Roasted Garlic Pizza with a Caprese on the side

All of the measurements are as accurate as they were in the kitchen - lots of eye-balling...

Like in all great food, fresh, flavorful ingredients are the key to success- fresh, naturally ripened heirloom tomatoes, fresh soft mozzarella, fresh basil, fresh garlic cloves, kalamata olive oil and home made crust are all important. We used jarred Trader Joe's artichokes (in water) in order to have the consistency required for a pizza topping- if you are going to use jarred artichokes, be sure to get them in water, not in marinated oil (the oil flavor will take over the pizza).

Ingredients:

5 garlic cloves

water

yeast

salt

bread flour

kalamata olive oil

1 large heirloom tomato

fresh basil (about 20 leaves)

fresh mozzarella ball

shredded mozzarella

jarred artichokes in water

balsamic reduction

fresh-ground pepper

Roasted Garlic Pizza with heirloom tomatoes, artichokes and fresh basil

Sauce: Roast half a head (about 5 cloves) of garlic in about a quarter cup olive oil, covered, at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Before roasting the garlic, remove the outer papery layer, we placed them in a ramekin in the oil, and covered with aluminum foil. Let it sit for a while after taking it out of the oven and then smoosh it through a garlic-press into a little bowl. Mix with a little more olive oil.

Crust: 1 cup water, yeast, 1/4 tsp salt, 2.5-3 cups bread flour. Mix, knead, rest. Form into a tight ball, rest (at least an hour), then it's ready to be made into a pizza shape. For more fun, add a sprinkling of shredded mozzarella cheese into the crust before folding over the edges.

Toppings:

Fresh basil - ideally from a living little plant in your garden or window

The ripest heirloom tomato you can find, sliced into flat circles and quartered

Jarred mini artichokes in water (cut in half)

Fresh mozzarella ball, cut into small pieces

Shredded mozzarella

Cooking:

Heat oven to highest temperature - usually 500 degrees F. Put pizza crust on pizza screen for crispiest crust. Spread garlic sauce evenly across raw crust. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella sparingly. Add basil, artichokes and mozzarella ball. Cook for 7-10 minutes - check at 5 minutes. Take out when under-crust is crispy and golden. Add a smattering of fresh heirloom tomato slices and let sit for 2 minutes.

Caprese

Ingredients:

Heirloom tomatoes (ripe and slides in circiles)

Kalamata olive oil

Fresh Basil

Fresh Mozzarella

Balsamic reduction

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

Slice tomatoes and arrange beautifully. Place basil, then mozzarella, then salt & pepper, spray olive oil and then drizzle balsamic reduction. Add extra artichokes for extra flavor.

Pair with a sparking white (like a cava) and steamed asparagus (with salt and pepper) to make it feel more healthy.