6 cloves garlic

olive oil, to cover

6 large shrimp, peeled, deveined and halved lengthwise

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus olive oil for drizzling

salt and coarsely ground pepper

1/2 recipe Neapolitan pizza dough, completed through the second rising

1/4 head radicchio, core removed and coarsely chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons finely shredded fresh basil

4-5 oz fontina cheese, sliced

Neapolitan Pizza Dough 

 

FOR GARLIC: Peel the garlic but leave the cloves whole. In a small, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the garlic cloves with just enough olive oil to cover. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook the garlic until it is covered with golden dots, about 15 minutes. Watch carefully, as the garlic burns easily. Remove from the heat, let cool and then drain off the oil. Set the garlic aside. Reserve the oil for another use such as drizzling over grilled fish or vegetables. FOR PIZZA: Place a pizza stone or unglazed terra-cotta tiles on the lowest rack of an oven. Preheat to 500 degrees F. In a small bowl, mix together the shrimp, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Place the ball of dough on a lightly floured pizza peel or rimless baking sheet. Sprinkle a little more flour on the top of the dough and, using your fingertips, press evenly into a round, flat disk about 1 1/2 inches thick and 5 inches in diameter. Lift the dough and gently stretch it with your fingers and then over the backs of your fists, using the weight of the dough to allow it to grow in size. While you are stretching the dough, gently rotate the disk. Continue stretching and rotating the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick and 9 inches in diameter and has a rim about 1/2 inch thick. Try not to let the center of the disk become too thin in comparison to the edges. Dust the peel or baking sheet with more flour and gently lay the disk in the center. Scatter the radicchio, garlic and basil over the dough. Top evenly with the cheese and, finally, with the shrimp. Season to taste with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil. Gently shake the peel or baking sheet back and forth to make sure the pizza has not stuck to it. If it has, gently lift off the stuck section and sprinkle a little more flour underneath. Using the peel or baking sheet like a large spatula, quickly slide the pizza onto the hot pizza stone or tiles. Bake until the edges are golden and crisp, 8-9 minutes. Remove the pizza with a large metal spatula and slide it onto a dinner plate. Drizzle with additional extra-virgin olive oil, if desired, and serve at once.