Relish Review: A sizzling summer snack

Lifestyles editor Sadie Fowler displays the finished Pan del Campo. (T-G Photo by Tamara Belinc) [Order this photo]

Homemade pesto, ripe and juicy tomatoes and a variety of cheeses ... a summer snack with those ingredients just doesn't get much better.

"Pan Del Campo," known as the original cowboy or camp flatbread, features a cilantro-nut pesto, tomatoes, Parmigiano Reggiano, goat, and Monterey Jack cheeses; all atop a warm and crispy crust.

Relish Magazine hits the spot this month with their Pan Del Campo, a scrumptious appetizer that could just as easily work as a gourmet personalized pizza.

After quickly perusing the ingredients, I wondered if this recipe would be too costly for my weekly food budget, mainly because of all the cheeses. I looked for sale brands and saved a little money with my grocery store discount card and all in all, the price wasn't bad. I spent just over $25, and the recipe makes 8 portions -- perfect for lunch or for hefty hors d'oeuvres.

I absolutely love pesto, although I had never actually made my own before. The pesto, which Relish calls a cilantro nut mash, is made of fresh cilantro leaves, grated Parmigiano Reggiano, chopped pecans, garlic, olive oil, smooth goat cheese and Kosher salt.

If you live in a smaller town, you might not find Parmigiano Reggiano, but grated Parmesan works just fine. Parmesan cheese is essentially a cheese that imitates the recipe for Parmigiano-Reggiano, which is exclusively made in approved regions of Italy.

In making the cilantro pesto mash, I got to thinking about Kosher salt. I often see television chefs call for Kosher salt, but I never really knew why or how it differed from regular salt. I've since learned that Kosher salt is an additive-free coarse-grained salt that can be used in preparing kosher meat. It's one of the most popular edible salts in commercial kitchens as many chefs prefer its texture and flavor. (Note: Kosher salt is not usually recommended for baking.)

Cilantro nut mash, a type of pesto, serves as the basis for this month's featured recipe from Relish magazine. (T-G Photo by Sadie Fowler) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Now that my ingredients were purchased and my questions answered, I headed to our test kitchen to begin cooking. I started by preparing the bacon, one of the toppings. Of course, as soon as that aroma filled the building, I had seven people (plus me) lined up immediately to take dibs on one of the savory snacks.

One trick I've recently learned is to bake bacon, rather than frying it on the stove top. Place the bacon on a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes. This is so much easier than the traditional way of preparing bacon, and just think, you don't have to worry about getting burned by the sizzling bacon grease.

While the bacon was in the oven, I made the pesto and rolled out the dough for the flat bread. Because the recipe calls for a 16 oz. can of Grand biscuits (8 biscuits) for the dough, this part was quite simple as well.

Once the dough was baked to a golden brown, I topped it with the pesto, bacon bits, sliced tomatoes, Monterey Jack cheese and feta cheese (I substituted feta for crumbled goat, for which the recipe called). I also opted to leave out the field greens, which Relish says gives the Pan Del Campo the feel of "a rich, salad-like appetizer."

A few more minutes in the oven, just to melt the cheese, was all it took to complete this delicious, summer must-do. Invite a few friends over this weekend, and give Pan Del Campo with cheese and greens a try. Just be sure to double the recipe (or not invite too many people), because I bet your friends will want more than one.

Pan del Campo with Cheese (from this month's Relish)

Cilantro Nut Mash:

After baking the crust to a golden brown, top it with the pesto and bacon bits. (T-G Photo by Sadie Fowler) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

2 Tbsp. grated Parmigiano Reggiano

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. smooth goat cheese

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Pan del Campo:

Next, add fresh, sliced tomatoes, Monterey Jack and crumbled feta or goat cheese. (T-G Photo by Sadie Fowler) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

1 (16-ounce) can refrigerated biscuits (8 count), "Grand" size

8 bacon slices, cooked until very crisp, drained and crumbled

4 ripe tomatoes, sliced into thin rounds

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

1 cup goat cheese crumbles (feta may be substituted)

2 cups field greens, washed and patted dry (I omitted these)

To prepare Cilantro Nut Mash, combine cilantro, cheese, pecans and garlic in a food processor. Pulse while gradually adding oil. Add goat cheese and season with salt, processing just until slightly smooth.

To prepare Pan del Campo, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove biscuits from can. Cut or pull apart into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 8-inch round on a floured work surface with a floured rolling pin. (The thinner the rounds, the crisper, lighter and better they'll be.) Transfer to baking sheets and bake 10 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven.

Pop them in the oven for a few minutes, until the cheese is melted, serve and enjoy! (T-G Photo by Sadie Fowler) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Spread each crust with 1 tablespoon of Cilantro Nut Mash. Cover evenly with crumbled bacon, tomatoes and cheese. Return to oven for 2 to 3 minutes, until cheese melts. Remove and garnish with field greens.

-- Sadie Killian-Fowler, who is originally from Saratoga County in upstate New York, is a graduate of Syracuse University. She is the lifestyles editor of the Shelbyville Times-Gazette. She may be reached at (931) 684-1200 or via e-mail at sfowler@t-g.com.