Monday, March 28, 2011

Pizza - Basil Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes


Week 13 in the Pizza 2011 Project!

1/4th of the way through and no end in sight!  Still haven't talked about Stromboli or Deep dish or Chicago style (not the same as deep dish), and plenty of toppings left to explore for a standard pizza.

Last week, I made a Sun dried Tomato Pesto Pizza.  This week, I finish with the pesto style with a more standard Basil Pesto Pizza (topped with cherry tomatoes).

Basil Pesto is easy to make, big bunch of Basil leaves (minced), combined with a bit of Parmesan Cheese, Walnuts (pine nuts if you prefer) and olive oil.  Play around with the amounts til you get a taste and consistancy you like.  For a pizza sauce, use a bit less oil than normal for a dipping sauce (keep that crust from getting soggy).


OK... Here's how to make a 

Mini Sun Sried Tomato, Mozzarella and Arugula Pizza...



Crust of choice, premade or homemade 
My "go-to" pizza dough recipe)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup Basil Pesto

thin slices of Mozzarella cheese to line the bottom

a few baby tomatoes sliced

  • Preheat oven and pizza stone (or heavy baking sheet) to 550 degrees for at least 30 minutes.
  • Roll your crust out on parchment paper to your likeness... Thin, Chewy or thick like a bread.
  • Brush Olive oil around the edges to get a beautiful Golden Brown and Delicious looking crust.
  • Salt and pepper the crust at this time
  • Layer the pesto sauce to within 1/2 inch of the edge
  • Top with the cheese and the tomatoes..
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes.
  • serve!

A great lunch!




11 comments:

  1. I love your pizza project!! This one looks so good. I love how the pizza looked even before you baked it!

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  2. That pizza looks great Dave! It is so much better to make pizza at home..more delicious and so much less expensive! Blessings, Catherine

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  3. Hey Mister, how are you doing? How is you new site going? Hope all is well with you and your very cool project. Just wanted to check in and say "what's up?" I am moving along with the market plans and all is going well except that there is sooo much to do!

    Robin Sue

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  4. Wish I had one of these, right now! Looks great!

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  5. I will NEVER get tired of watching you make pizza! Buon appetito!

    ~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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  6. I am loving this pizza project, I can't get enough pizza! This one looks divine!

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  7. I am craving pizza so badly after spending some time on your blog. Yum! I'm so happy that I stumbled over here. You have a wonderful blog and I'm following along with you. Have a great weekend, Candace

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  8. I am making pizza tonight - I planned on making a baby spinach, fresh parm pizza with a ricotta cheese base - I may need to stir in some pesto too - it looks delicious!

    Happy Friday Dave!

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  9. I like that first shot a lot, with the molten cheesy sauce escaping. It looks like the cheese damn burst and Flavortown is about to be overrun!

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  10. Hey Dave - I used 00 Italian flour for my pizza dough over the weekend - I absolutely love it, its super fine and it made a perfectly crisp crust.

    Hope you and Jackie had a great weekend!

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