Puff Pastry Mini Pizzas

It’s “Summertime, and the livin’ is easy.” So the song goes. And so can any entertaining you do. These puff pastry pizzas are an excellent example. I prepped them in less than 10 minutes, then set them aside and baked them just before my company came over. I usually make larger squares but wanted little bites, so I cut the puff pastry into hors d’oeuvres size and used sliced cherry tomatoes instead of regular ones. Here’s the basic recipe (cut smaller if desired):

FRESH TOMATO PUFF PASTRY PIZZA

3 large or 4 medium tomatoes, sliced about 1/4-inch thick (use cherry tomatoes for hors d size); salt
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons finely chopped basil
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the tomatoes and sprinkle with salt. Let rest 5 minutes and wipe the surface. Roll the puff pastry slightly thinner on a floured surface. Cut lengthwise once and widthwise twice to make 8 smaller pieces (OR leave in one piece for a whole tart OR make smaller hors d’oeuvres size pieces). Place the pieces on the baking sheet. Sprinkle each with some mozzarella cheese. Top with tomato slices. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with basil. Drizzle with olive oil. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 8 servings

Pizza for Pi Day

Pizza with Spinach, Tomatoes and Cheese

It’s Pi Day so I could easily have posted a photo and recipe for apple streusel pie or lemon meringue. Both are delicious desserts.

Of course a savory pie would do too: Chicken Pot Pie maybe?

But I’m more in the mood for pizza pie, so here’s any easy one (using a store bought crust):

Pizza with Spinach tomatoes and cheese 

• 1 pizza crust (about 10-inches)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 large garlic clove, minced

• 1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and dried (about 6 ounces)

• 2 medium plum tomatoes, sliced

• 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded or chopped

• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the crust on a pizza stone or lightly oiled pizza pan or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Heat 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook briefly. Add the spinach and cook for 3–5 minutes or until wilted and all the liquid has evaporated from the pan. If necessary, press the spinach in a sieve to extract liquid. Spread the spinach evenly on top of the crust. Place the tomato slices on top. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and oregano. Drizzle with remaining half tablespoon olive oil. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the crust is beginning to brown.

 Makes 2 servings

Pizza with Garden Fresh Tomatoes

I’d never tasted pizza with fresh baby arugula before a recent trip to Rome, where my granddaughter ordered one for us for lunch. EUREKA! I have found it! I’ve now made this several times and it has become my go-to pizza. Here’s how:

Pizza with Baby Arugula: preheat the oven to 450F. If you have a pizza stone, preheat for an hour. Roll out pizza dough on parchment paper to 12” then spoon about 3/4 cup ricotta cheese evenly over the surface. Leave about 1/2-inch perimeter. Top with tomato slices, then some shredded mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with a few drops of olive oil. Slide the pizza on top of the pizza stone or use a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. While the pizza is baking, wash and dry some baby arugula, then toss with a small amount of olive oil. When the pizza is ready, top it with the arugula, slice and serve. Makes one pizza. #pizza #pizzalover #pizzawitharugula #arugulapizza #cheesepizza

Fig, Cheese and Caramelized Onion Pizza

Can you tell I bought a truckload of fresh figs this week?

This is my third recipe so far — I can’t resist fresh figs when I first see them in the market. So, we’ve had two versions of salad (with figs of course) and one pizza — I’ve made this pizza numerous times since I first posted about it last year.

One of us, as usual, added some fresh arugula on top and one of passed on that.

Fig, Caramelized Onion and Cheese Pizza

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 large onion, sliced

• 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar

• cornmeal

• about 15 ounces of pizza dough

• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese

• 5-6 fresh figs, cut into quarters

• 2/3 cup mozzarella cheese

• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (or 1/3-1/2 cup crumbled blue type cheese)

• arugula, optional

• Balsamic vinegar, optional

Preheat the oven to 450F. Preheat a pizza stone if you have one. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over low-medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 15-18 minutes, stirring frequently or until the onions and beginning to turn golden. Add the Balsamic vinegar, stir and cook another 10 minutes or until the onions are soft, well glazed and golden brown. Set aside. Place some cornmeal on a board or on parchment paper and stretch/roll the dough into a circle (Mine was 12-inches but you can make it 11-13-inches depending on how thick you like the crust.) Spoon the ricotta cheese evenly over the dough surface, leaving about 1/2-inch at the edge. Cover the ricotta cheese with the onions. Top with the quartered figs, placing them evenly round the surface. Scatter the mozzarella cheese over the top, then the Parmesan or blue cheese. If you have a pizza stone transfer the pizza to the stone using a pizza peel; or, transfer to a large baking sheet with the parchment paper underneath. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is crispy and browned to taste and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Makes one large pizza

Mini Khachapuri

Mini Khachapuri

Khachapuri is one of life’s culinary treasures. I’ve eaten it at restaurants, made it at home. Sometimes I make my own dough, but frequently I use store-bought pizza dough which — I confess — isn’t exactly like khachapuri dough but makes this dish much easier to prepare.

Also, cutting the classic long, boat-shaped khachapuri into single servings is fine, I’ve done it many times, but it’s much more convenient to serve individual ones. Also they’re much easier to prepare if you make them round, like pizza, rather than shape them into boats.

These days? I like easy.

So I made a recent batch of khachapuri into individual “pizzas.”

Yes, this is not the authentic way. You don’t have to tell me that. I know. I know.

But jeeeeez! They are so good! So it’s okay.

I added spinach to the last batch I made. Nope, that’s not traditional either. But it was delicious. And added some color too.

Khachapuri is a good dish any time for any meal! But because it’s a dairy — cheese item — it’s perfect for Shavuot. Hanukkah too.

Mini spinach Khachapuri

• cornmeal

• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

• 1/2 cup farmer cheese (or use dry curd cottage cheese)

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach

• 1 large egg

• 1 pound pizza dough

• egg yolks, optional

• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into 8 small pieces, optional

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle the paper lightly with cornmeal. Place the mozzarella cheese, feta cheese, farmer cheese, spinach and egg in a bowl and mix for a minute or so until well combined. Set aside. Cut the dough into 8 pieces. Stretch or roll each piece into a 4-inch circle. Form a higher edge around the perimeter of each circle. Spoon equal amounts of filling into the center of each circle. Place each filled circle on top of the parchment paper. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. If desired, place an egg yolk and/or a small piece of butter on top of the filling if desired. Bake for another 5 minutes or until the pizza crust is browned.

Makes 8

Puff Pastry Pizza Redux

My need for simple, meatless dinners post new years just happened to coincide with a freezer failure yesterday.

Fortunately I have a spare, old freezer where I quickly placed all the non-thawed meat and other freezables.

I threw a lot of stuff out. None spoiled, but some too old or freezer burned or no longer wanted.

Here’s how I used the puff pastry and some mozzarella cheese that had thawed: puff pastry pizza, which I’ve made many times. I had a bit of ricotta cheese so I included some. I also used thawed frozen spinach instead of basil.

FRESH TOMATO PUFF PASTRY PIZZA

• 3 large or 4 medium tomatoes, sliced about 1/4-inch thick

• salt

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

• 1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

• 1/4 cup chopped spinach (or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the tomatoes slices on a board, sprinkle with salt and let rest for about 30 minutes. Wipe the slices dry. Roll the puff pastry slightly thinner on a floured surface. Place the pastry on the baking sheet. Spread the surface with the ricotta cheese leaving a small border along the edges. Place the tomato slices on top. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with the spinach or basil. Drizzle with olive oil. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 6-8 servings

Pizza with Spinach, Tomatoes and Cheese

Has pizza become the official post Passover food?

I don’t remember that being the case when I was growing up. After Passover, we were full-on with bagels, challah and sandwiches.

So when did this well-loved dish become so extraordinarily popular?

In the first half of the 20th century there were only a few pizza parlors in the United States, all in urban centers such as New York and Boston (and in New Haven, where, in 1925, Frank Pepe set up the still-famous Pepe’s Pizza). But most of the clientele were folks in the local Italian immigrant community.

Pizza became a “thing” in the late 1940s, spurred on by former GIs who had been to Italy during World War II and tasted it there and didn’t want to do without.

Can you blame them?

Pizza has since become an iconic American dish, with toppings way way beyond the classic, original Italian Marhgerite.

We have homemade pizza post Passover, because why not!

Also, when we want a meatless meal, because why not!

For Shavuot, the “dairy” holiday, because why not!

As an hors d’oeuvre for a dairy or fish dinner, because why not?

Pizza with Spinach tomatoes and cheese 

• 1 pizza crust (about 10-inches)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 large garlic clove, minced

• 1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and dried (about 6 ounces)

• 2 medium plum tomatoes, sliced

• 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded or chopped

• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the crust on a pizza stone or lightly oiled pizza pan or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Heat 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook briefly. Add the spinach and cook for 3–5 minutes or until wilted and all the liquid has evaporated from the pan. If necessary, press the spinach in a sieve to extract liquid. Spread the spinach evenly on top of the crust. Place the tomato slices on top. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and oregano. Drizzle with remaining half tablespoon olive oil. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the crust is beginning to brown.

 Makes 2 servings

Fresh Tomato Puff Pastry Pizza

Year after year I failed at growing tomatoes. They bloomed too late because I planted them too late, so by the time the tomatoes on the vine were big and green, a frost would come and everything was ruined. 

Last year I decided to plant them earlier than usual. Also in a different spot in my garden.

Perfecto!

So this year I did the same.

Perfecto again!

I got lots and lots of tomatoes! Enough for salad and sandwiches. Enough for homemade sauce.

And also these fabulous puff pastry pizzas.

So easy, such a good lunch, brunch or even hors d'oeuvre (cut smaller). 

Fresh Tomato Puff Pastry Pizza

• 3 large or 4 medium tomatoes, sliced about 1/4-inch thick

• salt

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

• 3 tablespoons finely chopped basil

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the tomatoes slices on a board, sprinkle with salt and let rest for about 30 minutes. Wipe the slices dry. Roll the puff pastry slightly thinner on a floured surface. Cut lengthwise once and widthwise twice to make 6-8 smaller pieces (or leave in one piece for a whole tart). Place the pieces on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with equal amounts of the mozzarella cheese, leaving a border of about 1/2-inch. Top with equal amounts of tomato slices. Sprinkle with equal amounts of Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with equal amounts of basil. Drizzle with olive oil. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 6-8 servings