Pizza. Thin-crust pizza. Thin-crust rustic pizza. Thin-crust rustic caprese pizza. It just keeps getting better with this one. This vegetarian dinner simply emanates summer: sweet, earthy heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella and a white bean salad with the zesty flavor of Italian pickled vegetables. Copious amounts of flavor here without any meat or unhealthy Americanizations. Here’s what we mean by that: Americans have a tendency to add sugar, salt, fats, chemicals & meat to impart palatability, while many other cultures rely on herbs, spices, and high-quality produce (among other things) to flavor dishes. Send summer off right with this show-stopping, elegant dish.
This is a very simple, rustic dough. No yeast or rising is necessary as you want a thin, crispy base as the base for all of these fresh ingredients. Rip off a little piece (or give them the whole ball, they can’t hurt it) and let your kids practice rolling it around. Nothing is cuter than fat little floury hands rolling dough around the counter:
As you prepare and enjoy this dish with those you love, teach them a few things about some of the ingredients:
- Giardiniera offers B vitamins, which helps your body maintain healthy energy levels.
- Cannellini beans are a low-glycemic food, which means that they provide your body with energy for hours after you even eat them.
- Basil gives your body vitamin K, which help your blood clot correctly so you don’t bleed too much.
We’re not huge fans of strange pickled vegetables, but some giardiniera (Italian pickled vegetables) and it’s brine truly make for a pleasant piquancy in the bean salad:
Let’s learn a few things about Italy and her people:
- TONS of people visit Italy each year, making it the 4th most-visited country in the world.
- The very first battery was invented by an Italian by the name of Volta in the 1800’s.
- More wine is exported from Italy than from any other country.
From: Thin-Crust Caprese Pizza
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- Kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- ⅔ cup drained giardiniera (Italian pickled vegetables), chopped, plus 2 tablespoons brine
- ½ cup fresh basil, torn, plus small leaves for topping
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Freshly ground pepper
- 3 medium heirloom tomatoes (about 1¼ pounds)
- 1 small clove garlic, grated
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced (not pre-sliced - you need thinner slices)
- Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Mix the flour, baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Stir in ⅓ cup water and 2 tablespoons olive oil until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead into a smooth ball, 1 to 2 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes at room temperature.
- Meanwhile, toss the beans, giardiniera and brine, basil, parsley and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper; set aside. Slice the tomatoes, place on paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt; set aside.
- Roll out the dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly oiled piece of parchment paper. Slide the parchment with the dough onto an inverted baking sheet. Rub 1 tablespoon olive oil and the garlic all over the dough. Sprinkle the parmesan on top. Slide onto the hot stone and bake until browned and crisp, about 8 minutes.
- Remove the crust from the oven and top with the mozzarella, tomatoes and basil leaves. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Serve with the bean salad.
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