Did you ever have one of the post-vacation weeks that seem to drag and, by Tuesday, you’re wishing that it were already Friday?
Yeah, me too.
I had originally planned on making something involving salmon this week, but driving home from work, I just wasn’t feeling it. I craved comfort food or, more specifically, pizza. With gouda.
My travel companion Googled a recipe and, voila, here you have this week’s absolutely crave-worthy Queens Eats entry, Tomato Pizza with Garlic and Smoked Gouda.
This recipe is of the semi-homemade variety. I learned from reading “Apron Anxiety,” New York magazine Grub Street editor Alyssa Shelasky’s tale of tale of love, loss and finding herself (reluctantly) in the kitchen after a breakup with a celebrity chef, that you can buy pizza dough from your local pizzeria.
I took her up on the tip and what follows is the answer to the question of what to eat when you really don’t feel like cooking. But try this and you’ll be glad that you did.
Ingredients (Source: MyRecipes.com)
Pizza Dough
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded smoked Gouda cheese
1 1/2 cups sliced plum tomato (about 4)
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place dough on a (12-inch) pizza pan or baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
- Crimp edges of dough with fingers to form a rim. Bake at 450° for five minutes.
- Sprinkle cheese over pizza crust, leaving a one-inch border. Arrange the tomato slices over cheese. Combine oil and garlic; sprinkle over tomato. Sprinkle with pepper.
- Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Top with basil.
- Cut into eight wedges.
