A Twist on a Margarita Pizza

Tuesday evening, I made a 'homemade' pizza that ended up quite delicious. The recipe was--if not followed precisely--inspired by Gaby Dalkin's most recent cookbook Eat What You Want. She calls it a modern-day margarita pizza.

First--and this was only the third or fourth time I had done this--I started with fresh pizza dough from the grocery store rather than making my own pizza dough or using my husband's homemade pizza dough. This (1) was faster, and (2) was far less work and mess than making our own.

As I brought the chilled dough up to room temperature, I halved a pint of cherry tomatoes. I brought a skillet to high heat, drizzled in olive oil, and added the tomatoes. I added a hefty pinch of red pepper flakes. The tomatoes sizzled and burst for about 11 minutes until they resembled more of a sauce than individual tomatoes.

I sliced an 8 oz. ball of fresh mozzarella into 1/2 inch thick circles. 

I finely diced one shallot and one clove of garlic into one handful of finely minced fresh basil. I mixed the vegetables into olive oil and red wine vinegar with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. This vinaigrette is drizzled on top of the baked pizza.

I pressed the ball of dough into about a 14 in round on a pan with parchment paper. I ladled and spread the tomato mixture across the dough and added the slices of mozzarella on top. Baked for about 16 minutes at 425 degrees.

When I removed the pizza, I drizzled the basil vinaigrette all over, cut it up, and served immediately. 

This was a great pizza. I think it was a more approachable way to handle a margarita pizza, because you didn't have to mess around with baking fresh tomatoes. Also, by adding the basil mixture at the end, you got a little acid from the vinaigrette and the basil remained vibrant and fresh rather than baked/wilted/charred.

Today's Delights:

• Yesterday, I was fairly productive in my workday. That felt good: it had been a while.
• A loved one had an interview yesterday for a new job, and a different loved one has an interview today for a new job. I'm so hopeful for them both!
• Noom progress: I weighed in at 167 lbs today. 

I hope you have a delightful day! -A