It just doesn’t get any better than this, when smash blossoms are at the farmer’s markets, the lovely blogger Telma Garcia from At the Fire Hydrant makes her memorable squash blossom pizza with bunches of fresh herbs and mozzarella cheese. Pick some of these beautiful blossoms up at the market the next time you see them and make this gentle, elegant flatbread as soon as you can.

Thanks, Telma!

by Telma Garcia
www.atthefirehydrant.com

Ah, sweet caramel! I love to caramelize things. I love cooking something over low heat for a long time until its complex, nutty flavors are coerced out. Sometimes, bright, sharp flavors are tempered with caramelization, as is the case with garlic and onions. But others, an added layer of depth moves in and something mild becomes powerful and memorable, such as caramel sauce made from sugar and butter and cream. Who doesn’t love caramel sauce? I would probably even try an ice cream sundae with caramel sauce and roasted garlic. I mean, how bad can that be, really? Basically what I am saying is if there’s a paying job to be the Andrew Zimmern of ice cream sundaes, I want that job.

Caramelized onions are so sweet and rich and might fall in both camps, I guess, because what they taste like, when done properly, is sweet, brown onion candy. Like roasted garlic, I usually make giant batches of caramelized onions to store to add depth and delight to all my flatbread inventions, to great success. Balsamic vinegar added at the last minute is an optional, but very nice touch, if you have some.

This simple vegetarian flatbread recipe pairs the sweet onions with the sharpness of artichokes and feta cheese for a lovely dinner for you and your main squeeze. It’s an absolute cakewalk to eat if you’ve even considered garlic on ice cream.

Amy at Flatout

My best friend is lucky enough to travel for pleasure quite a bit, due to her being able to tag along on her husband’s business trips. They have been so many places, I cannot even keep track anymore, but I always look forward to the treats she brings back for me. She was the first person to introduce me to the beautiful food that is Ajvar (pronounced AY-var) by bringing me back a little jar of pure, fire roasted bliss from one of her trips to Turkey. I still can remember that day. It was like meeting your true love.

Ajvar is a fire roasted eggplant and red pepper spread from Serbia that comes in various degrees of spice, so you can pick what level of heat you desire. I find mine in Middle East markets or imported food stores; there are dozens of different makers out there. Ajvar is a wonderful friend to the world of flatbread, and can be used in hundreds of ways to add a layer of depth to your favorite wrap or flatbread. When you find it, buy a few extra jars for friends when they flip out after you make this flatbread for them. This will win you big friend points!

In this recipe, I let Ajvar take the place of a traditional tomato sauce on a flatbread pizza, and dress the pizza simply with tomatoes and cheese. Then, when it comes out of the oven, I scatter fresh baby arugula over the flatbread by the handful and cut it up into pieces.

Make a couple of these spicy numbers for a sophisticated appetizer with some cold beers after work on a Friday and they will disappear in seconds, guaranteed. You can give away those extra jars, now, as well as teach everyone how to pronounce Ajvar!

Amy at Flatout