‘Any herb pesto’ pizza

This tastes like summertime on a pizza, with creamy cheese, tomato, peaches and corn, matched with a bright, fresh herb pesto.

Credit: Mary Makes It Easy

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 ball store bought pizza dough (or make your own - see Note)
• 2 large tomatoes
• 2 peaches or nectarines
• 1 corn cob
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 3 tsp (15 ml) olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tsp polenta (cornmeal), optional
• ½ cup (125 ml) prepared pesto, see below
• 1 ball burrata or fresh mozzarella
• Fresh herbs, for garnish

Any herb pesto

• 1½ cups loosely packed fine herbs, such as chives, basil, tarragon, parsley, chervil, and/or dill
• ½ cup loosely packed spinach or rocket (arugula)
• ¼ cup (20 g) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• ¼ cup (35 g) roughly chopped nuts, such as pine nuts, pistachios or walnuts
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• ½ lemon, zested and juiced
• About ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus a bit more for storage
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

If you have time, allow 30 minutes to rest the dough before shaping it.

Instructions

1. For the pesto: add the herbs, spinach or arugula, Parmigiano-Reggiano, nuts, garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice to a food processor and pulse a few times to roughly chop.
2. Add in ¼ cup (60 ml) of oil and blend until smooth, adding more oil if needed to reach a saucy consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Transfer the pesto to a resealable container or jar, cover with a thin layer of olive oil, and store in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
4. For the pizza: if time allows, place the pizza dough on the counter, covered, for 30 minutes to come up to room temperature. This will make it easier to work with.
5. Move your oven rack to the lowest position and heat it to 260°C (500°F).
6. Prepare the toppings. Cut the tomato into slices or wedges. Remove the stones from the peaches or nectarines, and cut into 6 mm (½-inch) thick slices. Remove the corn kernels from the cob by placing it on one end on a kitchen towel and running a sharp knife down the sides. Transfer the tomatoes, peaches and corn to a bowl along with the garlic and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Gently toss to combine and evenly coat with oil.
7. Set out a large sheet pan and scatter with the cornmeal, if using. If not, drizzle with a bit of olive oil to thinly coat the bottom of the pan. Stretch out the dough into a large round-ish shape that is approximately 35-40 cm (14-16 inches) in diameter and place onto the prepared pan. Spread the pesto onto the dough, leaving a bit of a crust. Scatter the tomato, peach and corn mixture onto the pizza, leaving any extra liquid behind, then gently tear the cheese overtop.
8. Season with a little salt and pepper and bake on the bottom rack of your oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the crust is crisp and the toppings are tender. Serve scattered with fresh herbs.

Note

•If you want to make your own pizza dough, you could use this recipe from Mary, or for a more traditional pizza dough (Mary's is for a thicker, Detroit-style pizza) , try Mauro’s perfect pizza dough.

•The pesto recipe makes about one cup. The half-cup not used in making the pizza can be stored the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 3 months and used for another pizza or other recipes.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.