COOK: Spicy Pizza Spread with Giardiniera

• Serving Ideas for Spicy Pizza Spread
• How to Make Spicy Pizza Spread
• Storing your Spicy Pizza Spread
• Spicy Pizza Spread with Giardiniera

Almost everyone loves to have a slice of cold pizza for breakfast once in a while, but you don’t always have leftovers in the fridge (reheated pizza folks, I see you too and am usually in your club, we’re good too).

And if there’s one thing that most Chicagoans love (more than deep dish, even), it’s spicy giardiniera on their pizza. Pair it with sausage or strips of thinly sliced Italian beef for a Chicago classic, or with spinach and mushrooms to make it veggie-style… however you slice it, it tastes like sweet home Chicago.

But what if you could schmear that cool, zesty Chicago-style pizza flavor on a bagel sandwich? And what if you could do this with just a few ingredients in just a few minutes?

I know, it’s dangerous to contemplate but just think about the snack possibilities this would open up…

Serving Ideas for Spicy Pizza Spread

• Make bubbling hot pizza-flavored toasted English muffins or bagels.
• Top a crispy Wasa crispbread or other sturdy cracker with the taste of Chicago!
• Make a batch of quick pizza dough, and make baked calzones, rolled stromboli, or fried panzerroti. Spread the dough with this spread and add your favorite toppings and a dollop of marinara or spicy tomato ragu.
• Fill your favorite crescent roll recipe (even if that recipe is “open can of crescent roll dough”) with a spoonful of spicy cream cheese filling, roll, and bake cheesy crescents or spread it on the dough and slice into pinwheels.
• Bake savory tartlets with roasted veggies and a dollop of this creamy cheesy spread. Use your own flaky pastry shells and mini tartlet pans, or use pre-made phyllo shells.
• Chill it, roll it up in saran wrap, and cover it in chopped fresh herbs, seasoned breadcrumbs, or crushed pork rinds and make a spicy pizza cheese ball.
• Make pizza empanadas with pastry dough and bake or fry them.
• Fill and fold won-ton wrappers with this pizza spread, and make fried Chicago-style pizza rangoon (check out our jalapeno popper wonton recipe for instructions).
• Mix it with equal parts of ricotta cheese or cooked crumbled sausage (add toasted breadcrumbs if the filling is too wet) and use it to fill fresh pasta dough and make tortellini or ravioli.

What CAN’T you do? Well, you probably shouldn’t put it on a hot dog and call it “Chicago-Style” or you might start a fight, but by any other name, why not?

So let’s do this, yeah? And then, try not to eat it all in one sitting… That’s really the hardest thing about this recipe (at least for me, ymmv, lol).

How to Make Spicy Pizza Spread

one: soften your cream cheese

• We’re going to start with giardiniera and a block of cream cheese.
• I use regular brick-style cream cheese, but you can substitute neufchatel if you want to cut a few calories (not the fancy French stuff with a bloomy rind, the inexpensive stuff packed in a foil-lined box like regular cream cheese).
• It’s best if you let your cream cheese soften up a little, but your food processor can handle it either way. If you are mixing by hand, you definitely want to make sure your cream cheese is soft.

two: blend cream cheese & giardiniera

• We’re going to blend first until it’s whipped along with the Italian seasoning and grated Parmesan, then pulse it a few more times along with a scoop of spicy giardiniera.
• If your giardiniera has very large chunks, like this one, you can add it at the beginning to break it up more and make it more spreadable.
• If you want more texture in your spread, whip the cheese first then pulse in the pickled peppers (this is what I recommend).

three: add mozzarella (etc)

• Next, fold in a handful of shredded pizza cheese blend or mozzarella.
• If you like, you can add some diced pepperoni or cooked and crumbled Italian sausage, or sauteed sliced mushrooms (let them cool first).
• I like to transfer it into the serving or storing container first, but you can also carefully pulse it with the food processor to mix.

Other mix-in ideas:

Put some spinach or fresh basil or chopped sun-dried tomatoes or sliced olives in there if you want… go nuts (I wouldn’t add nuts, though)!

Or keep it simple and stick with the cheeses and the pickled hot veggies. Really, anything you’d use as a pizza topping can work!

Storing your Spicy Pizza Spread

Transfer your spread to a serving or storage container (if you didn’t do that in the last step) and use or refrigerate promptly.

You can keep leftovers for up to a week. If you used fresh vegetables or cooked sausage in your spread, I would try to use it within 3-4 days. The shelf life is longer if you only used pickled or otherwise preserved ingredients.

Liked this? Try these related recipes!

• How to Make Chicago-Style Giardiniera
• Triple Pickled Pepper Pasta Salad with Pepperoni and Chicken (or Chickpeas)
• Quick Pizza Dough (for deep dish, pan, or thin crust pizza)
• Smoked Trout & Herb Cream Cheese Spread
• Zesty Garlic Hummus
• Roasted Tomato Salsa Ranchera
• Guajillo & Roasted Tomato Salsa
• Hot Summer Meal Ideas… Dinners that sizzle without turning on your oven!