Bruschetta Pizza Sandwich
This is my rendition of the viral pizza sandwich, and all I have to say is I will definitely be making it again! This is such an easy and delicious dinner idea that will be sure to impress the whole fam. I used a pre-made pizza base for this one out of pure laziness, but it can also be made using raw dough! Instructions for each are in the recipe below.
I paired this with a wine style that I am genuinely obsessed with: Barbera D’Alba from Piedmont, Italy - a wine region in northwest Italy that borders France and Switzerland. Barbera is a grape that typically produces medium-bodied red wines that are bone-dry (not sweet at all), super high in acidity, generally low in tannin (that mouth-drying feeling you can get from red wine), and typically full of gorgeous cherry, blackberry, and dried herb flavours. That beautifully refreshing acidity and those low, smooth tannins make this an incredible food wine! This pairing works well for a few reasons:
Italian wine with Italian ingredients just works, because what grows together, goes together! This is one of my favourite approaches to food and wine pairing and is something I always recommend as a starting point when trying to find a wine to pair with your food. For another fun example of this, check out my Greek Tiropita recipe paired with Assyrtiko!
The higher acidity of the wine matches the tart acidity from the tomatoes. And when acid meets acid, beautiful things happen! They almost neutralize each other, making the acid seem less aggressive while at the same time amplifying each others flavours! The acidity also works to cleanse the palate between bites by washing away that creamy, mouth coating cheese.
The lower, smooth tannins of the wine don’t overpower the food. This pizza sandwich is relatively fresh and light with the fresh bruschetta, prosciutto, and Mozza, so it needs a wine that is light and fresh enough to not overpower it. This one does the trick with it’s medium body and smooth tannins!
I recommend the Marcarini Barbera D’Alba Ciabot Camerano. An absolutely stunning expression of Barbera that is equally fruity and earthy and everything you could want as a pairing for this meal!
Bruschetta Prosciutto Pizza Sandwich
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
- Roll out your dough to desired shape and size (if using pre-cooked dough, don't worry about this part).
- Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread shredded mozzarella over one side of the dough then fold together.
- If using raw dough, bake for 10 minutes (or until dough is golden and cooked through and cheese is nice and melted). If using pre-cooked dough, bake for approximately 5 minutes or until crispy/toasted and cheese is melted.
- Meanwhile, prepare your bruschetta by combining all ingredients in a bowl. This can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for 2-3 days (it's always better when it sits for a bit so that the flavours can really come together).
- Remove cheesy dough from the oven and open it up - enjoy that beautiful cheese pull! Reduce oven heat to 400 degrees F.
- Top with a layer of bruschetta, making sure to leave as much of the juice behind as possible as this can lead to a soggy sammy!
- Next add the prosciutto, followed by the fresh Buffalo Mozzarella (I suggest breaking this up with your hands and adding in clumps), and then season with salt and pepper.
- Top with a layer of fresh arugula followed by a drizzle of olive oil.
- Close up that pizza sandwich and pop back in the oven for another 5 minutes to warm it up, checking on it after 2 minutes to ensure the crust doesn't burn.
- Remove from the oven, cut in half and enjoy with a glass of Barbera D'Alba! I reccommend chilling this in the fridge for about 20 minutes before drinking to get it to about 15 degrees C / 59 degrees F.
