White Clam Sauce Pizza with Chili Oil (or Parsley Oil)
from https://www.howsweeteats.com/

FMM: We made this, and although we thickened the sauce a bit with flour, it seemed to soak the dough making it stick to the peel and we had a hard time getting it off and into the oven. The second pizza we put on a cookie sheet on top of the stone and the crust did not get brown on the bottom. Using the extra cup of flour in the dough made the pizza dough thicker (although I could only get 1/2 added kneading by hand), but the soupier sauce seemed to warrant a thicker crust. The pizza was a bit salty and I would not add salt to the sauce. We used the clam juice from the canned clams and that probably had salt in it. You could definiety taste clams in the pizza. We did not make the Chili Oil, but sprinkled red pepper flakes on it when eating.

Pizza Crust
Pizza dough made with 3 cups flour (enough for 2 pizzas)

Clam Sauce
1 teaspoon olive oil [I would use 1 tablespoon]
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 sweet onion diced
4 garlic cloves minced
[I would add some basil]
pinch of salt and pepper [do NOT add salt]
1 1/4 cups dry white wine like chardonnay
5 pounds fresh littleneck clams scrubbed well
[add clam juice and reduce with the white wine if not using fresh clams]
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus extra for sprinkling [optional] [we did not add any to the sauce]
1 cup freshly grated provolone cheese [optional, or use less]

Chili Oil [or Parsley Oil, see below]
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

Pizza Dough

Make the Pizza Dough and let dough rise in frig overnight, if time. Take the dough out about an hour before ready to make the pizza.

Clam Sauce

While the dough is rising, make the topping! Heat a large saucepan over medium-low heat and add the oil and butter. Add the onions and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper and stir. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are softened. Add the wine to the saucepan and bring it to a simmer, then add the clams and cook until they begin to open. Once open, transfer them to a large bowl and pick out the clam meat.

[If not using fresh clams, wait to add them to the sauce. To give the sauce more clam flavor, add clam juice and simmer it with the wine to reduce down.]

Continue to simmer the wine and onion mixture until the wine is reduced into a thick glaze, around 10 minutes or so. Pour in the cream and simmer it, stirring occasionally, until it is reduced by half, about 10 more minutes [or more]. Stir in the parmesan cheese. At this point, I chopped my clams so we wouldn’t have huge pieces and toss them into the sauce.

[Preheat the Pizza Stone/Oven

Place the pizza stone or tile onto the bottom of a cold oven and turn the oven to its highest temperature, about 500 degrees F [We bake ours at 450 degrees F]. If the oven has coils on the oven floor, place the tile onto the lowest rack of the oven. You want the pizza stone/oven good and hot before you start to make your pizza.]

Begin to make your pizza! Cover your dough with half of the grated provolone cheese. Add the clam sauce onto the pizza and spread it all around. Sprinkle on the remaining grated cheese. [We make 2 smaller pizzas, which fit better on our pizza stone.]

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (or around 15 to 20 minutes if using the pizza stone) until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Remove from the oven and top with a drizzle of chili oil, extra pepper flake and a big handful of parsley. Some parmesan too. Devour!

Chili Oil

The further ahead of time you make this, the better it will be! But you can also make it while the pizza is in the oven. Heat the oil over low heat until just warm. Stir in the pepper flakes and remove from the heat. Let cool to room temperature before using.

Parsley Oil
1/3 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt

Blend parsley, oil, and salt in blender until smooth. Pour into small bowl. (Parsley oil can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.Bring to room temperature before using.)

Makes 1 large pizza, enough to feed about 3-4 people [or 2 smaller pizzas]