I finally had enough heirloom tomatoes to make two margherita bar pies.
I also picked two white eggplants and thinly sliced one to top MY bar pie.
Turns out The Nudge almost ate 3 qtrs of mine before I told him only one had the eggplant, and I had yet to eat one piece.
He is a pizza junkie. That is why I made these pies.
When we were in No. Carolina checking out the landscape for future retirement, we ate at this local pub in Wilmington called the Copper Penny where Wednesdays are Margherita Bar Pie day.
There was no way we were leaving there before Wednesday nite!
It just made sense when The Recipe Redux challenge for August was to recreate a vacation inspired dish, that pie would be my choice.
While I am not a pizza monger, I will eat certain pies in a handful of places, top of that list being from my own kitchen. This dough recipe is so good, pizza is on the menu once a week now and with ripe juicy yellow and red heirlooms ripe for the picking, guess what we had last night?
So simple to make, they bake in 15 minutes and we have been eating this original version all summer.
While calling for a homemade pizza sauce, we were really counting the days when we would pick heirlooms with tommy's from our deck garden.
(basic margherita)
You really can not get anything tastier or easier than sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil but adding the eggplant put it over the top for me.
The best part? they bake in cake pans. No special stone or pan required. I will never bake a pie in my oven any other way than this way.
Let's get cooking:
You will need two 9" metal cake pans.
Preheat oven to 500°.
In a processor or bread machine, place all the ingredients into the bowl and run the blender until the mixture comes together in a ball and then a few more minutes to knead it.
Cut into two balls and cover to rise for at least 30 minutes. Press the dough into the pan that is coated with EVOO, add the toppings and bake for 15 minutes.
Really, is there anything easier than that. Perfect for the kids to do as long as you slice and grate the ingredients.
Dough:
makes 2 (9") crusts
* 1 2/3 cups (8 1/3 ounces) AP flour
* 1 teaspoon rapid-rise yeast
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 2/3 cup water
* 1 1/2 teaspoon EVOO
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
Topping:
8 oz grated mozzarella, divided
Assorted vine ripened tomatoes, sliced at least 1/4"
Small white eggplant, thinly sliced on a mandoline
Fresh chopped basil for garnish after baking
Additional sprinkle of really fruity olive oil before serving, optional
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