Meatballs and other tasty toppings elevate this crusty creation

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From the September 2022 issue

When Barry Fleischmann and Mindy Fisher decided to cohabitate, they started fresh and moved from Baltimore to the beach. “Great quality of life, great cost of living,” Fleischmann says of their choice. “We moved in January 2022 and haven’t looked back.”

With their beach home under construction, the partners debated about continuing their meal-delivery service, Scratch Mill Kitchen, in Baltimore. “We decided if we were going to move here and ‘do’ here, we would move here and do it now,” says the chef. “So, we rented a house with storage for all our stuff.”

Fleischmann is no newcomer to the culinary industry. A caterer for 30-plus years, he has served Julia Child and Robert Mondavi and collaborated with Charlie Trotter, he says.

When the coronavirus affected bookings, he developed the idea for the delivery business, which he started in early 2021. Customers order by a specified date and time, and the prepared meals are delivered to their door within a certain time frame.

Options include appetizers, soups, salads, main dishes, sides and desserts. Fleischmann loves pasta and Italian cuisine, and he tops his flatbread with meatballs. Since most people have a go-to meatball recipe, he suggests using your own for this flatbread dish. You can also purchase prepared meatballs, turkey meatballs or plant-based products. 

FLATBREAD WITH MEATBALLS and more

(Makes 5)

For the no-knead flatbread dough

•  1⁄2 cups of warm water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon of instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 3⁄4 cups of all-purpose flour
• Olive oil to coat the bowl
• Ground cornmeal 

STEP 1 Combine all ingredients — except for the flour — and stir.

STEP 2 Add flour and stir until it’s incorporated.

STEP 3 Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and cover with plastic. Let proof until it has doubled in size.

STEP 4 Divide the dough into five balls.

STEP 5 Drizzle olive oil into five 9-inch cake pans and sprinkle with ground cornmeal.

STEP 6 Place a dough ball in each cake pan and flatten it out.

For the flatbread toppings

• 2 Vidalia onions, sliced 
• Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic
• 3 plum tomatoes, thickly sliced
• 3 tablespoons of parsley, finely chopped
• 1 cup of roasted red peppers, sliced
• 3 2-ounce meatballs, cooked and sliced (use more or less, depending on your preference)
• 1 cup of pecorino, shredded
• 11⁄2 cups of mozzarella, shredded
• 1⁄2 cup of grated parmesan

STEP 1 Saute onions in olive oil until they are wilted. Add garlic and cook for one minute.

STEP 2 Toss the tomatoes in oil, salt and pepper, and roast in a 375-degree oven for 10 minutes.

STEP 3 Combine the onions, garlic, tomatoes, parsley and peppers. Salt and pepper to taste.

STEP 4 Combine the cheeses in a separate bowl.

STEP 5 Top each piece of dough with the onion mixture, then the cheese and then the meatball slices.

STEP 6 Cook for nine to 12 minutes on the lowest shelf of a 550-degree preheated oven. (Use the hottest temperature on your oven.)

STEP 7 Garnish with parsley.