Puff Pastry Pizza Is Dead Easy To Make

Make this gorgeous Provençal Pizza with store-bought puff pastry in a matter of minutes.

EASY + GOOD | Puff pastry is a flaky, crispy ingredient found in a surprising array of show- stopping appetizers, entrées and sweets. Of course you can make it from scratch if you want—à la Julia, perhaps?—but quality premade products found in the freezer section of grocery stores work fine, too.

Author Martha Holmberg used mostly frozen puff pastry for the 50 interesting and original recipes featured in her cookbook Puff—mains like the pizza alternative she shares with Frugalbits readers here.

“This flaky-crusted “pizza” is easy to make,” Holmberg writes, “so serve big squares of it as dinner on nights when you’re short on time. Or, for guests, serve smaller pizzas as an appetizer.” Originally developed as a way to use leftover ratatouille, Holmberg says the supermarket is full of other options for toppings: caponata, Greek eggplant spread, roasted red peppers, whatever. She also encourages playing with other ingredients like caramelized onions, grilled zucchini, fresh mozzarella. “Just don’t overload the crust or it will get soggy,” she warns.

Martha Holmberg’s Provençal Pizza

(Serves 8 as an appetizer or 3 as a light main course)

1 sheet (about 9 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed
3/4 cup ratatouille, caponata or other Mediterranean vegetable condiment (drained if very juicy)
1/2 cup halved grape or other small tomatoes
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup roughly chopped pitted kalamata, niçoise or other good-quality black olives
Scant 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
8 anchovy fillets
1/2 cup (about 1 ounce) freshly and finely grated Parmesan cheese
Olive oil, for brushing (optional)
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh basil or parsley leaves

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. On a lightly floured counter, roll the pastry into an 11-by-15-inch rectangle. Slide it onto a baking sheet and prick all over with a fork. Moisten the perimeter with a little water and fold up the edge to create a 1/2-inch border.

Spread the ratatouille evenly over the pastry. Distribute the tomatoes, feta, olives and sun-dried tomatoes on top. Bake for about 18 minutes, then arrange the anchovies in a neat pattern on top and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Continue baking until the pastry is puffed around the edges and golden brown (check the underside, too), another 4 to 5 minutes. Slide onto a cutting board, immediately brush the edges with some olive oil (if using) and sprinkle with the herbs. Cut into squares and serve slightly warm.—eds

We found Puff by (IACP nominated) Martha Holmberg for $16.68 online at chapters.indigo.ca

Photo: Ngoc Minh Ngo for Puff, published by Chronicle Books