Farmer’s Market Bounty: Meat, Cheese, and Tomatoes, Oh My!

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[Jump right to the recipe: Prosciutto and Mozzarella Flat Bread with Fresh Tomato]

I’ve been making a concerted effort to get down to the Austin Farmer’s Market at least a couple of times a month if not weekly so I can support local farmers and lay hands on the fresh-picked food just like my grandmother’s garden produced when I was a child. When I bring my purchases home and feed my family I somehow feel that I’ve helped complete a very important circle of life.

What I love most about any farmer’s market is that the array of offerings goes so far beyond fruits and veggies. At our farmers market you can find breakfast tacos, fresh made bread, pizza, and even flowers. On a recent weekend trip I filled my bag with some amazing local meats, including:

• Fresh-caught red snapper from the Texas gulf-coast that I pan fried and served with a spicy crab and andouille sauce.
• Loncito’s lamb that will become lamb sliders.
• Thunder Heart Bison ribeye that is destined for the grill.

My favorite new (to me) find this week was Brazos Valley Cheese made by hand up the road in Waco at Homestead Farms. They buy their milk locally, which is an added bonus. Their selection includes both soft and hard cheeses and they seem to enjoy flavoring cheeses with things like sage, rosemary, and garlic. While I tasted many cheeses and, if I’m wholly honest with myself, would have loved to have brought some of each home, I kept my head and limited myself to their Marinated Mozzarella. This lovely soft cheese is nestled happily in olive oil and a nice collection of Italian spices. By itself it’s wonderful for snacking, but paired with the oh-so-in-season tomatoes and basil that are in abundance at the market, well, it’s farm food heaven.

I’ve found that the best way to give fresh, local ingredients their proper due is to let their flavors shine through without much mucking about. This recipe is one that I’ve had not once but twice in as many days tries to do just that. The list of ingredients is short and the success of the dish relies 100% on those ingredients being fresh and good. Don’t try this recipe in winter when tomatoes aren’t in season – you’ll be disappointed. And really, I wouldn’t try this with anything but a vine-ripened tomato that you know wasn’t picked until exactly ready to eat.

Recipe: Prosciutto and Mozzarella Flat Bread with Fresh Tomato

This recipe riffs off of my favorite techniques for quickly creating flat bread of all types: using pre-made pita bread in place of pizza dough. I use pita bread as the base for quick grilled pizza and it works just as well here. Many pitas are whole-wheat and low-fat (be sure to read the label) and can provide a healthier alternative to traditional pizza dough. They have the added bonus of being already made and baked too, which makes them a great helper when you need a quick meal. However, if you have a favorite pizza dough recipe you can use that as well.

Details

• Difficulty: Easy
• Serves: Makes 1 pizza
• Active Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 10 min
• Weight Watchers™ Points: 10*

Ingredients

• 1 large pita bread (my favorite local brand is Phoenicia)
• 2 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
• 3 thin slices of prosciutto, about 1 oz, roughly chopped
• 1 medium vine-ripened tomato, cut into 8 wedges
• 2 large basil leaves, cut into a chiffonade
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp. good olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat a grill or grill pan on high until smoking hot.
2. Place the pita on the grill and let warm for 2 minutes, or until grill marks just start to show on one side of the pita.
3. Flip the pita with tongs and reduce the heat to medium-high.
4. Distribute the mozzarella evenly over the pita.
5. Close the grill lid (or cover the grill pan with a lid or foil) for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese just begins to melt.
6. Sprinkle the prosciutto over the mozzarella, cover, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until the mozzarella is melted and the prosciutto is warmed through.
7. Transfer to a cutting board and let set for a minute before cutting into wedges.
8. Place the tomato in the middle of a plate. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with the basil. Surround with slices of the flat bread and serve.

Recipe for Success

• When I made this recipe I used marinated mozzarella, but you can use any type. I recommend fresh mozzarella because of its un-rivaled creaminess, but in a pinch you can use block or pre-shredded. You can also throw some parmesan cheese in (no green cans please) for a little extra bite.
• To make it easier to slice the mozzarella, put it into the freezer for a few minutes.
• I often my flat bread on a cast-iron grill pan inside because it is easier than trekking out to the grill on the porch. However, if I’m making lots of flat bread at once, the grill is the way to go. This is also a fun way to cook food on the porch or deck while hanging out with your friends.
• I like my prosciutto just warm and not crisp. If you like crisp prosciutto put it onto the flat bread when you first add the mozzarella. It will crisp up nicely as the cheese melts.

*Points Details

• Like my other pita pizza recipe, this dish is enough for an entire meal for one person. You can also split it with someone for 5 points and add a 2 point salad for a slightly lower-point meal.

Clearly I’m enjoying my farmer’s market shopping and cooking. What’s your favorite farmer’s market find and what did you make with it?

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