Homemade Spinach and Bacon White Pizza

So living in Hawaii, even though it is a beautiful place and i do love it, leaves my food soul empty some times. The lack of actual descent….or should i say different cultural delicacies is making my taste buds go wild. So i must pull out all the stops and bring the flavors of the world to my plate my self.

So this week my insatiable taste buds where screaming for pizza….not just that fake disgusting mass-produced style card board with ketchup thing that most individuals consider pizza…i mean fresh crisp light dough that is baked to a golden brown and smothered in kick ass flavor packed toppings! I havent had a NY style white pizza in I don’t know how long…with a creamy roasted garlic sauce , sautéed spinach, home-made smoked bacon and topped with three cheeses…Ricotta, mozzarella and freshly grated  Parmigiano….My God it was delicious…..and so easy to make. i will try to post a pic right now to show you what it looked like…It all started by an argument with my Sous Chef on what a White pizza is…being that he never has been to New York , i tried to explain to him that he didn’t even know what a real pizza is….which just fueled our creative culinary imagination and we decided we had to have a Pizza Cook Off !! ……i WON HAHAHAH!The best thing is that it was extremely simple to make…like it should be. Simple, Fast , Fresh and Good…

I think that one of the most important parts of the pizza is the dough…it is truly the canvas for what ever you wish to create, so pick a good dough. If you don’t want to take the time to make a good dough from scratch then go to your favorite pizza joint and ask to purchase some. But i must stress…NOT PIZZA HUT !! it is an abomination of a great staple…..you can go to even your local specialty store like whole foods, and I believe they even sell dough in the grocery store in a tube like bisquits…anyway.. use one that’s good. I also think it’s a great idea to have a Pizza stone…it is cheap and gives you that nice crunchy crust.

So lets stat with the recipe.

First pre heat your oven to 350 degrees and place your Pizza Stone inside so it can get nice and hot.

second grab your ingredients and Mis en Place…( organize your self and ingredients, must recipe errors come from poor organization )

White Sauce:

2 tbsp of butter

3 tbsp of flour

1 cup of milk

1 tbsp minced roasted garlic

1 tbsp dried oregano

1/2 cup Parmigiano-reggiano

pinch of nutmeg

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat butter in a small sauce pan. Add the flour and stir till mixed. Very important do not burn the roux. Yes! you just made a Roux! The technical term for a flour and butter mixture.

whisk in milk slowly so that all the lumps have been incorporated into the sauce. Stir in the remaining ingredients, remove from the heat and let stand so the flavors will come together. The sauce will thicken up on its own, if it gets to thick you can thin it out with a little more milk.

ok, so now that is done, back to the pie….

2 c. fresh mozzarella

1/2 c. Ricotta

2 tsp minced roasted garlic ( i love garlic )

1/4 c. sautéed spinach ( squeeze out excess liquid )

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

olive oil to drizzle

6 bacon slices ( cooked and chopped up )

So dust a clean dry counter top with a little flour and roll out your dough to the size and shape you want. I myself don’t worry about the shape too much , cuz its going in my belly anyway, but the thickness is important. I like thin crust so i roll it out to about an 1/8 ‘ thick. Now comes the fun part.

place you dough on the back of a lightly oiled sheet pan, this is so you will be able to slide it on to the hot pizza stone when you ready to put it int he oven.

smear your white sauce over the dough, evenly distribute your toppings… add your spinach, ricotta ( just add in little spoon fulls all over the pie ), bacon, roasted garlic, sprinkle red pepper flakes all over, cover with an even layer of mozzarella. Salt and Pepper to taste.

now open your pre heated oven and slide the rack out with the pizza stone on it. Slowly and carefully slide the pizza on the stone. push the rack back in and close the oven door. Cook for 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your dough. When the dough edges are nice and brown, switch your oven to Broiler ..setting it on Low..Broil till the cheese is bubbly and golden.

Pull out the pizza and the stone. it will be extremely hot be carefull.

And like all good things…you have to let it rest for a few minutes. Dont start cutting and eating yet..you will burn your taste buds and want be able to taste your creation. Also letting it cool develops a more flavor packed meal… cuz all the ingredients get to mingle and get to know each other….when they do…Pow! a sinful marriage of deliciousness! Hope You all enjoy.