Pickled pepper pesto pizza. I was giggling while writing this post (writing the old fashioned way, like the oats in my soaked oat muffins) in my breakfast nook. I thought I'd have a whole weekend to write at the sled hockey tournament, but instead I was
And you thought I took a photo of the ingredients to show you what's in this pizza. Ha! I mean, it's great if you find the photos useful as well. Really.<days later>I'm still giggling to myself typing this post up in the lobby of the rec center where my son is at wheelchair basketball practice. People are starting to stare. Back to the point of this post.
I was cruising past the fancy cheese counter on another milk run (who is feeding these kids?) when I saw a magical markdown sticker in the vicinity of the mozzarella balls. This time it was smoked mozzarella, so of course I snagged it to give it a try.
Heather (of garlic oil fame, though there's so. much. more. to her) eats marvelous pizza from some place called the Magic Mushroom. Never been there. But when Heather described her favorite pizza pie, it sounded like I could adapt it, play with my pickled peppers and pesto, and use this smoked mozzarella.
Smoked mozzarella is different than fresh mozzarella on a pizza in one dramatic way--it doesn't color outside the lines. When topping a pizza with fresh mozzarella, you need to be careful not to put your slices too close to the edge for fear that they will run off all over your pizza stone.
Crispy mozzarella discs pried off a hot pizza stone are totally worth the burned fingertips.Smoked mozzarella imparts a deeper, smoky (I know, surprise, I'll never be a food writer) taste, something which pairs well with the pesto and mushrooms. The peppers and feta really make this pizza pop.
Normally, I don't feel like I make gourmet pizzas. I'm just cobbling together the ingredients I've got on hand, from my farm share or good deals from the grocery store. But describing this pizza . . . well, it sounds pretty fancy and high falutin' to me.