Heirloom Tomato, Arugula & Goat Cheese Pizza

The week unfolded with the rhythm that defines this period of life: work at the clinic and Rutgers, children growing, Amma in memory care. The kitchen produces meals on schedule — breakfast, lunches, dinners — the machinery of a household run by a woman who learned to cook from a woman who measured in handfuls. I visit Amma three times a week. The containers, labeled, delivered. She eats or she doesn't. She hums or she doesn't. The connection through food persists regardless of response. The children are themselves: Anaya with her books and her quiet observations, Rohan with his noise and his spatial brilliance. Both of them in the kitchen — Anaya by choice, Rohan by appetite. The ordinary week. The week that holds the extraordinary weeks together. I made Weeknight sambar and rice. Because the kitchen doesn't stop for ordinary weeks. The kitchen treats every week the same: with heat, with spice, with the generous pinch that is always enough.

Rohan will eat anything with cheese melted across it, and Anaya will always notice when the tomatoes are the beautiful ones — the striped ones, the deep-red ones, the ones that look like they came from someone’s garden. This pizza is for both of them, and for the ordinary Tuesday that asked nothing of me except that I show up and feed the people I love. The kitchen treated the week the same as it always does: with heat, with something worth gathering around.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 14 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb store-bought or homemade pizza dough, room temperature
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella
3–4 small heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fresh arugula
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon balsamic glaze, for finishing
Flaky sea salt, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven. Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the center rack and preheat oven to 475°F (245°C) for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Prepare the dough. On a lightly floured surface, stretch or roll the pizza dough into a 12-inch round. Transfer to a piece of parchment paper.
Make the garlic oil base. Stir together 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil with the minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Brush evenly over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border for the crust.
Add cheese and tomatoes. Scatter the mozzarella over the garlic oil. Arrange the heirloom tomato slices in a single layer, then distribute the crumbled goat cheese over the top. Season with the kosher salt and black pepper.
Bake. Slide the pizza (on parchment) onto the hot stone or baking sheet. Bake for 12–14 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the cheese is bubbling with lightly browned spots.
Dress the arugula. While the pizza bakes, toss the arugula with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and the lemon juice. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Finish and serve. Remove the pizza from the oven and immediately pile the dressed arugula on top. Drizzle with balsamic glaze, finish with flaky sea salt, slice, and serve at once.

Nutrition (per serving)

Heirloom Tomato, Arugula & Goat Cheese Pizza — The Kitchen That Never Stops