Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F). If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven while it heats; otherwise use a rimless baking sheet turned upside down.

Brush both sides of each flatbread lightly with 1 tbs olive oil and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt and a pinch of pepper. Set on a work surface ready to top.

Creamy tomato sauce

Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add minced shallot and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.

Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant, then stir in tomato paste and cook 30 seconds to develop flavor.

Add the tomato passata (200 ml), dried oregano, red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to thicken slightly.

Lower heat and stir in heavy cream (60 ml). Simmer 1–2 minutes until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat.

Let sauce cool 5 minutes so it will spread easily without soaking the flatbread.

Toppings

Prepare mushrooms: toss sliced mushrooms with 1 tsp lemon juice and a pinch of salt to draw out moisture. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat add remaining 1 tbs olive oil and sauté mushrooms in a single layer until golden and any released liquid has evaporated, about 4–6 minutes. Remove from heat.

If brisket is cold, warm slices gently in the microwave for 20–30 seconds or heat briefly in a skillet with a teaspoon of water to make it pliable; avoid overcooking so it stays tender.

Place flatbreads on a floured pizza peel or inverted baking sheet if using a stone; or directly on the prepared rimless sheet. Spread about 3–4 tbs of the creamy tomato sauce over each flatbread, leaving a 1 cm (1/2 inch) border.

Dot each flatbread with spoonfuls of ricotta (about 60 g per flatbread) in small mounds. Scatter shredded mozzarella evenly (about 100 g each).

Arrange warmed brisket slices/shreds evenly over the cheese. Distribute sautéed mushrooms and optional thin red onion slices on top.

Bake & finish

Bake in the preheated oven (on the pizza stone or inverted sheet) for 8–10 minutes, until the flatbread is crisp at the edges and the mozzarella is melted and bubbling.

Remove from oven and immediately drizzle each flatbread with about 1.5 tbs BBQ sauce. Sprinkle grated Parmesan (1 tbs each), chopped parsley or basil, and a grind of cracked black pepper.

If desired, finish with a tiny drizzle of chili oil or extra BBQ sauce to taste.

Let rest 2 minutes, then slice each flatbread into 6–8 pieces and serve warm.