Stuffed Creamy Florentine Pizza Recipes

SIMPLY DELICIOUSIOSO STUFFED SHELLS FLORENTINE WITH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Heat olive oil in a wide saute pan over medium-high flame. Add crumbled sausage and cook until no longer pink. Remove sausage from oil with a slotted spoon (reserve pan drippings), drain on paper towels, keep warm.
• In the sausage pan drippings, cook the onion until tender (3 to 4 minutes); add the garlic and cook until it "dances" ( additional minute or so). Drain and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. If desired, season with salt and cook shells according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Pour marinara sauce into a large saucepan; heat through.
• Spoon 1 cup of the marinara into the bottom of a large roasting pan. Reserve remaining marinara and keep warm.
• Cook spinach per package directions; drain well and squeeze dry. Mix with ricotta cheese, mozzarella, eggs, salt, Italian seasonings, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese in a large mixing bowl. Add cooked sausage, onions and garlic; give a good stir.
• Using a teaspoon, fill each shell with the mixture (DO NOT OVERSTUFF).
• If desired, sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes over the top of each shell. Transfer shells to the prepared roasting pan; arranging them in a single layer.
• Cover with foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese is heated through.
• Let the shells rest for five (5) minutes before serving. Serve with reserved marinara, warm crusty Italian bread and a freshly tossed spinach & vinegarette salad. Simply deliciousioso!

FABULOUS FLORENTINE PIZZA

Steps:

• Put the pizza dough ingredients in to a breadmaker (in the order specified by your breadmachine), and process on pizza dough cycle.
• When cycle completes, remove the dough from the machine and put it in a bowl sprayed with cooking spray; cover it and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, roll out the dough and put it on a greased 15 inch pizza stone sprinkled with some corn meal.
• Bake in 375F oven for about 5 minutes. Because the toppings on this pizza will generate some moisture, pre-baking the crust for a few minutes will prevent the pizza from becoming soggy. There's nothing worse than a soggy pizza! After pre-baking the crust, remove the pizza from the oven, and raise the temperature to 430°F If your pesto and toppings aren't ready yet, cover the crust with a cloth and set aside while preparing the toppings.
• While pizza dough is processing, make the pesto. You will have more pesto than you will need for the pizza. But, it is better to have a little too much, than to come up short! Just save the extra in the fridge and use for something else. In a food processor or blender, blend the basil, garlic and pine nuts.
• Slowly add the oil and continue to blend.
• Add the parmesan cheese and blend until creamy.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Set the pesto aside.
• Prepare the pizza toppings. Slice the mushrooms, chop the spinach fairly fine, julienne cut the sundried tomatoes; shred the 2 cheeses and mix the cheeses together.
• Prepare the pizza! Spread the pesto on the pizza dough. Depending on your preference, you will probably want between 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup of pesto. Spread it right out to the edges.
• Add the toppings; first the spinach, then the mushrooms, then the sun-dried tomatoes, and finally the cheeses.
• Bake in a 430F oven for about 15 minutes.

DEEP-DISH FLORENTINE PIZZA

Steps:

• For crust:
• Grease a 14-inch deep dish pizza pan. (or 2 9-inch square baking pans).
• Sprinkle with 4 teaspoons cornmeal.
• Dissolve yeast in warm water & sugar in mixing bowl.
• Add 1/2 cup cornmeal, oil, salt and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup white flour.
• Mix well.
• Stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough.
• Knead for about 5 minutes.
• Shape to form ball; place in greased bowl, turning once to coat surface. Cover, let rise in warm place about 45 minutes until double.
• Punch dough down.
• Cover.
• Let rest 10 minutes.
• Roll out or stretch dough to fit pan and come up sides forming a 1 inch rim. Let rise from 5 minutes - 20 minutes depending on how you chewy you want the crust.
• For topping:
• While dough is rising, thaw spinach in microwave.
• Squeeze moisture from spinach.
• Remove meat from casing if necessary.
• Brown in a 12-inch skillet with onion & garlic.
• Drain the fat off.
• Add spinach, cook about 10 minutes more.
• Spread cheese evenly over crust.
• Arrange meat mixture over cheese.
• Top with mushrooms.
• Combine pizza sauce & water.
• Spread over toppings.
• Bake at 450 degrees for about 15 - 18 minutes.
• Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over pizza.
• Bake an additional 5 - 10 minutes.
• Let rest 5 - 10 minutes before cutting.