This escarole-stuffed pizza is one of the many delicious dishes that Graziella Di Mercurio cooked for us after our visit to the family mill, Frantoio Mercurius. I’ve included her dough recipe, but the results are just as flavorful when prepared with refrigerated store-bought pizza dough—you’ll need about 2 pounds.
Ingredients
For homemade dough:
- 1 1/2 cups warm water, about 110°F
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use
- 4 cups 00 pizza flour or bread flour
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
For the filling:
- 1 1/2 pounds escarole, about two heads
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use
- 4 shallots, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 anchovies or 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
- 4 ounces black olives, halved
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 teaspoon pepperoncini (crushed red pepper flakes)
Directions
Step 1
To make homemade dough, place the water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the kneading attachment and wait for the yeast to bloom (become foamy), about 5 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil, the flour, and salt, and turn the mixer on low to combine the ingredients and form a ball. If the dough looks shaggy, add water, just 1/2 tablespoon at a time to avoid its getting too wet. Once a ball forms, raise the speed one notch and knead for 5 minutes.
Step 2
Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil in a clean bowl, add the dough ball, and roll it to coat it with the oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and place in a draft-free spot to rise until double in volume, between 60 and 75 minutes.
Step 3
While the dough is rising, prepare the escarole filling. Trim the heads and rinse the leaves. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add 1 teaspoon salt and the escarole and boil for 5 minutes. Transfer the escarole to a colander, drain, and squeeze
out any excess moisture with your hands or in a kitchen cloth.
Step 4
Heat a large sauté pan. When hot, dry-toast the pine nuts for 2 minutes until they turn golden, then transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Add
3 tablespoons olive oil to the pan along with
the shallots and garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes. Whisk in the anchovies, then add the escarole, and slow-cook over medium high heat for 10 minutes to extract more liquid. When the greens stop releasing liquid, fold in the pine nuts, olives, capers, and pepperoncini, then remove from the heat.
Step 5
When the dough has risen, pour 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 9×13 or 12-inch round baking pan and spread it over the bottom and sides with a pastry brush or clean fingers. Use a pastry cutter or sharp knife to cut the dough in two pieces, one slightly larger than the other. Use your hands to stretch out the larger half to a size slightly larger than your baking pan—the thinner the better (make two fists and use your knuckles on the underside of the dough). Press the dough into the bottom of the pan and about 1 inch up the sides. Add the escarole mixture, leaving a 1-inch border. Stretch out the rest of the dough and place it over the escarole to form the top crust. Press together the edges of the two dough sheets to seal them. Note: If any holes form in the dough, just pinch them together with your fingers.
Step 6
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is crusty and golden or an instant-read thermometer registers between 200° and 210°F. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Serves 8 to 10
