After a very wet March and April it is a beautiful May here in Southern Oregon! Things are springing to life and my appetite is turning towards lighter and fresher things.
I’ve made this pizza before and the first time the ratio of dough to toppings was too heavy on the toppings. So the second time around I was more judicious. This left me with extra veggies which I turned into a frittata! I know someone (maybe pixxer?) mentioned being timid in making frittata so I hope to provide a simple and reassuring recipe to allay those worries. Frittata is the perfect alternative to soup when you are doing a “clean out the fridge” kind of meal. It’s also a great brunch/potluck/picnic dish because it can be served at room temperature.
Let’s start with that pizza! It’s a flavor bomb with pesto, artichokes, broccoli, and cheese. You can simplify things by using some good store-bought pesto too!
Green Pizza with Pesto, Feta, Artichokes, and Broccoli
from Hello Little Home
Ingredients:
For Basil-Spinach Pesto:
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup basil leaves lightly packed
- 1 cup spinach leaves lightly packed
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup olive oil extra virgin
- salt
- pepper
For Pizza and Toppings:
- 2 heads broccoli (not bunches)
- 1 lb pizza dough
- nonstick spray or olive oil
- 1 (14 oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts drained
- 8 oz shredded mozzarella (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup crumbled feta — I did not have feta but I had this light tangy cheese from Rogue Creamery called Touvelle. It’s similar to a white cheddar in texture but milder in flavor. So I used about a cup of shredded Touvelle here.
Instructions:
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If pizza dough has been refrigerated, remove from the fridge so it can warm up a bit.
Prepare pesto:
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Add walnuts to a small skillet over medium heat; cook until lightly toasted, stirring often. Let cool.
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Combine walnuts, garlic, basil, and spinach in a food processor; process until minced.
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Add Parmesan, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Process until completely smooth. Set aside.
I happened to have a jar of decent pesto leftover from a different recipe so I used that instead.
Prepare pizza:
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Cut broccoli into small florets and place in a microwaveable dish with a lid.
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Drizzle with a couple tablespoons water, cover, and microwave until just tender (about 3-4 minutes).
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Drain water from broccoli then drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Meanwhile, lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil or cooking spray. (I usually put a little oil on the pan, then spread it with a paper towel. That way the oil is distributed evenly, and the paper towel soaks up any excess oil.)
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Place pizza dough on pan and press to the edges of the pan. (If the dough draws back from the edges, let it rest for a few minutes and then press again. Repeat until dough is relaxed and covers the entire pan.)
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Top dough with a thin layer of pesto.
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Sprinkle 3/4 of the mozzarella cheese over the pesto.
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Evenly distribute broccoli and artichokes over cheese. This is where I caution you to be judicious and not overload the pizza. I ended up with about a cup of broccoli and a good handful of artichoke quarters leftover.
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Top with remaining mozzarella and then sprinkle with feta.
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Bake pizza for 25 to 35 minutes, or until crust is browned and cheese is lightly golden.
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Let cool slightly, then cut and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Green Pizza with Pesto, Artichokes, Broccoli and Touvelle cheese
So now I had the leftover broccoli and artichoke hearts sitting in the fridge. It was a few days later that I decided to make a frittata. I make frittata often so I really don’t follow a specific recipe. My method is to start by figuring out which size pan the ingredients fit comfortably in so that they are distributed equally. So I took out the leftover veggies and roughly chopped them.
I had about 2 cups of chopped veggies when I was done:
Chopped veggies, Touvelle cheese, sun-dried tomatoes
I pulled out a jar of sun-dried tomatoes that I thought would add to the mix. I pulled out about 3 good sized chunks then diced them up.
I decided on my 10” non-stick skillet for size so I knew from basic recipes I had used in the past that that would mean about 8 eggs. Make sure you use an oven-safe pan!
I heated up the skillet on medium heat and tossed in the veggies to lightly saute:
Veggies getting warmed up
Preheat your oven to 425° and place the rack in the upper-middle of the oven.
I beat 8 large eggs and seasoned lightly with kosher salt.
Then once the veggies had started to brown slightly I poured in the beaten eggs. You can stir the veggies a bit and gently shake the pan to get a good distribution of your ingredients among the eggs. Lower the heat to medium-low. The eggs will start to set on the bottom in a few minutes so you want to just leave it be for a few minutes.
At this point I shredded up about a cup of the Touvelle cheese and waited.
Ready to add the cheese here; note the light yellow color of the edges indicating the eggs are setting.
When you can see it just starting to solidify around the edges scatter the shredded cheese over the frittata.
When the edges can be gently lifted and a gentle shake of the pan indicates the bottom is solidifying and moving as a whole (you can feel it slide a bit in the pan but it still jiggles in the middle) turn off the heat and move the frittata to the upper middle oven rack.
Bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese has melted and the eggs start to puff up in the pan.
You can also gently lift the edge with a thin spatula to check the bottom. You want it to be just golden brown in spots.
Out of the oven all puffy and golden!
At this point you can gently slide it out of the pan onto a platter. I actually did the flip. That is where you place your plate upside down over the frittata in the pan and then lift it up with one hand on top of the plate and the other controlling the pan and smoothly flip it over.
You don’t have to do this, but I like seeing the color where there’s a nice bit of browning amongst the green veg.
Now it gets cut into wedges and served. I like my frittata when it’s hot but room temperature is fine too. Makes for a nice dish on a buffet table or for a big brunch.
The plated frittata
Our upcoming What’s for Dinner schedule is pretty empty so I encourage you to write a post for us! Just send me a message and let me know what date you would like and I’ll set it up.
Date
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Post #
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Diarist
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05/11
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13.44
|
esquimaux
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05/18
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13.45
|
OPEN
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05/25
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13.46
|
OPEN
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06/01
|
13.47
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OPEN
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06/08
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13.48
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OPEN
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