Winter Pizza with Sausage, Provolone and Spinach

Preparation

Baking Directions:

Preheat the oven to 500°F.

Put a clean, dry pizza stone in the oven and heat for about 25 minutes.

Slit the casing on the sausage and pull it off.

Heat a scant tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over medium heat.

Add the sausage to the pan and cook, stirring every now and then and breaking it up with a wooden spoon into bite-size pieces, until browned, about 8 minutes.

Drain the sausage on paper towels and set aside.

Dust a work surface with cornmeal or flour.

Cut the pizza dough in two and put one half on the work surface; set the other half aside.

Use your fingers to flatten the dough into a disk.

Press and stretch the dough to make a thin circle or rectangle, 10 to 12 inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick.

If you have a pizza paddle, sprinkle it with cornmeal or flour and transfer the dough round to the paddle.

If you don’t have a pizza paddle, use a large cutting board or rimless baking sheet.

Coat the dough with half of the tomato sauce.

Sprinkle with half of the sausage.

Add a couple handfuls of spinach leaves, then sprinkle the whole thing with half of the Provolone.

Drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil.

Open the oven door, pull out the rack, and put the dough round directly on the pizza stone.

Close the oven door and turn the heat down to 475°F.

Bake until the edges of the pizza are lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with half the Pecorino and half the parsley.

Cut into wedges and serve.

Repeat to make the second pizza.

Tips:

Hale and hearty, with toppings that are delicious and available during the coldest months.

Make this with any sausage you like, including lamb sausage.

Wine pairing: Valpolicella