Pizza Frita – or Toutons and Tomatoes! Italian kids love their fried bread or pizza dough with tomato sauce and cheese. Newfoundlanders love their toutens, and once you try this, you’ll be hooked too.
Pizza Fritta or Toutons and Tomatoes!
Pizza Fritta or Toutons and Tomatoes!
When I saw chef David Rocco make this simple dish of Pizza Fritta on his Food Network show I couldn’t help but think, “Sure, that’s just toutons and tomatoes!” Of course I was intrigued and just had to try it with a family favorite at our house, Spicy Quick Tomato Compote. The result was simple perfection. The kids loved it and we have enjoyed this totally uncomplicated dish many times since at weekend brunches and quick lunches. I’m even planning to serve it as an appetizer at a dinner party sometime soon.
The secret to good toutons is letting the dough rounds rise for 20 minutes or so before frying them very slowly in traditional pork fat or as I do nowadays, in canola oil or a combination of olive oil and butter. I use only a medium low heat setting and take up to 10 minutes or more to fry my toutons to make sure they are cooked through the center and not doughy.
I just use my standard white bread recipe for the dough, which you can find here: White Bread.For our readers outside Newfoundland, you can read more about traditional Newfoundland toutons and tips on getting them right at both of these former posts from Rock Recipes: Toutons and Toutons Benedict
For a different take on traditional toutons try this amazing dessert version: Brioche Toutons with Blueberry Honey Sauce
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Pizza Fritta or Toutons and Tomatoes!
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
45 mins
Pizza Frita - or Toutons and Tomatoes! Italian kids love their fried bread or pizza dough with tomato sauce and cheese. Newfoundlanders love their toutens, and once you try this, you'll be hooked too.
Course:
Lunch
Ingredients
- one dozen toutons
- grated parmesan cheese
For the Spicy Quick Tomato Compote
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 8 large ripe tomatoes diced
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp crushed chili sauce or chili flakes more or less to taste to control the heat
- salt and pepper to season
Instructions
-
Saute the garlic in the oil over medium heat for just a minute before adding the tomatoes, brown sugar, chili sauce, salt, pepper. Continue to cook until the tomatoes soften and the compote reduces to a jam-like consistency. Add the balsamic vinegar in the final minute or two of cooking before serving.
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Serve the tomato compote over the warm toutons with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.