Photo: Crawfish and Hot Sausage Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
- Basic Pizza Dough, recipe follows
- 6 ounces hot Italian sausage, removed from casings and crumbled
- 3/4 cup tomato sauce
- 1 1/4 cups grated smoked Gouda cheese
- 1 cup grated Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack
- 1/2 pound crawfish tails or small boiled and peeled shrimp
- 1/2 cup chopped red onions
- 2 heads roasted garlic, cloves squeezed out, recipe follows
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin rings
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin rings
- Chopped parsley leaves, garnish
- Chopped green onions, garnish
- Red pepper flakes, garnish
Directions
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. If available, place a baking stone on the lower rack of the oven to preheat.
Remove the dough from the bowl and punch down. Place on a lightly floured work surface and let rest for 10 minutes.
In a skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
Shape the dough into a large 14-inch round. Lightly dust a baker's peel with the cornmeal and center the dough on top. (Alternately, the dough can rest and then be cooked on a lightly oiled baking sheet.) Spread the sauce evenly over the top of the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Evenly sprinkle the cheese over the sauce, and top with the crawfish, cooked sausage, onions, and garlic cloves. Arrange the pepper rings decoratively over the top. Transfer to the hot baking stone with a fluid sliding motion (alternatively, place the pizza on the baking sheet in the oven) and cook until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and garnish with the parsley, green onions, and pepper flakes. Slice and serve hot or at room temperature.
Basic Pizza Dough:
- 1 cup warm (110 degrees F) water
- 1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 cups bleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, 1 tablespoon of oil and sugar and stir 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 all the flour is incorporated but the dough is 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 the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to oil all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Use as directed.
Yield: 1 large pizza crust, or 2 medium pizza crusts
Roasted Garlic:
2 heads garlic
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a small baking dish with aluminum foil.
Cut the top quarter from each head of garlic and place, cut side up, on the prepared dish. Drizzle with oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Turn the garlic cut side down, and roast until the cloves are soft and golden brown, about 1 hour.
Let sit until cool enough to handle
Yield: 2 heads garlic
