Pesto Pizza

Recently, my sister-in-law and 7-year-old nephew William were at my house.  While here, I cut some of my fresh basil for them to take home. When William saw the basil he told me that his mom makes Pesto Pizza and it is his favorite.

I was very impressed that he knew what to do with basil and that pesto could actually be a favorite of his.  I love kids with good taste and this boy has very good taste – he eats everything! So be sure to tell your children what you are feeding them and be sure to tell them the ingredients like my sister-in-law obviously does. And if you can get them into the kitchen to help prepare some meals, it is never too early to teach them to appreciate the preparation that goes into a meal. Those of you with sons, remember you are raising future husbands and fathers, so don’t stop at teaching your daughters to cook, also teach your sons. We mothers of daughters will appreciate it!

Not only does William like Pesto Pizza, so do my daughter and her friends. Last night my daughter and her friends were here for dinner and they requested Pesto Pizza. Since they will all be off to college by the end of the week, I was very happy to make them one last meal - see the picture of Carly Walsh enjoying my pizza.

Here is a combination of my sister-in-law’s and my Pesto Pizza. I am using fresh basil from my garden. Basil is very easy to grow; a little pruning and it grows and grows.  Every year I try to see how big I can get my “basil bush." This year it is big, so you will be seeing recipes using basil in the next few weeks.

Now is the time of year to make fresh pesto; if you don’t grow basil, the farmer’s markets are selling it. Pesto is easy to make and freezes very well.  Freeze some and this winter you will still be able to make Pesto Pizza and the recipe I will highlight next week. You can also use premade pesto in this recipe. If you have left over pesto, it is great on pasta, served either hot or cold, or save it for next week’s recipe. 

One of the best things about pizza is it can be served leftover! I always make more than I need for a meal so we can all eat the leftovers the next day. Served hot or cold, reheated in the microwave or the oven, pizza is a quick meal. Make it early in the day so you can just serve it during the “running around town” hours.

Homemade Pesto

Ingredients

3 large handfuls of fresh basil - if you put the basil in a cup before you chop it, then you are probably using 3 cups full

1/3 cups of pine nuts

3 cloves of garlic

1/3 cup olive oil – I like to use “light olive oil” for my pesto

½ cup parmesan cheese – sprinkle cheese is ok, fresh grated is better

A sprinkle of salt and pepper

Put all ingredients in a food processor except the olive oil and cheese and process until completely chopped. Slowly add the olive oil while still chopping. Then add the cheese and a sprinkle of salt and pepper and process some more until fully blended. This recipe is enough for 2 pizzas made in 17 X 11 inch baking sheets with edges.

Pesto Pizza

Ingredients

1 frozen pizza dough – I use Market Basket pizza dough.  I let it thaw all day in the refrigerator on just on my counter if I don’t have all day

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – use “light olive oil” for the pesto, but here, Extra Virgin Olive Oil really makes a difference

½ the recipe of Pesto from above – next week I’ll give you a recipe for the leftover pesto

8 oz. of Fresh Mozzarella – sliced into ¼ inch slices

2 large tomatoes – sliced

2 cups of shredded mozzarella – I use the kind in the bags

1 small handful of fresh basil - chopped

Prepare your dough and place in your baking sheet. Use a pastry brush and brush the dough with Extra Virgin Olive, you don’t need a lot but it taste great and makes the pesto easier to spread. Spread the pesto onto the dough. Place the tomatoes on the dough and then the fresh mozzarella. Sprinkle the whole pizza with the bagged mozzarella cheese.  Cook at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the top and the bottom of the dough is brown. After you take the pizza out of the oven, top with chopped, fresh basil.