Margherita Pizza with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Name: Margherita Pizza with Sun-Dried Tomatoes Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Italian cuisine
Ingredients: Yeast pizza dough 400 g; Ripe tomato 1; Sun-dried tomatoes 50 g; Mozzarella 200 g; Fresh basil 3-4 sprigs; Homemade tomato sauce 3 tbsp; Parmesan (grated) 1 tbsp (7 g); Oregano to taste

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30 mins

Of all the many Italian pizzas, the most famous is probably Margherita. It is a wonderful masterpiece of the culinary art, and very simple to make. The topping is just mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. It is often called a symbol of Italy, since its colors match those of the national flag.

By and large, a flatbread with a topping is a very ancient dish, known as far back as the Roman Empire. The flatbread baked on a hearth or a legionary’s shield was called focaccia, and it was the forefather of pizza. The modern, familiar version of the dish appeared much later, when the Neapolitans began to make focaccia with tomatoes.

It’s worth saying that the topping doesn’t have to be made only with fresh, ripe tomatoes. Tomato pulp crushed with garlic, onion and spices is quite common. Think of pizza marinara. Sun-dried tomatoes, and even dried tomatoes ground to a powder, are also often used, although that is a secondary addition to the topping.

Sun-dried tomatoes aren’t hard to make, but they take time and patience. At home, the drying is done in the oven. The classic method, though, is to dry tomato wedges in the sun. This takes a week or more, and the tomatoes are treated with salt as a preservative. Drying removes 90% of the moisture from the tomatoes.

For pizza it’s worth buying semi-dried tomatoes preserved in vegetable oil. They are sold in shops and have long stopped being a rarity. By the way, the oil can be used for sauces and salads. Italians dry San Marzano tomatoes, which have an elongated shape. Here, as a rule, local tomatoes with a high dry-matter content are dried.

The topping for Margherita pizza with sun-dried tomatoes is actually not much different from the classic one. It’s the same mozzarella balls, green basil and different tomatoes. If you think about it, this set of ingredients is typical of the famous Italian appetizer caprese, a wonderful combination of cheese, tomatoes and basil. When we make this pizza, along with the usual ingredients we add a little Parmesan and dried oregano.

8 ingredientsTo the recipe

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Ingredients

12-inch (34 cm) pizza

Yeast pizza dough 400 g
Ripe tomato 1
Sun-dried tomatoes 50 g
Mozzarella 200 g
Fresh basil 3-4 sprigs
Homemade tomato sauce 3 tbsp
Parmesan (grated) 1 tbsp
(7 g)
Oregano to taste

Step-by-step recipe

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For Margherita pizza with sun-dried tomatoes, take the tomatoes out of the jar in advance and let the oil drain off. Use mozzarella in the form of small balls, which are stored in brine. Put the fresh basil in cold water beforehand, then pat it dry. You can make the tomato sauce yourself: simply purée tomato pulp, add olive oil and spices, then simmer in a frying pan until thick.
For this pizza I recommend using a simple yeast dough. It always turns out the way you want. Depending on the rising time, you can make it thin or puffy, crisp or soft, whatever you like. As a rule, preparing pizza dough takes 1-2 hours. Then the dough needs to be rolled out and spread in the baking pan.
Place the mozzarella balls on a plate to let the liquid drain. Then cut them in half. If your cheese comes in large pieces, slice it into thin slices. If you like, you can make the pizza on a thin crust, in which case the dough doesn’t need to rise again in the pan. If you wait up to half an hour, the crust will be fluffier. Spread the sauce over the dough and arrange the mozzarella. Sprinkle with a pinch of dried oregano.
Cut the ripe tomato into thin slices. If the tomato gives off a lot of juice, it’s better to remove the seeds. Arrange the slices of ripe tomato. Then add the pieces of sun-dried tomatoes. If the pieces are large, cut them lengthwise into narrow strips. When I make Margherita pizza with sun-dried tomatoes, I usually try to put the mozzarella closer to the outer edge, leaving the middle for the sun-dried tomatoes. Sprinkle the pizza with a little grated Parmesan.
Preheat the oven to 180-190°C. Put the pan with the dough and topping in the oven. Given the amount of topping, this pizza is usually ready in 20 mins. Still, do keep an eye on it. Lift the edge of the dough in the pan: if it has started to turn golden, the pizza is done. Take the pan out of the oven and move the pizza to a board or a large plate. Scatter fresh basil leaves over the topping; you can add plenty.
Cut the pizza into pieces, usually 6 or 8, as you like. Serve it hot, before it cools down, and try to eat it right away so you don’t have to reheat it. It goes very well with tomato juice, although, of course, there are other options.