This a great twist on traditional pesto – broccoli rabe, basil, pinenuts, garlic, and fresh mozzarella with a few shakes of crushed red pepper to give it a kick!
For the pesto:
- 1 bunch of broccoli rabe
- 1/4 cup of fresh basil leaves
- 3 tablespoons of toasted pinenuts (or chopped, toasted walnuts)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- fresh mozzarella, sliced (I used approximately 3/4 cup of cherry tomato sized mozzarella balls.)
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil, or more as needed
- salt and pepper to taste
1. Wash the broccoli rabe under cold water and trim off the ends.
2. Boil for 5 – 7 minutes in a pot of salted water. Drain, rinse with cold water. Squeeze out the excess water.
3. In a food processor combine broccoli rabe, basil, pinenuts, garlic – slowly drizzle in olive oil. Add salt and pepper.
For the Crust:
- 1 packet of yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2/3 cup warm water
- 1 2/3 cups flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil (plus more for the pan)
1. Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm water, let stand until foamy about 5 to 10 minutes.
2. In a food processor using a metal blade, add flour and salt to the bowl and turn on machine. Slowly add yeast mixture and process for one minute. Add the oil and process for another minute.
3. Roll dough out onto a floured surface into a 15 inch circle. Transfer dough to an oiled pizza pan. Let it rest for 30 minutes to give the dough a chance to rise a little. A speedier technique is to preheat your oven to 200º, place the pan in the oven and turn off the heat, leave it in there for 15 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 425º, place pizza dough on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and spread on the pesto using a rubber spatula. Arrange the slices of fresh mozzarella cheese on top, sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes, and return to oven for another 15 minutes until the cheese melts and the crust is golden brown.
