Saag Paneer Pizza

My favorite food is Saag Paneer. Todd’s favorite food is pizza. So it was inevitable that a Saag Paneer Pizza just had to happen. And it was delicious.

Ingredients:
Saag Sauce:
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne
Kosher salt
3 T vegetable oil
12 ounces paneer cheese, cubed
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 T garlic ginger paste
1 jalapeno (with seeds, chopped)
1/2 tsp masala
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 cups half and half

Paneer Cheese:
Cheesecloth
8 cups whole milk
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2–2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Pizza crust dough of choice (we use Todd’s)

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the turmeric, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons oil. Gently toss the cubes of paneer in the mixture. Heat 2 tsp oil in a large skilled, add the paneer and let it brown for 2 minutes. Carefully turn and fry for another minute. Put back in the bowl and set aside. Add 1 T oil to the skill and add the onions, ginger, garlic and chile. Saute for about 15 minutes until the mixture is browned evenly, adding a tablespoon of water if needed to keep from burning. Add the masala, coriander, and cumin, adding a little water if needed. Cook for 4 more minutes.

Add the spinach, 1 cup water, and 1 tsp salt. Cook for 5 minutes. Blend well with a hand blender. Add the half and half and cook for 5 more minutes.

To make paneer:
Line a strainer with a large double layer of cheesecloth, and set it in your sink. In a large, nonstick pot, bring the milk to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid burning the bottom This will probably take about 20 minutes.

Add the lemon juice and turn the heat down to low. Gently stir in one direction to separate the curds from the whey. Remove the pot from the heat and pour into the strainer. Gently rinse with cool water to remove the lemon flavor. Squeeze extra water from the paneer and shape into a block. Set it on a small plate, with another plate on top in the fridge. Allow to rest for 20 minutes. When finished, cut into small cubes.

Pizza Directions:
On a favorite crust dough, carefully spread the saag sauce onto the dough (preferably with your hands to prevent the dough from ripping). Drop paneer cheese over the whole pizza and sprinkle with additional mozzarella. Bake at 500 for 9–11 minutes, or in a pizza oven for 3 minutes.