This is a great pizza Bill invented right near the end of the basil season. We grow a heap every year and during the season make pesto pasta once a week whenever possible. But there comes a time when the plants are going to seed and we need to use as much as we can before the leaves wilt and die, and this is the kind of idea we get at that time of the year.Bill's Basil Pizza2 cups of basil leaves, firmly packed2 gloves garlic 1/3 cup pine nuts 1/4 cup olive oil 1/3 to 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 1 egg 375g smooth ricotta 125g cottage cheese 4-5 fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced mozzarella and parmesan to cover pizza dough (see Basic Pizza Dough) Mince the 2 cloves of garlic in your food processor. Add and process the pine nuts. Add about half the basil and drizzle in half the olive oil, process until loosely chopped. Scrape down your processor then add the rest of the basil leaves. Process, adding the rest of the oil, until you have a paste. Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Process once more. Scrape out and set aside. Now you have made pesto. In the washed processor bowl, combine the cottage cheese, ricotta and egg. Roll out the pizza dough into the pizza pan, covering it with the ricotta mixture. Then layer on the pesto, followed by the thinly sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan to cover the top. Bake at 400F or 200C for half an hour or until crust is golden brown, slice, and eat. |