Wednesday, January 30, 2013

From the Oven - Vegetables Pizza with Homemade Pesto

We try to do @ least 1 vegetarian dinner per week but it almost always ends up being some kind of pasta.  To change it up a little bit, I went with a pizza for this week's meatless night.  But I make pizza quite a bit & I don't want to use the same old toppings...what now?  Just as I was scratching my head over this question, a voice spoke to me & said "What about zucchini & tomato?  And some onion?"  No, I wasn't going crazy & hearing things in my head; it was Russell talking.  Zucchini & tomato, huh?  Sounds Mediterranean.  How about a homemade pesto instead of a tomato sauce? Maybe use feta instead of mozzarella?  Oh wait...Russell doesn't eat feta, blurgh!

Never have I done so much for a pizza...
   For the pesto:
     2 cups basil leaves, packed
     3 cloves garlic
     0.25 cup pine nuts
     0.5 cup extra virgin olive oil
     0.5 cup pecorino romano, grated
     Salt & pepper to taste
   For the pizza:
     1 package prepared pizza dough
     2 roma tomatoes, sliced
     1 medium zucchini, sliced
     1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
     0.75 cup shredded mozzarella
      0.25 cup pecorino romano, grated

But @ least it wasn't too complicated...
     In a food processor, chop up the basil leaves
     Add in the garlic, pine nuts, & half the olive oil; blend until it turns into a paste
     Add in the rest of the oil, season with salt & pepper, & blend until smooth
     Mix in the cheese & set aside
     Sauté the onion over medium-low heat until soft; then sauté the zucchini slices until they are soft
     Roll out the pizza dough & spread the pesto evenly on top, keeping away form the edges
     Sprinkle mozzarella over the pesto & lay down the tomato & zucchini slices
     Spread the caramelized onion on top & grate pecorino romano all over
     Bake at 450F for 10 minutes



Makes 1 cup of pesto & 1 10-inch pizza

I stretched the dough out too thin in the middle so it kind of made a mess.  I can never get this part right because when the middle is the right thickness, the edges are too thick.  And when the edges are the right thickness, the middle has hole.  Ugh!  I also used way too much olive oil for my pesto (0.67 cup - what the recipe called for) & completely forgot to mix it with the pecorino cheese.  As a result, the pizza got a bit soggy & the excess oil spilled out of my cookie sheet & dripped down to the bottom of my oven.  Smoke alert!  Alas, the flavors of the pesto was fresh & had a good kick from the garlic.  The pizza was delicious & the sweetness of the onion & zucchini held up nicely against the tartness of the tomato & the sharpness of the pecorino.  I know I talked about not wanting a pizza stone in my previous post(s) but I think I need one if my crusts are always turning out undercooked & not crisp.  Is there any way I can get around this giant slab of stone situation??

2 comments:

  1. Yum Sugar says to :
    preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with a baking pan sheet inside,
    roll out the pizza dough as thin as possible to fit the sheet.
    After 15 minutes take the sheet out with a pair of mitts,
    drizzle the sheet with olive oil, and
    then transfer the dough to the sheet, cover with toppings and cheese and "Bake immediately for 12-15 minutes until the crust is browned and the cheese is nicely melted.. "

    This recipes sounds really good. I was eyeing the pre-made pesto at whole foods the other day and I've been wanting to try middle east / mediterranean food for awhile, and I like the idea of using pecorino romano cheese.

    Thanks Karen! :D xo

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! I am going to try this method next time. Now I just have to find a tutorial on how to best roll out pizza dough...they keep springing back on me.

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