Neapolitan White Pesto Pizza
This Neapolitan Pesto White Pizza is made with a full bodied fresh pesto and a Roberta's style pizza dough that cradle not just ricotta, but mozzarella and a burrata centerpiece, along with half moons of shallot, and a sprinkle of red pepper & olive oil.
Equipment
- Metal pizza tray or pizza stone, if possible. Alternative is baking sheet flipped upside down.
Ingredients
Roberta's Style Dough (see recipe link above)
Pesto Sauce
- 4 cups fresh basil leaves
- ½-⅔ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup pine nuts or almonds
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 tsp coarse salt
Pizza Toppings
- 8 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped
- 1 large ball of burrata
- 4 oz mozzarella, shredded or sliced
- Handful of shredded parmesan
- Large handful fresh basil
- salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste
- Drizzle olive oil
Instructions
For the Pesto
- Add ¼ cup of the olive oil, the basil, nuts, garlic, and salt into a food processor and pulse until well combined.
- Add in the cheese and turn food processor on, very slowly adding the remainder of the olive oil (you may use ½ - ⅔ cup total of olive oil -- make sure to watch the consistency of the pesto and stop when desired consistency is reached.)
- Use pesto right away or store, covered in plastic wrap, in refrigerator.
To Prepare Dough/Pizza Assembly
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees or 525 degrees on Broil setting.
- Prepare the ricotta: mix the ricotta, parsley, egg, olive oil, salt and pepper. Whisk together and set aside.
- On a floured surface, roll out the pizza dough (that has been resting in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours and taken out for at least 30 minutes). After rolling out into a circle, start using your hands to carefully shape the dough into your desired circle. I tried playing pizza parlor and manged to gently stretch out the dough, but it's a tricky business. Do your best and have fun with it!
- Once the dough is on the stone or tray, add a thin layer of the ricotta mixture (I used a little too much; with pizza, less is more.) Next, spoon some pesto around the pizza. Again, less is more, but I tend to swirl more than ladel; not covering the whole pie, but swirling areas evenly throughout the pie.
- Add some sliced or shredded mozzarella, followed by the large burrata ball sitting in the center of the pie. Remember, that burrata will spill out onto the top of the pie, so don't overload with mozzarella. One must complement the other.
- Finally, a sprinkle of parmesan, followed by a little black and/or red pepper flake. No salt is needed--all the cheese is providing plenty for you!
- Drizzle a little olive oil on top and place the tray into the oven, close to the top of the oven. Watch the pizza closely; the cheese must bubble briskly, and the crust must cook through, although make sure to take the pizza out before the crust becomes too crunchy. You want a soft chew on the inside, especially near the crust ends. 8-10 minutes, or 10-12 minutes is usually a good window, depending on your oven and setting.
- Allow the pizza to cool for at least 10-15 minutes. Slice, and enjoy! Use the rest of your pesto for some nice homemade pasta;)
