peachy pizza

peaches on a pizza you ask?  yes.  i was very skeptical too when i first saw richard blais make a similar recipe on one of my favorite tv shows, "top chef".  but it got rave reviews on the show and i love peaches, so i decided to try it.  his recipe is a bit pricier and a bit of a stretch for my taste buds so i reworked the recipe to this.   it's something i really look forward to when peaches are in season.

one more thing: if you don't like hot italian sausage, don't worry - i don't either.  this recipe truly misses it when i used mild.  the spiciness of the hot sausage doesn't come through anything like when you eat the sausage by itself.

peach topped pizza

premade thick crust pizza dough (pillsbury's works just fine - click here to see what i use when i don't have time to make a homemade crust)
3 hot italian sausage links, casing removed & cut into 1/4" discs
1 medium sweet onion, ringed
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups baby spinach
sherry vinegar
6 slices provalone cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 cups asiago cheese, shredded
1-2 fresh peaches cut into slices
peach iced tea for dipping

1. in a large skillet, begin cooking the sausage.  after a few minutes add the onion and garlic.  let sausage brown and be careful not to burn the garlic.
2. begin preparing pizza crust into a 9"x13" pan.  precook the crust if directed to do so.
3. wilt the spinach in the microwave (about 30 seconds).
4. begin forming the pizza insides with the sausage & onion mixture, then the spinach.  add some droplets of sherry vinegar across this layer.  cover with provalone slices, mozzarella and asiago.  top with fresh peach slices.  bake pizza as directed on crust package.
5. serve with a small bowl of iced tea for dipping.

makes about 8 servings. enjoy! =)

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download a printable copy of this recipe at...
http://www.oncupcakemoon.com/recipes/peachtoppedpizza.pdf