Bake the pizza for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden and cheese is melted and bubbly and golden brown in spots. Remove from the oven and sprinkle chopped herbs over the top. Serve immediately.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the garlic on a foil-lined baking sheet and rub 1 teaspoon of oil into the top of each head. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and place, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake until the cloves are soft and golden, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle. Carefully remove each clove of garlic from the head. Squeeze each head of garlic to expel any cloves that you cannot remove individually. Set aside until needed.
• In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, honey, and 1 tablespoon oil, stirring to combine. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt, mixing by hand until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Continue adding the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, working the dough after each addition, until the dough is smooth but still slightly sticky. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Oil a large mixing bowl with remaining olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place, free from drafts until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 15-inch circle.