Chef Neal Fraser’s Garden Pesto Pizza
Yield: 1 pizza
Making pizza is fun for the whole family, and this recipe utilizes dough purchased from a local pizzeria, or even frozen from the supermarket to keep things simple. It’s easy to experiment with a variety of toppings, and I especially love using whatever is sprouting up in our garden. In this recipe, I garnished with broccoli flowers, but arugula or basil flowers would also work well. It’s a great way to not only utilize those fresh ingredients, but to also give a healthy boost to a family-favorite meal.
Supporting Black Lives Matter
This recipe is from our “Recipes for a Cause” collection, in which each entry supports a humanitarian or civil justice effort. In collaboration with California Olive Ranch and Los Angeles’ Redbird, Life & Thyme has committed to make a contribution to Black Lives Matter, a global network that bring justice, healing, and freedom to Black people across the globe. We encourage you to support as well.
Ingredients
- 1 6-oz. pizza dough purchased from local pizzeria, or frozen from market
- 2 oz. basil, picked and washed
- 2 oz. kale, picked and washed
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 oz. parmesan cheese
- 0.25 oz. pine nuts
- 2 oz. California Olive Ranch Olive Oil, plus some extra for garnishing
- 2 oz. low-moisture mozzarella cheese
- 0.25 oz. broccoli flowers, arugula flowers, basil flowers, or any other flowering herb
- Semolina flour
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
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Method
- Preheat oven to 500℉ with pizza stone inside. Boil 2 cups of water with salt (added to taste).
- Blanch basil and kale leaves for 10 seconds. Shock in ice water, and ring out greens.
- Blend garlic and olive oil in blender or food processor; blend until garlic is smooth. Add basil; blend until smooth. Finish with parmesan cheese, and season with salt to taste.
- Flour the dough with a mix of 2 ounces of all-purpose flour to 1 ounce of semolina flour. Press out pizza dough to a 10-inch circle. Dust pizza paddle with semolina flour to keep dough from sticking to paddle. Smooth pesto over the pizza with a spoon. Garnish with cheese.
- Bake in oven for approximately 6 minutes. Turn pizza 180 degrees halfway through the cooking process, at about 3 minutes in. Both top crust and bottom of the pizza should be golden brown.
- Garnish pizza with flowers and California Olive Ranch Olive Oil. Then cut, serve and enjoy.
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