You know the age-old saying. When life (or your grocery delivery app) hands you an unexpected wedge of Manchego cheese, make a Manchego pizza with other stuff you happen to have in your fridge and pantry!
Have I told you about my love for The Flavor Bible, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg? It's no wonder the cheese section of my copy is splattered with marinara sauce and grease. Whenever I find myself with impulse-bought cheese, or, in this case, a hunk that made its way into my Instacart bag by mistake (sorry, whoever didn't get their Manchego last week!), I thumb to its entry and brainstorm pizzas based on the list of complementary flavors. It's become such a reflex that the book is often in my hand or flopped open on the counter before I realize it.
This time, with Manchego pizza in mind and a bag of mini sweet peppers just beginning to wrinkle in the fridge, I landed on additional toppings of marinara, green olives, and slivered almonds (all of which I discovered in my pantry). The almonds accentuate the cheese's nutty flavor, and the peppers, olives, and tomato sauce create a satisfying sweet-salty balance. No grocery store trip required!
Any other Flavor Bible converts out there? What's the best recipe you've created with its guidance?
Pepper, Olive, and Manchego Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough
- ⅔ cup super-easy marinara sauce
- 4 or 5 mini sweet peppers seeded and sliced into thin rounds
- ⅓ cup pitted green olives sliced
- 4 ounces Manchego cheese shredded
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as it will go (if using a baking stone/steel; place the stone/steel in the oven before you start preheating).
- Stretch or roll out your dough to a 12-inch circle, then transfer it to an oiled baking sheet or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
- Spread the marinara sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Scatter on the sliced peppers, olives, and Manchego. Season with a pinch or two of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
- Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese has browned in spots—8 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet, 6 to 8 minutes on the baking stone/steel.
- Remove the pizza from the oven, then drizzle it with olive oil, top with the slivered almonds, and season with a little more salt and pepper. Wait about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
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