ingredients:

  • 12 oz. ball of pizza dough (for a 14’’ pie)
  • 8 oz. clams (manila or littleneck), freshly shucked
  • 6 oz. large shrimp, chopped
  • 10 oz. mozzarella, shredded
  • 2 oz. fresh mozzarella
  • 2 oz. Parmesan, grated
  • 1 lemon wedge 
  • 2 tbsp. fresh garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • Pinch of oregano
  • 2 oz. seasoned breadcrumbs, melted butter and Parmesan

 

Directions:

Toast the seasoned breadcrumbs in a sauté pan and mix with melted butter and Parmesan. Slightly sauté the clams and shrimp (for about 30 seconds) in a little garlic and olive oil. Drain and set aside. Brush olive oil and minced garlic on the 14” pizza skin. Sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella. Spread the clams and shrimp around the pie and sprinkle oregano on top. Pull some fresh mozzarella with your hands and place sparingly on the pie. Add some grated Parmesan, then bake in the oven at 600°F or hotter until golden brown. Immediately sprinkle on the toasted breadcrumbs and parsley and garnish with a fresh lemon wedge in the center of the pizza. 

 

A Delicious Twist On a Classic Dish

Gino Rago, his brother Lenny, and their cousin Bruno Brunetti are tinkerers. When they come across a pizza they like, simply recreating it isn’t enough; they prepare it with their own innovative twists, which have made their three Panino’s (paninospizzeria.com) restaurants neighborhood treasures in the Chicagoland area.

Like many pizza connoisseurs, Gino made a pilgrimage to The Original Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana (pepespizzeria.com) in New Haven, Connecticut, to try its legendary White Clam Pie. For his own version, Gino used dough made with a levito madre (“mother yeast”) from the late 18th century, which had been smuggled in from Naples. And rather than use only Parmesan, as Pepe’s does, he uses both Galbani Dragon Cut™ Mozzarella shreds and Galbani  Fresh Mozzarella.

To finish the pie, seasoned breadcrumbs conjure clams casino, and many diners have commented that they never dreamed a wedge of lemon could be so critical to a pizza experience.

 

Recipe of the Month, Recipes