Margherita Tortilla Pizzas

By CBarile

Pizza

Jacques Pépin makes quick pizzas with pita bread, lavash or flour tortillas. The possibilities are endless, from a simple Margherita to a white-clam pie inspired by the renowned Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napolitana in New Haven, Connecticut. "The oven at Pepe's is heated with coal to over 2,000°," Pépin says. "While you can't duplicate that in your home oven, my tortilla version is quite good."

Ingredients

• Four 10-inch flour tortillas
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 4 medium tomatoes (2 pounds)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, preferably buffalo, shredded (4 cups)
• 1 cup finely shredded basil leaves

Preparation

Step 1

1. Set a pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 500°, allowing at least 45 minutes for the stone to heat.

2. Brush both sides of one tortilla with olive oil. Place the tortilla on a lightly floured pizza peel and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Thinly slice 1 tomato; arrange on the tortilla. Season with salt and pepper and top with 1 cup of the mozzarella. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.

3. Slide the tortilla onto the hot pizza stone and bake for about 8 minutes, until the pizza is crisp on the bottom and the cheese is bubbling. Garnish with 1/4 cup of the shredded basil, cut the pizza into 8 wedges and serve.

4. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, tomatoes, cheeses and basil.