Almond Pesto Pizza

It had been a while since I had made a margherita pizza, and my basil plant was getting a little full so I decided to make some pesto pizza.  I didn't have any pine nuts, though, so I decided to substitute in some slivered almonds which I already had instead.

Don't they kind of look like pine nuts anyways?  I also threw in some baby spinach leaves as suggested by Kenji from Serious Eats to "add some more green without overwhelming the other flavors with excess basil."  Normally I probably would've been afraid that the spinach would add its own unwanted flavor, but after my experience with adding spinach to green smoothies, I've realized how innocuous spinach leaves can be when mixed with other ingredients.

Almond Pesto Pizza

makes two 10" pizzas

2 balls of pizza dough

1 cup loosely packed basil leaves

1 cup loosely packed spinach leaves

1 small garlic clove

1-2 tablespoon Parmesan reggiano, grated

2 tablespoons raw slivered almonds

1/3 cup olive oil

Kosher salt, to taste

6 oz. fresh mozzarella, torn into chunks

Place a pizza stone on an oven rack set at the top 1/3 of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 550°F.

Add the basil, spinach, garlic, Parmesan reggiano, and almonds to a food processor.  While processing, stream in the olive oil until a smooth puree is formed.  Season with salt to taste.  Transfer to a small container and allow to settle.

Stretch the dough onto a parchment paper-lined flexible cutting board.

Spoon out some of the olive oil that has settled to the top of the pesto and spread over the pizza dough.

Drop dollops of pesto around the dough.  Top with the torn mozzarella.  Stretch and top the second ball of pizza dough.

Slide one of the pizzas and parchment paper onto the pizza stone and bake for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, turn the oven to broil and broil for 1-2 minutes.  Bake until the cheese is completely melted and the crust is golden with spots of brown and a few small spots of char.  

Use tongs to slide the pizza with the parchment paper from the pizza stone onto a cutting board.  Slice and serve!

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Panzanella

The first thing I thought of when I was trying to figure out how to use up the four foot baguette was panzanella, a salad made with stale bread cubes and tomatoes.  It's something I've been interested in making for a while but just never had enough bread to do so.  Well, problem solved.

A quick search on the internet brought me to this post called "The Best Panzanella You'll Ever Have".  Good enough for me.  More importantly, this recipe didn't use cucumbers, which I'm not a big fan of.

Panzanella (based on the recipe by Laura Wright of The First Mess)
Serves 6-8

For the croutons:
4 cups cubed bread (about ½ inch cubes)
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:
5 cups halved cherry tomatoes (about 2 to 3 pints)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small shallot, peeled and finely diced (or ¼ cup fine diced red onion)
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves (from 4 to 5 sprigs)
Fresh mozzarella (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Place the bread cubes on a large, parchment of Silpat-lined baking sheet. Drizzle bread cubes with the 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Lightly toss bread cubes to coat in the oil and seasoning.

Place coated bread cubes in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until croutons are golden brown and crunchy. Remove and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the cut tomatoes, red wine vinegar, olive oil, diced shallots, garlic, salt and pepper to taste.

Stir to combine. Allow this mixture to sit for at least 10 minutes. The longer it sits, the juicier the tomatoes will be.

Toss the croutons with the dressed tomatoes in the large bowl. Allow this mixture to sit for about 15 minutes, stirring it up here and there to distribute the dressing.

Transfer the tomatoes and croutons to your serving bowl. Roughly chop or tear the basil leaves and scatter them on top of the panzanella.  Add some fresh mozzarella if you like.

You can keep any leftovers in the fridge for a few days; I think it actually tastes better the next day!

Next:  A French Toast Face Off
Previously:  BLT with Avocado and Basil Mayonnaise

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BLT with Avocado and Basil Mayonnaise

Half a foot down, three and a half feet of bread to go!  The next thing I made with the baguette was a BLT with avocado and basil mayonnaise, inspired by this recipe from The Kitchn.  Coincidentally, that same day there was a post on The Kitchn about how to cook perfect bacon on the stovetop by adding enough water to cover the bottom of the pan.

I tried the method, and it worked really well!  The water keeps the temperature of the bacon at a relatively low 212°F until it boils away so that the fat can render out without splattering.  Then once the water has evaporated the temperature in the pan climbs so that the bacon can brown and crisp up.  You can (and should!) save the bacon fat after the bacon is done to use in other recipes (stay tuned for French toast cooked in bacon fat).

The original recipe for the "California" BLT called for using plain slices of avocado in the sandwich, but I decided to mash half an avocado along with some salt and lemon juice to make a really simple guacamole and used that as a spread on the bread instead.  Heehee, that rhymed.

BLT with Avocado and Basil Mayonnaise (adapted from The Kitchn)

makes 2 sandwiches

For the Basil Mayonnaise:

2 tablespoons packed basil leaves

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

1 small garlic clove, chopped

Zest of half a lemon

1/4 cup mayonnaise

In a small food processor, combine the basil, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and lemon zest. Process until finely chopped and relatively smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. (Large, tough basil leaves will probably stay fairly chunky, which is fine.)

Place the mayonnaise in a small bowl and whisk in the basil mixture until thoroughly combined.

For the BLT:

1/2 avocado

1 teaspoon lemon juice

A pinch of salt

6 slices bacon

12 inch baguette, cut in half and split horizontally

1 tomato, the best you can find

2 handfuls chopped lettuce

1/4 cup Basil Mayonnaise

Scoop out the avocado into a small bowl.  Add the lemon juice and salt and mash together.  Set aside.

In a large, unheated skillet, add the bacon and enough water to completely cover the bottom of the pan.  Turn the heat to medium and allow the water to come to a boil.  Once the water has evaporated, continue to cook the bacon until the bottom has browned.  Flip the bacon using tongs and cook until crisp.  Drain on a plate lined with paper towels. 

Slice the tomatoes.

Spread the basil mayonnaise on the bottom half of bread.  Top with the lettuce, tomato, and bacon. 

Spread the mashed avocado on the other half of bread and place on top.  Enjoy!

I really liked how the chewy texture of the baguette went well with the crispiness of the bacon and lettuce and the creaminess of the avocado.  You can make this with plain white sandwich bread, too, but then I'd suggest toasting the bread so that it can stand up to all the fillings.

Next up:  Panzanella

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Margherita Pizza

After making the pasta sauce, I got a little bored of just eating it with spaghetti, so I decided to try to make my first margherita pizza.  The margherita pizza at Cosi is kind of my go-to lunch in the American Airlines terminal at Boston Logan because I love the crispy but chewy flatbread crust, the sweet tomato sauce, fresh basil, and especially the fresh mozzarella.

For this pizza, I used the same thin crust pizza dough recipe from The Kitchn that I used for the crispy kale pizza and the chicken masala pizza and just a couple of tablespoons of tomato sauce.  You may be tempted to add more, but don't.  Too much sauce on the dough will leave it uncooked, and you won't get the nice crispy crust.

Margherita Pizza (adapted from The Kitchn)
makes one 10" pizza

1/2 lb. pizza dough
2-3 tablespoons tomato sauce
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
2 tablespoons loosely packed fresh basil, sliced into ribbons

Heat the oven to 550°F or as hot as it can go. Place a baking stone or baking sheet in the oven as it heats.

 
Shape dough into a 10" circle on a piece of parchment paper.

 
Spread a light layer of the sauce over the dough.

 
Top with the slices of mozzarella. Leave some space between the pieces of mozzarella.

 
Transfer the pizza on the parchment paper to the preheated baking stone or baking sheet (I used a flexible cutting board to do this). Bake for 5-10 minutes—exact cooking time will vary depending on your oven temperature. Pizzas are finished when the crust is deep brown with charred spots and the cheese is bubbling.

 
Sprinkle pizza with basil as it comes out of the oven. Let cool briefly before slicing and serving.

 
I wasn't able to the crust as browned as I wanted, but that's probably because I was reading the original pizza dough recipe that called for the oven to be set for 500°F instead of 550°F.  Next time I'll definitely crank up the heat as high as it can go, and I might try a fresh (vs. cooked) tomato sauce.

Updated:  I've made this pizza with Ken Forkish's Same Day Straight Pizza Dough.  That dough is so much better!

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Bruschetta

I went to Trader Joe's Friday night intending to just pick up some sugar and something for dinner when I got stopped by the gorgeous display of basil plants outside on sale. I'd had a couple of basil plants before, but because I travel so much and they need regular watering, I'd never managed to keep them alive for long. But these were so cheap, I justified getting another one by reasoning that it would have cost just as much to get a package of fresh basil leaves, and these could have the chance of being sustainable.

Having your own basil plant not only means needing to water it regularly (by the way, how often is "regularly" anways?) but also needing to cook a lot more with basil since the plant is so prolific! I was going to the beach on Saturday, so I decided I'd make a bruschetta topping and pack some marinated mozzarella balls and bagel chips (both also from TJ's) for lunch. I used the grape tomatoes and garlic I got in my Boston Organics delivery and just added 4 other ingredients: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. I liked using the grape tomatoes because they have a lot of flavor, are a little sweeter, and are almost never mealy like salad tomatoes can get.

Bruschetta
makes about 4 servings

1 pint grape tomatoes
Handful of fresh basil leaves
1 large garlic clove
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I used white)
Salt and pepper

Chop up the grape tomatoes using a serrated knife. Depending on the size of the tomato, I cut them into 4, 6, or 8 pieces each. Chop up the basil and throw it in with the tomatoes.

Crush the garlic clove using a garlic press (or mince it by hand) and add to the tomatoes as well.

Drizzle with the olive oil and vinegar. Mix well and salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for a bit to macerate. Serve with slices of toasted French bread or bagel chips.

These pictures are of the bruschetta right after it's been mixed together. It gets a lot more liquidy and wilted but starts to taste better and better as the flavors mix. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the bruschetta once it got to that point because I had gone to get a popsicle, and when I came back, the bruschetta was all gone. I think Jenny was even trying to lick the plastic container clean.

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