Do you remember
When we went to the park
And you held my hands
And spun me around
And it felt like flying?
And they made clever boats and now we’re going to the creek, and I will sit on a rock and watch them, and do absolutely nothing, and try to recognize the momentousness of the situation.
I like to make pizza in the summertime. Well, I always like to make pizza, but in the summertime it’s fun to play around with different pesto sauces with which to top it, and to think of ways to add vegetables. So this time I made a pesto of pumpkinseeds, capers, arugula and tarragon. All very strong flavors. The pesto was delicious and unusual, with a slight edge of bitterness from the arugula, but in a pleasant way. Because the pesto was so strong and bright, I added chickpeas, because they’re simple and comforting. Not bland at all, but not overwhelming. The crust is thin and crispy, as ever.Here’s The Ink Spots with When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano.
THE CRUST
(enough for two largish pies)
1 t yeast
1 t sugar
1/2 cup warm water
3 cups flour
1 t basil
1 t sage
1 t thyme
1 t oregano
1 t rosemary
1 t salt
1/3 cup olive oil
Combine the yeast, sugar and half a cup warm water in a small bowl, and leave in a warm place for about ten minutes to get foamy.
In a large bowl combine the flour, herbs, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture and the olive oil. Stir well, and add enough warm water to form a soft dough. You want it to be as wet as it can that you can still comfortably knead it. Knead for about 5 minutes until soft and elastic. Put about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl. Roll the dough in this so that it’s evenly coated. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and set aside for two to five hours, till it’s doubled in size.
PUMPKINSEED-ARUGULA PESTO
1 cup pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted in a dry pan till fragrant
2 clove garlic, roasted or toasted (in the toaster oven, you can leave the skin on, but be sure to pierce it so it doesn’t explode.)
2 T fresh tarragon leaves
1 cups arugula or baby spinach, washed
1/4 cup olive oil
2 t lemon
3 t capers
salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup water
Combine the pumpkin seeds and garlic in a blender or food processor and process until ground. Add the tarragon, arugula, olive oil, lemon, capers, salt and lots of pepper and process until smooth. Add the water and continue to process until completely smooth.
TOPPINGS
3-4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup chickpeas, rinsed and well-drained
a large handful of arugula
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
TO ASSEMBLE
Lightly oil to pizza pans or cookie sheets. Divide the crust into two, and roll or stretch each to fit the pans…I tend to press down with my palms to flatten out the dough, rather than roll it out, for pizza.
Let the dough rest while you preheat the oven to 450.
Place the pans in the oven and cook for five or ten minutes till they’re still pale but they’re firm to the touch and they lose their shine.
Remove from the oven. Spread the pesto evenly over each crust in a thin layer, then scatter the cheese over. Top with chickpeas, handfuls of arugula, and tomatoes.
Cook until the crust is golden and the cheese is starting to bubble and turn brown–about fifteen minutes.
Slice and serve.
I love the poem by Isaac. I almost like it as well as:
How do you like to go up in a swing, Up in the air so blue? Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing Ever a child can do! ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
Do you mind if I memorize and share it?
Do you remember
When we went to the park
And you held my hands
And spun me around
And it felt like flying?
~Isaac, son of Claire
Please do! I love the Stevenson poem is lovely, too. I’ll tell it to Isaac tomorrow.
p.s. I found you from your comment on another blog about How to make the perfect Victoria sponge cake.
Lovely. The little poem, the descriptions of the little scenes as you went though your day. And the pizza. 🙂
I hope your day got better afterwards & your days have been pleasant since (I just noticed this is a pretty old post – I got here from a link in your comment on pesto at the NPR site)!
Thank you! My days are up and down, like everybody else’s, but it seems as though they always get better in the end!!