italian essentials: awesome pizza tart
The three important components of a good pizza are the cheeses, filling, and the crust. This recipe uses standard components for the first two and switches out the crust for something buttery and flakey… a tart crust. It looks great and tastes awesome. I served it with chicken wings and cold beers. So, you ready… Let’s get into the kitchen. Note: As of late I have become a bit slapdash with my photos; however, I think there are enough to take you through the process.
yield
serving(s)
prep time
20 Min
cook time
45 Min
method
Bake
Ingredients For italian essentials: awesome pizza tart
- PLAN/PURCHASE
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1buttery tart crust, more on this later
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8 ozitalian sausage, mild or hot, your choice
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1 - 2 lggarden-fresh tomatoes
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6 - 8 ozpizza sauce, or your favorite tomato-based sauce, more on this later
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4 sliceprovolone cheese, 2 ounces
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4 ozmozzarella, freshly grated
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salt, kosher variety, for the tomatoes
- OPTIONAL SPICES
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dried basil
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dried oregano
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dried rosemary
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dried fennel seed (i love fennel)
How To Make italian essentials: awesome pizza tart
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1PREP/PREPARE
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2Although not a necessity, if you have a tart pan, it makes for a brilliant presentation.
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3Savory Tart Crust If you want to save time, you can find decent tart crusts at the local grocer. Just make sure it is a savory, not sweet crust. If you are looking for an awesome, flaky tart crust, look no further: https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/pie/autumn-essentials-super-flaky-pie-tart-crust.html?r=10 Pizza Sauce Use your favorite tomato-based sauce; however, if you feel like making your own, here is brilliant one. If I do say so myself: https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/sauce-spread/other-sauce-spread/italian-essentials-awesome-pizza-sauce.html?r=1
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4Gather your ingredients.
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5Prebake your tart shell, according to recipe directions, and reserve.
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6Some “store-bought” tart shells come prebaked… If that is the case, you have my permission to skip this step.
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7Slice the tomatoes into 1/4-inch (.6cm) slices. You want 4 slices.
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8Lay them on paper towels, and sprinkle with salt. Allow them to sit for a about 30 minutes, then blot the tops with another paper towel, and reserve.
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9Thirty minutes is just the minimum amount of time; you could go up to an hour without a problem. What we are doing is removing as much of the water from the tomatoes as possible. That will prevent the pizza tart from becoming soggy, and we hate it when that happens.
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10While you're waiting for the tomatoes to release their moisture, cook the sausage in a sauté pan over medium heat until no pink remains. Then drain on paper towels and reserve.
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11While cooking, use a wooden spoon to break the sausage into small bits.
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12Place a rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350f (175c).
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13Place the sliced provolone on the bottom of the prebaked tart crust. Add the sauce. Add the sausage. Add the tomatoes.
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14With the four slices of provolone, you should have enough to cover the bottom of the tart and come up about an inch (2.5cm) on the sides.
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15The provolone I used for this recipe was cut into 1/8-inch (0.4cm) thick, by 4-inch (10cm) diameter slices.
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16Top with the grated mozzarella.
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17Place the pie in the preheated oven and bake until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown, about 40 to 45 minutes.
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18PLATE/PRESENT
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19Let the tart cool about 10 – 15 minutes before serving.
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20Keep the faith and keep cooking.
- Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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