A deliciously fiery pizza with homemade pistachio-pepper pesto, fresh tomatoes, and crisp pepperoni.
- 1/4 c. roasted, salted pistachio meats
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1 serrano pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1 medium garlic clove
- 25-30 fresh basil leaves
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
- 18-20 oz. prepared room-temperature pizza dough, unbaked (see TIP B below)
- 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- 1 6-8 oz. ball of good quality fresh mozzarella (pressed between several sheets of paper towel if packed in brine, see TIP C), sliced into thin rounds or half moons
- 2 small roma or heirloom tomatoes, sliced into thin rounds
- 20-30 slices of pepperoni
- 1/8 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
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Combine all of the pesto ingredients (pistachios through salt) in a mini food processor or blender and whir until smooth and pesto-like. Set aside.
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Sprinkle the flour over your work surface and on top of the room-temperature pizza dough (room temperture dough stretches far more easily than cold dough). Use your hands or a rolling pin to stretch the dough into a 15-16 inch circle (or large rectangle). Transfer the stretched dough to a lightly greased pizza pan or baking sheet and gently prick it all over with a knife or fork. Put the pan on the middle rack of a pre-heated 450-500° oven for 6-8 minutes for the dough to partially bake. Once the edges turn slightly golden, pull the pan from the oven.
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Meanwhile, put the sliced tomotoes in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt (reserve remaining). Gently toss with your hands to coat and set aside.
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Once the dough is briefly par-baked and out of the oven (still on the pan), brush the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over the top, edge-to-edge. Follow with the Hot Pistachio Pesto (I recommend using all of it), but leave a 1/2-1 inch border around the edge. Arrange the mozzarella, tomato, and pepperoni slices in an overlapping pattern on top of the pesto. Sprinkle the entire pizza with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper. Return the pan to the pre-heated 450-500° oven (middle rack) to finish baking for an additional 15-18 minutes or until golden across the bottom and browned in spots across the top. Let stand 3-5 minutes before cutting.
TIP A: I think 1 seeded jalapeño pepper and 1 seeded serrano pepper create just the right heat level. If you like things milder, then omit the serrano pepper. If you want more heat, then add a second serrano pepper or include the seeds and ribs. I recommend tasting the pesto before smearing it over your pizza. If it makes you go "ooh!" without running for a glass of water, then you're spot on. The heat of the peppers will mellow a bit in the oven.
TIP B: I've tried a lot of store-bought pizza dough varieties, and my hands-down favorite is Whole Foods Market® Neapolitan style. If you prefer whole-wheat, then give Trader Joe's® 100% Whole-Wheat dough a try. Both are incredibly tasty and great weeknight stand-ins. That said, nothing beats making it yourself according to Jim Lahey's No-Knead Pizza Dough. It's worth every bit of effort and yields a huge batch. Great if you're making multiple pizzas.
TIP C: Most good mozzarella is packed in water or brine to help keep it fresh, but this excess water can also leech-out during cooking and result in soggy pizza. I recommend pressing any fresh, brine-packed mozzarella between several sheets of paper towel (or even weighting it down with a heavy pan) to release some of the water before you add it to your pizza.