Mortadella Pizza with Pistachio Pesto

From: Chef/owner Randall Selland, Selland’s Market-Café, Sacramento, CA. Yield: 2 individual pizza servings.

Pizza Dough:
2 cups warm water
2 oz. fresh yeast
1½ lb. all-purpose flour
1 oz. semolina
1 tsp. kosher salt  
2 tsp. sugar
1/8 cup olive oil

Garlic Bechamel Sauce:
1 oz. butter
1 oz. flour
¼ Tbsp. chopped garlic
8 oz. milk
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Pistachio Pesto:
¼ cup toasted pistachios
¼ cup olive oil
to taste, salt
to taste, pepper

Pizza Toppings:
4 oz. fresh or shredded mozzarella
6 to 8 slices mortadella
¼ cup chopped red onions
¼ cup kalamata olives

For pizza dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine water, fresh yeast, sugar and olive oil. Allow to proof (until yeast begins to foam). Add remaining dry ingredients and mix in a power mixer on low speed with the dough hook attachment for 10 minutes.

Place dough on a floured surface and shape into a ball.

In a large bowl, place a small amount of olive oil.  Roll the dough in the oil, and then cover with a towel. Place dough in a warm space and allow to double in size. Punch down dough and allow it to rise once more. Portion into two balls and roll out for pizza.

For garlic béchamel sauce: Melt butter in a saucepan. Add chopped garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Don’t burn the garlic. Add flour and stir continuously so that the flour cooks and does not burn. After 3 to 4 minutes, add milk and whisk mixture until it simmers and thickens. Add seasonings, then cool béchamel.

For pistachio pesto: Rough-chop the pistachios. Add olive oil and season to taste.

For pizza: Roll out pizza dough. Add 3 fl. oz. of béchamel sauce and spread evenly onto pizza. Sprinkle on 4 oz. shredded or fresh mozzarella cheese. Add 3-4 slices of mortadella to the pizza. Top with red onions and kalamata olives. Bake in oven at 500°F for 5 to 10 minutes. Once pizza is cooked to desired doneness, pull from oven and let rest for 1 to 2 minutes. Cut pizza slices and top with pistachio pesto.