Zucchini, Burrata and Pine Nut Pizza
Description
Mr. Stone Soup Cook and I live only a couple of hours south of the Napa Valley wine country and have been known to pop up there on a Saturday morning to enjoy lunch at a favorite restaurant and do a little wine-tasting before heading home. This recipe is inspired by a pizza I loved to get at the Calistoga Inn. They have long since replaced it with other menu items, but it lives on in my kitchen!
Cook's note: Burrata has an outer shell of mozzarella, but a center of ricotta cheese. It's kind of a mess to work with, but well worth the trouble! I learned about burrata from my niece's in-laws, who are Italian and love to talk about food as much as I do!
Ingredients
Instructions
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Place pizza stone in oven and heat oven to 500*. This is going to take a good hour, so plan accordingly. When the oven and the stone are fully heated, begin putting the pie together.
On a well corn grit and floured pizza peel, roll out fresh pizza dough if using, or store bought dough, and make a 12"-14" circle. Use plenty of corn grits--they will act as little ball bearings to move your pizza off the peel. Spread the pesto sauce on the dough, covering everything except the edges. Next, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on the dough. At this point take the hot pizza stone out of the oven and place it on a heat-proof surface--I always just use my cooktop for this step. Being mindful of the 500* stone in front of you, carefully slide the partially assembled pizza onto the stone. Now, place the zucchini on top of the cheese and tear up the burrata and distribute, or place the slices evenly across the top of the pizza. Finally, sprinkle the pine nuts across top of the pizza.
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Using sturdy oven mitts, pick up the HOT pizza stone and place it back into the oven and bake for 7-8 minutes, or until the crust is lightly brown and the whole thing is melty and the zucchini is tender.
Take pizza out and serve immediately with a nice chianti and a crunchy green salad. Buon appetite!
