This pita recipe was a staple through most of the time I raised my kids, and is a family favorite. Read the family story behind the dish. It takes around 5 minutes to cook and little time to put together. Use this idea as a launch for your own ideas, maybe even your own family tradition.
Take a pita bread, and spread plain yogurt over the top. Use sour cream if you have no plain yogurt.You want a light coating, with plenty of the bread showing through. Too much yogurt makes the bread wet and unappetizing.
To make the topping, chop tomatoes and onions, and add to about 1 oz of shredded cheese. I often use half regular cheddar (I don’t like reduced-fat cheddar) and half part-skim mozzarella cheese.
Originally, and still sometimes now, I add a clove of chopped garlic. Don’t fret over exact amounts. This is one idea that can change in many ways and still be great. Mix it up, and spread on the pita. That’s the whole recipe. Note: Don’t get clever and think you can save a bowl. For some reason, this does not taste the same if you build it like a pizza.
I often cook this in my toaster oven without a pan (too lazy to dig one out and then wash it after). If you follow my lead, make sure that you can put your crumb tray on top of the elements. In my new oven (that’s why it’s so clean, folks), I can just set the crumb tray on the lower shelf. You do not want cheese dripping on your elements. This can also be cooked in a regular oven, though I do advise that you use a pan.
I broil the pitas for 5-6 minutes. Broiling leaves the pita soft and chewy. If you prefer a crisp crust (try the soft first — you might like it), you can bake the pitas with high heat (400 F). Keep an eye on how crisp the bottom is getting. You may want to switch to broil at the end to make sure you can get the cheese well-melted and starting to brown before the bottom burns.
Cut like a pizza and serve with a salad. Quick and easy for a hearty lunch or light dinner that really hits the spot.
Probably my favourite ‘family favourite’ of all times. It’s making my mouth water just thinking about it. People talk about comfort food . . . this is it.
The middle one from the list of kids in the story checks in. I suppose just finding the ingredients in Taiwan would be a challenge. Oh, well. You’ll just have to come home to get this and mushroom soup. (The list grows.)
I make pita pizzas all the time – variety of toppings – normally whatever I have in the frig. And it’s a perfect one-person serving.
So, true Karen. In fact, I am working on an article on pita pizzas for just that reason. Everyone loves pizza, especially if customized, and they are so fast. Here’s the family oddity to this story, though. When we talk about pita pizzas, this is not what we mean. This is the tomato, onion, cheese thing on a pita. Everything else with pita and cheese is pizza. Logically, this is a pita pizza. To the Pecks, not so.