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Ham and Gruyere Pizza and The Automat

Hello and welcome to Pizza and a Movie. Today’s pizza has the great flavor of a Ham and Cheese sandwich. With a fresh, herby, dressed tomato and onion salad topping the finished pizza, it’s savory, nutty and fresh; with great variety in texture from the juicy tomatoes and fresh sweet onion to the puffy golden crust and the chewy, gooey melted cheese. Happy Friday – let’s get right to it!

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Tomato and Onion Salad

Before you start anything, preheat the oven with a pizza steel or stone to 450 degrees F. I have about 12 ounces of grape tomatoes that I will quarter and transfer to a bowl. Along with about 1/4 of a sweet onion, sliced thinly. I have fresh rosemary, but you can use parsley, thyme, or basil. Then I have aged sherry vinegar (use your favorite type) and olive oil.

Add the thin onion slices and the minced herbs to bowl with the tomatoes. Drizzle on some olive oil and a tablespoon or so of the vinegar. Add a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper, toss to combine and set aside.

Ham and Gruyere Pizza

Now on to the pizza. Roll, spin, or stretch your dough out to about 12-inches round.

I have the store-bought dough today that I typically use, and I know this dough gets very puffy, so I want to give the whole thing a brushing of olive oil. The olive oil will help to crisp up the edges and give the dough a little extra flavor.

The first topping layer will be grated Gruyere. I have about 1.5 cups of grated cheese. Use roughly 2/3 of the cheese for the bottom layer. Next will be the deli ham. Use as much as you like. I am folding each piece into thirds to give each bite a meatier texture.

Once you have evenly topped the pizza with the folded deli ham slices, top the whole pizza with the remaining cheese.

Now we are ready for the oven.

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Bake the pizza for 10-15 minutes, until the crust is puffed and golden and the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Finishing Touches

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Give the tomato and onion salad another toss. Then use a slotted spoon or tongs to top the baked pizza with the tomato and onion salad. Slice the pizza how you like it and that’s it!

I love the flavors and textures of the melted cheese and ham, just like a hot ham and cheese sandwich! But then you have the juicy tomatoes and the crunchy onion slices and the whole thing just really comes together. The vinegar dressing brightens up the rich savoriness of the ham and cheese for a wonderful combination!

Pizza and a Movie, Easy Pizza, Weeknight Pizza, Pizza at Home, ham and cheese, gruyere, tomato salad, tomato, onion, tomato onion salad, puffy golden crust, easy pizza, simple pizza, How to make a pizza at home,

Movie Night: The Automat

We have our Ham and Gruyere Pizza ready to go so let’s get to the show! The Automat is a documentary from 2021 capturing the history of The Automat through the anecdotes and recollections of some famous and not-so-famous people who were there for its golden age. The Horn and Hardart Automat was an “automatic” restaurant established at the turn of the 20th century, in Philadelphia and New York City. The founders were Joseph V. Horn and Frank Hardart.

The cafeteria-style dining was made automatic with banks of vending machine-like machines with little windows displaying individual dishes of freshly prepared food like meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, creamed spinach and sweets like pie. Each window had a coin slot to drop in your nickel, then you turn the dial, the little window opens and you can serve yourself. Known for its 5 cent New Orleans-style coffee, the Automat had a policy that all were welcome – no matter of race, creed or social status. The interiors of the cafeterias were iconic; white marble floors and table tops, shiny brass and glass fixtures, all in an art deco style. Providing fresh and delicious food for very affordable prices, where all were welcome, was central to the Automat and this was especially important during the Depression.

I could go on about this documentary, I really enjoyed it. But I will instead encourage you to rent and watch this loving portrait of a truly American invention – Horn and Hardart’s Automat Restaurant. The Automat is available to rent on Google Play, Amazon, YouTube and Apple.

Thank you so much for joining me today for Pizza and a Movie. I hope you give this Ham and Gruyere Pizza a try, it’s really wonderful! You can always look back through the Pizza and a Movie archives for pizza ideas and movie recommendations for your next Pizza and a Movie Night! Pizza and a Movie Archives

Take care and be well, everyone! xo Kelly

Pizza and a Movie, Easy Pizza, Weeknight Pizza, Pizza at Home, ham and cheese, gruyere, tomato salad, tomato, onion, tomato onion salad, puffy golden crust, easy pizza, simple pizza, How to make a pizza at home,

Key Equipment

Ham and Gruyere Pizza

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Dinner, Main Course American/Italian
By Kelly Djalali Serves: 2-4
Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 10-15 Minutes Total Time: ~30 Minutes

Today's pizza is like a hot Ham and Cheese sandwich. With a fresh, herby, dressed tomato and onion salad topping the finished pizza.

Ingredients

  • 12 oz. Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, quartered
  • 1/4-1/2 Sweet Onion, sliced thin
  • 2 tsp. Minced Fresh Rosemary
  • 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp. Sherry Vinegar (or red or white wine vinegar)
  • Pinch of Kosher Salt
  • Pinch of Black Pepper
  • 1 Prepared Pizza Dough
  • Olive Oil (for drizzling on pizza dough)
  • 1.5 cups Grated Gruyere Cheese
  • 8-12 oz. Sliced Deli Ham

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven with a pizza steel or stone to 450 degrees F.

2

Combine the quartered tomatoes, onion slices and minced herbs in a medium bowl. Add the olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. Toss to combine and set aside.

3

Roll, spin, or stretch your dough out to about 12-inches round. Brush with dough with olive oil.

4

Use roughly 2/3 of the cheese for the first layer.

5

Fold each slice of deli ham into thirds and lay the folded ham slices evenly over the cheese.

6

Top the whole pizza with the remaining cheese.

7

Bake the pizza for 10-15 minutes, until the crust is puffed and golden and the cheese is melted and bubbling. Transfer the baked pizza to a cutting board.

8

Give the tomato and onion salad another toss. Then use a slotted spoon or tongs to top the baked pizza with the tomato and onion salad.

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  • Terry
    September 2, 2022 at 10:24 am

    Who doesn’t like ham cheese and tomato OMG my fav sandwich in a pizza Yumm… this will definitely go in the line up … have a great holiday weekend hope it’s not too hot there it’s gonna be roasting here ❤️🤗 mom

    • Kelly Djalali
      September 2, 2022 at 12:15 pm

      I Hope you all are able to stay cool for the weekend, Mom. This is a pizza I know you will love – enjoy it! xo Kelly

  • Sylvia Espinoza
    September 2, 2022 at 2:07 pm

    Hi, Kelly…this looks and sounds so delicious! Like your Mom, love ham, tomato, and cheese sandwiches. Rumor has it Fall is coming, even if being ushered in by hot temps. I’m looking for the first Norther of the season. As ever, always read each and every post, enjoying your recipe ideas, as well as the comments by the blog sisters. I remain your fan here and on the style blog, as well. Enjoy your Labor Day holiday…thank you for your labors! 🧡

    • Kelly Djalali
      September 2, 2022 at 3:36 pm

      Hi Sylvia, Good to hear from you! We are starting to feel the first bit of fall with cooler temperatures in the morning and evening, which is nice. I am so lucky and happy to have you as a member of our little community here on Djalali Cooks, and on Style at a Certain Age! I know you’ve been reading and sharing your thoughts and ideas for years. Have a wonderful holiday weekend, take care! xo Kelly

  • Mari
    September 2, 2022 at 3:53 pm

    I’m in love with that pizza. It’s put together so beautifully and doesn’t skimp on the filling. When you eat something beautiful like this, you walk away blissfully happy and you know you’ve had a wonderful meal. It’s a work of art. When I was a child and watched these wonderful old back and white films on the TV, there were movies with scenes in Horn and Hardart, and my brothers and I were obsessed with getting up close to the set and trying to see what was behind the little windows, and imagining what we would buy if we had a quarter. We thought that was the height of luxury. I remember one of the heroines bought creamed spinach, coffee, and a sandwich. She didn’t eat any of it. Just talked her way through the meal, while the male lead nodded sympathetically and offered his handkerchief. He didn’t eat either. We could understand eschewing coffee and spinach, but a ham and cheese sandwich? There was an automat when my mom was growing up, and she told her rapt audience what she ate there. Tomato soup and a sandwich. We weren’t impressed. She could eat them at home. My brother was shocked, and said she should have had a hamburger, but at least she didn’t have coffee.
    Now for this week’s episode of Stump The Supermodel Chef. Three female movie icons from the golden age of films and beyond. Katherine Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Audrey Hepburn. Go to your closet and the pictures on Beth’s blog, and choose each of these ladies an updated, casually stylish look. All three are timeless, two are elegant, and one is more casual, although Kate did clean up nicely and rocked some lovely gowns occasionally. No pizzas this week, but I thought appetizers and Perrier would be fun for these lovely ladies. Have a wonderful weekend and hugs to Kelly, Alex, Terry and the kids. I wonder if the pups would like an automat for dogs? Sunshine and groceries today, so I’m late getting to this

    • Kelly Djalali
      September 2, 2022 at 4:16 pm

      Hi Mari, What an interesting challenge! Since I am a jeans and T-shirt kinda person, Let’s style these ladies in three different denim styles. I still want them to be comfortable, so that they don’t feel like they’re wearing costumes. So, for Katherine Hepburn we are going with high-waist, wide leg denim trousers; a crisp white button up tucked in and unbuttoned to the third button; with platform loafers. Grace Kelly gets vintage straight leg jeans; a boatneck, black and white striped, capped sleeve t-shirt and black Converse high tops. Audrey Hepburn would wear high-waist skinny or cigarette jeans; a cropped cashmere sweater; and let’s keep her in ballet flats for a classic, yet modern look. I hope you can visualize these ladies in these outfits as I can… I think the dogs would love to have choices when it’s time to eat. I hope they would choose what they already get, but they’d probably go with the Salisbury Steak! Have a wonderful weekend, Mari! xo Kelly