Reprinted with permission from Organic Marin: Recipes from Land to Table by Tim Porter & Farina Wong Kingsley (Andrews McMeel 2008).
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
- * * * * Dough * * * *
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- * * * * Basil Oil * * * *
- 1/2 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- * * * * Fried Garlic * * * *
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- * * * * *
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3 heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/3 cup shaved pecorino romano cheese
- Minced fresh basil for garnish
Preparation:
For the basil oil: Blanch the basil in boiling water for 10 seconds, then drain and plunge into ice water to cool. Squeeze dry and place in a blender with the extra-virgin olive oil. Blend for 20 seconds and pass through a fine-meshed sieve; discard the solids.
For the fried garlic: Heat the canola oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat to 325°F. Fry the garlic slices until just golden brown, 2 to 3 seconds. Drain in a fine-meshed sieve, then transfer the garlic to a paper towel to soak up excess oil.
Preheat an oven to 400°F with a pizza stone inside, if you have one. Flatten each dough ball into a disk and roll into an 8-inch round. Place the rounds directly on the pizza stone. If not using a pizza stone, place the rounds on a baking sheet. Prick the dough all over with a fork and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until just golden. Remove from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 425°F.
Sprinkle half of the Parmesan and mozzarella on each baked bread. Place the breads in the oven on the pizza stone or baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese melts and just starts to brown. Remove from the oven and layer each with the tomato slices in a single layer, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle evenly with the basil oil. Top each with half of the pecorino cheese shavings and return to the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the pecorino turns slightly golden. Remove from the oven and garnish with basil and fried garlic. Use a pizza wheel to cut each bread into 6 slices and serve right away.
Serves 4 as a first course
