Margherita Flatbread Pizza

The recipes I make usually fall into one of the following categories: something I made up based on what I have found in the pantry, something I ate at a restaurant and am now trying to duplicate, or a recipe I got from a friend, website or cookbook that I have made changes to so it suits my tastes.  This one falls into category two.

When we were in New York City last year, we ate dinner at a great little Italian restaurant with some friends.  We had Margherita flat bread pizza as an appetizer and it was SO good I had to try to recreate it, so here's my take on it.  Like most things I cook, it is easy, quick and has minimal ingredients.

2-3 smallish tomatoes (I used Campari)
2 large fresh basil leaves
1 piece of garlic flat bread
fresh mozzarella cheese (the kind that's sliceable - you'll need about half the log)
1/2 T Kraft Tuscan House Italian dressing
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a pizza pan with cooking spray.  Bake flatbread on pizza tray approximately 7 minutes, or until it has crisped on the top and bottom.  Be careful not to let it get overdone, since you'll still have to cook it with the toppings on it.  While bread is baking, chop basil into thin strips.  I get the best results by rolling the leaves and then cutting them with my kitchen shears (my most favorite of all kitchen utensils) like this:

Next slice into quarters and remove the cores and seeds of the tomatoes (I'm sure there is a technical term for this, but I don't know what it is, so just go with it). They should look like this:

Then go ahead and chop the tomatoes into small pieces. I used my kitchen shears for that, too.

In a small skillet, heat 1/2 T salad dressing over medium low heat. Add chopped tomatoes in basil. Cook just until the veggies are warmed, stirring frequently. If you overheat this mixture, the tomatoes will start to fall apart and turn into tomato goop (technical term) and the basil will turn dark green. The whole heating process will probably only take about 2 minutes. This gives enough time for the flavors to mix while keeping the bright colors and without things getting gross. It should look something like this:

Place a strainer in the sink, and dump entire tomato mixture in strainer, letting excess moisture drain off. By this time, your flat bread should be crisp and out of the oven. Cover entire flat bread with slices of mozzarella.  The more cheese you like, the thicker your slices should be.  I'd say mine were about 1/8 an inch.  Like so:

Then drizzle your tomato mixture on top of the cheese. I do this just by spooning it on wherever.  It doesn't need to be neat. Sloppy is pretty. Bake for about 4 minutes, or until your cheese is nice and melted and gooey-looking (another technical term).  Remove from oven, slice, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: If you've ever seen my recipes before, or will ever see them again, know that I substitute a lot of ingredients. For instance, the restaurant had plum tomatoes listed on the menu, but I couldn't find any. I figured plum tomatoes must equal some sort of small tomato, and the ones are picked were about plum size, and it worked.  Any tomatoes you have on hand, or your favorites will do, I'm sure. Also, another kind of Italian dressing will probably work, or even a vinaigrette would probably do just fine. I would NOT use a zesty Italian, but then again, I don't like zesty Italian anyway. Also, you can use any kind of flat bread you want, but I like the garlic flavor of the one I had because then I didn't have to add garlic.

The restaurant's flat bread was a little thinner but other than that, this is a pretty close example. Tasty and easy - two of my favorite things!

Please let me know if you have questions or suggestions.