tomato bacon caprese pizza
When cherry tomatoes are BOGO, you buy an inhuman amount and make pizza. The First Law of FMG.
Ingredients
- 1 lb pizza dough, homemade or store bought
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 shallots, quartered
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
- 1/2 cup basil pesto, homemade or store bought
- 2 cups low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese, shredded
- 6 strips tofu or regular bacon
- LOTS of fresh basil, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- In a 9 x 9 inch baking dish, toss the cherry tomatoes with the olive oil, shallots, oregano, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Roast 25-30 minutes until bursting.
- Increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees. Divide the pizza dough in half. Working with one ball at a time, push, press, shove, flip, etc. the dough into an approximately 10 inch circle (or something that kinda looks like a circle. Set onto a large baking sheet. Poke holes into the bottom of the crust and brush the dough with a little olive oil. Parbake for 5 minutes until lightly golden.
- Spread half of the pesto over the bottom of the crust. Speckle with about half of the tomatoes and shallots (pull the latter apart a bit as needed), then sprinkle with half of the cheeses. Crumble the bacon overtop. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden and melty. Repeat prior steps with the other half of the dough.
- Toss a buttload of fresh basil on top of the pizza, then slice and serve!
Notes
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Drain and press a block of extra firm tofu to remove excess water for about 5-10 minutes. I make a homemade press by placing paper towels on a large plate, then the tofu, then more towels, another plate, and a skillet.
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees and lightly grease a large baking sheet. Slice the tofu very thin (as thin as you can without breaking it) and place onto the baking sheet.
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In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce, maple syrup, smoked paprika, chili powder, and black pepper. Pour over the tofu and, using a basting brush, coat each slice. Flip, and brush the sauce over the opposite side. Let sit while the oven heats.
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Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping once halfway through baking time. Let cool on the baking sheet: the tofu will continue to crisp up.