Pesto Pizza with Jamón Ibérico and TÁR

Welcome to Pizza and a Movie! This week’s pizza is really simple and you can either make the pesto from scratch, or use your favorite jarred pesto. This week while shopping at Trader Joe’s I noticed something I hadn’t seen there before: Jamón Ibérico. The cured ham slices came in a packet with Spanish Chorizo, for charcuterie plates. I realize this particular item may not be available to some, so you can substitute with Serrano Ham, Prosciutto, or Coppa. More on Jamón Ibérico below. So Let’s get to it!

Jamón Ibérico

There are two kinds of Spanish cured ham, Serrano and Ibérico. And within the Ibérico ham line, there are two types: Jamón Ibérico de Bellota and Jamón Ibérico. Ibérico de Bellota is the more prized of the two Ibérico types. Hogs selected to be Ibérico de Bellota get to live out a life in the Spanish countryside, under the oak trees, fattening up on their favorite food, acorns. You can learn more about and purchase Jamón Ibérico on the website: La Tienda.

Pesto

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F with a pizza steel or stone while we make the pesto. I am making pesto from scratch. I don’t have a recipe I use, I just eyeball everything. For today’s recipe though, I am using more Parmesan and pine nuts and less olive oil than I normally do because I want a nuttier, drier pesto. I have about 4 ounces of fresh basil leaves. I have 6 garlic cloves, a heaping 1/4 cup of pine nuts and Parmesan. Add a pinch of kosher salt. While the processor is processing these ingredients, drizzle in olive oil until the mixture is incorporated and spreadable.

Pesto Pizza with Jamón Ibérico

I have my pesto, halved grape tomatoes; mozzarella cheese and the Jamón Ibérico. On a lightly floured surface, roll, spin or stretch your prepared dough out to about 12-inches round. Spread the pesto on the dough in a thin and even layer, leaving a border for the crust.

Then top the pesto with grated mozzarella cheese. Then layer on the Jamón Ibérico. Top the ham with a little more cheese, then the tomatoes. Dollop on a little more pesto and top the whole pie with a little more cheese.

And we are ready for the oven! Bake the pizza on a stone or steel for about 10-15 minutes, until the crust is puffed and golden, and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Let the pizza cool for a few minutes, then slice and serve. The pesto is definitely the dominant flavor, but the Jamón adds a meaty, cured bite that is a nice surprise with the herby pesto, melty mozz and juicy tomatoes.

Movie Night: TÁR

We have our Pesto Pizza with Jamón Ibérico ready, so let’s get to the movie! This week, I rented TÁR. The much-talked about film starring Cate Blanchett as the fictional composer-conductor, Lydia Tár. This is an art film. With a running time of 2 hours, 38 minutes it might strain the patience of many – if it were not so compelling. Beautifully, expertly acted by Blanchett, Lydia Tár is complicated. This is not a film that wraps up in a dramatic, or tidy way. There is a lot going on that we, as the audience, never fully learn about. There are questions and arguments about art, art culture, cancel culture and #metoo that are never answered, or even fully examined. Is this frustrating? I don’t think so. This film left me thinking, which is a rare thing with movies these days.

Personally, I came away feeling like this was less a movie giving me the play-by-play of a person’s unraveling, and more a living, breathing portrait – a moment in the time of their life. As in life, some things take a minute to make sense of, or sense is made only after more comes to light. Or maybe we never fully know all the details.

TÁR is available to rent on Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Redbox and Vudu. Have you watched TÁR? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments.

Remember, you can catch up with Pizza and a Movie anytime! Have a great weekend! Take care and be well, xo Kelly

Key Equipment

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Pesto Pizza with Jamón Ibérico

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Dinner, Main Course – American/Italian

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 20 Minutes – Cooking Time: 10-15 Minutes – Total Time: ~30 Minutes

Jamón Ibérico adds a meaty bite – a nice surprise with herby pesto, melty mozzarella and juicy tomatoes in Pesto Pizza with Jamón Ibérico.

Ingredients

• Pesto
• 4 oz. Fresh Basil Leaves
• Heaping 1/4 cup Pine Nuts
• Heaping 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 4-6 Garlic Cloves
• Pinch of Kosher Salt
• Olive Oil
• Pesto Pizza with Jamón Ibérico
• 1 Prepared Pizza Dough
• Pesto
• 1 cup grated Mozzarella Cheese
• 3-4 oz. Jamón Ibérico (or Serrano Ham, prosciutto, or Coppa)
• 1/2 pint Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, halved

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F with a pizza steel or stone.

Pesto

2

In the bowl of a food processor, add fresh basil leaves, garlic cloves, pine nuts and Parmesan. Add a pinch of kosher salt. While the processor is processing these ingredients, drizzle in olive oil until the mixture is incorporated and spreadable.

Pesto Pizza with Jamón Ibérico

3

On a lightly floured surface, roll, spin or stretch your prepared dough out to about 12-inches round. Spread the pesto on the dough in a thin and even layer, leaving a border for the crust.

4

Then top the pesto with grated mozzarella cheese. Then layer on the Jamón Ibérico. Top the ham with a little more cheese, then the tomatoes. Dollop on a little more pesto and top the whole pie with a little more cheese.

5

And we are ready for the oven! Bake the pizza on a stone or steel for about 10-15 minutes, until the crust is puffed and golden, and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

6

Let the pizza cool for a few minutes, then slice and serve.

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