Norman’s Lamb and Garlic Stuffed Pizza

Norman’s Lamb and Garlic Stuffed Pizza

I live in the Chicago area and as such, I follow a few simple rules. One is never, I mean never, put ketchup on a hotdog! That's almost a felony in the Chicago area. The other is to eat stuffed pizza as often as you can. 

Have you ever tried to make a stuffed pizza? It isn't that difficult. Stuffed pizza is a special treat. Garlic, lamb, tomato sauce and cheese! How bad can it be? You could always leave off the top crust, but why would you want to do that? 

This same pizza can be made with ground beef, ground pork or ground veal. For you health nuts, you could even use ground turkey. I’m sorry, but I like lamb, so that’s what I use. Oh, and don’t get wimpy and leave out the sliced hot peppers. They are good for your digestion.

1 batch of Norman’s Pizza Dough (See today's other post)

1 batch of Norman’s Quick Pizza Sauce

Olive oil

1 lb. of ground lamb

3 large cloves of garlic, smashed and minced

2 small hot peppers sliced razor thin

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 lb. sliced provolone cheese

1/2 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation

Heat a cast iron skillet and add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Add the ground lamb and stir. Let it cook until almost cooked through and add the garlic and sliced peppers. Stir until everything is cooked through. Use a slotted spoon to remove to a bowl.

Divide the dough into two parts, one third and two thirds, so you have one big piece and one smaller piece of dough. Work the larger one into a large circle. Place it on a large pizza pan that has been sprinkled with corn meal. 

Ladle some sauce on it, but leave the outer 2” uncovered. Use the slotted spoon to add as much of the ground lamb as you like to the pizza, leaving behind any fat in the bowl. Again, leave the outer 2” of the dough uncovered. Sprinkle on the shredded parmesan and then add a layer of sliced provolone cheese. Now add on some shredded mozzarella.

Work the remaining piece of dough into a thiner large circle. You want this circle to be big enough to cover the covered portion of the pizza and one inch of the uncovered part. Roll up the outer edges of the two crusts together and kind of twist them to seal the pizza. Brush the top crust with olive oil, be generous. Sprinkle the crust with fresh ground white pepper and a little oregano. Make a few slits into the top crust to let the steam out. Bake at 425º until the crust is golden brown. Remove and drizzle more olive oil over the top. Allow it to sit for ten minutes before slicing.

Serving

Here’s how I would serve this. Start with a large caesar salad. You could serve other side dishes too, but I tend to think of large pizzas as single serving portions, so I just go with pizza and salad. Use your judgement. Most people like pizza with beer, but I prefer wine. I’ll open a bottle of Montepulciano DʼAbruzzo. You can do what you want.