Ahi Tuna Pizzas with Mozzarella and Basil

French Friday’s with Dorie

Friday came and went and truthfully I hadn’t thought about even posting on these individual Ahi Tuna Pizzas with Mozzarella and Basil that came up for last week’s French Friday’s with Dorie. I just didn’t think they would be all that special but I was wrong. Yes, I was wrong and Dorie Greenspan was right. Imagine that. Sue me.

Lets face it, once again Ms. Greenspan is pushing off stuff on toast as French cuisine so some skepticism is warranted. Don’t you think? Ahi Tuna Pizzas?

Oh yeah sure, her version traces it’s lineage from Yves Camdeborde’s Paris bistro Le Comptoir and was intended to be served from individual rounds of frozen puff pastry but when you break it all down, isn’t that really just a half step away from toast on the scale of culinary inventiveness? (I wonder if Yves uses frozen puff pastry too?)

No? Well I thought perhaps not so I eliminated the step altogether and instead set up these Ahi Tuna Pizzas on small pieces of the Persian flatbread sangak which we are lucky enough to be able to pick up weekly and freshly made at a local Persian bakery. Sangak is Iran’s “national bread” according to Wikipedia which makes me scared to think what the national bread of The United States might be. (Does anyone have any ideas?) Anyway, it’s flat but dimpled texture made it a perfect stage from which the ingredients here could perform their symphony.

Ahi Tuna Pizzas with Mozzarella and Basil

The recipe below is my adaptation as other changes had to be made after I got home and took stock of what I forgot to buy. But the flexibility to adapt as necessary is the brilliance of stuff on toast. Exactly why these types of recipes are so easy to invent and pull off. Even for the French want in on the action.

Ahi Tuna Pizzas with Mozzarella and Basil

The ahi, onion, ginger, and salty olive flavors blend up supremely well.  The dish takes mere minutes to put together. Perfect for an end of a day where more than 15 minutes prep for dinner is a lot to ask. I do like my ahi on the rare side.  Slice it this thin , however, and even a few minutes cook time is enough to keep anyone from complaining about it being ‘raw’.

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Ahi Tuna Pizzas with mozarella & basil

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 4 Pizzas

Serving Size: 1 pizza

The original recipe from Dorie Greenspan calls for fresh mozzarella which, among other things, is much more sophisticated than the grated, part skim variety I sued here. If you wish to use it instead be sure to dry it out by resting it on some paper towels for a few minutes. I found that with the onion mixture I did not miss the mozzarella and the grated cheese did a fine job of holding the ingredients on the pizza. You decide for yourself! There are no wrong answers when it comes to Stuff On Toast.

This is what you will need:

• 4 pieces of lightly crisped flatbread or toasts
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 bunch scallions, whites and light greens chopped
• 1 8 oz piece of sushi grade ahi, cut crossways into thin strips
• 8 cup grated part skim mozzarella cheese
• 12 large basil leaves
• 4 cherry tomatoes
• 2 radishes sliced very thin
• 4 black brined olives, pitted and sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger

This is how you make it:

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F.
2. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set out the four flatbreads or pieces of bread and put into the oven for a few minutes on each side to lightly toast.
3. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions and green onions and sauté until soft but not brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Divide onions among pastry rounds. Brush tuna lightly with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Evenly spread the grated cheese on top of the onions and then assemble the pizzas by alternating 3 tuna slices with 3 basil leaves, etc. slightly overlapping,
5. Scatter tomatoes, olives, and radish slices over each and sticking out from under the tuna. Sprinkle each with ginger and a drizzle of olive oil.
6. Bake until tuna is just opaque around edges but still translucent in center, about 3 minutes. Transfer to plates and serve immediately.

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