Mediterranean Pizza
I have to confess; this recipe was developed out of a need to finish the antipasto items I had in my fridge. Marinated artichoke hearts, pitted kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, salami, and a lot of mozzarella! We had a small gathering at our house, as always; too much food! What I especially love about this recipe is the oregano that is mixed into the dough, rather than adding it to sauce, it is mild but flavourful.
Serves 4
1 Batch of whole wheat dough with 2 tbsp of dried oregano added to the flour mixture
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 454g (1 pint) package of grape tomatoes, sliced in half
Salt
Pepper
187 ml (1/2 jar) pitted black kalamate olives, sliced in half (liquid drained)
1 170g jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained
100 g part skim mozzarella cheese, grated
2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
100 g salami (I like Genoa) or prosciutto, sliced into ribbons (optional)
– Prepare the dough according to recipe instructions but add 2 tbsp of dried oregano to the flour, salt, and yeast; mix well.
– Bake the dough at 425 for 11 minutes as recipe outlines, meanwhile;
– Combine the olive oil and garlic in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave the oil and garlic mixture for 15 seconds (this will infuse the oil).
– Over high heat, saute the mushrooms until they have given off their water (no oil in the pan and don’t season the mushrooms).
– When the dough has baked for the 11 minutes, remove it from the oven and then add garlic oil to the crust (in place of tomato sauce).
– Top the oil with the grape tomatoes; season lightly with salt and pepper.
– Top with an even layer of the olives.
– Top the olives with the mushrooms.
– Top the mushrooms with the artichoke hearts.
– Return the pizza to the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, careful not to burn the crust.
– Remove the pizza from the oven and turn the broiler to high.
– Cover the pizza with the mozzarella and then the parmesan.
– Place the pizza under the broiler until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.
– Top the pizza with the salami or prosciutto ribbons, if using.
– Let the pizza stand for at least 5 minutes before you slice it.
Notes:
- Feel free to improvise (as always) and use any marinated toppings you like.
- I say to lightly season the tomatoes because the olives and artichokes are quite salty.
- Use feta in place of the parmesan for an even better Mediterranean experience.
- This recipe does have less cheese than my other pizza recipes but too much cheese would have made this pizza really heavy; you really won’t miss it here.
- If you are using store bought pizza dough (whole wheat please) you can sprinkle some dried oregano over the garlic and oil mixture, not too much though; no more than ½ tbsp.