I was so excited to see the response that my Instagram photo of black cherry tomatoes got over the weekend!
To recap, I was planning a dinner recipe that called for a pint of heirloom cherry tomatoes. I went to a farmers market on Saturday morning, and found them at one vendor's stall. But next to the heirloom cherry tomatoes were these purplish-brown little fruits, with tops that looked similar to those on tomatoes.
I asked the vendor what they were, and he replied, "Black cherry tomatoes. They have a flavor that's hard to describe, maybe quite as tangy as regular tomato? They're my favorite."
I picked those up instead of the heirlooms, and used them in the recipe instead. So many of you wanted to know what the recipe was! Well, here it is.
It's a black cherry tomato pizza.
Ever since I got a pizza stone from Sur La Table, I've been having so much fun looking for new and unique pizza recipes to try. I started reading The Curvy Carrot after meeting her at The Big Summer Potluck, since her blog is mostly vegetarian, and I've been trying to incorporate more meatless meals into our menus.
While looking through her recipe index, I saw her Heirloom Cherry Tomato Pizza, which sounded fantastic. I actually didn't intend to alter the recipe at all. But half the fun of shopping at a farmers market is seeing what's available and finding recipes in which to use them.
Like most pizzas, this is so quick and easy to make. The tomatoes char for about five minutes, then go onto the raw dough. Add the cheese, and everything goes into the oven at the same time. Do not skip docking the pizza dough! This prevents the dough from bubbling up in the middle, and trust me, it can bubble quite high, making all of your toppings slide right off the pizza.
If you couldn't tell by my raves in my Monday Bites post, we loved this pizza. Black cherry tomatoes are both sweet and smoky, and charring them only enhances those elements. The heat from the pinch of red pepper flakes balances out the sweetness for a really delicious flavor.
Black Cherry Tomato Pizza
Adapted from The Curvy Carrot
Ingredients
- 14 to 16 ounces pizza dough (purchased or homemade), at room temperature
- 1 pint (2 cups) black cherry tomatoes, green tops removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 3 garlic cloves
- A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (or more, if desired)
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
- Small fresh basil leaves
Directions
- Place a baking sheet or pizza stone in your oven, and preheat to 425 degrees.
- Sprinkle your work surface with flour, and roll the dough out to ½-inch thickness. Gently prick all over with a fork.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and the cherry tomatoes, and season with kosher salt and black pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until charred. Remove with tongs to a medium-sized bowl.
- Grate the garlic cloves with a microplane over the tomatoes, and add the red pepper flakes. Mix to combine, mashing any whole tomatoes with a fork. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Remove the baking sheet or pizza stone from the oven, and carefully sprinkle with cornmeal. Carefully lay the pizza dough on the surface. Quickly arrange the cheese slices on the pizza dough, then spoon the tomato mixture over top.
- Place the sheet back in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove the pizza from the oven, and place the fresh basil leaves on the pizza.
- Slice the pizza and serve.
Diet type: Vegetarian
Number of servings (yield): 4
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