Sunday, March 20, 2005

the passion of the . . . pizza?

So, I was sitting on the couch, reading a Jamie Oliver cookbook (AKA the "Naked Chef,") when I suddenly became insanely hungry. (Well, that happens pretty much every time I read a Jamie Oliver cookbook -- his passion for food usually gets me all fired up to attack the kitchen and create something new and interesting. And I want to eat it, too.) I'm just continually amazed that he can write, like, a whole page about how much he likes fresh peas, and all the exciting ideas that come from stumbling across some really fresh peas. That may sound odd to you, but I think it's cool.

Anyhow, I made a snack. I hesitate to call it a pizza, because I used a pita bread (too hungry to wait for bread dough to rise,) but it is pretty pizza-like. Here goes:

1. Take a whole wheat pita and drop a little extra-virgin olive oil on it. Smear it around with your fingers and wipe off any major excess. Wash your hands.
2. Place the pita, oil side up, on a toaster oven pan. Lightly salt (about a pinch) and heavily pepper (several cranks) the pita.
3. Combine about a half an ounce of fresh mozzarella, finely diced, half a stick of smoked string cheese, finely diced, a few good pinches of grated parmesan, and one gigundo basil leaf, torn to shreds. Toss this together and evenly spread over the pita.
4. Peel and finely slice 1 clove of garlic, and arrange over the cheese. Pop in your toaster oven at 450 for 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown and the garlic has softened.

Now, I dare you to eat only half of that.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes! I finally read a recipe from Catherine that I already knew about. :) Try my version:

1. Brush a pita crust with olive oil and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
2. Spread mixture of cooked spinach and onion on top.
3. Sprinkle with a little more mozzarella cheese and a bit of Italian seasoning, paprika or parsley.
4. Bake at 400 in regular oven for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.
5. Enjoy!

Catherine Weber said...

well, now lauren, it sounds like you need to start your own blog!! :)

pita pizzas are the best -- so fast and yummy!