Use the best tomatoes you can find for this seasonal pizza. To avoid a soggy crust, we recommend salting and draining the tomatoes to get rid of some of their juice.
4
tomatoes (about 2 pounds)
1
tsp.
salt
1
small red onion
10
oz.
fresh mozzarella
6
tbsp.
chopped fresh basil
1/4
tsp.
fresh-ground black pepper
2
12-inch store-bought pizza shells
1/2
c.
grated Parmesan
2
tbsp.
olive oil
- Heat the oven to 450°F. Put the tomatoes in a strainer set over a medium bowl. Toss with the salt and let drain for 15 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, combine the drained tomatoes with the onion, mozzarella, basil and pepper. Top each pizza shell with half of the tomato mixture.
- Sprinkle the pizzas with the Parmesan and drizzle with the oil. Bake directly on the oven rack until the cheese just melts, about 8 minutes.
- Grilled Pizza: The summer ingredients on this pizza make it a perfect candidate for grilling. Brush a tablespoon of oil on the top of the pizza shells and set them, oiled-side down, on the grill. Cook until warm, about three minutes. Brush with another tablespoon of oil, flip the shells, and top with the remaining ingredients. Cook until the cheese just melts, about ten minutes.
- Wine Recommendation: Bardolino and Valpolicella are made for fresh tomatoey pizza and warm summer days. Among the world’s most popular wines, these sprightly reds from Italy’s Veneto are based on the corvina grape. Valpolicella is the richer of the two; Bardolino is almost rosé-like in its delicacy.
