Mizuna/walnut pesto pizza (4.28.10)

We eat homemade pizza on average three times a week and I don't feel guilty about it. It's a pretty wholesome meal since we always eat it with a big salad, and when I make the dough I substitute half of the white flour with whole wheat flour.

Here is my most recent favorite pizza dough recipe. I like that I can start the dough, like on a Sunday when I feel motivated, then I can forget about it until Wednesday- and that's a good thing. It makes for a very tasty crust. Go ahead, double the recipe and freeze either the dough in balls or as prepared shells. Once you prepare the dough a few times you'll realize it's pretty easy and worth the minimal effort.

Today I used the mizuna to make pesto for a pizza. I had a lot of walnuts on hand, so I used them instead of pine nuts. The flavor of the pesto was deliciously assertive, but I knew that the other pizza flavors would balance it out. I brushed the dough generously with olive oil, spread on the pesto, and covered it with mozzarella, applewood smoked bacon, and red pepper flakes. It was a hit!

Note: Be sure to heat your pizza stone for at least an hour. I like 450 degrees. If you don't have a pizza stone, try the bottom of a cast iron skillet. I just received a replacement pizza stone because mine cracked. It's usually fun and exciting to get something replaced for free, but not when it's a perfectly seasoned stone that's been churning out beautifully chewy and crusty pizzas. Tonight's pizza looked pretty, but the crust was definitely below par.

Mizuna and Walnut Pesto

1/4 cup toasted walnuts

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 1/2 cups (packed) mizuna greens

salt and freshly grated black pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

squeeze of lemon juice

Process the walnuts, garlic, olive oil, and 1/2 tsp of salt until smooth. Add the greens and process until smooth, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as needed. Stir in the Parmesan and add a little more olive oil if the mixture is too thick. Squeeze on a little lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.