White pizza with pesto and shaved vegetables

#dishes/main #dietary/vegetarian #active-time/30mins-or-less #meals/dinner #cuisines/italian #methods/baking #seasons/spring #seasons/summer
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/white-pizza-with-shaved-vegetables-and-pesto
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
• 16 oz prepared pizza dough at room temperature
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium zucchini, trimmed and thinly shaved with a vegetable peeler
• 2 small leeks, whites and pale-green parts very thinly sliced into half moons (about 1 cup)
• 4oz asparagus, trimmed and thinly shaved with a vegetable peeler
• 1/2 cup frozen sweet peas, thawed
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella
• 1/4 cup pesto (or Pistachio pesto)
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup watercress
• 1/4 cup torn basil
• 1.5 oz Pecorino, shaved into curls with a vegetable peeler (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/3 cup unsalted roasted pistachios, coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. Place pizza stone in oven and preheat to 500ºF. Drain ricotta in a paper-towel-lined colander.
2. Gently stretch dough to a 16x12" oval on a well-floured cutting board or pizza paddle. Brush with 1 tbsp oil, then transfer to pizza stone and bake until dry and golden, about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, toss zucchini, leeks, asparagus, peas, salt, and 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium bowl. Whisk ricotta, mozzarella, pesto, garlic, and lemon zest in another medium bowl until smooth.
4. Spread ricotta mixture over dough, then arrange vegetables over. Bake pizza, rotating pan halfway through, until cheese is melted, vegetables are roasted and tender, and crust is golden brown, 7-9 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, toss watercress and basil with 1 tsp oil. Remove baking sheet from oven, then transfer pizza to wire rack. Top pizza with watercress mixture, Pecorino, and pistachios. Let cool slightly, then cut into wedges and serve.
   Note: feel free to substitute with whatever veggies are fresh and in-season.

Journal

• 2025-10-12: made a small one for Olga and Victor with 24-hour Neapolitan pizza dough. Switched up the ratio to do 2 parts pesto : 1 part ricotta instead of the reverse, and I think it was the right call. Only mistake was not putting more of the pesto base! We used whole (not shredded) low moisture mozzarella and just tore off small pieces and mixed them in with the veggie toppings. For toppings, we did the shaved zucchini, green peas, and leeks, and then added prosciutto and Parmesan after it came out. Skipped the watercress and forgot about the pistachios, oops. Drizzle of olive oil after it came out was important too!