When I think summer, I think about a beautiful, bountiful garden. When I was a kid, my parents always had tomatoes, cucumbers and squash growing, and we would enjoy it for the whole season.
I channeled those memories making this pizza, an array of seasonally fresh produce and some beautiful bright flowers. I know a lot of you are probably thinking, “I would never put flowers on a pizza.” Well, I love it! They add so much to the experience.
Chris Decker, Founding Pizzaiolo & Partner Truly Pizza
We have a saying here at Truly Pizza that we want our pizza to look as good as it tastes, and taste as good as it looks. The flowers obviously add a pop of color, but on this pizza they also add a little tartness as well. That flavor tends to go well with the sweet squash, the creaminess of the goat cheese ricotta mixture and the salty freshness of the herby salsa verde. So, do yourself a favor and branch out. Enjoy what the seasons have to offer and make some beautiful pizzas.
Chris Decker is Founding Pizzaiolo & Partner at Truly Pizza, in Dana Point, California. @everythingbutanchovies on Instagram.
- 50 percent goat cheese and 50 percent ricotta
- 2 cups (packed) fresh parsley leaves and tender stem
- 1 cup (packed) fresh spinach
- 1 roasted yellow squash
- 5 roasted garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons of champagne vinegar
- ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 ounces of shredded whole milk mozzarella
- 2 ounces of fresh mozzarella
- Roasted and salted Marcona almonds
- Begonias
- For the Ricotta/goat cheese mixture, 50 percent goat cheese and 50 percent ricotta and whisk until smooth.
- Add to a piping bag with a fluted tip.
- For the Salsa Verde, blend together until smooth fresh parsley leaves and tender stem, fresh spinach, roasted garlic cloves, champagne vinegar, extra virgin olive oil. Season, to taste, with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- Rough chop roasted and salted Marcona almonds
- Edible flowers, I used Begonias. I just love how the pink pops next to all the other ingredients.
- For the pizza, stretch your pizza dough to desired size and lay on a floured pizza peel.
- Top with 2 ounces of shredded whole milk mozzarella and 2 ounces of fresh mozzarella, pinched off and spread around pizza.
- Next, arrange your roasted yellow squash and put your pizza into a pre-heated 550 F oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or desired doneness.
- When your pizza is finished baking, take pizza out of oven and cool on a rack.
- Apply your salsa verde. I used a squeeze bottle and dotted around pizza.
- Next, apply your ricotta mixture, crushed Marcona almonds and lay your flower petals over the top.
