Spinach/Ricotta White Spelt Pizza

A couple of years ago, my husband and I read a book called "Eat Right for Your Blood Type". The idea is that you should eat according to your blood type.

I'm a type A, so I should be a vegetarian.

Ha.

My meat-eating hubby is only supposed to eat turkey.

Riiiiighhhhhttt....

That's not going to happen.

But, in theory, it is a good idea.

The only thing that we really got out of that was this: tomato sauce gives us heartburn.

And we only had to spend $24.95 to learn that.

We are about 4 cows short of a herd, if ya know what I mean.

Not really our faults. So, we spent another $24.95 for the companion cookbook.

Seriously.

We did find a fabulous recipe for a white pizza though. White pizza means that it has no tomato sauce, which means that we can eat all we want and not get heartburn! WooHoo!

The crust is made with a grain called spelt. It can be found at most health food stores. It can also be ordered online. Spelt is an ancient grain that is gaining in popularity because it is easier to digest than wheat. For that reason, many people with an intolerance to wheat can use spelt.

I hope you enjoy this pizza as much as we do!


Basic Pizza Dough

1 Tb. dry yeast
1 cup warm water (warm to the wrist)
1 1/2 cups white spelt flour
1 1/2 cups whole spelt flour
2 Tb. olive oil
scant teaspoon sea salt
olive oil for the bowl


In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Add 1 1/2 cups flour and mix well with a large spoon. Add oil, salt, and the rest of the flour and work into a manageable dough. Turn onto a well-floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, adding more flour as the dough gets sticky. Wash out the same bowl and grease with olive oil. Put the dough back into the bowl and turn once to cover with oil. Cover with clean towel, and let rest for 1 hour. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down and divide into 2 pieces. Roll out on lightly floured surface and let rest for a few minutes. Sprinkle pizza pan or cookie sheet with cornmeal, then place dough on pan, using fingers to spread out. Brush with olive oil and add toppings. Makes 2-12 inch pizzas.



Spinach & Ricotta Pizza


2 bunches of spinach, washed, dried, and chopped
2 cups low-fat ricotta cheese
4 T. fresh garlic, minced
2 to 2 1/2 t. sea salt
4 T. fresh basil, chopped
2/3 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
2 T. olive oil


Follow the general directions for pizza dough. Preheat oven to 475F. Carefully wash the fresh spinach to remove all grit, and then lightly steam until wilted. Mix spinach with ricotta, garlic, salt, and basil. Spread mixture evenly over dough. Top with grated cheeses and drizzle with olive oil. Bake on a lower rack 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes 2 12 inch pizzas.