Brandon Gray, the chef at Los Angeles pizza pop-up Brandoni Pepperoni, tops his pies with combinations inspired by his local farmers market, and this version is no exception. Summer’s most famously abundant produce item, zucchini, gets a star turn alongside ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms and a peppery arugula pesto. More ricotta dollops and a showering of fresh mint adorn the pizza post-bake.
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What you’ll need
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Food Processor
$63 At Amazon
Cast Iron Skillet
$30 At Amazon
Microplane Grater
$18 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
Makes one 12" Pizza
Ingredients
Pesto
2
½
⅓
1
½
⅓
Assembly
½
1
½
4
2
1
1
Preparation
Pesto
Step 1
Process 2 cups (packed) arugula, ½ cup (packed) basil leaves, ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1 Tbsp. macadamia nuts or pine nuts, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a food processor until mostly smooth. Add ⅓ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano and pulse to combine.
Assembly
Step 2
Mix together ½ cup whole-milk fresh ricotta, 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a small bowl. Stuff 4 squash blossoms with half of ricotta mixture. Set remaining mixture aside.
Step 3
If using a conventional oven: Heat broiler. Heat 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a 12" cast-iron skillet over medium. Using lightly oiled hands, flatten 1 ball All-Purpose Pizza Dough or 12 oz. store-bought pizza dough, room temperature and gently stretch over the backs of your hands to create a 12" round. Transfer to skillet, stretching to edges of pan if needed, and cook until bottom is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Spoon pesto onto center of dough and spread over crust, leaving a 1" border. Top with 1 small summer squash, thinly sliced, and squash blossoms; season with salt. Transfer skillet to oven and broil until crust is charred in spots, about 2 minutes.
Step 4
If using a pizza oven: Preheat to high. Lightly flour your hands and a pizza peel. Working from the center outward, stretch out dough on peel to a 12" round. Spoon pesto onto center of dough and spread over crust, leaving a 1" border. Top with 1 small summer squash, thinly sliced, and squash blossoms; season with salt. Slide pizza into pizza oven and cook, rotating occasionally, until crust is charred in spots, 2–3 minutes.
Step 5
Dollop reserved ricotta mixture over pizza. Scatter basil or mint leaves over and season with freshly ground black pepper.