Green Pesto & Goats’ Cheese Pizza

Our friends at Ooni Pizza Ovens have shared this delicious pizza recipe. There’s something special about the combination of tangy goat cheese and fragrant, homemade pesto. The bright flavours of this pizza are balanced by the crust’s smokiness and crunchy toasted pine nuts. Take it up a notch with a sprinkle of fresh watercress and your favourite edible flowers, and you’ll have a pizza your guests will never forget! 

Makes 1 x 12"/16" pizza

Ingredients

For the pesto:

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 2 to 3 peeled garlic cloves
• 3 tbsp pine nuts
• 3 tbsp fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 4.2 oz (120 g) olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the pizza:

• 8.8 oz/11.6 oz (250 g/330 g) classic pizza dough
• 2.6 oz (75 g) goat cheese, sliced into rounds
• 1 tbsp pine nuts
• 3 to 4 cherry tomatoes, halved
• Pinch of fresh watercress, optional
• Edible flowers, optional

Method:

1. Prepare your classic pizza dough and classic pizza sauce ahead of time.
2. Combine the basil, pine nuts, parmesan, olive oil and garlic in a food processor. Pulse the mixture until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the container, if needed. Transfer to a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Your leftover pesto will keep for 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
3. Preheat a skillet on medium heat. Add pine nuts and toast until they are lightly browned, tossing frequently. Set aside.
4. Preheat your Ooni pizza oven to 500˚C (952˚F). Use the Ooni Infrared Thermometer to check the temperature inside the oven.
5. Sprinkle your Ooni pizza peel with a light dusting of flour. Place the dough ball down and flatten with the palm of your hand. Press the dough gently with the tips of your fingers, working from the centre to the outer “crust”. Gently pick up the dough and stretch it out to your desired size (12” or 16”), allowing the weight of the dough to stretch it.
6. Spread the pesto sauce evenly across the dough, leaving a 1 inch border for the crust. Lay the slices of goat cheese on top and finish with the pine nuts.
7. Slide your dressed pizza off the peel and into your Ooni pizza oven. Cook the pizza, rotating frequently, until the cheese is melted and the crust is crisp with small charred bubbles. In your Ooni pizza oven, this only takes 1 to 2 minutes!
8. Remove the pizza from the oven and let cool for one minute to allow the cheese to firm up slightly. Sprinkle with pieces of fresh watercress or edible flowers for garnish.