Kale & Sausage Pizza

The first time I suggested we have kale on pizza my Irishman was very skeptical. We were both super surprised when he turned out to be a huge fan, so much so that it even got the accolade of ‘best pizza ever’ one night. And we take such matters very seriously.

I love this sausage version, but to be honest I like the veggie kale pizza listed in the variations even more.

enough for 2 medium pizzas:
1 quantity of pizza dough (250g (8.8oz) bread flour, 1t dried yeast, 1t salt)
flour or semolina for dusting
1 onion, peeled, halved and finely sliced
8 leaves kale, finely sliced
2 rustic pork sausages
2 handfuls bocconcini or fresh mozzarella

1. Preheat oven with your pizza stone on the very bottom on the highest setting.

2. Cook onion in a little oil until soft but not browned. About 8 minutes. Add kale and continue to cook on a medium heat until kale is wilted and bright green. Set to one side.

3. Roll out or use your hands to form HALF the dough into a circle about 25cm (9in) across.

4. Sprinkle flour or semolina onto a pizza peel and transfer the dough. Shake to make sure the dough isn’t sticking. If it is add more semolina or flour.

5. Top pizza with half of kale and onion mixture. Squeeze one sausage out of the casings and spread little chunks over the top of the pizza. Top with half the bocconcini pieces.

6. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sausages are cooked through.

7. Repeat with remaining dough and toppings.

Leftover Potential?

OK. I know some people love cold pizza but I’m not so convinced.

Variations for Serving Sizes

I often make a mini pizza about half the size of this if there are just 2 of us. If you need to serve more, I’d make 2 separate pizzas rather than trying to make on big one because a larger pizza will be difficult to cook in your home oven. Although if you happen to own a proper wood fired pizza oven, ignore this comment (and I’m very jealous)!

Variations

vegetarian – skip the sausage and increase the cheese a little to compensate OR replace sausage with some cheddar cheese or roast beets.

vegan – skip the sausage and cheese and serve drizzled with a good quality extra virgin olive oil to make up for any dryness.

different greens – kale is a favourite but other greens such as spinach, chard, silverbeet, cavolo nero, collard greens or even baby spinach will work well.

different pork products – feel free to use sliced cooked sausages, bacon, salami or chorizo instead of the fresh sausages.

chilli – a little fresh or dried chilli in with the onion mixture can be lovely.

dairy-free – just skip the cheese. There’s enough going on with this pizza that you’ll hardly notice it.

carb lovers / more substantial – double the pizza! or serve with garlic bread.

short on time – use your favourite commercial pizza base or pita bread instead of making your own dough.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

bread flour, yeast, onion – pantry.

kale – either freeze it or cook it down as per the recipe and keep in the fridge for 2 weeks or so.

sausages, bocconcini or fresh mozzarella – freeze.

Problem Solving Guide

sausage not cooked – it’s important to squash your sausage into thin pieces so it cooks on top of the pizza. If you’re worred about the timing here, just use pre-cooked sausage. Check the sausage when it comes out of the oven and keep cooking if you suspect it’s not done.

pizza soggy on the bottom – this means your heat from the bottom wasn’t high enough. Next time preheat your oven for longer and keep cooking until you’re happy with the underside of the dough. Excess or watery toppings can have an impact here too.

too charred – next time get your pizza out earlier.

pizza crust too crunchy – sounds like you’ve over baked your pizza. Next time get it out a little earlier.

don’t have a pizza stone? – bake on a preheated baking tray in the middle of your oven on it’s highest setting. It may take a little longer to cook and won’t have as lovely a texture. If you like pizza it’s worthwhile investing in a pizza stone – I picked up mine for about $15 and it’s paid for itself many times over.

don’t have a pizza peel? – either use an upside down baking tray or roll your dough out onto al foil and bake the pizza on the foil base.

pizza sticking to the pizza peel – next time use more semolina or flour. For now, use your hands to lift up small bits of pizza and push some flour under. Work your way around until the pizza wobbles when you shake. If you’re worried about his step you can roll your dough out onto al foil and use the foil to transfer to the oven but the texture won’t be as good.

oven smoking – it’s important to remove any leftover semolina or flour from the pizza stone after you bake each pizza. I find the best way to do this is to just scrape it to the back with my pizza peel. If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use your hand inside a thick oven mitt to wipe the pizza stone down or even a very large wad of scrunched up news paper. Best to have some windows open while you’re cooking the pizza to make sure you get fresh air in.

I have an element at the bottom of my oven – if you can’t put the pizza stone directly on the floor of the oven, just put it on the lowest shelf so it is close as possible to the element so it gets super hot.

can’t find semolina? – fine polenta will work or just use flour instead.