(Serves 4-6)
My favorite restaurant closed a couple of years ago. It was a darling little pizza and wine bar. I miss it and still think about their delicious wood fired pizzas, appetizers, and huge wine selection. One of the best appetizers on their menu was a pesto and cheese dip served with flatbread. A little bread and cheese will never fail to make me happy, so I ordered it every time I went there. Since they closed, I started making my own at home. This can be made with different types of pesto (be it homemade or store bought) and the cheese can be either mascarpone or ricotta. The original was made with mascarpone and pesto Genovese, but I tend to have ricotta in the fridge more often. Even basic cream cheese would be good. This can be served with pizza dough, store bought flatbread, naan bread, or if you like things crunchy try it with Jennifer Garner’s Pizza Cracker. Store bought flatbread just makes this so fast and easy. The rosemary pesto is superb and makes more than you need for the dip. The rest is great on pasta or on grilled chicken. Restaurants come and go, but we can continue to be inspired by them. This is a wonderful appetizer to share with friends over a glass of wine.
You Will Need:
- 1/3 cup Rosemary Pesto (recipe follows)
- 2/3 cup ricotta or mascarpone cheese
- 1 14.1-ounce package flat bread pizza dough
- Olive oil, for brushing
- About 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- Dried Italian seasoning
Rosemary Pesto:
- 1 bunch fresh rosemary, about 8-10 sprigs
- About 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Meanwhile, make the pesto – pull the leaves off the stems of rosemary and parsley. Peel and crush the garlic clove. Place into the bowl of a food processor along with the walnuts and parmesan. Season with Kosher salt and black pepper.
- Pulse a few times, until everything is finely chopped. Then turn the processor on high while slowly drizzling in the olive oil. Process until very smooth. Taste and season again if needed.
- Brush the flat bread with olive oil, sprinkle with parmesan and Italian seasoning. Place on a sheet pan and bake for 5-8 minutes just until very lightly golden.
- While the flatbread bakes, place the ricotta (or mascarpone) in the bottom of a small glass dish. Top with the pesto.
- Cut the flatbread into pieces and serve with the dip.
Note – The remaining pesto can be stored in an airtight container, pour a little olive oil on the top to create a “fat cap”, don’t stir. This keeps the pesto nice and green.
