Pesto is a fabulous concoction of herbs and olive oil
- Carbohydrate 109.236861251364 g
- Cholesterol 7.28600000350403 mg
- Fat 19.6688937551564 g
- Fiber 0.843800023279463 g
- Protein 17.6949587525394 g
- Saturated Fat 4.76437900101998 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (252g)
- Sodium 1630.35797401982 mg
- Sugar 108.393061228084 g
- Trans Fat 1.30645825027698 g
- Calories 678 calories
Step-by-step
- Light your ilFornino Wood Fired Oven
- Gather all your ingredients. Make sure your basil is washed and dry.
- Cut two Jalapenos in half lengthwise and remove stem and seeds. Rough chop.
- Roughly chop the basil
- Place pecans in a small frying pan and toast over low medium heat until fragrant.
- Peel and rough chop the garlic cloves
- Rough chop the cooled toasted pecans
- Add basil, 2 deseeded Jalapenos, garlic, chopped pecans, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper into you stick blender vessel or other device.
- Pulse with blender while adding olive oil until a proper paste is formed, being careful that you don’t make it too thin or too fine, as you want some texture to the mix.
- Transfer to a bowl for immediate use.
- Slice up some Jalapeno for garnishing the pizza making sure your remove most of the seeds.
- Once the ilFornino oven is ready to bake, form you pie base and spread your pesto as a first layer with a spatula, as if you were using tomato sauce.
- Add fresh mozzarella, basil leaves and thin round slices of jalapeno with a drizzle of olive oil on top.
- Bake a normal.
Operating a wood-fired oven at 900 degrees Fahrenheit requires rigorous temperature management, yet this recipe relies on a pesto base that demands restraint to prevent scorching. While traditional pesto uses pine nuts and standard basil proportions, substituting pecans introduces a heavier oil profile that browns much faster under direct radiant heat. Initial testing revealed that spreading the unbaked herb paste too thickly causes the dairy elements to liquefy before the crust achieves structural integrity. Adjusting ingredient quantities requires proportional scaling of the oil and nuts simultaneously, because altering only the basil volume results in a watery emulsion that ruins the dough. Double the batch carefully if serving four people, keeping the garlic-to-herb ratio strict to avoid overwhelming the palate. That specific balance keeps the capsaicin heat contained within the nutty paste rather than burning the tongue on contact.
The Problem With Leftovers
Cold leftover pizza featuring herbaceous sauces often degrades because residual moisture from fresh leaves separates overnight in the refrigerator. Pecan oils oxidize rapidly when stored assembled, turning bitter within twenty-four hours unless kept separate from the crust. Reheating a slice topped with fresh mozzarella and raw jalapeno slices requires a cast-iron skillet heated over medium-low heat for four minutes to crisp the bottom without overcooking the toppings. Storing the unbaked pesto in an airtight glass jar with a thin film of olive oil poured directly across the surface prevents discoloration for up to forty-eight hours.Adapting the Base
Pecans provide a distinct earthy bitterness that subdues the sharp kick of raw jalapeno, offering a structural advantage over traditional walnuts. Toasting those nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for roughly four minutes releases essential oils, but cooling them completely before blending stops the residual heat from cooking the fresh basil leaves prematurely. Pulse the mixture in short intervals using a standard food processor until a coarse paste forms, ensuring tiny fragments of nut remain visible to provide textural contrast against the melted cheese. Spreading this layer requires a flexible offset spatula wiped clean between strokes to distribute the oil evenly across the stretched dough.
