The Sweet Scent of Basil

I was so excited to find basil plants at the grocery store the other day. The scent of basil always makes me think of the warm days of summer.

One of my favorite basil recipes is for pesto pizza. It's something we typically only enjoy during the summer months, so it was a very special treat.

Pesto Recipe:

2 cups packed basil leaves (the plant only produced 1 cup, so I supplemented with arugula)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup walnuts

1 large clove of garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Dough recipe:

1 package of yeast

1 tablespoon of honey

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

1 cup wrist-temperature water

3 cups (approximately) of flour (I use half spelt and half unbleached white)

olive oil to drizzle on top of dough

After it rises, you'll have enough dough to make two pizzas.

Toppings:

Basil and Arugula Pesto

Hearts of Palm artichokes

Greek Olives

Mozzarella Cheese

Bon Appetite!