New England Style Clam Pizza

When the world seems like it's on its head, I can always find comfort in the things that taste good. And as the weather warms up, I'm feeling a bit more motivated to fire up some pizzas. I haven't had much of a chance this winter to test out the new Ooni Karu - but this past weekend was the perfect opportunity to give it another go. This is my spin on the iconic New England style clam pizza from Frank Pepe's with the addition of broccoli rabe and saffron. This one really hit on all cylinders and will be replicated again. Short video of the entire process below.

Broccoli Rabe

Olive Oil

Dried chili peppers

Garlic

Clams (2 dozen)

Shallots (2 -3)

Thyme

Parsely

Saffron

White Wine

Heavy Cream

Salt

Pepper

The Broccoli Rabe

Blanch broccoli rabe in a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes. Remove, rinse with cold water and chop into small pieces. Heat oil in a skillet and saute garlic and chili flakes for a minute or so and then add the broccoli rabe to saute for another few minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

The Clams

Finely dice shallots, 2 cloves of garlic, thyme, and parsley. Bring a heat resistant pan up to temperature in the wood burning oven (or stovetop) and add the olive oil. Saute the aromatics for a minute or so until softened and fragrant. Add the saffron and stir. Add in about a half a cup of white wine and return to the heat for another minute. And the clams (as many as will fit in your skillet), mix together, and place back into the heat. Stir occasionally until the clams begin to open. Discard any clams that fail to open up. Remove the clams and allow the liquid to cool down a little. Remove the clam meat from the shells and chop roughly on a cutting board.

The Sauce

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the heavy cream until frothy and thickened. Slowly pour in the liquid from the clams and continue whisking vigorously until well incorporated. 

Assembly

Stretch your dough. Spoon on the cream sauce leaving an edge around the entire dough. Layer on the chopped broccoli rabe and clams and slide onto your pizza peel. Fire in the oven for 60 - 90 seconds (or until fully cooked through with leoparding around the crust).

Finishing

Finish the pizza with freshly chopped parsley and a big squeeze of lemon juice. 

The Dough

I have been using the overnight levain recipe from Ken Forkish’s Flour Water Salt Yeast and I really haven’t found a good reason to deviate from the recipe.