TOMATO & BASIL FLATBREAD

Hi All!  Hope this post finds you doing well.  I've got another special treat for you and this one is super easy.  On the menu for today is this quick and delicious Tomato and Basil Flatbread.  It's very similar to a Margherita pizza which is a type of pizza made with tomatoes, sliced mozzarella, basil and extra virgin olive oil.  (Just to give you a little background on the name, the Margherita Pizza was named after Queen Margherita of Italy in the late 1800's. Its colors, red, white and green were picked to emulate the colors of the Italian flag.)  I stop short of actually referring to my dish as "Margherita" flatbread because I took some shortcuts in the preparation BUT basically, the concept is the same.

I had this dish for the first time as an appetizer at the Season 52 Fresh Grill in Birmingham.  It was prepared so perfectly, I became obsessed with making a version of it on my own.  I made this flatbread for a party at a friend's house and it was a big hit.  As a matter of fact, I even won a small door prize for "the most festive dish." 

SPECIAL NOTES:

Typically, you would use fresh diced tomatoes, fresh basil and fresh sliced mozzarella cheese; however, I opted for canned stewed tomatoes and shredded mozzarella cheese instead.  During my test run, I did use fresh diced tomatoes but I found them to be somewhat tart and I wanted them to have the same hint of sweetness as the tomatoes on the flatbread at Season 52.  I was very pleased with the final result but if the thought of using canned tomatoes makes you cringe, by all means, make a run to your local farmer's market.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Keep these ingredients on hand and you've got the makings for one of the easiest and tastiest cheesy snacks you'll ever eat.  It may even make you think twice about ordering pizza next time.  (Sorry Pizza Hut!)

INGREDIENTS:

1 Flatout® Artisan Thin Pizza Crust

1 cup of Italian Recipe Stewed Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano

1 ½ cup of shredded Mozzarella cheese

A few sprigs of fresh basil

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 350°

2.  Place flatbread on a cookie sheet and bake for two minutes.

3.  Dice and chop the tomatoes and basil.

4.  Remove from the oven and brush with the sauce from the tomatoes.

5.  Top with cheese, tomatoes and basil.  (I put extra cheese on top.)

6.  Return to the oven and bake until the cheese has melted.

7.  Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes.

8.  Slice and serve.