Shrimp and Chorizo Pizza with Manchego Cheese, Toasted Garlic, and Escarole - extra-virgin olive oil

Method

• Preheat the oven to 500F.
• Put a pizza stone or a baking sheet on the middle rack and preheat it along with the oven for at least 20 minutes.
• Put a large skillet over high heat and coat it with the oil.
• When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for only 10 to 20 seconds, until it just begins to lightly brown.
• You have to keep moving the garlic around the pan so it doesnt burn; if it does, start over because nothing is worse than the flavor of burnt garlic.
• Quickly add the escarole and season with salt and pepper.
• Cook, turning the escarole over with the spoon, until it wilts, about 1 minute.
• Remove from the heat, turn out onto a large plate or baking sheet, and allow to cool.
• If the escarole looks too wet, transfer to a colander and drain in the sink.
• To prepare the pizza, dip the ball of dough into a little flour, shake off the excess, and set on a clean, lightly floured surface.
• Stretch the dough with your hands, turning the ball as you press down the center.
• Continue spreading the dough into a 10-inch circle with either your hands or a rolling pin.
• Leave the dough slightly thick so the topping does not seep through.
• Dust a pizza paddle with flour (if you dont have a paddle you can use a rimless cookie sheet as a substitute) and slide it under the dough.
• Lightly brush the outer edge of the dough with oil to create a sheen on the surface of the crust.
• An important tip: take care not to get any oil on the pizza paddle or pan, or else when you try to slide the dough off , it will stick.
• Spread the cheese evenly on the pizza, leaving about a 1/4-inch border.
• Distribute the shrimp and chorizo evenly over the cheese.
• Spread the escarole evenly over the top.
• Slide the prepared pizza onto the hot baking stone and bake until the crust is nicely browned, roughly 10 minutes.
• Transfer to a cutting board and slice with a pizza cutter.
• Escarole
• A wonderfully versatile green, escarole remains one of those vegetables that people arent sure how to prepare.
• You can eat escarole raw in a salad, and I love it that way, especially with Creamy Parsley Dressing (page 87), but its at its best cooked.
• Its less bitter than its cousins radicchio and chicory, and sauteing it mellows out the flavor, making it sweet and vibrant.
• Escarole can be pretty sandy when you take it home from the market; luckily it is easy to clean.
• Cut the escarole crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips and put it in a large bowl of water.
• Swish the water around; the sand will fall to the bottom of the bowl.
• Lift the escarole out with your hands and put on a kitchen towel to dry.
• Thats it!