Magnificent News: Eat Voraciously: Store-bought is fine

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Here's what's for dinner tonight.

By G. Daniela Galarza

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Store-bought is fine

It's confession time. Way back when I was first learning to cook — through a combination of watching my parents and various babysitters in the kitchen, studying PBS cooking shows and trial and error (mostly error!) — I would buy mixes and premade doughs at the store and use them to make "homemade" pies, cakes, cobblers and more. I thought nothing of it. Then, I stumbled upon Martha Stewart.

Stewart, with her fantastically prim diction and tidy blond bob, made everything from scratch. She showed me how to make pâte brisée in the food processor and how to grow cucumbers and carrots from seed. I was so taken with her prescriptive directives, her cheerful-but-firm admonitions, her remarkably high standards and penchant for perfection that for most of my teens and 20s I saw no other way. Store-bought? Mixes? Bags of greens? Shortcuts? Pish posh!

Then, one day, I was watching the Food Network. After a breezy intro, I saw the words "Barefoot Contessa" slide across the screen. The woman behind the kitchen counter was buoyant and quick to laughter. She went for morning walks on the beach. She made all sorts of things from scratch, but every once in a while — as if acknowledging the exhaustion of the working parent, the frustration of harried cooks and the hunger of millions of people for dinner, fast — she'd say, "store-bought is fine." She'd say it while grinding stale bread into breadcrumbs or rolling out pie dough or making ice cream. She'd say it with a smile and a knowing grin. She'd say it and it was like all of her viewers sighed deeply with relief in unison. At long last, someone gave us permission to take an easier route. It was okay, if you were tired or busy or just very hungry, to open a package and cut your time in the kitchen in half.

Thanks to Ina Garten, and perhaps exacerbated by the pandemic and our more irregular shopping habits, we're all giving ourselves more permission to relax in the kitchen. (And if you're not yet, I highly recommend it!) It's with that ethos in mind that I offer a recipe for pizza for dinner tonight. If you have all day, by all means: Make pizza dough from scratch! But if you don't, head for the refrigerated section near the tubes of biscuits and butter and pick up a bag of premade pizza dough. Because store-bought is fine.

Today's recipe

Photos by Scott Suchman for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post

Big Little Summer Tomato Pizza

The cherry tomatoes at my farmers market are glorious now >> but if the ones near you don't look as good, try this with sliced zucchini or spring peas.
Avoiding spicy heat? >> Skip the cayenne.
No crème fraîche? >> Try this with Greek yogurt.
Can't find burrata? >> Mozzarella, fresh or shredded, will work, too. If using shredded, bake it along with the tomatoes on the pizza.

Storage Notes: Leftover pizza can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. To reheat, place in a preheated 350-degree oven or toaster oven for about 10 minutes.

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Servings: 4 to 6
Active time: 20 mins
Total time: 40 min

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus an additional 2 teaspoons for serving, if desired
1 small yellow or white onion (4 to 6 ounces), thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons blend of chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, oregano, rosemary and/or thyme (or 2 teaspoons dry), plus more for serving, if desired
2 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pinch cayenne pepper
3/4 pint (about 7 ounces) multicolored cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large tomato (6 ounces), cut into 1/4-inch slices
12 to 14 ounces white or whole wheat pizza dough (store bought, or see related recipe)
3 tablespoons crème fraîche (see headnote)
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
1 (8-ounce) ball burrata cheese, broken into pieces (see headnote)

Steps

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Place a pizza stone or unrimmed baking sheet on the rack and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden brown, about 10 minutes. If the onions begin to burn, reduce the heat and add a little water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

3. While the onions are cooking, in a large bowl, combine the honey, herbs, garlic, cayenne pepper and a light sprinkling of salt, and stir to combine. Add the cherry tomatoes and the slices of tomato. Gently toss to coat.

4. Place a piece of parchment paper that's about 12-by-16-inches on the counter. Stretch or roll out the pizza dough into a thin oval or rectangle, about 10-by-14-inches, on top of the parchment.

5. Spread the crème fraîche over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Scatter the browned onions and grated parmesan over, then arrange the tomatoes on top in a single layer. Scoop any stray herbs and garlic from the bowl and add to the pizza, leaving behind any accumulated juices. Discard the juices.

6. Using the parchment, lift the pizza and carefully transfer it to the hot pizza stone or baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the crust is browned. Scatter the burrata and additional fresh herbs, if using, over the hot pizza, drizzle with the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, if using. Slice and serve.

Adapted from "Miss Maggie's Kitchen" by Héloïse Brion (Flammarion, 2020). Tested by Ann Maloney.

Nutrition information per serving (1 slice; based on 6): Calories: 288; Total Fat: 17 g; Saturated Fat: 8 g; Cholesterol: 44 mg; Sodium: 333 mg; Carbohydrates: 22 g; Dietary Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 6 g; Protein: 11 g.

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