White Clam Pizza: 3 Ways

Where I come from, pizza is supreme.  New Haven is known for its pizza, its actually been voted some of the best in the US.  That starts off the high standard, but my mom makes an amazing pizza and my aunt went as far as building her own pizza oven, so needless to say, my family has set a high standard in pizza making.  And then there is me.  Well, I decided to give it a go today and make a white clam pizza, which is what New Haven is known for.  And since I am indecisive I made it with 3 different toppings and did a taste test with my bestie to decide what was supreme.  The results were delicious. This is a fun different pizza recipe, that ditches the red sauce and loads up on lots of other amazing flavors.  Try this for pizza night instead and you wont be disappointed.

Ingredients:

• pizza dough (follow the linked recipe or buy pre made)
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced tomatos
• 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 can minced clams
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 small white onion
• 1/4 green pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (potentially more)
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• a few dashes of lemon juice
• salt and pepper

How to:

1. To begin, we are going to make the clam sauce which will be the sauce of our pizza.
2. In a sauce pan sweat the minced onions, pepper, and garlic.  Cook until the onions and peppers are tender.  Depending on your love of garlic you may want to add more. This takes about 5-8 minutes.
3. Open the can of clams and drain just a little bit of the juice (you still want that juice because that it what will make the sauce).  Add the can to the pan and increase the heat to medium.
4. Add parsley and oregano, salt and pepper.
5. Continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes until some of the liquid is reduced.
6. Add the butter and continue to cook for just another minute or so.
7. Spray a cookie sheet with pan spray, then stretch out the dough onto the cookie sheet.  It should be about 1/2 inch thick.
8. Then spread the clam sauce over the dough, cover in mozzarella, then parmesan, then your toppings.
9. According to our taste test, I liked the one with tomato the best and my Bestie liked the plain one the best.  We both agreed that the one with mushroom we were indifferent towards.  I also highly suggest bacon. But you do you.
10. Bake in a 425 oven for 20 minutes until the crust is golden and should feel hollow to the touch.
11. Slice it up and enjoy!!