Grecian-Style Avocado Pizza

Visit turoklikefood.com for new recipes.  This blog has moved.

Avocados on pizza?  My roommate and I are trying to make a bunch of different types of pizza, and this one was next on the list.  We used a pseudo-pesto cilantro over goat cheese sauce, topped with mozzarella and olives, mushrooms, chicken, and (most importantly) avocado slices.  Avocado.org’s Grecian Avocado Pizza inspired this pizza creation.  It ranks near the top of my favorite pizza recipes ever.

Ingredients:

Dough:

• Basic 1-Pound Pizza Dough
• Extra virgin olive oil

Sauce:

• 1/4 cup cilantro (or parsley), chopped
• 5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Toppings:

• 4 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
• 4 ounces Mozzarella
• Grated Parmesan
• 4 ounces drained black (or kalamata) olives, sliced
• 4 medium mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 1 chicken breast, diced, seasoned with salt and pepper and pan-fried until the juices run clear
• 1 avocado, cut into 8 slices like this
• Fresh ground black pepper

Equipment:

• A 14-inch pizza stone
• Mortar and pestle, optional

Directions:

Prepare all ingredients.  In a mortar and pestle or food processor, puree the cilantro, garlic, and olive oil.  Substitute regular olive oil or vegetable oil for the extra virgin if using a food processor.  You want to make a relatively uniform mixture.  If you don’t have either of these tools, you can simply crush the garlic and mix it with finely chopped cilantro and extra virgin olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 450°F.  Oil the pizza stone with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.  Roll out the dough to mostly cover the stone.  With your fingers, spread the goat cheese over the dough.  It may help to microwave the cheese for a few seconds to make it more spreadable.  Follow the goat cheese with the cilantro-garlic pureé.  Spread it evenly throughout.  Cover with the Mozzarella and a some grated Parmesan.  Top with olives, mushrooms, cooked chicken, and finally the 8 slices of avocado [if you don't like slightly brown avocado, put the avocado on after baking the pizza].  Arrange the avocado in a fan shape so 1 piece will be on each slice of pizza.  Sprinkle freshly-ground black pepper on top of the pizza.  Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes just until the cheese is melted and the crust begins to slightly brown.  Remove from the oven.

Serves 4.

It’s amazingly creamy.