I love it when I stumble across a recipe that combines unexpected ingredients.

That said, the only unusual ingredient here are the black grapes and I was curious to see how it would taste. This really works – a lovely balance of sweet, salt and fragrant. I suppose if there was cheese, it would be categorized as ‘pizza’ but no cheese is needed for this mouthwatering appetizer….it’s quick and easy to assemble and will have your guests begging for more.

Contrary to my usual trend of avoiding processed foods, I recommend using the ready-made Pillsbury thin crust pizza dough in a can – one of those skinny tubes that explodes and frightens the dog when you peel the paper corner to open it. I always have a couple in my freezer so that I can whip up something fast when I’m feeling lazy, or if last-minute guests drop by for a nibble.

Don’t make it with those watery, tasteless canned pitted black olives – kalamata olives are essential.

I’d half considered adding some shredded prosciutto but really there’s no need as it tastes perfect jut as it is. But if you don’t feel you’ve eaten properly unless there’s some meat on your plate, go ahead.

Grape & Olive ‘Pizza’ with Garlic & Rosemary

GRAPE & OLIVE ‘PIZZA’ with GARLIC & ROSEMARY

(Serves 10 as an appetizer)

Ingredients:

One 11 oz (311g) raw thin crust pizza base

2 cups of seedless red grapes, halved

½ cup of pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 tablespoon of thinly sliced garlic

Sea salt, freshly ground black pepper

Extra-v olive oil

Action:

Pre heat the oven to 400F

Unroll (or roll out) the raw pizza dough and place it on a lightly oiled non-stick cookie sheet or pizza stone that you’ve sprinkled with a little fine ground cornmeal – allow it to sit there for 15 minutes then pre-bake it for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the olives, grapes, rosemary and garlic in a bowl and mix together well.

Scatter the topping over the pre-baked dough and give it a good grind of black pepper and a sprinkle of sea salt. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for another 10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the grapes are soft.

Best eaten warm but I’ve also eaten it cold and it was still delicious.