June 24, 2010

Margherita Pizza





















Last night marked the second annual book club meeting within my mom's group of friends- basically, an excuse for the ladies to get together, drink some wine and enjoy tasty dishes brought by everyone...and even have the opportunity to get a massage (which, thanks to a gracious hostess's husband I got to enjoy as well!). The obvious choice for our dish was easy: homemade pizza. It's what we Arquiette's are known for every Friday night, so why not bring some to share with everyone?


Margherita Pizza

1 prepared pizza crust- I'll post our secret recipe later with our story :)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup pizza sauce (Trader Joe's has an amazing sauce)
10-12 fresh basil leaves
6 vine ripened tomatoes, sliced thinly
8 ounces fresh Mozzarella, sliced

In a small bowl, combine the pizza sauce and tomato paste, this leads to a sauce richer in tomato flavor as evidenced not only by the taste, but the reddening of the color of the sauce as well. Once thoroughly combined, spread over the pizza crust. Top with the fresh basil leaves, you can chop them up if you like but I prefer to leave them whole in order to have the full, traditional pizza effect. Then, arrange the sliced Mozzarella over the basil and sauce and top with the sliced tomatoes. For additional flavor and spark, add a couple grinds of fresh black pepper and sprinkle some kosher salt. Bake in a preheated oven at 450F for 11 minutes. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil before serving. Slice and enjoy!

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