Pesto Pizza

Elevate Your Pizza Night with a Pesto, Feta, and Black Olive Creation

Ingredients:

• Pesto—I live in New England, and Hannaford’s brand of pesto is the best. I’ve tried others, and they aren’t always great. I plan on making a homemade pesto that I’ll put on the blog soon.
•  Feta – This is the best if you’re lucky to have Olympiana Sheep Feta in your grocery store.   I’m a vast Feta lover.  I’ve been to Greece several times and plan on retiring there.  A guy can dream, right?  Anyway, this feta is better than some you get in Greece.  I heard the girls on several occasions stating that they missed their feta.  LOL. However, if you don’t have access to this feta, President feta is pretty tasty, too.
• Kalamata Olives—the freshest, the bestest! Don’t cut corners when it comes to olives. Pitted fresh in a container are my faves. Our small town store has them located with the fresh cheeses. Crush them with your fingers as you sprinkle them on the pizza.
• The dough: Make the tasty homemade dough recipe and split it in half. Roll it out and top it with the ingredients.

Are you tired of the same old pizza toppings? Can you add a twist to your homemade pizza nights? Well, look no further! Today, I’m excited to share a recipe that will take your taste buds on a journey—pesto, feta, and black olive pizza on homemade dough that will leave you craving more.  In my household, my girls have a dairy allergy. I live with three amazing females: my two daughters and my wonderful wife, who passed on her dairy allergy to my daughters.  This recipe is not just a culinary creation; it’s a part of our family’s journey to find delicious, dairy-free alternatives. Below is an actual conversation I had once when ordering pizza out.

Me: “Hi there, can I order a pizza without cheese but with extra sauce, extra pepperoni, and onion?”

Them: “Uhh, a what? Did you say No-cheese?

Me: “Yes, a no-cheese, extra sauce, extra pepperoni, and onion pizza, please.”

Them: “Ummm, can we even make a pizza without cheese?” The person is having a conversation out loud. “Hold on, let me ask?”

It’s a long, true story, but at this point, they came back and took the order, and what we usually got when the pizza was delivered was either burnt or super soggy. See, what the pizza place didn’t get right is they would still bake the pie at the usual high temp the cheese pie would bake at—wrong, it would burn.  Or they would add so much sauce the crust would be soggy. So, I had to take matters into my own hands and create a pizza all my girls would love.

Here is my solution:  the dairy-free pesto pizza.  This pesto is not just a substitute but a flavor explosion that will leave you wanting more.  It’s not your typical pizza; it’s a unique blend of pesto, olive oil, and sheep milk feta that gives it a distinct, irresistible taste.

First, make the fabulous dough. (Did you see my Mastering the Dough blog post?)

You can buy the best pesto at the store or make your own. I still need to try to make my own. I’ll put it on the list of everything I need to accomplish by the end of the year.

After your dough is ready for the base, spread it on the cast iron pizza pan. Make sure you put parchment paper down first, or you’ll have a mess on your hands, as cast iron, though seasoned, sticks.  Spread the pesto generously over the dough, and add crumbled feta; here is the kicker. Find feta that isn’t cow milk feta. Authentic Greek feta is primarily made with sheep milk and is creamier than Atheno’s or the store brand feta.  It’s pricey but well worth it!  Lastly, add Kalamata olives  (make sure they are pitted.) I often crush the olive before adding it to the pizza.  The pit could chip a tooth and ruin your night.  We don’t want that.  Lastly, drizzle olive oil, place four basil leaves on the pizza, and there ya go, an alternative to mozzarella.