Quick & easy, flavorful and healthy; perfect for weekend Pizza Night and a nice change from the tomato-sauce-and-mozzarella variety.  Serve with a nice glass of wine and vintage Woody Allen – perfection!

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Goat Cheese Pizza with Garlicky Kale

INGREDIENTS

• 1 recipe Quick(er) Whole Grain Pizza Dough OR 12-Grain Pizza Dough
• about 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4-5 large kale leaves (5 oz), washed & coarsely chopped (with center stem)
• 1 stalk fresh/green garlic, well-washed and sliced fine, OR 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 – 3 oz goat cheese
• 1/4 cup grated hard cheese, such as Sprout Creek Barat or Ouray, or parmesean
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• red pepper flakes, to taste

METHODS

1. Make the dough, or pull a par-baked pizza crust out of the freezer and allow to thaw for 30-60 minutes, or quick-thaw in the microwave for 1 minute.
2. Pre-heat oven as hot as it will go (550 degrees F on my oven).  If you do not have a baking stone, place an oven rack on the lowest shelf, and place a baking sheet on it to pre-heat.
3. Heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; saute garlic & kale, stirring frequently, for about 8 minutes, or until tender and wilted but not browning.  Remove from heat.
4. Place shaped pizza dough/par-baked crust on a piece of parchment, sprinkled with flour or cornmeal, on a pizza peel.
5. Drizzle about 2 tbsp of olive oil on pizza dough.  Sprinkle about half of the grated hard cheese onto the crust.  If desired, use a pastry brush to coat the edges of the pizza crust with olive oil and sprinkle extra grated cheese on the edges.  Spread kale/garlic mixture onto pizza dough.  Top with dollops of goat cheese. Sprinkle the rest of the grated cheese, oregano and pepper.  Drizzle any remaining olive oil over the top.
6. Slide the pizza into the oven, on the parchment, directly onto the baking stone or pre-heated baking sheet.  Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the goat cheese is beginning to turn brown in spots and you see some charred spots on the kale.  Remove from the oven with the pizza peel and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before slicing.

Yields one, 12-inch pizza.

OPTIONS

1. Roasted garlic would go nicely on this pizza and thin slivers of roasted red pepper wouldn’t be bad, either.
2. Any spicy green (spinach, chard, mustard, collards, turnip greens, etc.) will work fine in place of kale.

STORE

This will last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Best warmed up in a toaster oven (5-10 minutes on 350 degrees F) but 30 seconds in the microwave works as well.

SEASON

Kale, and other cold-weather greens, are available in farmer’s markets in Spring, Fall and throughout the Winter.