Pistachio Pesto Pizza

By AzWench

Pistachio may sound like an unusual pizza topping, but trust us—its toasty flavor goes incredibly well with cheese. This recipe makes more pesto than you need for two pizzas, but you can freeze it in small batches for future good eating.

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 oz. (about 2/3 cup) shelled pistachios, toasted, plus 3 Tbs. toasted and ground
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Flour for the peel
• 2 8-oz. balls pizza dough (homemade or store-bought) at room temperature
• 5 oz. fresh mozzarella, torn into small pieces
• 3 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 3 Tbs. crème fraîche

Preparation

Step 1

Put a pizza stone on the lowest rack of the oven, heat the oven to 550°F, and let the stone heat for at least a half-hour.

Combine the whole pistachios and the olive oil in a food processor or blender and pulse until mostly smooth, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Lightly flour a pizza peel. Stretch one dough ball into a 10- to 11-inch round and transfer it to the peel. Drizzle 2 Tbs. of the pesto over the dough. Top with half of the cheeses. Slide the dough onto the hot stone and bake until the crust is nicely browned and the cheese is melted, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk the crème fraîche with 1 Tbs. water.

Transfer the pizza to a cutting board and drizzle with half of the crème fraîche and sprinkle with half of the ground pistachios. Repeat to make the second pizza.

Makes two 10- to 11-inch pizzas