hazelnuts on pizza??

On Thursday I had this pizza -"Burrata Pie"- at Pitfire Pizza and on Sunday I decided to figure out how to make the pizza at home.

It turned out great (even better than the original if I may say so):

It was actually really simple after I figured out where to find Burrata cheese. Burrata is a type of mozzarella packed in water that has a soft center (much like ricotta) and a firm outside.  It is also more sweet than regular mozzarella.  In Los Angeles you can find this cheese at Trader Joe's for a bargain price.

I then made my favorite pizza dough recipe (you could also buy pre-made), and rolled the crust put to be really thick on the edges and super thin in the center (so it would resemble a pie). 

Next, I caramelized one yellow onion with about a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of brown sugar.

For the pizza sauce I used plain tomato sauce (organic).  I figured there would be so many flavors going on that I needed a really simple pizza sauce.

Then I layered on the caramelized onions and the burrata cheese on the crust and stuck the pizza in the oven on 400 degrees and let it bake until crispy and bubbly (about 20 minutes).

While the pizza was cooking I made the hazelnut pesto with about 2-3 garlic cloves, a handful of fresh basil, 1/4 of grated Parmesan cheese, about a 1/4 of a cup of extra virgin olive oil, and a heaping handful of hazelnuts.  I put all of these ingredients in my food processor, until I got a chunky but combined consistency.

Then I tossed the pesto, a couple pinches of peperoncino flakes and kosher salt with the arugula.

Once the pizza was ready, I put the hazelnut pesto salad on top, and devoured.  M loved it, I loved it, and its safe to say it will be a household staple.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 pizza crust
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce (organic)
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 8 oz. Burrata cheese
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts
• 1/4 cup basil leaves (fresh)
• 1/4 Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 package arugula
• 1 teaspoon peperoncino flakes
• 1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

• Coat the pizza crust with the tomato sauce. 
• Cut onion into thin slices and saute over medium heat with brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of olive oil until caramelized.  Add onions to pizza. 
• Cut burrata cheese into 1/4 inch slices and layer onto pizza.
• Place pizza in oven that is preheated to 400 degrees, and bake for about 20-25 minutes.

• While pizza is cooking combine basil, garlic, remaining olive oil, salt, Parmesan cheese, and hazelnuts in food processor until chunky and combined. Toss pesto with arugula and peperoncino flakes and top pizza with the salad mixture when finished.