Pizza is a highly personal affair, isn’t it? Seems like everyone has strong opinions about the subject. New York style vs. Chicago, veggies vs. meat, thick vs. thin crust, classic mozzarella vs. the fancier stuff… We could debate over pizza all night, especially if there’s an ample supply of wine to fuel the discussion. Most pizza is pretty good, if you ask me. While my friend from New York vehemently argues that New York-style pizza is tops, I have a more ambiguous, middle-of-the-country view of pizza. My favorite is a tie between brick oven and well done, classic American pizza. The only kind that I vehemently dislike is St. Louis’ mushy Provel cheese pizzas. Real cheese or bust!
I haven’t quite perfected my at-home pizza technique, but I’m getting there. I enjoy my super simple 100% whole wheat pizza dough, but it’s still not the same as those brick oven-baked, stretchy sourdough crusts. Maybe someday I’ll learn how to manage sourdough starters… then again, there’s always take-out.
Since I have my simple dough down, deciding how to top the pizza is the most difficult part. I love the veggie pizza at Kansas City’s Minsky’s Pizza—it’s a pretty classic veggie pizza topped with a sprinkle of sliced almonds, which are nice and toasty by the time the pizza comes out of the oven. It adds a lovely savory note to the pizza and a light crunch. Knowing that I wanted to make a pizza with almonds on top, I cracked open my well-worn copy of The Flavor Bible to see what goes well with almonds. The book listed arugula, but not basil, so I went with arugula. Arugula’s flavor is pretty bold and spicy, so if you’re in the mood for a more traditional pesto, feel free to go with basil. (I made a basil-almond pesto to compare and it was delicious as well. I can’t decide which one I prefer.)
I tried to keep this pesto pizza recipe as simple as possible, but toasting the almonds really enhances their flavor and helps them stand up to the greens. Both the dough and the pesto recipes are made for a food processor, so I hope you have one! One more thing—I couldn’t resist the cuteness factor of mini mozzarella balls when I was at the store, but in hindsight, I wished I’d picked regular, shredded, low-moisture mozzarella. Bubbly, golden shredded mozzarella cheese has more flavor than fresh. Since pizza (and pesto) preferences are so personal, feel free to play with the flavors to make this pizza your own!
More Pizzas to Enjoy
Barbecue Pineapple, Jalapeño and Feta Pizza Broccolini Almond Pizza Brussels Sprouts Pizza with Balsamic Red Onions Butternut Ribbon Goat Cheese Pizza Greek Pizza Kale Pesto Pizza Ultimate Veggie Pizza
