Martini Pizza Anyone?!

Martini Pizza?!  What did you just say?  Stay with me on this one folks, I promise you'll love where I'm going... In case you didn't know, one of my favorite things is to unwind at the end of a long day with an icy cold gin martini, shaken, a tiny bit dirty, and packed full of tasty blue cheese stuffed olives.  My other favorite thing...is anything Mediterranean.  You know how much I love to cook Italian food, and use Italian inspired ingredients.  Well this time, I decided to switch it up a bit, and venture slightly outside of my comfort zone.  For this recipe, the Iberian peninsula beckoned to me.  The bold flavors of Spain found a way into my kitchen and into my cocktail shaker.  Mainly, since I'm obsessed with EVERYTHING olive and I always love to Have An Olive Day, I made flavorful and delicious Spanish olives the star of my martini pizza AND classic gin martini.  

I started out with a nice bowl of Queen Spanish olives and I used these in the recipe several different ways.  Plus I decided to make use of two different types of Spanish cheeses, a blue cheese (of course) called Cabrales and Manchego.  But instead of shredding the Manchego on top, I decided to make a creamy cheese sauce incorporating Spanish paprika or "pimentòn" and using the Manchego.  Follow below to learn how to make the recipe yourself!  

1 package of pre-made pizza dough (I used whole wheat)

1 tbsp Spanish Olive Oil

1/2 cup soft blue cheese or Cabrales

1/2 cup Manchego cheese

1 clove garlic

1/3 cup half and half or whole milk

1 tbsp salted butter

1/2 tsp Spanish paprika

1 sprig of fresh rosemary

1/2 cup Queen olives (reserve 3 olives for each Martini)

Other olives and anchovies for snacking/olive stuffing

3 oz. good quality gin

1/2 oz. olive brine

Bring pizza dough to room temperature.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Roll out or stretch out pizza dough into a thin circle on a pizza tray or pizza stone that is greased with the Spanish Olive Oil.  Pat some more Spanish Olive Oil on top of dough to keep moist.

In a small saucepan, heat 1 tbsp butter over medium-low heat and add 1 clove chopped garlic.  Add milk and heat through.  Add shredded Manchego cheese and paprika.  Stir until creamy approx 5 min.  

Spread cheese sauce on top of pizza dough.  Add blue cheese crumbles and chopped olives.  Add chopped rosemary and another sprinkle of paprika.  

Put in oven and bake for 15 min.  or until crust is golden brown.  

Make Martini:  In a cocktail shaker, fill with ice, add gin, olive brine, and shake until incredibly cold.  Strain into a martini glass and garnish with 3 olives that you hand stuff with blue cheese.  

Buen Provecho Todos!!!  #HaveAnOliveDay #OlivesFromSpain