Hello and welcome to Pizza and a Movie! Last week, for Thanksgiving, Alex and I went to spend a few days at our house on Tybee Island, with the goal of a little R&R. I did cook one thing while we were there; this Tomato Bacon Pizza with Herby Green Sauce. It’s fitting that we would have pizza for Thanksgiving though, right? When we think of green sauce on pizza, I think most of us think pesto. But this sauce goes on post-cook and it’s more of a cross between a gremolata and a chimichurri; with charred scallions and parsley. Sound interesting? Let’s do it!
Herby Green Sauce
A simple green sauce of chopped herbs, lemon or vinegar, salt and pepper, garlic or onion, and maybe some olive oil is a thing of beauty. It’s easy to toss together and the extra flavor it brings to a dish – and the way it amplifies the flavors of the dish itself – is always a surprise. I love to play with the components of green sauce, so today I decided to char some scallions instead of going with chopped shallot and garlic. Set the oven to broil and toss several scallions in some olive oil and Kosher salt.
Broil the scallions just until they develop brown spots. Meanwhile, finely chop a bunch of flat leaf parsley and add to a bowl; squeeze the juice of half a lemon and grate some lemon zest over the parsley.
When the scallions are softened and browned in some spots, chop them into 1/2-inch pieces and add to the parsley and lemon. Give the whole mix a good drizzle of olive oil and season to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper. Add some crushed red pepper if you like a little heat. Toss it altogether and let it sit while we make the pizza.
Switch the oven to bake and adjust the temperature to 450 degrees.
Assembling the Pizza
I have about 1.5 cups of grated asiago cheese, ricotta, tomato, and a couple strips of leftover cooked bacon. Stretch, roll or pull your pizza dough to a rough oblong shape and place on a lightly oiled sheet pan. I want this pizza to have a thick and puffy crust, because we will cover the crust with asiago to create a breadstick-type of crust.
Brush the crust with olive oil. Then spread about 1/2 cup of ricotta on the base of the pizza. The tomatoes will create moisture, so you want a decent layer of ricotta with even coverage to keep the dough from getting a soggy bottom.
Next, layer the tomatoes on top of the ricotta.
Spread about half of the grated asiago over the tomatoes. Then sprinkle the chopped bacon over the cheese; finally top with the remaining cheese, being sure to cover the crust with the asiago too.
Bake the pizza for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is puffy and golden; the cheese is bubbly and melted.
Blot any wet spots with paper towels and then spoon the herby green sauce evenly over the pizza.
Asiago, tomato and bacon are already a heavenly combination. The addition of the green sauce; with the slightly sweet charred scallions, sharp parsley and bright lemon, just takes this combination to a level worthy of Thanksgiving dinner.
Movie Night: Boiling Point
We have our Tomato Bacon Pizza with Herby Green Sauce ready, so let’s get to the movie! I love movies set in, and about restaurant kitchens. Boiling Point is an incredible film not only for the content, acting and writing, but the entire film is one continuous shot. Let me repeat that: a film set in a kitchen and restaurant on a busy, frenetic night of service and it’s shot in one continuous shot. This single-shot strategy is not only brave and amazing, but it perfectly captures the hectic pace of a hellish dinner service. Not to mention the tension of this particular chef’s situation on this particular night.
Even if you’re not that into restaurant movies, Boiling Point will take your breath away with its sheer magic of the continuous shot. I already enjoyed Stephen Graham as an actor, and his performance in this movie is brilliant. Boiling Point is available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Amazon Prime and Google Play.
Thank you all for joining me today for Pizza and a Movie! Remember you can always catch up with Pizza and a Movie, in case you’ve missed any movie recommendations or pizza recipes. I do hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Take care and be well, xo Kelly
Tomato Bacon Pizza with Herby Green Sauce
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Loading...Asiago, tomato and bacon are a heavenly combination; add green sauce with charred scallions, sharp parsley and bright lemon, and *chef's kiss*
Ingredients
- Herby Green Sauce
- 4-5 Scallions, washed and trimmed
- Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Bunch Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped fine
- Juice of Half a Lemon
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
- Crushed Red pepper, optional, to taste
- Tomato Bacon Pizza with Herby Green Sauce
- 1 Prepared Pizza Dough
- Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese
- 1 Tomato, sliced
- 1.5 cups Grated Asiago Cheese
- 2-3 Strips cooked Bacon, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- Herby Green Sauce
Instructions
Herby Green Sauce
Set the oven to broil and toss scallions in some olive oil and Kosher salt.
Broil the scallions just until they develop brown spots. Meanwhile, finely chop a bunch of flat leaf parsley and add to a bowl; squeeze the juice of half a lemon and grate some lemon zest over the parsley.
When the scallions are softened and browned in some spots, chop them into 1/2-inch pieces and add to the parsley and lemon. Give the whole mix a good drizzle of olive oil and season to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper. Add some crushed red pepper if you like a little heat. Toss it altogether and set aside.
Tomato Bacon Pizza with Herby Green Sauce
Switch the oven to bake and adjust the temperature to 450 degrees. Lightly oil a sheet pan with olive oil.
Stretch, roll or pull your pizza dough to a rough oblong shape and place on the oiled sheet pan.
Brush the crust with olive oil. Then spread about 1/2 cup of ricotta on the base of the pizza.
Next, layer the tomatoes on top of the ricotta.
Spread about half of the grated asiago over the tomatoes. Then sprinkle the chopped bacon over the cheese; finally top with the remaining cheese, being sure to cover the crust with the asiago too.
Bake the pizza for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is puffy and golden; the cheese is bubbly and melted.
Blot any wet spots with paper towels and then spoon the herby green sauce evenly over the pizza.
Terry
December 3, 2021 at 10:47 amAnother great pizza. I will check out that movie. Well I’m just stopping by to say hi to everyone hope you all have a great weekend.
Kelly Djalali
December 3, 2021 at 12:46 pmHey Mom! Have a great visit with Aunt Laura, Grandma and my favorite Ooey Gooey Lady cousin! xo Kelly
Mari
December 3, 2021 at 11:34 amI can not wait to see that movie. It looks absolutely stunning, and the trailers reminded me of Anthony Bourdin’s Kitchen Confidential book, which propelled him into the national consciousness in so far as cooking, sarcasm, searing honesty, and offbeat charm can take you. I love those kinds of books, and I love British movies. I will never admit to watching the BAFTAs, but it might be implied, shaken, not stirred. If this sounds like I’m on the jazz, I am. That movie really is begging me to watch it, and has shaken out the cobwebs. It vaguely reminds me of a Guy Ritchie movie, Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels, because of the relentless pace and dialogue. I still love that one, with or without pizza, and today’s pizza will be phenomenal. I like that it continues on the throwback foods riff. A BLT impersonator posing as a pizza. Culinary dreams are made of these ideas. No, I’m not listening to the Eurythmics, but I could be.
This has been another crazy week, and I wasn’t sure I could come up with anything to Stump The Chef. Fortunately this week’s movie gave me the impetus to toss another one at you. It features two much loved British culinary delights, and one that doesn’t quite fit, but it can be finessed in. Welcome to another edition of Stump The Chef. Our first entrée is The Great British Bake Off, and if you can come up with a pizza and a movie for that one, I will face Georgia, and bow three times. Then I will make that pizza. I actually think Boiling Point might work for that category, so I will make you come up with something else! My daughter and youngest son, and millions of viewers are addicted to that show, and every year a cookbook from TGBBO makes it onto her wish list. Our second entrée is Yotam Ottolenghi, British chef extraordinaire, restaurateur, and celebrated cookbook author. He is originally from Israel, and has a lot of terrific Middle Eastern inspired recipes, but has lived in England for some time. What’s the movie and what kind of Pizza? Our third entrée is the celebrated Jaguar commercials featuring Jaguars, obviously, and British Villains. There are three or four of them on YouTube, and they held up well. They feature Tom Hiddleston and Mark Strong as iconic British Villains, and if anyone has not seen them, they are witty, innovative, tongue in cheek masterpieces. The ad agency deserves its own award for that one. Hiddleston and Strong both have that air of cooking something up about them. There is just something about an English accent that makes for superb villains. Put on your toque and toss some dough. I know I lose this contest every week, but I absolutely love to see what you come up with. What movie will Tom Hiddleston and Mark Strong be watching, and what pizza will they be eating with their expensive champagne? Happy Friday, Happy Pizza Day, Happy Movie Day to Kelly, Alex, Terry and pizza and movie lovers everywhere. ???
Kelly Djalali
December 3, 2021 at 12:45 pmHi Mari! Unlike most weeks, the pizzas for this challenge came to me pretty easily. Mostly because I am familiar with (and love!) all three of the subjects.
The second pizza for Boiling Point will be similar to today’s pizza with the green sauce, but different. Let’s do ground lamb with mozzarella. Then topped after baking with a green sauce that is mint-based, instead of scallion and parsley, with crushed red peppers, for a spicy kick.
The Jaguar commercial stars would watch a Sean Connery Bond film (obvs!) and their pizza would have hot smoked salmon, finished with caviar and crème fraîche (naturally!).
I would make Ottolengi a pizza with smoked chicken, topped with an olive oil and lemon juice-dressed herb salad of preserved lemon, mint, and parsley. I am not sure why, but I think he would like The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.
For GBBO, obviously we would watch a cooking movie like, Julie and Julia. The pizza would be a deconstructed sausage roll – because I think there is a sausage roll challenge in nearly every season! The sausage would get made into meatballs with egg and panko, scattered on the pizza with parmesan cheese and caramelized onions.
I have made myself hungry for pizza with this challenge, Mari! Which is good because I am firing up the Mugnaini oven; the dough is rising, and we have a beautiful winter heatwave today, with temps in the mid-70s. Perfect day for a wood fired pizza! Thanks so much for today’s challenge, see you Sunday, have a great weekend! xo Kelly
Mari
December 3, 2021 at 1:44 pmThe pizzas are all inspired and so are the movies. Another win for both of us since I get to make those wonderful pizzas you came up with. I don’t think a person could ever go wrong making anything that says caramelized onions. Ever since encountering Indian cooking decades ago, I have loved playing with onions, but caramelized are the top favorite here. I also keep jars of fried onions on hand because I like to toss them on things. You can get some that are just onions and oil, but they are pricey. I wish they didn’t use soy oil, but then they didn’t ask me. The Boiling Point pizza would have worked in either form for all three entrées, but thanks for not doing that. All three are winners.