Green Pizza

I'm really interested in eating local and organic, but it can be pretty pricey and I don't usually have the green to be green, if you know what I'm saying. But through the magic of Groupon, I recently had the chance to try out a local sustainable food delivery service for half price, and oh boy is it fun to go on Greenling.com and start popping local fresh produce into your virtual basket- I spent my $50 groupon in no time. After seeing all the amazing greens they had to offer a plan started to formulate-I decided to make the best salad ever and a green pizza to go with it. It must have been fate, because Greenling also had fresh mozzarella from a local farm on special.

I toyed briefly with the idea of incorporating some greens into the crust, but ultimately went with a traditional hand made crust (with some little tweaks- I added a 1/4 cup of white wine and a tablespoon of honey for added flavor) and opted instead for an arugula pesto topped with fresh sliced tomatoes and the creamy farm-fresh mozzarella.

To make the pesto I blended about a handful of fresh basil, a few handfuls of arugula, a half cup of toasted walnuts, one diced stalk of green garlic (like green onions, but garlicky! Another awesome find on Greenling,) a couple pinches of sea salt and then streamed in some olive oil until I got the perfect pesto consistency: thick and creamy but spreadable.

I'm usually more of a thin-crust kind of girl, but after a few tosses- yes, I spun the pizza pie up in the air like a real Luigi- I realized I had more dough than I had room for in my pan. So I simply rolled up the edges and made a really thick rim. The deep-dishness turned out to work perfectly with the pesto and fresh tomato topping- there was so much going on I think the pizza really needed a substantial base to hold it all up. The crust was really like a loaf of light fluffy bread, since I used bread flour instead of regular, and the pesto soaked into the top half inch of crust for a melt-in-your-mouth-feel.

The salad was made up of entirely local greens- a pretty head of boston bibb lettuce, savory broccoli micro-greens, which are kind of like leafy sprouts that grow from broccoli seeds, and tender pea shoots. I also threw in the rest of the Greenling tomatoes leftover from the pizza, and dressed the whole shebang with a vinaigrette that I mixed right in the mini food-processor I had made the pesto in so none of the herby deliciousness went to waste. A couple teaspoons of smoky mustard, a couple tablespoons of garlic vinegar, and a wee bit of olive oil gave my greens a light, silky coating.

And while the salad was amazing- all the leaves tasted so tender and mild- the pizza was what turned out to be one of the best things I've ever eaten.


Seriously. So Good.