Recipe: Broccoli & Garlic White Pizza

Every so often, my employer or one of our business partners will spring for a pizza lunch.  Usually, they order from a place not too far from the office that either the office manager really likes or that is one of the few that delivers (I'm not exactly sure the motivation).  While Rhode Island is chock-full of excellent pizza establishments, thanks to a particularly high Italian immigrant population, the quality of the food varies widely and this particular place isn't one of my personal favorites.  I think my main complaint is that the crust is too tough and "cardboardy" for my liking.

That said, they do make a house specialty that has a certain appeal--almost an addictive quality.  It's a "white pizza," which is to say that it doesn't have red sauce on it.  Instead, the crust is topped with a heavy layer of diced broccoli tossed in olive oil and crushed garlic and then a hefty layer of mozzarella cheese.  To say the end result is garlicky is an understatement.  It's also oddly addictive in the masochistic way that really tart pickles or spicy food can be.  You eat a slice, immediately wonder what you were thinking, then dive in for more.

Point of fact, it's delicious--even with the "cardboardy" crust.  That got me wondering on one of our weekly pizza nights if I could replicate the flavor and don't you know, I hit the nail on the head first shot.

Broccoli & Garlic White Pizza

1 pizza crust, prepared and ready to be topped
1/2 large bag of frozen broccoli
8oz Mozzarella cheese
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced
salt to taste
olive oil

Preheat oven to 500 degrees

1) Place broccoli in a microwave safe mixing bowl and cook in microwave on high 2-3 minutes until fully defrosted and it is beginning to get warm.

2) Finely chop broccoli and return to bowl.

3) To the broccoli, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, crushed garlic, and a couple pinches of salt.  Toss to coat evenly.  Taste for seasoning--it should be quite garlicky.

4) Top the pizza with an even layer of the broccoli mixture.  Top the broccoli with the mozzarella cheese.

5) Bake pizza until crust is crisp and cheese has fully melted on top.  Cut and serve immediately.