Pizza with Greens

Swiss Chard

I love making and eating pizza. I generally bake a pizza alla marinara which has tomatoes and garlic, but no cheese; it's a good base for adding other toppings. A few weeks ago, looking at all the swiss chard in the garden, I thought of making a white pizza with cooked greens so searched online for recipes. After making this recipe a couple of times, I've got the ingredients, simple as they are, adjusted to my preference and the pie is delicious.




So I'd like to share the recipe: Swiss chard is a nice choice for greens because it's got a strong but not insistent flavor. But I imagine spinach would work, as would some bitter greens if you enjoy that flavor; I'll likely try this with kale when it's ready.

1. Use your favorite recipe for a 10-11 inch pizza. I make my dough with 1 cup white and 1/2 cup coarse grind whole wheat flour, which adds a nice texture.
2. Clean and coarsely chop around 3/4 lb of greens (I removed the ribs of the chard).
3. In a wide pan, warm 1 1/2 Tbs chopped garlic (yes, a lot is good here) in 1/4 to 1/3 cup good olive oil. I use a lot of oil for cooking the greens, but then I don't brush the crust with oil, which would be overkill.
4. Add greens, a bit of salt, and cook till tender and much reduced and the water in the greens is cooked off; there will still be moisture from the olive oil.
5. Roll out the dough and distribute greens evenly on top. Then spread with 3 to 4 ounces of grated mozzarella. I don't like a lot of cheese, so if you do, just use more. I think this pizza would also be good with goat cheese.
6. Bake in a 500 degree preheated oven on a preheated pizza stone for 10 to 12 minutes.
7. You can add a bit of grated parmesan and/or crushed chili pepper (I add chili to every pizza...love that zing!).

Update: I've tried this recipe with kale and find it too sweet; I prefer swiss chard.