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Pesto, Cheese & Fresh Tomato Pizza
Homemade pesto and fresh, ripe tomatoes make this a great summertime pizza.
Makes one 14-inch pizza or two 9-inch pizzas, to serve 4
Pizza Dough, p. 27
1/2 pound firm but ripe plum tomatoes
1/2 ounce Reggiano Parmesan,
cut in 1/2-inch cubes
2 ounces fresh mozzarella, very well
chilled
1-1/2 ounces Italian fontina cheese, very
well chilled
3 tablespoons pesto, p. 30
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Cornmeal for dusting the peel or pan
Nutritional analysis per serving:
Calories 365 (from fat 33%) • carb. 46g • pro. 15g • fat 13g
sat. fat 5g • chol. 21mg • sod. 678mg • fiber 2g
Prepare the Pizza Dough and let rise. Position the top rack of the oven about 8 inches from
the top. If using a baking stone, place it on the rack. Preheat the oven to 500˚ F.
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cut a shallow “x” in the bottom of each
tomato. Blanch the tomatoes in the boiling water for 30 seconds, then immediately plunge
them into a bowl of iced water. When cool, slip the skins off. Slice the stem end off each
tomato; set aside.
Insert the metal blade. With the machine running, drop the Parmesan cheese cubes down the
feed tube. Process 15 seconds; leave in bowl. Insert the shredding disc. Use medium pres-
sure to shred the mozzarella and fontina. Remove the cheeses to a bowl; toss to combine
and reserve. Insert the slicing disc. One at a time, place the tomatoes in the small feed tube.
Use very light pressure to slice. Place the sliced tomatoes on a triple thick layer of paper tow-
els to drain.
When the dough has risen, punch down; use as is or divide into 2 equal balls. Let rest 10
minutes. Roll the dough out to size. Place on a baker’s peel that has been sprinkled with corn
meal, or on a perforated pizza pan, a pizza screen or baking sheet without sides that has
been sprinkled with corn meal. Brush the edges with the olive oil, then using an offset spatula,
spread the pizza to 3/4 inch of the edges with the pesto sauce, using 3 tablespoons on the
14-inch pizza or 1-1/2 tablespoons on each 9-inch pizza. Sprinkle the pizza(s) with the shred-
ded cheeses. Top with the drained, sliced tomatoes.
Carefully slide the pizza onto the stone (position the peel over the back edge of the stone,
and use a rocking motion to shake and slide the pizza off the peel onto the stone), or place
the pan in the hot oven. Bake the pizza for 5 minutes, then rotate it front to back for even bak-
ing. Bake for another 3 to 6 minutes, until the pizza is bubbly and the edges of the dough are
golden brown, puffed and crispy. Remove from the oven and let rest on a rack for 2 to 3 min-
utes before slicing.
Preparation: 1 hour for the pizza dough (recipe, p. 27); then 20 minutes plus 12 minutes
to bake
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Pizza
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