Pesto Arugula Pizza

Verdict: Success
Neighbor-worthy

This recipe is one of mine and uses 2 other recipes (pizza dough and pesto) I have already made and had in the freezer which is cool.  If you are going to do your dough fresh, make it a day early!

*You will need a pizza stone for this recipe.  And if you are as cool as me, a pizza peel.


Ingredients:

Pizza Dough:

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
5 cups all-purpose flour (and extra for dusting)

1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt 
olive oil  

-or-

take a trip to your Pontillo's or local pizza shop and buy some dough.

Pesto:

1/4 cup pine nuts

10 cloves garlic

5 cups fresh basil leaves (packed down)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 cups olive oil

1 cup pecorino romano

-or-

buy a bottle

Pizza Topping:
2 handfuls part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
1 palmful romano cheese
2 chicken breasts cooked and chopped and seasoned with salt and pepper
3 tablespoons pine nuts
2 cups fresh arugula
flour for dusting
cornmeal for dusting

Preheat oven to 500º (and put your stone in the oven if you are using a pizza peel).

If making fresh pesto and dough, follow the links.  If you have made these recipes before and have a stock frozen, allow for time to thaw.  I threw mine in the fridge last night.

Flour up your work space and a rolling pin. Flatten your dough with flat hands and spread out.  It doesn't spread right away.  Roll out the dough with a rolling pin when it has softened some (and for those who have worked with pizza, give it a toss or two).  Roll again until it's flattened some and around a foot in diameter and 1/2" thick.  Cut it on it's sides if you are particular about its roundness.  Me 'n my family spin to make sure the cornmeal is allowing for the pizza to move around a little.  Using your fingers trail the diameter with pinches to give your edges a bit of a lift.  This part makes the crust or "bones" (a term coined by my cousin Grady. One that we still use today in our family).

Spread about a cup of pesto onto your dough and using a ladle, spoon, spatula or fingers almost up to your pinched crust.  Cover your pesto with pine nuts, then mozzarella, then a layer of arugula.  Cover your arugula with the chicken and cover with a palmful of romano.  For the skilled peel owner, slide your pizza off your peel onto your stone.  Place your stone onto the middle rack of your oven and start to cook.

I'm a creature of habit and as I have always known how we do it at our pizza shops, I always turn my pies as they cook so they won't stick and get an even cook.  It is not necessary but it will come out better.  About 7 minutes into cooking, peel users and those not afraid of burns (or those used to burns that don't care anymore (read: me) slip your peel under the pie and spin it by the crust 180 degrees and close the oven and let it keep cooking.

After 7 or 8 minutes use your peel to remove your pie onto a workspace where you can slice up the pie.  OR just remove the stone as you can slice it right on there.  That's what I'm doing....I'm not going to risk hurting my slicer on my granite.  Formica owners: Don't hurt your counters!

Notes: 

We (extended family) are pros but even we get different results at home than we would at the pizza shops with the ovens we are used to.  You're going to have to learn by trial and error.  Mine still come out a little doughy in the middle sometimes.  When you cut into it the first time, check to see if you want to throw it back into the oven a little more.

Possible Cheats:

Buy your own dough and pesto--no one will judge you.

Injuries:
I burned the shit out of my hand, er, wrist...hang in there with me...you know the spot Spiderman shoots his web from?  There.  I know I got all cocky in this post about burns...well I didn't take into consideration that the stone rack thing that mine came with served more an obstacle than asset.

Do you want to be on the mailing list or have recipes you want to share with me?  Contact me at themaniccheater@gmail.com.