Celebrating Tomato Season II: the simple pizza from your home oven that makes you look like the tomato-pie super genius

I’ve done something ridiculous, and I’ve decided to save you from it.
 
Last week, I promised you a recipe for tomato pie.
 
After telling you that, I began experimenting with a pizza we are calling Tomato Ridiculous.
 
Today’s recipe is not that. Today’s recipe is better. It will cause you to hear angels sing.
 
But first, a brief tale of ambitious obsession gone stupid. Following that, an easy recipe giving the nod to one of American pizza’s legacy pizzerias with a glorious and simple celebration of tomato goodness.

ABOVE: The pizza about which the Fabulous Honey Parker says, "This pizza is addictive. The cheese and crunch with the fresh tomatoes? You want to eat more than you know you should."


If you were here for Part One of this tomato mishigas, you’ll recall we discussed a plethora of pies.
 
Those pies included: Jersey Tomato Pie, Philly Tomato Pie, New Haven Tomato Pie, even Southern Tomato Pie (which is very much a Not A Pizza).
 
After doing all that, I’d also made myself a Southern Tomato Pie. All that writing about tomatoes was makin’ me tomato hungry.
 
Then, after I left you, I thought, Why not? What’s to prevent me from making this Not A Pizza into a Southern Tomato Pie Pizza?

ABOVE: The Southern Tomato Pie Pizza while still in R&D. Yes, that is an 8-inch pizza with a three-inch stack of tomatoes (two pounds worth) sliced onions and cheese. 
 

ABOVE: Top is the whole 8-inch R&D pie from overhead. Bottom is a cross section of that pizza. It tasted great. 


​What a perfect pizza to bake in advance and maybe even take to a party!
 
Well, that all flew out the window yesterday when scaling it from 8 inches to 12 inches.
 
One word: leakage.
 
Moisture is the enemy!
 
Whereas the 8-inch pie stayed dry and fine, the 12-inch pie was finding all kinds of ways to rain on my parade.

ABOVE: The pizza known as Tomato Ridiculous in its 12-inch format. Looks great. You can’t see the river of juice running from the other side. More research and development is required.


​I will continue to work on that pizza and see if it’s possible to stem the tide of tomato juice.
 
In the meantime, I’ve done something that might make you happy even though Stephen Colbert has left the building.
 
 
Next stop: All passengers out for New Haven!
 
In reevaluating my folly, I decided to heed my own hackneyed advice that simple is best.
 
The tomato pie most celebrated by media may be the Fresh Tomato Pie from Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven, Connecticut—available only during New England tomato season.
 
The pizza features slices of mozzarella covered with marinated tomato chunks , sprinkled with pecorino Romano, drizzled with olive oil, and baked right to the edge (but not over it) with an enticing char.
 
It’s that simple. And it’s the cause of seasonal mania,
 
 
You can skip this next paragraph.
 
Every year, as tomato season rolls around and Connecticut promises its seasonal marathon of sweltering I-95 traffic jams of countless cars packed to swollen with inflatable beach toys, while the oppressive humidity inspires homebound residents to drape their limp, sweaty children over porch railings and clotheslines while singing hopeful songs of October chill, before that all comes to pass, hungry news cameras from around the state eschew intrigue and corruption and other fake news to descend upon New Haven like a flock of long-lensed truffle pigs pointing their glassy snouts at the story everyone really wants to know: that the fabled Fresh Tomato Pie is back at Frank Pepe’s Pizza Napoletana.
 
That is our inspiration for today. And it is even simpler to make than that paragraph was to write.
 
In fact, I’ve practically given you the entire recipe already:
 
Marinate tomatoes, spread cheese on dough, spread tomatoes, sprinkle with more cheese, drizzle with oil, bake to the edge of darkness.

ABOVE: Marinated tomatoes atop the cheese on this pizza during the build.


Maybe that should be my memoir: Baked to The Edge of Darkness.
 
Anyway, this homage Tomato pie is done not as a New Haven-style pizza.
 
It’s more a mashup pizza, a concurrent homage to another Connecticut staple: New England-style Greek pizza.
 
The result is a crunchy crust redolent with good olive oil, a copious covering of cheese, and a heroic amount of bright, fresh tomato fun.
 
You’re gonna love it.


And you don’t have to endure the internal harangue of farmer’s market fresh tomato FOMO.
 
You can make this pizza with good tomatoes from the supermarket.
 
You also don’t need a Lloyd Pan. I’ve made pizzas like this with success in cake pans. And as an experiment on this one, we went a little crazy.
 
I made this pizza two ways.
 
One was with some heirloom Red Pear Tomatoes and baked in a 12-inch Lloyd Pans one-inch high pizza pan.

ABOVE: A Red Pear heirloom tomato that went onto one of the R&D pizzas. It's a good tomato. But you can make do with some high-quality on-the-vine tomatoes as well. (We like the great stuff, but it isn't always readily available.)


The other tomato was with standard on-the-vine supermarket tomatoes, and the pizza was baked in a 15-inch cast-iron skillet from Walmart. (It is a killer all-around pizza tool for just over 20 bucks. It’s the biggest skillet they sell in the camping department. The measurement is 15 inches, which means the bottom measures about 12.5 inches. My advice: just get one.)


Since the tomatoes are marinated, some sins of mass-market produce are assuaged.
 
The tomatoes spend several hours in olive oil with garlic, basil and salt.
 
You could use that marinade with an old leather hiking boot and probably end up with a delightful summer salad as long as you first remove the laces and Vibram sole. Mmm. Boot.
 
I was just in the fridge a moment ago, and tasted the leftover on-the-vine tomatoes, which have been marinating overnight. Based on that taste, I had to fight the urge to sit down with a spoon and start shoveling them in the hole. 
 
Granted, the heirloom tomatoes were better. But not enough that I would say, “STOP! Do not approach this pizza without the finest produce still screaming from the tree!”
 
 
A note about sliced mozzarella…
 
I went right to the pre-packaged cold cuts aisle and bought a big-brand sliced mozzarella as well as a store-brand.
 
Both worked just fine.
 
In other circumstances, I would go to the deli counter and have them slice a premium brand for me.
 
As for the quantity of the mozzarella, I’ve found that 9 slices (two of them divided) provide adequate coverage. (A standard slice of low-moisture mozzarella is roughly 4 inches square. The exact size varies by brand. Use your best judgment knowing that whatever you do, the pizza almost always wins anyway.) One regular slice weighs somewhere around 20 grams.
 
The reason for sliced mozzarella is two-fold. One is that it provides an excellent moisture barrier against wet tomatoes. The other is that it’s just how they do it at Pepe’s.
 
 
A few details about the dough and the baking thereof.
 
The pizza here is a pan pizza dough from a no-knead formula that is so stupidly simple I’ve just written a book about it. (The Lazy Way to Pizza—coming soon!) You can find the dough recipe here. 
 
If you’d rather make this pizza on your own dough, go for it. Just be aware that the quantities specified here are befitting a substantially structured pan pizza crust that bakes for 14 to 18 minutes, depending on your oven and your pan. Adjust as necessary. 
 
(I say all this more for the newbies than for you personally. If you’ve already considered transposing this pizza to your own dough recipe, we know you are already deep in the siblinghood that is pizza and require little such intel.)
 
 
If you’re new to pan pizza, know that not all pans are created equal.
 
If you try to bake this pizza in a disposable, aluminum-foil pan, it will be disappointing.
 
I’ve had decent success with cake pans which lack the mass of pro-grade pans.
 
And while they require additional baking time, cast iron skillets work well. IMPORTANT NOTE: You’ll want to double the amount of olive oil on the bottom of the pan. Cast iron is thirsty.
 
ANOTHER IMPORTANT NOTE: Baking times here are based on my standard home oven. Your baking times will vary from mine. Vigilance!
 
Ready?

ABOVE: The marinating tomatoes. NOTE: Before cutting, always check your tomatoes for PLU code stickers. It gets embarrassing when your guests can scan your pizza with an iPhone. 


​Tomato Pie New Haven Tribute Edition
 
Yield: one 12-inch pizza
 
350-gram Lazy Way pan-pizza dough ball
9 slices of low-moisture mozzarella
300 grams of marinated tomatoes (recipe follows)
25 grams pecorino Romano, shredded fine
Olive oil for drizzle
 

PREPARING THE TOMATOES
 
You’re essentially making a chopped tomato salad.
 
For one 12-inch pan pizza, I recommend using at least a pound and a half of fresh tomatoes. Some of that weight will disappear as waste. Some of it will disappear as water. There will likely be leftover. It makes for great eating all by itself.
 
You’ll notice the recipe calls for both dried and fresh basil. This is a heresy that I practice. The dried basil brings an extra basil punch. And since this is all being cooked, it’s not such a gourmet transgression as much as a flavor-bomb enhancement.

INGREDIENTS
1.5 pounds (680 grams) fresh tomatoes
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
.5 teaspoon dried basil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
6 to 8 large basil leaves, chiffonade
 
Be sure to cut away the woody stem ends, the blossom (bottom) ends, and any tough core and undeveloped white parts inside the tomatoes.
 
Cube the tomatoes into bite-size chunks of roughly one inch.
 
Put the tomatoes into a bowl or other container with the salt, garlic and basil. Mix thoroughly. Allow to marinate at room temp for one to two hours.

ABOVE: The Tribute Tomato Pie ready to bake. NOTE: This was the first iteration. For the second pie, I increased the tomatoes by about 50%, which yielded a far better result. 


PREPARING THE PIZZA
 
Two hours before baking, begin panning the dough as per recipe.
 
Half an hour before baking, position an oven rack at the lowest level. Turn on the oven to bake at 500 degrees.
 
When the oven is ready to bake, prepare the pizza.
 
Cover the panned dough with a layer of sliced mozzarella.
 
Scatter the marinated tomato chunks around the cheese.
 
Sprinkle the shredded Pecorino Romano over the tomatoes.
 
Drizzle it all with olive oil.
 
Launch pizza onto the bottom oven rack.
 
Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate 180 degrees.
 
At 12 minutes, check to see that the pizza is browning around the edge. If so, remove the pan to check the bottom of the pizza. (I grip the pan with an oven mitt on one hand and use an offset spatula in the other hand to lift up the edge of the pie and peek.)
 
If the bottom is not yet golden brown, return the pizza to the oven for at least another two minutes.
 
The top should also be turning golden brown without becoming burnt.
 
When the top is done and the bottom is golden brown, move the pan to a cooling rack.
Holding the pan with an oven mitt, use an offset spatula to coax the pizza out of the pan and onto the cooling rack.
 
Allow pizza to set for a minute or two.
 
Cut pizza into slices and enjoy with abandon.
 
NOTE ON SLICING: Most people will cut the pizza into even wedges, probably eighths. Some will cut it into square “party slices.” A few gadflies will follow traditional Pepe’s protocols and slice the pizza along the middle, then across the length for a pizza of multi-sized strips. (Don’t try to argue with them. It’s a point of obstinate New England pride.)

ABOVE:  A slice of the finished pie showing off that airy crumb and crunchy crust. 

ABOVE: The pizza that we will all remember.  


I hope you've enjoyed our journey through tomato pie. Based on preliminary reaction, there is more such pizza to follow. If you try this recipe and want to share your pizza, feel free to drop us a photo of your result at ​the contact page.

And by the way, I just tried a slice of this pizza cold from the fridge. you could take it to a party cold and still win friends and influence people. They might even give you a medal. 

Free the pizza!

-----

NOW JUST 99 CENTS FOR A LIMITED TIME! Still haven't bought your pizza oven yet? That might be a good thing. Because you don't really need one, especially if you're just starting out. It's much easier to start by making pizza in your home oven. I endorse baking pizza on steel. But if you need to do it on the cheap, you can even start with a big, upside-down cast-iron skillet and my silly little book: Free The Pizza: A Simple System For Making Great Pizza Whenever You Want With The Oven You Already Have. When you’re just starting out, it’s much easier and more productive to learn about pizza in a way that demystifies everybody’s favorite food—including the flying in the face of the belief that great pizza is possible only with a special oven. Speaking as a guy who has two portable pizza ovens sitting in a shed, and who used to have a 1,200-pound wood-fired oven in the kitchen, the best oven on which to learn pizza is a regular home oven with a few simple tools. And the Free The Pizza book is designed specifically to take a newbie from zero to pizza in as short a time is possible. It’s also a lot more fun than the heartbreak of a tiny, cruel oven in the yard. Want to make a pizza at home? Homemade pizza success happens with Free The Pizza at Amazon. ​