Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Pizza! Pizza!

After today's Cardio X, I decided to play a game of Pull-Stuff-Outta-the-Fridge-and-Make-Something. There were slow roasted tomatoes I'd made a few days before, and lots of deli cheeses. As for greens, I had a big tub of arugula as well as a cute wittle basil plant. Let's make some magic!

These slow roasted tomatoes absolutely burst with flavor. I thought they'd taste great with some creamy goat cheese and provolone, and the peppery taste of arugula. I had chicken on hand, but some capicola, salami, or other deli meat of your choosing would taste even better. Spinach could be subbed for arugula if you have it on hand. The resulting pizza was very flavorful, with none of the grease or watery tomato sauce. Don't be intimidated by the long grocery list - you could easily leave some things out or make substitutions. Best of all, this is a 15 minute dish if you have the tomatoes ready ahead of time. Enjoy!

SLOW ROASTED TOMATOES
-2Tb + 4Tb extra virgin olive oil
-4 medium garlic cloves, sliced thin
-2 lb ripe tomatoes (about 4-5 medium), cored and cut crosswise into 1/2" thick slices
-salt and black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Adjust oven rack to middle position.
2. Grease the bottom of a 13x9" baking dish or jelly roll pan with 2 Tb olive oil. Sprinkle half of the garlic slices across the bottom of the dish. Arrange the tomato slices in the pan, overlapping if necessary. Pour 4 Tb olive oil over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the remaining garlic slivers.
3. Roast the tomatoes until they are slightly shriveled and most of their juices have been replaced with oil, 1 to 1.5 hours. Let cool. Can be stored in the fridge in oil for up to 3 days.

SLOW ROASTED TOMATO & OTHER STUFF PIZZA
-1 can Pillsbury thin crust pizza dough
-2 Tb oil
-1 garlic clove, minced
-1 handful fresh basil leaves, torn into 1/2" pieces
-1 recipe slow roasted tomatoes (above), drained of oil
-6 thin slices Provolone cheese
-1/3 C crumbled goat cheese
-1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese
-1 C cooked chicken, cut into bite-size chunks (or your favorite deli meat)
-1 C baby arugula leaves

1. Preheat oven to 400. Spread out pizza dough on a cookie sheet. Bake 5 minutes. Remove from oven.
2. Meanwhile, mix together garlic, basil, and olive oil in a small bowl. Brush this mixture over the partly cooked pizza dough.
3. Arrange slow-roasted tomatoes over pizza dough. Arrange provolone slices over pizza dough. Sprinkle with goat cheese and Parmesan. Scatter with chicken or deli meat. Scatter with arugula.
4. Return pizza to oven. Bake an additional 6-10 minutes, until crust is golden brown and cheese is melty and yummy.

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