Pizza Pesto
Pesto is a no- cook sauce made from blending together fresh herbs, nuts, and cheese. While basil is the most traditional herb, there’s no reason to stand on ceremony, as you can see below. Pesto for a pizza needs to be slightly drier than the kind used on pasta so the sauce doesn’t run all over the hot pie on the grill or in the oven. If you use jarred pesto for your pies, pour off the oil that lies on top of the jar, rather than stirring it back into the sauce.
- 6 tablespoons pine nuts, or chopped walnut pieces, or chopped pecan pieces
- 3 cups packed basil leaves; or 2 cups packed, stemmed arugula and 1 cup packed basil leaves; or 11⁄2 cups packed sage leaves and 11⁄2 cups packed parsley leaves; or 1 cup packed cilantro leaves, 1 cup packed parsley leaves, and 1 cup packed basil leaves
- 21⁄2 ounces Parmigiano- Reggiano, fi nely grated
- 1⁄2 cup olive oil, preferably extra virgin
- 3 garlic cloves, quartered
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
- Place the nuts in a small skillet set over low heat. Cook until aromatic and lightly browned, shaking the pan occasionally so the nuts don’t burn, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Pour into a small bowl and cool for 5 minutes.
- Place the toasted nuts, herbs, cheese, olive oil, 3 tablespoons water, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food pro cessor. Pro cess until the mixture becomes a grainy paste, scraping down the inside of the bowl as necessary. Since this sauce makes more than you’ll need, place the remainder in 1 ⁄2- cup containers, cover with a thin film of olive oil, and freeze for the next time you make a pie; thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using, pouring off the excess olive oil, which has only been used to keep the basil fresh and green. (That fl avored oil can now be used for salad dressings and marinades.)