Pacific Northwest Pizza

There is a pizza shop in town that advertises on their website a Northwest Territory Pizza that I wanted to try. We called to order it one night, and they had no idea what we were talking about. Apparently, they are a regional chain, and our chain doesn’t carry that particular pie. Truth be told, I’m not much of a fan of this pizza joint anyway, so it wasn’t too disappointing. A few weeks later, I gathered similar ingredients and made my own version. I wasn’t satisfied with it, however. It was too salty, and the cheese wasn’t right. Like the pizza advertized, I used Gorgonzola and Parmesan, but the combo was overkill and you couldn’t taste the other delectable ingredients. I shelved the idea for a while and came back to it a few weeks ago. This time with great results!

I don’t think pizza should have a bunch of rules and measurements. I think you should use the ingredients in good balance, and use more of those particular ingredients you like or whose flavors you want to emphasize. When I made this pizza, I opted for more apple and sundried tomato, and went light on the walnuts and mushrooms. I also went light on the cheese, using just enough mozzarella to cover most of the pesto sauce, and a light sprinkling of Parmesan over the toppings. Choose a pesto sauce you really like, because you’ll definitely be disappointed if your pesto sauce isn’t appealing.

Ingredients:

(see note above regarding measurements)

pizza dough
apple, sliced (choose a variety that has plenty of crunch. We like Cameo and Fuji.)
mushrooms, sliced
sundried tomatoes, sliced
walnuts, chopped
pesto sauce
mozzarella cheese, grated
parmesan cheese, grated

Guidelines:

Form your favorite pizza dough into whatever shape and size you want. (I like to prebake mine for about 8 minutes in a 375 degree oven so the crust is a bit crispier, but this is optional.)

Heat your oven to 400 degrees.

Spread the pesto over the crust. Top with mozzarella cheese. Spread your ingredients evenly on top of the mozzarella, and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.