I hate summer.

 

Okay maybe that’s a lie.  

 

I’m sort of a delicate flower.  There’s an extremely large chance I turn beet red when it’s hot.  Like 74° hot.

 

I probably should have been born in the Pacific Northwest, or maybe my Scottish roots are simply too strong.  Living somewhere that the heat index never surpasses 70° sounds grand.

 

My skin is extremely pale.  So sun is not my friend.  At all.  I wear SPF moisturizer daily, and sunblock regularly.

 

Which by the way, why is sunblock so expensive?  And greasy?  And smelly?  My SPF moisturizer is lovely, but far too expensive to use anywhere but my face.

 

So, while I hate the heat, I love how the summer allows me to turn my back yard into a lush garden.  Walking in the backyard to get fresh spinach, tomatoes and raspberries is fan-freaking-tastic.  I wish I had a garden year round.

 

But not enough to move.

This past weekend I bought amazingly sweet heirloom tomatoes from the farmers market.  And they were from the seconds, which means half price.  Flawless.  I knew I needed to use them quickly considering they were seconds.

 

All week long I had been inspired by this flatbread, so I decided to make my own flatbread.  With tomatoes.  And onions.  And basil.  Oh, don’t forget the balsamic and olive oil.  This stuff is so good.  I reheated it every single day since.  And I’m going to reheat it again tomorrow.  That’s four days of deliciousness.  I couldn’t stop.  Every day I see it in my fridge and I can’t-not eat it.  It’s ah-mazing.  Capital AH.  

 

This flatbread would be perfect for a barbecue or a garden party. You could probably even grill it.  If you’re brave.  I’m not.  Open flames are not quite my forte.

 

Serve this as an appetizer with a fresh spinach salad.  I think grilled chicken and some sort of berry dessert would round out the meal nicely.

 

Hmmm I may have to have a garden party.

 

 

Flatbread with Tomatoes, Onions, Basil and Balsamic

Makes 12 slices

 

            Ingredients

 

3 cups all purpose flour

1 package active dry yeast

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup warm water

2-3 heirloom tomatoes

1/2 Medium onion, any variety

Basil (9 large leaves or 2 sprigs boxwood basil)

A few tablespoons olive oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

 

            Directions

 

 

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Make the dough:  In a small bowl combine sugar, warm water and yeast.  Let stand until foamy.  Add the vegetable oil to the yeast mixture.  In another bowl mix the flour and salt.  Combine all ingredients with a wooden spoon.  When mixture gets to hard to stir, turn out onto a floured surface and kneed until smooth, a couple of minutes.  Roll out to desired size and shape.  This dough should fill a regular size cookie sheet.  Brush cookie sheet with olive oil or dust with cornmeal.  Lightly brush dough with olive oil as well.

 

2.  Slice the tomatoes and onions.  I choose large slices for the tomatoes and rings for the onions.  Any way works.  If using regular sized basil leaves, chop finely.  Since boxwood basil leaves are so small there is no need to chop.  Arrange ingredients on dough.  Start with tomatoes, then onions and basil.  Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Brush exposed edges of dough with olive oil again.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until edges are golden and vegetables are roasted.  Drizzle with balsamic while still warm.