Friday Finds: Chef Frank's Prosciutto & Cheese Pizza

Happy Friday, everyone! 

First things first-- A Squared got a mini-makeover this week. What do you think of the new look?  I think it's a bit easier to read now, no?

Today's recipe comes from Top Chef: The Cookbook. I have a real love-hate relationship with this cookbook. I love Top Chef. It's my TV favorite show, hands down. And the recipes are amazing. But, that's probably part of the problem-- these are top chef recipes and let's be honest, I'm not cooking with a lot of foie gras, geoduck, and sweetbreads around here.

So, when I find a recipe like this one for a prosciutto and cheese pizza that is both lower cal and low maintenance I jump on it. Pizza is a dinner staple in this house and it doesn't really matter what I put on it. Alex is always happy to see pizza on his plate. Prosciutto on his pizza makes him extra happy though. I was excited that this recipe included a recipe for pizza sauce. I always make my own pasta sauce, so I'm not sure why I never did the same for pizza too. I will be now!

Ingredients: 

Pizza Sauce--

• 1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 15 oz. can tomato puree *I couldn't find a smaller can of puree, so I used crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tbs. tomato paste
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 2 tsp. fresh oregano, finely chopped
• 2 tsp. fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crust and Toppings--

• 4 whole wheat pita bread rounds *I used two larger whole grain Naan flatbreads instead
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced *I used a 8 oz. mozzarella ball and it was plenty
• 2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 8 thin slices prosciutto, torn into pieces
• 12 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until soft, about 1 minute. Add the tomato puree, tomato paste, wine, oregano, basil, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, cover, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool slightly.

Drizzle the pitas with the oil and season with salt and pepper.

Spread the sauce over the pitas, then top with the cheese and tomato slices.
*I only ended up using about half of the sauce. I froze the rest to use later.

Place the pizzas on a baking sheet, transfer to the oven, and bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is crisp, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and scatter the prosciutto and basil on top. Cut each pizza into 4 slices and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Note: In the episode, the team used sausage on their pizza, but you can also make it with prosciutto, as shown here.