Prosciutto and Caprese Flatbread
June 18, 2019 by Nicole Collins
Guys, I've kept a plant alive for 10 whole days!
That may not sound like a huge accomplishment to most people, but anyone that knows me knows this is cause for celebration.
You know how there are some things that no matter how hard you try, you just can't do? For some people, it's whistling. For some people, it's winking. For some people, it's rolling their “R”s when they're speaking Spanish. But most of the time for me, all I need to do is look at a plant, and it will die.
For what it's worth, I can't roll my “R”s, either.
After the contractors were finished building my new deck, I got the bright idea that I wanted to start an herb garden. I've tried a few times to grow herbs, and I've killed them every time.
Being in a townhouse, I don't get a ton of light in the house. So, indoor herb gardens don't work for me. (That's what I've been blaming my first few failed herb garden attempts on, anyway.) Another factor not in my favor is that I don't have very good soil around my house. So, I thought I'd do a potted herb garden. I bought terra cotta pots and painted them in adorable patterns. Then, I filled them with already started herb plants.
There was NO WAY I was going to try to grow those babies from seeds.
I think part of my issue with plants is that I forget all about them. So, I positioned the herbs in a spot outside that gets a lot of sun AND is in my line of sight every time I walk past the back door. And guess what, I've watered those plants every single day since I've had them!
I even plan to continue to water them every day.
I KNOW!
So, I thought I'd take one of those herbs on a test run and use some in a recipe. The basil is the first herb that draws my eye every day, so that's the one that got first dibs in our super simple recipe today.
Today, we're making Prosciutto and Caprese Flatbread!
We start with a store bought, pre-made flatbread. I was able to find a long rectangular flatbread in the grocery store that serves four people. But if you can't find something like that, you can use something like naan flatbreads or even personal flatbreads. Regardless, the flatbread gets brush with some minced garlic mixed in a little olive oil, then brushed all over to get ready for the toppings.
Before we toss the flatbread in the oven to crisp up, we top the bread with some fresh mozzarella and some torn prosciutto. The prosciutto gets perfectly crispy in the oven, almost like bacon. And, the mozzarella becomes ooey, gooey, stretchy, and perfectly crisp around the edges.
When the flatbread comes out of the oven, we immediately top it with some chopped grape tomatoes and some chiffonade garden basil. I don't care for warm or roasted tomatoes, so the cool and juicy burst of fresh tomato in every bite is more than perfect for me. But if you love roasted tomatoes, feel free to add them to the flatbread with the prosciutto and mozzarella. The texture will be totally different, but the flavor bomb will be just as satisfying.
The very last ingredient is optional, but it really brings this flatbread to the next level. I'm talking about aged balsamic vinegar. I'm going to embrace my inner Ina Garten and tell you that you HAVE TO invest in a GOOOOOD aged balsamic vinegar. I picked up a 20 yr aged vinegar in Italy, and I can't even begin to think about the day when I've used it up to the end. Good balsamic vinegar is sweet, thick, and a little syrupy with the perfect balance of tang and tartness. Drizzle a little balsamic on top of this flatbread, and the tartness adds just the right amount of bite to cut through the salty cheese and meat we've got piled on top of our pizza like treat.
This flabread hits all of the most important flavor notes: salty, crispy, gooey, acidic, tart, sweet, and MMMmmm good! And, I get to highlight my bangin' farmer skills by eating fresh herbs straight from my garden!
Alright guys, what herb should be use next? Cilantro? Sage? Mint? I've got a whole bounty to choose from!
Until then...enjoy! And, let's eat!
Prosciutto and Caprese Flatbread
Serves: 3-4 Print
Ingredients:
1 large flatbread (or 2 smaller flatbreads, like naan bread)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 oz fresh mozzarella, torn
3 slices prosciutto, torn
½ cup grape tomatoes, quartered
2 large basil leaves, chiffonade
aged balsamic vinegar, for serving
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, combine olive oil and garlic. Place flatbread on a sheet tray. Brush the top of the flatbread all over with olive oil mix, making sure to get all of the garlic from the bowl. Top flatbread with torn mozzarella and prosciutto. Bake for 7-8 mins until the cheese has melted. Switch the oven to broil, and broil for an additional 2-3 mins until the cheese starts to get bubbly and brown.
Immediately after removing the flatbread from the oven, top with chopped tomatoes and basil. Cut; and drizzle with balsamic vinegar, if desired. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*I found one large, rectangular flatbread at the store that said it served 4. If you can't find something like that, 2 naan flatbreads would work great here.
*To chiffonade basil, stack the basil leaves, roll them into a semi-tight roll, then thinly slice the leaves to get thin strips of basil.
*Fresh mozzarella usually comes in a ball. It's different than the shredded stuff you get in a bag in the cheese section.
*I don't care for warm and/or roasted tomatoes, so I chose to add my tomatoes after the flatbread came out of the oven. If you love roasted tomatoes, you could certainly put them on the pizza with the cheese and prosciutto.
*In the spirit of Ina Garten, a good quality aged balsamic vinegar is delicious drizzled on top of this flatbread. High quality aged balsamics are a little thicker, nice and sweet, and TOTALLY worth the extra couple of dollars.
