Pizza with pesto

How to make pizza with pesto . As in most things, the simplest are usually the most effective. Well, with this pizza recipe something similar happens, easy to prepare, tasty to taste and with few ingredients, yes, of quality.

It is also important that you like the flavors of this pizza, they are peculiar, because the pesto sauce is particular. A sauce recipe that combines a good extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, cheese, pine nuts and salt. So much so, that I recommend you try this pizza with various Italian pestos, for example pesto rosso , even combining the two types, the green and the red.

This pizza is native to Genoa and some variation is found in Sicily. I have not come to test them in situ, because I have not had the opportunity to go to these two cities. But in Madrid you can find it in several Italian pizzerias near the Chamberí area, where I have tried it.

This Italian pesto pizza is ideal for those who want to try something different from the traditional one with the crushed tomato base. The bitter touch of the arugula, the flavor of the hearts of the artichokes and the creaminess of the mozzarella, will elevate it to a gourmet level. The pesto will give strength and the Parma ham that sweet and tasty touch to make you want to repeat. Who are encouraged?

Preparation of the pizza dough

1. If we have chosen to prepare a homemade pizza dough , on the blog you can find the recipe for how we make it at home. It is a very tasty and tender dough that I encourage you to prepare.
2. Once we have the pizza dough ready, the first thing we do is turn on the oven. Butt, the most of your oven. In my case at 250º C for about 10 minutes and that it is hot at the time of introducing the pizza.
3. Since the temperature has to be high, it can take about 10 to 15 minutes. It will be the recommended time we need to assemble the pizza.
4. We put a bowl (suitable for the oven) with water, so that it has some moisture when we go to bake it. Once we have the prepared pizza dough, already spread on baking paper, we prepare the filling.

Preparation of Genoese Italian pesto

1. The base of this pizza is not the tomato, but the pesto. In this pesto recipe you can see step by step how to prepare an authentic Italian pesto. In addition you also have video in the same article, to make it easier for you to prepare.
2. Prepare in quantity for the many recipes that you can accompany with this sauce.

Baking and final presentation of pizza pesto

1. We cut the mozzarella cheese into thick sheets and spread them on the surface of the pizza. Without loading it too much, it should not carry much.
2. We sprinkle with our homemade pesto sauce, always to taste, but do not overdo it. Well, it has a lot of flavor and it already has other ingredients. In the recipe I recommend 60 ml. which are the ones I have used for this recipe.
3. We divide the artichoke hearts into 2 parts and place all over the pizza base. We laminate the ham and cover part of the pizza with it.
4. We carry the pizza between two people the pizza between two people by the corners of the baking paper carefully. We open the oven and put it in the middle tray that will be very hot (since we have preheated it in the oven).
5. We bake with the oven very hot at full temperature, in this case at 275º C, top-down heat and air for 8 minutes (if your oven does not reach this temperature, you will have to have it longer). It is long enough for the dough to be ready and the cheese to melt.
6. We distribute some fresh arugula leaves and some Parmesan flakes on top. We water with a small string of extra virgin olive oil flavored with chilli.
7. Finally we give the touch of freshly ground black pepper (to taste). Ready to enjoy all the flavor of this pizza.

I encourage you to visit more recipes for tapas, snacks and pinchos  perfect for an unforgettable evening with yours.

You can see all the photos of the step by step in the album of the pizza  with pesto