Calabrian chili peppers are a long, red Italian pepper that really pack in some heat. You can find them in several forms: dried, fresh, packed in oil, or as a paste. My favorite version of the peppers are the kind you can find in oil; not only are the spicy peppers wonderful on a pizza like this one, as a hot addition to a antipasto platter, or in a simple pasta, but the oil they come packed in is fabulous drizzled on bread, hummus, onto eggs or even drizzled onto popcorn for a spicy kick. I get my Calabrian chilies at a local Italian market, Toscano & Sons, in the Virginia Highlands, but check online and also at your market’s olive bar.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Spinach & Salami Pizza with Calabrian Chiles & Bocconcini
Ingredients:
- Cornmeal or semolina flour, for dusting
- 1 lb. ball of pizza dough (or make your own with this fabulous recipe: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/whole_wheat_pizza_dough.html)
- ½ cup marinara sauce
- Olive oil
- 1 lb. baby spinach
- Salt and pepper
- 4 oz. hard salami, cut into rounds
- 3 oz. bocconcini, or torn fresh mozzarella
- Calabrian chiles, to taste
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll your pizza dough into a large round and place on a semolina flour/cornmeal-dusted baking sheet lined with parchment.
- Saute the spinach in 1 Tablespoon of oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until wilted. Season with ½ teaspoon of salt and a big grinding of pepper while you are cooking the greens.
- Spread the marinara sauce on the pizza dough; top with the cooked spinach and salami rounds. Then arrange the mozzarella cheese on top, along with the chili peppers.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until the crust is browned and puffed, and the cheese melted and slightly browned around the edges. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing.
Tagged: bocconcini, Calabrian chili peppers, fresh mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, pizza, salami, sauteed spinach, spinach, Toscano & Sons, whole wheat pizza dough
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