Garlic and Greens Pizza

This is very garlicky, but if you like that sort of thing then it's yummy! One of our children liked it; the other two didn't. My husband and I really enjoyed it. You don't taste the kale much at all; the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes really carry the day. A nice change from traditional, tomato-based pizza and a nice way to sneak in some "greens."

**Updated 5/31/13: I made a smallish (12-inch) thin crust pizza this time and found the kale mixture to be just right. I had a scant 4 cups chopped kale before I cooked it down. I also used less cheese. Scroll down to see the recipe plus pictures.

Garlic and Greens Pizza

Recipe from Moosewood Collective Cooks at Home

1 prebaked pizza shell (15-inch size)*

1/3-1/2 c. sun-dried tomatoes (optional--I used)

1/2 c. boiling water, if using dried tomatoes not packed in oil (if using oil-packed, rinse first)

4 large garlic cloves, minced

2-3 T. olive oil

4 packed cups coarsely chopped rinsed and stemmed kale**

1/4 t. salt

1/4 c. chopped fresh basil or 2 T. dried

1 1/2 c. grated mozzarella cheese

1/4 c. grated Pecorino cheese (I used Parmesan)

*If using your own pizza dough, roll out a 15-inch crust and bake slightly--until it starts to be a bit done on top.

**I found this to be about 4 (8-inch) very leafy stems of kale; if you're able to buy just a small amount, you now know how much to buy! I fold my leaves in half and just snip off the stem. Then I chop the leaves.

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. If you are using sun-dried tomatoes, place them in a heatproof bowl, cover with the boiling water, and set aside.
3. In a large skillet, saute the minced garlic in the oil for about a minute over medium-high heat. Add the kale to the skillet along with the salt, and saute on medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes, until just tender (I left mine a touch "crunchy" still and liked it like that--you don't want it mushy and you have to watch/stir to make sure it doesn't burn). The cooking time will vary with the age and freshness of the kale. The kale cooks down--this bowl was nearly full of raw kale, and now it's about a fourth full.
   
4. While the kale cooks, drain and chop the sun-dried tomatoes. Add the chopped basil and sun-dried tomatoes to the kale and remove the skillet from the heat. You can let this mixture sit at room temperature for a while--especially if you still need to roll out a pizza crust or want to tidy up before popping the pizza in the oven.
5. Spread the kale topping on the pizza crust, using a slotted spoon if necessary, and sprinkle the cheeses on top. Bake until cheese is starting to brown slightly on top and crust is done.

Makes 1 15-inch pizza