Rustic Margherita Pizza

The weather has been increasingly stifling lately. Really, are temperatures hovering around 100 necessary? I think not. Seeing as I have a mind that constantly wanders, I go from "gosh darn it's hot outside!" to "why does it feel like Mexico in Pennsylvania?" to "I could really go for one of those margherita pizzas from the resort!" Yep, that's exactly how my mind works. You might wonder why we ate pizza while in Mexico, but geez louise, the folks at Pueblo Bonito could whip up a mean margherita pizza. It was all things a pizza should be: crispy crust, gooey mozzarella, and fresh ingredients. Now that I'm craving it, I figured it would make a nice summertime lunch.

Rustic Margherita Pizza

Ingredients

Pizza Dough (recipe link below) or Pre-made Crust

2 Tomatoes (on the vine, preferred)

10-15 Basil Leaves, depending on your preference

1 teaspoon of minced garlic

1 cup Shredded Mozzarella

1/2 ball of Fresh Mozzarella, sliced

Instructions:

• First you will need to blanch your tomatoes to remove the skin. Clean your tomatoes but don't remove the stems because it makes the process a bit easier in the end. Place the tomatoes in a pot of boiling water.

         

• After about a minute or two you will see the skin crack, at this point remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon and immediately dunk in ice water. 
• This is where the stems come in handy: grasp each tomato by the stem and pull off the skins. They will easily peel off in your hands.
  
  
• I prefer to bake my crust first due to the moisture from the mozzarella and tomatoes. If using uncooked dough, preheat your oven to the instructions that your recipe mandates and cook until golden (this can vary depending on your recipe). If you are using a pre-made crust, this step is unnecessary.
• Roughly dice the cooked tomatoes
• Tear or chop the basil into small pieces (depends on the look you want)
• Combine tomatoes, basil, and diced garlic into a mixing bowl and toss gently
• Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and fresh mozzarella randomly around the crust
• Spoon the tomato/garlic/basil mixture over the cheese, being sure to leave as much of the liquid as possible in the bowl
• Put the pizza under a broiler for 5 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove from oven when cheese is bubbly and basil is slightly charred

PIZZA DOUGH:

I'm a big fan of Mario Batali so I recommend his pizza dough recipe. If his seal of approval wasn't enough, the crust has wine in it... yep, wine. I think the crust is extremely vital for a good pizza, but any recipe you like will do. Most grocery stores have fresh pizza dough available, but you could even use pre-made pizza crusts or flat bread / naan for a super easy meal.

If this made your mouth water, consider following Spool and Spoon through Google Friend Connect or by email for other easy recipes and fun DIY projects.

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