Sorry folks, getting a bit of a late start posting today. Someone wouldn’t go down for her morning nap. I won’t say who… but she’s two months old and refuses to take a soother (whyyyyy? Mums on the internet, help me out!).
Ahem.
I’m a big fan of eggs on pizza (see also: Breakfast Pizza, Pizza in Purgatory). Not only are they an easy addition- just crack ’em on and go- but they also add a decadent, oozy element to just about any pizza. The golden yolk melts out and creates a sauce, almost like a hollandaise, but without the actual work.
Eggs are also very versatile. They will befriend just about any flavour you pair them with, as long as you keep your flavours balanced and in check (salt, acidity, etc.)
As you can see on my instagram, pesto season is here in full force. The mound of basil in that picture is only about 2/3 of what I have in my garden. After just a few days, the plants I trimmed back so dramatically are already bouncing back with vigor.
I love basil pesto, I do. But with abundance comes (gasp), over-saturation. I know! I am over-pesto’d at the moment. I thought it couldn’t happen.
Well, over basil pesto’d. As Chelsea showed us last week, pesto doesn’t have to begin and end with basil alone. Time for sun-dried tomato pesto!
My love for this sauce/spread started when someone brought me a jar of this Mezzetta Sun Ripened Tomato Pesto as part of a housewarming gift. The jar, served with crackers and goat cheese, disappeared in a matter of minutes. (Note: If you don’t feel like making your own sun-dried tomato pesto for this recipe, just buy that one, it is a winner!) (and I’m not being paid to say that! Mezzetta is the bee’s knees!)
When my local grocery store stopped carrying it, I took matters into my own hands and started experimenting with my own recipe, which you will find below.
The resulting pesto is so bright and punchy with flavour, I could put it on just about anything. Put on a crispy pizza crust with some warm goat cheese and fresh basil, and you have yourself a perfect little meal. Top it with an egg… and you have breakfast (or lunch, or dinner).
| Sun-dried Caprese Pizza | | Print |
- Sun-dried Tomato Pesto:
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- .
- Pizza Dough:*
- 1⅓ cups warm water
- 2¼ tsp instant yeast
- 3¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- .
- Coarse semolina, for dusting
- 100g goat cheese
- 2 eggs
- Fresh basil, for garnish
- To make dough: Preheat oven to 200°F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine water and yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until yeast has dissolved and mixture is frothy. Add in flour, sugar, salt, and olive oil; knead on a low speed for 5-10 minutes until dough has formed. It should be elastic and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl; cover with aluminum foil, and place bowl in the oven. TURN OVEN OFF. Let the dough rise in the warm oven for about 2 hours until it has doubled in size. Divide into two balls of dough, then use one for the remainder of this recipe. (Prepare another pizza with the second ball of dough, or store in the fridge for another night.)
- Remove dough from oven, place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet into the oven. Crank the heat on the oven up to 500 degrees. Let the stone heat for at least 30 minutes in the oven.
- Place all pesto ingredients in a food processor and blend until a paste forms, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Dust a flat surface with some coarse semolina and stretch out the portion(s) of pizza dough you will be using. Take the heated pizza stone/tray out of the oven and transfer the dough directly on to it. This will cause the dough to start cooking right away, ensuring a nice and crispy crust. Spread a thin layer of pesto on the dough following by a crumbling of goat cheese. Use a spoon to gently press down two places where you would like the egg yolks to land- this isn't 100% necessary, but it will help them from sliding around as you place the pizza in the oven, if you aren't confident in your level handed abilities. Crack both eggs on to the pizza, over the small depressions you have made.
- Bake pizza for 8-10 minutes, until the edges of the crust are lightly golden and the eggs are just set- the eggs will continue to cook for a minute or two after being removed from the oven so if you're a fa of a runny yolk, take it out just before you think it's ready.
- Serve immediately, garnished with fresh basil leaves.
Two things:
1. Baby won’t take soother? Don’t worry about it too much. She’ll find other ways to soothe herself and you’ll be very happy when she’s a little older and you don’t have to fight her to take the soother away. My little pickle was never into her soothie either.
2. If you have an excess of basil or pesto I’ll happily take some off your hands 😉
PS. This looks delicious!
Phew, that’s good to hear! I love the idea of her being able to soothe herself (and not use me as a soother), but you’ve got a great point that it will be one less thing to wean her off later.
As for the pesto- COME ON BY! We’ll happily pass some along, our freezer is packed 🙂
I’ve never been the biggest fan of goats cheese, but I with all those flavours and the egg to top it off, I think I will have to give them a try! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Matt, if you’re not keen on goats cheese, maybe try it with feta, labneh or a soft farmer’s cheese? 🙂
Love your site! Absolutely mouthwatering!
I make my sundried tomatoes (our tomatoes) with more herbs and red pepper flakes. It freezes quite well in freezer ziplocks and you can just break off small chunks as needed. Defrost in a snaps. Same goes for basilico pesto.
Yum- sounds delicious, Luisa! I love slow roasting my homegrown tomatoes and freezing them (http://portandfin.com/slow-roasted-tomatoes/). Freezing tomatoes and basil pesto is so great, isn’t it? We can enjoy our summer garden bounty year-round!
Well I use a dehydrator but these look wonderful too. And I do have Lots of tomatoes this year.
BTW I keep a tote in my car trunk that has all our Blackberry collecting equipment for “emergency picking”. Tote has: straightened out wire coat hanger for pulling vines closer to you, couple bottles of water for drinking and washing stained hands, 8 large 24-32 oz yogurt containers for the berries (so they don’t crush), paper towels, pruning clippers (for trimming those aggressive vines that try to grab you. Picked & froze 8 quarts already but I gotta try that Shrub!
I LOVE your emergency blackberry picking kit!! What a perfect assortment of equipment!
I should totally put together something like that for my car- I’m always kicking myself when I walk past so many ripe fruits with only my hands to collect them in (and my dog’s ‘doggy bags’- ew 😛 ) Thanks so much for the great idea ???