Stuffed Crust Sopressata Pizza With Lemony Arugula Salad

Pepperidge Farm and Better Homes & Gardens magazine partnered in a contest to find new, original recipes for their puff pastry products back in December.

I submitted this recipe and won the grand prize of an all expenses paid trip to New York City and a possible mention in Better Homes & Garden magazine. The idea for the recipe came from a late night discussion with my husband about the wonders of puff pastry - the recipe is really his idea, manifested with my tastes in mind. There's a tiny little blurb in the May 2010 issue of the magazine on a Pepperidge Farm advertisement and the recipe is up on the Pepperidge Farm website along with three other recipes that won their categories in appetizer, main course, and dessert. There is a Farmer's Breakfast Tart, Jalapeno Poppers in a Blanket, and Creamed Bananas in Puff Pastry Shells. All look delicious, especially the jalapeno poppers - I might have to try those out.

I feel very honored to have won the contest and would like to thank all of those that voted for my recipe. My sister, brother-in-law and I will be taking the trip to NYC next week and I'll be sure to post all about that soon. My sister and I will be taking a master cooking class at the French Culinary Institute with Andre Soltner - something I'm very much looking forward to!

If the idea of eating an entire pizza made of puff pastry sounds daunting, try turning these into little hors d'oeuvre-size tarts.

Stuffed Crust Sopressata Pizza with Lemony Arugula Salad

1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1 package (17.3 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed
4 ounces whole milk mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons pizza sauce or pasta  sauce
4 thin slices sopressata or hard salami, torn into pieces
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 cups fresh baby arugula  leaves

 Heat the oven to 400°F.  Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork. 


Unfold 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.  Using a 9-inch pie plate as a template, cut the pastry sheet into a 9-inch circle.  Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet.  Reserve the trimmings for another use.


Cut half the cheese into about 16 "sticks".  Thinly slice the remaining cheese.


Brush the edges of the pastry circles with the egg mixture.  Place the cheese "sticks" around the edges of the pastry circles.  Fold the edges of the pastry over to enclose the cheese and press to seal.  Brush the seam and edges of the pastry with the egg mixture.  Prick the center of the pastry circles thoroughly with a fork.


Spread 1 tablespoon pizza sauce on each pastry circle.  Divide the cheese slices and sopressata between the pastry circles.


Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the cheese is melted.  Let the pizzas cool on the baking sheets on wire racks for 10 minutes.


Beat the lemon juice, oil, and black pepper in a large bowl with a fork or whisk.  Add the arugula and toss to coat.  Divide the arugula mixture between the pizzas.

Comments

[katie]

ohmigosh!! congratulations!! I voted for you. ;) And since I am a pizza failure, I might just need a little puff pastry pizza in my life. (And those poppers do sound amazing!)

But mostly, congratulations!

[Dana Zia]

Congrats! That is amazing that you won, but I can see why. This recipe looks fantastic. I'm going to bed now and dream about it.

[kristin @ going country]

YAAAAY!!! I always knew you were a winner, S.B. ENJOY your trip, and give a little wave north in my direction, okay?

[Jenny]

What a perfect combination =) Pizza + salad = Sleep :P Hahaha!

[Kabbalah bracelet]

Your posting is so interesting. I liked your Stuffed Crust Sopressata Pizza with Lemony Arugula Salad recipe. Thanks for such a delicious recipe.