Simple Pizzetta with Smoked Mozzarella Recipe

Nuts! Sweet sun-dried tomato, smokey mozzarella, salty olives and rich walnuts on a magic carpet ride into your mouth. OK. It’s not a magic carpet, it’s a flour tortilla. But it is magical how the tortilla transforms into the thinnest, crispiest pizza crust. Pizzetta crust.

We enjoyed the pizzettas appetizer-style with 2010 Project Paso, a red wine blend of 9 different wines with obscure varietals like Barbera and Touriga Nacional. A sipping wine, Project Paso is peppery and clean with a big berry flavor. Great to start with because it wakes up your palate.

Ingredients for Pizzetta with Smoked Mozzarella:
8 8-inch flour tortillas, soft taco style
Olive Oil
Seasonings: dried oregano, thyme and black pepper
12 sun-dried tomatoes (halves packed in olive oil)
12-16 Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
8-12 oz. smoked mozzarella
Caraway seed
2-3 Tablespoons walnut pieces, coarsely broken
Coarse sea salt

NOTES: Serves 4. I baked my pizzettas on the middle oven rack for more like 9-10 minutes. I don’t keep caraway seed on hand, so I omitted. I also used a favorite Italian herb blend for seasoning (in place of dried oregano and thyme). The walnuts might seem strange, but give them a try. They add flavor and texture that make the delicate pizzettas substantial.

Directions for Pizzetta with Smoked Mozzarella:
1) Preheat oven to 400(F).
2) Lay out the tortillas on baking sheets and brush them lightly with oil, leaving about 1/2 inch around the edges dry.
3) Sprinkle lightly with thyme, oregano and black pepper.
4) Slice the dried tomatoes into quarter inch pieces and distribute them and the olives on the pizza.
5)Thinly slice the mozzarella and lay it thinly on top of the tortillas, leaving an inch margin around the rim.
6) Sprinkle lightly with caraway seed, walnuts and salt.
7) Bake the pizzettas 5-6 minutes, until cheese melts and the tortilla begins to crisp around the edges.
8) Remove from oven and cut into quarters. Serve immediately with Project Paso Red Blend.

Simple Pizzetta with Smoked Mozzarella Recipe courtesy Margaret Clark. Project Paso provided by Balzac Communications and Marketing.