Post-Christmas Detox

Christmas has to be one of the most special times of the year! All the family comes together to exchange gifts, play games and eat enough food to feed a small army. But sadly, as soon as it arrives, it quickly passes again until next year – the only lingering thing is the tightness felt when trying to do the top button up on my trousers… And so this pizza is designed to help kick-start that healthy-eating regime you’ve promised to stick to come New Year – shouldn’t be too difficult with recipes like this!

To make the base for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

Leftover beetroot relish

4 carrots, grated

100g cheese, grated

Method:

1. When the bases have finished proving, take them out of the oven and turn the heat up to 210°C.
2. Now as well as being a detox for the body, this pizza can also be a detox for your kitchen cupboards. I’m using up things that have been left over from the festivities.
3. So the beetroot relish was shop bought and used to go with our teatime crackers and cheese on Christmas Day. Spread this over the bases.
4. Next, grate the carrots on top, followed by the cheese. Here. I’m using double Gloucester with onion and chive – bit of a change from the ordinary cheddar!
5. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
6. Buon appetito!

 

Goodbye and good riddance, 2016!

A year many will remember and perhaps not for the most cheerful of reasons. Celebrity deaths one after the other, countless terrorist atrocities across the world, a heart-breaking Brexit and now Trump... What is the world coming to? Not usually a fan of New Year, on this occasion I will be more than happy to welcome in 2017 and say goodbye to a year of tragedy! And for comfort food with which to stuff our faces and forget our woes? – a pizza only Trump would not want to be served... As the Mexicans would say “provecho!”

To make the bases for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

1 red onion, diced

170g minced beef

1x 400g can chopped tomatoes

1x 400g can kidney beans

100g grated cheese

Cinnamon and paprika to taste

Method:

1. When the bases have finished proving, take them out the oven and heat it to 210°C.
2. Meanwhile, fry the red onion and minced beef, then add the chopped tomatoes.
3. Season with cinnamon and paprika – although this seems like an odd combination, trust me – the sweetness and spice really do complement one another J
4. Drain the kidney beans and stir through before taking the mixture off the heat.
5. Add to the bases and then grate over the cheese.
6. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
7. Bon appetito! – or provecho!

Say cheeeeeeeese!

I can’t take credit for this recipe (or the photo for that matter!) – this is all thanks to Mamma Johannes! One weekend a little while ago, I must admit that I ashamedly neglected my pizza-making duties. But what resulted was something of pure delicious genius! Forget you gourmet Quattro Formaggio – it’s all about the trio here. Cheddar, mozzarella, Boursin – simple. Guaranteed to satisfy even the fussiest of eaters, this pizza is not only a family favourite, it’s a chef’s delight when time is against you.

To make the bases for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

6 tbsp tomato purée

125g mini mozzarella pears

100g Boursin cheese, crumbled

100g cheddar, grated

2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Method:

1. Once the bases have finished proving, then take them out of the oven and turn the heat up to 210°C.
2. Unlike a lot of my other recipes, this is so simple to follow and a doddle to make! All that you need to do is spread the purée over the bases, add the cheese and dot over your halved cherry tomatoes! And that’s it! After all, don’t they say: “enjoy the simple things in life”...?
3. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes and buon appetito!

An Aussie’s BBQ pizza!

Visiting Australia is at the very top of my bucket list. Perhaps it’s because I grew up watching Neighbours every weekday afternoon with my sister – or maybe it’s simply down to the hours of glorious sunshine they always seem to be bathed in. Whatever the reason, I can’t wait to sample their laidback lifestyle, carefree culture and year-long summery cuisine! Living in England, BBQs are that rare treat happening once a year (twice – if you’re lucky), during our two-week long summer. So this pizza is my temporary stop-gap before I get to taste that Aussie barbie for real.

To make the base for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

2 sweet potato

200g cooked and peeled prawns

1x 435g can of pineapple chunks

2 handfuls of desiccated coconut

Method:

1. When the bases have finished proving, take them out the oven and turn the heat up to 210°C.
2. While the oven is heating up, you can prepare the sweet potatoes. Peel and dice them, then boil until tender. Next, mash them - adding a little olive oil to help slacken the mixture.
3. Spread this over the two bases.
4. Add the prawns and pineapple and then bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
5. Before serving, sprinkle over the desiccated coconut.
6. Buon appetito! 

Aubergine is the new kale...

First it was goji berries, next it was acai and then along came kale. Superfoods seem to come and go like reality TV stars - talk about having their 15 minutes of fame or what! Now it seems the health-kick of the moment is that old favourite, the aubergine! Unlike its predecessors, most people will have actually heard of it though and be able to identify in their local supermarket. So here's to a superfood that is actually pronounceable, affordable and not likely to disappear from shelves when the next edible superhero takes over to save all of humanity!

To make the bases for this pizza, please click here.

To make the broccoli pesto:

1 head of broccoli

50g parmesan cheese

50g pine nuts

150ml olive oil

This veggie twist on an Italian classic compliments the aubergine perfectly, both in colour and taste! It's simple to make - all you have to do is boil the broccoli until tender and then blitz with the other ingredients in a food processor.

Other ingredients you will need:

1 aubergine, diced

1x 400g can of black eyed peas

Handful of raisins

Method:

1. When the bases have finished proving, take them out the oven and allow it to heat up to 210°C.
2. Make the broccoli pesto according to the instructions above and spread over the bases.
3. Drain the can of black eyed peas and add these on top, followed by the aubergine after you have lightly fried it for a few minutes.
4. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
5. Sprinkle over some raisins to give it an exotic twist. I find that by doing this step after baking, the raisins keep their juiciness and don't go hard.
6. Buon appetito!

A comforting pizza for Autumnal evenings...

If you say the word ‘autumn’, what images spring to mind? Perhaps the changing colours of leaves, cosy evenings inside – perhaps even Halloween? For me though, it has to be memories of picking blackberries with my dad. It became somewhat a tradition. There was a lovely little spot we used to go to where blackberries grew in abundance. On a Sunday we’d fill our boots (metaphorically of course) and take our efforts home to mum who would use them to make my favourite dessert – a traditional crumble! Such an important part of my childhood needed to be remembered and so this recipe is homage to those very special Sundays I shared with my parents.

To make the base for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

150g blackberries

170g minced beef

100g cheddar cheese

Sprinkling of rosemary

Method:

1. When the bases have finished proving, take them out the oven and turn the heat up to 210°C.
2. Whilst the oven is warming up, the topping can be prepared. First, blitz the blackberries using a liquidiser and then fry the mince until brown.
3. Spread your blackberry purée onto the bases and top with the mince.
4. Grate over the cheddar cheese, followed by a sprinkling of rosemary.
5. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
6. Buon appetito!

“Well that’s just peachy!”

As I come up with more and more recipes for this blog, I have discovered a lot about my style of cooking and the ingredients to which I tend to gravitate. I’m definitely one for experimenting – I don’t like to be stifled by the rigidity and rules of a recipe (hypocrite you might say considering the nature of these posts!) Where’s the fun in not knowing exactly how a dish might turn out?! I’m also a fan of Mediterranean flavours, as well as combining unusual food together to create something unexpected. So this recipe could be considered typical of me and the food I like to cook – enjoy.

To make the base for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

140g cream cheese

1x 410g can of peach slices

75g wafer thin ham

2 handfuls of pistachio nuts

Generous drizzling of honey

Method:

1. When the bases have finished proving and you've taken them out, turn the oven to 210°C.
2. As with some of my other bakes, I prefer to eat this one cold - however, if you do want to eat it hot, it can always go in the microwave for a couple of minutes before serving. So, when the oven has reached the required temperature, bake the bases for 10 minutes without any toppings. Remove and leave to cool down.
3. Spread over the cream cheese and dot over your peach slices.
4. Tear the ham into strips - for that more rustic look! - and add this as well.
5. Sprinkle over your pistachio nuts and finish off with a generous helping of honey.
6. Buon appetito!

Sophisticated Strawberries

This is a combination I’ve wanted to try out for ages! Ever since I saw a contestant on ‘Masterchef’ produce a dessert incorporating strawberries and basil in a sorbet, I can’t deny I’ve been intrigued. I mean; I love strawberries, and I love basil – but do the two really work together?! Well folks, I can – with first-hand experience – categorically say that they do! It’s like a match made in heaven. And when you combine them with some balsamic, you get a recipe worthy of a pizza blog post!

To make the base for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

140g cream cheese

420g can of strawberries

Balsamic vinegar

Handful basil leaves

Method:

1. When the bases have finished proving and you’ve taken them out, turn the oven to 210°C.
2. This pizza recipe is slightly different from most of my other ones as I’ve found that with the toppings I’m using, it’s actually better cold. When the oven has reached the required temperature, bake the bases (with no topping) for 10 minutes.
3. This leaves enough time to marinate the strawberries in the balsamic vinegar. Drain away any syrup that may have been accompanying the strawberries and put them in a bowl. Pour over the balsamic vinegar so that the strawberries are nicely covered.
4. When the bases have been baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool.
5. Meanwhile, chop your basil and mix it into the cream cheese – this can then be spread over the bases.
6. Drain and half the strawberries, then dot around on the top.
7. Buon appetito!

 

Turkish-Inspired Pizza

You’ll remember how much of a fan I am of pesto - well earlier this week, I found myself with a small amount of left over pine nuts in the cupboard. I’m massively against foodwaste and so I thought I would use it as an opportunity to create a new pizza topping! I had vague recollections of a take on a Turkish salad recipe I had seen online which got me thinking… and below is the fruits of my labour.

To make the bases for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

6 tbsp tomato purée

1 red onion

2 handfuls pine nuts

100g feta cheese

Sprinkling of ground cinnamon

Drizzling of honey

Method:

1.      When the bases have finished proving, turn the oven up to 210°C.

2.      Chop up your red onion before briefly frying in a saucepan.

3.      Spread your tomato purée, followed by your onion, over your bases.

4.      Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

5.      Add the pine nuts, followed by crumbled feta cheese.

6.      To finish, add a generous helping of cinnamon and honey.

7.      Serve immediately and buon appetito! 

I'm bacon you a pizza...

This weekend I stumbled across a can of tinned prunes in our cupboard. I'm not sure how long they'd been there (don't worry though - they were still in date!) and no one seemed to have plans to use them any time soon so I decided they would make a great addition to an experimental pizza topping recipe! Their sweetness with salty bacon and creamy mozzarella turned out to be a winning combination - I hope you agree!

To make the base for this recipe, please click here.

Ingredients:
6 tbsp tomato purée
4 rashers of bacon
125g mini mozzarella pearls
1x 420g can prunes in syrup

Method:

1. While your bases are proving , grill the rashers of bacon until cooked to your taste - in my opinion, the crispier the better! 
2. When the bases have finished in the oven, remove them and turn the heat up to 210°C.
3. Spread the tomato purée over the bases.
4. Now that your bacon has had a chance to cool slightly, cut into strips and dot these over the pizzas, followed by the mozzarella.
5. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes.
6. When they are done, remember to chop your prunes and add these on top before serving.

Naughty but Nice…

I am a strong believer in the term ‘pudding stomach’ because it’s true, no matter how full you are, you always have room for dessert! And looking online, it seems the craze of sweet pizzas has really taken off – so I’ve jumped on the bandwagon somewhat and given you three of my favourite concoctions to make sure your Saturday Pizza Night is that little bit sweeter as well.

How to make a sweet pizza dough:

The ingredients listed here are enough to make three pizza bases – and it just so happens I have three ‘Naughty but Nice’ toppings which are a must-try! You won’t have to eat them all in one go though, these bases freeze very well.

Ingredients:

170g softened butter

340g brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

340g plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda

340g oats

Splash of milk if necessary

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the butter and brown sugar, then mix in the egg and vanilla. Next, add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and oats. Stir until well combined and slacken with a splash of milk if necessary. Divide the dough into three, and line separate baking trays with greaseproof paper. Press the dough into even circles and bake in the oven for 18 minutes or until a deep golden brown colour.

Chocolate Heaven

For this topping, start off by making the chocolate ganache. To do this, you will need to chop 100g good quality dark chocolate into small pieces and tip into a bowl. Pour 140ml of double cream into a pan, add 1 tbsp golden caster sugar, and heat until it is about to boil. Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour this onto the base after it has cooled slightly and then add two handfuls of crushed, toasted hazelnuts along with 4 handfuls of blueberries. To finish it off, melt some white chocolate and drizzle it over the pizza to make an indulgent and decadent pudding!

Go nuts for bananas (or bananas for nuts) – whichever you prefer!

If you'd prefer to try this option, start off by making some cashew nut butter. To make this, simply combine 200g toasted cashew nuts with 5 tsp olive oil in a food processor and blitz until you have a butter with a slight crunch. Pour over the base and then add 2 handfuls flaked almonds along with 40g of dried banana chips - et voilà! 

Pizza for breakfast anyone?!

Now my final sweet pizza recipe requires a little more preparation - but it's definitely worth the effort :) alternatively, you can always nip down the local supermarket for a sneeky shortcut! 

Firstly, make the granola - for this, you will need:

500g oats

170g of a mix of nuts of your choosing

200g of a mix of dried fruit of your choosing

80g of a mix of seeds of your choosing

120ml agave syrup

120ml sunflower oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

To make your homemade granola, preheat the oven to 170°C. Mix the oats, cinnamon, seeds and nuts in a bowl. Separately, combine the syrup, oil and vanilla together and then add to the oat mixture making sure to stir it well. Spread evenly in a baking tray for 30 minutes, stirring after every 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool before adding in your choice of dried fruits.

While this is in the oven, the chia jam can be prepared:

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp coconut water

200g strawberries (plus an extra one for a snazzy garnish!)

1 tbsp maple syrup

To make the jam, place the chia seeds and coconut water into a tall container and set aside to soak for 10 minutes until expanded. Add the strawberries and maple syrup. Using a stick blender, whizz until well combined and store in the fridge until ready to use.

Now all the hard work has been done, it's time to assemble! Start by spreading over 250g of Greek yoghurt. Then drizzle over some of your delicious chia jam and a couple of handfuls of your granola. Cut a strawberry in half for garnish like they do in only the finest of restaurants ;)

And the best bit about this recipe...? You have lots of chia jam and granola left over for brekkie for the rest of the week - even after all your pizza has gone!

Waste Not, Want Not!

In our house, as is the case in many homes across the UK, Sunday can only mean one thing – a good old fashioned roast dinner! A long-standing tradition, us Brits love this dish so much that the French still refer to us as ‘les rosbifs’ (literally meaning the ‘roast beefs’). And what is the only condiment to serve alongside such a classic? – horseradish sauce of course! But with such a powerful flavour, it can take a while to get through the jar and so it just starts to hang around in the fridge for months on end… Fear not though as it seems if we just use a little imagination, we can add it to a number of dishes to add that extra zing – including pizzas it would seem!

To make the base for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

6 tbsp tomato purée

1 red onion

170g minced beef

100g cheddar, grated

100g soured cream

1 tbsp horseradish sauce

Method:

1. While the bases are proving in the oven, slice the red onion and fry with the beef until tender.
2. When the bases have finished proving and you’ve taken them out, turn the oven to 210°C.
3. Spread over the tomato purée, followed by the onion and beef.
4. Grate the cheese on top and cook in the oven for 10 minutes.
5. Whilst your pizzas are cooking, we can make the sauce. Simply combine the soured cream and horseradish and drizzle over the pizzas when they have come out the oven.
6. Serve immediately and buon appetito!

Eat Your Greens!

When I was younger, it was always “6 more spoonfuls.” Getting any kid to eat their greens has always seemed to be a bit of a mission for parents and so this pizza aims to take some of that stress away whilst still ensuring that nutritional hit is met! I recently discovered kale for myself after holding a healthy dose scepticism about its well-documented ‘superfood’ status for quite some time. I don’t necessarily buy into such media attention, but it tastes delicious (especially as a homemade pesto!) – and that’s good enough for me.

To make the kale pesto:

In a food processor, add 50g parmesan cheese, 50g pine nuts, 150ml olive oil and a generous handful of kale. Simply blitz the ingredients together and you’re good to go – it’s as simple as that! As this recipe only calls for 3 tbsp, you also have a ready-made dinner for tomorrow! Just add this to some pasta for a fresh take on another Italian classic.

To make the bases for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

250g mascarpone cheese

3 tbsp kale pesto

120g asparagus

120g peas

½ cucumber

Method:

1.      Due to the ingredients that go into this topping, this pizza is best served cold. Therefore, when the bases have finished proving, they can be immediately baked in 210°C heat for 10 minutes.

2.      Once cooked, remove the bases from the oven and allow to cool – a perfect time to prepare the topping.

3.      Remove the woody ends of the asparagus and chop the stalks into 3. Add these, along with the peas, to some boiling water on the hob and cook until tender.

4.      Using a potato peeler, cut the cucumber into ribbons.

5.      Add 3 tbsp of your kale pesto to the mascarpone and mix together. This can then be evenly spread over your cool bases. To this, sprinkle over your veg and finish off with your cucumber ribbons.

6.      Buon appetito!

Halloween-Inspired Pizza

OK, so Halloween is still a couple of months away but I was looking through some photos I’d taken on my phone and came across one of my fiancé carving out his first ever pumpkin (deprived childhood – I know)! So this got me thinking about recipes for my next pizza and I came up with this one – not pumpkin-based, but butternut squash is always a pretty good substitute!

 

To make the base for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

500g butternut squash

400g ricotta cheese

2 handfuls pecans, roughly chopped

Sprinkling of sage to top it all off

Method:

1.      This is a very easy pizza to make – all the prep that’s needed is a careful (and I do mean careful) chopping up of the butternut squash. I love the flavour of them but they’re just so tough to cut into I’m quite often put off buying them. For this recipe though, the perseverance is well worth the effort – the smaller the pieces, the better!

2.      When the bases have finished proving, take them out of the oven and turn the heat up to 210°C.

3.      Spread the ricotta over the bases and add your diced butternut squash with a generous sprinkling of sage.

4.      Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

5.      Once baked, add the chopped nuts – I find pecans tend to burn very easily in the oven so I’ve learnt to always add them when all the cooking has been done!

6.      Buon appetito!

A Modern Margarita

So history recalls how the traditional margarita was born in 1889 when the Neapolitan pizzamaker Raffaele Esposito created a pizza garnished with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil to mirror the colours of the Italian flag in honour of the Queen consort. Its popularity has ensured the recipe has survived centuries and as delicious as it is, I do feel its high time we spiced it up a little with a few tweaks here and there…

To make the bases for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

1kg carrots

2 tsp paprika

400g spinach leaves

250g mozzarella balls

340g antipasti jar of roasted peppers

Method:

1. While the bases are proving in the oven, the purée can be prepared.
2. First of all, peel and chop the carrots. Boil them until tender and drain.
3. They can then be puréed using a juicer or handheld blitzer. Stir in 2 tsp of paprika in order to give it a deep red colour (and a bit of a kick!)
4. Remove the bases and turn the heat up to 210°C. While the oven is getting up to temperature the spinach can be wilted. Tip the leaves into a saucepan with a dash of boiling water and cover with the lid. Over a low hob, heat the spinach until wilted and then drain using a colander. Try to remove as much liquid as possible to avoid a soggy bottom… Not something deemed fit for a Queen, I’m sure you’ll agree.
5. Now it’s time to assemble! Spread over your carrot and paprika purée, then add the spinach.
6. Repeat the process with the roasted peppers and finish off with the mozzarella.
7. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes and serve immediately.
8. Buon appetito!

Egg and Cress Pizza

Morbid thinking I know, but if ever I was on death row, my last meal would be, without doubt, a traditional afternoon tea! There’s nothing I don’t enjoy about this three-tiered slice of heaven: from the beautifully crafted cakes (which are masterpieces in their own right), to the generous sized-scones served with gloopy cream and jam. And the staple of any high tea should be the dainty selection of finger sandwiches all washed down with a brew of your choosing! So this is my homage to the best culinary invention to date, and a nod to my favourite sandwich filling. N.B. Only to be enjoyed with a cuppa… obviously.

To make the base for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

300g egg mayonnaise

200g spinach leaves

Sprinkling of cress

Method:

1. When the bases have finished proving and you’ve taken them out, turn the oven to 210°C.
2. This pizza recipe is slightly different from most of my other ones as I’ve found that with the toppings I’m using, it’s actually better cold. When the oven has reached the required temperature, bake the bases (with no topping) for 10 minutes.
3. This leaves enough time to wilt the spinach. Tip the leaves into a saucepan with a dash of boiling water and cover with the lid. Over a low hob, heat the spinach until wilted and then drain using a colander. Try to remove as much liquid as possible to avoid a soggy bottom…
4. When the bases have been baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool.
5. Now the egg mayonnaise can be spread over and topped with the wilted spinach and a sprinkling of cress. Less delicate that a finger sandwich maybe, but no less delicious!
6. Buon appetito!

“These are a few of my favourite things…”

The Sound of Music is a classic and one of my favourite films of all times! The simple mix of romantic storylines set against a backdrop of Nazi invasion across Europe, mixed effortlessly with beautiful melodies makes it impossible not to enjoy. So, going against my recent blog posts which attempt to combine new flavours and textures, I’m taking my cooking back to its humble roots and presenting a recipe of every-day ingredients that my family loves to eat – hope you enjoy.

To make the bases for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

180g of garlic and herb soft cheese

1 leek

300g of mushrooms

6 rashers of bacon

Method:

1.      As the bases come to the end of their time proving, the bacon and veg can be prepared. Start of by cleaning the mushrooms, chopping them finely. Wash the leek, and again, slice into small pieces.

2.      Under a grill – or however you prefer to cook your bacon – let the rashers turn a delicious sizzling deep pink. Leave to cool slightly so these can be cut into small strips – I find scissors work best!

3.      When the bases have finished proving, take them out.

4.      As the oven warms up to 210°C, spread the soft cheese over the bases – a nice change from tomato I’ve found!

5.      Next add the bacon, followed by the mushrooms and leek.

6.      Bake in the oven for 10 minutes before enjoying!

7.      Buon appetito!

Thyme to Relax

In our ever busy lives, it can be difficult to avoid making mealtimes samey and uninspiring. Recipes seem to be getting more complicated and taking up more precious time in the evening to prepare. Therefore, I have decided to try to combat such issues with this particular pizza! The herbs add an extra twist to the punchy flavour of the goat’s cheese, while all the prep that is required is the frying of a few mushrooms. So sit back, and take some thyme to relax… ;)

To make the bases for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp tomato purée

Sprinkling of oregano

Sprinkling of thyme

300g of mushrooms

100g of goat’s cheese

2 handfuls of sundried tomatoes

10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Method:

1.      When the bases have finished proving, take them out and let the oven warm up to 210°C.

2.      Clean the mushrooms and slice before frying them in a saucepan.

3.      Spread the tomato purée over the bases and sprinkle over the oregano, then add the fried mushrooms.

4.      Dot over the two types of tomatoes, then finish off by crumbling over the goat’s cheese and adding a generous sprinkling of thyme. And it’s as simple as that!

5.      Bake in the oven for 10 minutes and then serve.

6.      Buon appetito!

The Pink Pizza

I wouldn’t say I was a particularly girly girl – I’ve never been obsessed by make-up or boy bands… In fact, I’ve always been a bit of a tomboy. Mum could never get me in a dress and I was always out doing some sport in one form or another! I enjoyed spending time with dad though on little building projects in the garage – on one occasion we even made a wooden kart I could speed down our road in! The only typically girly thing that I did like was the colour pink – so here’s a recipe for the prettiest-looking pizza out there!

To make the base for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

300g beetroot, pickled in sweet malt vinegar

150g haloumi

100g hazelnuts

100g honey-roasted, wafer-thin ham

Method:

1. This pizza is one of the simplest and quickest of all my recipes to make. So I recommend that you don’t start preparing the topping until the bases have finished proving and they have been taken out of the oven. Whilst the oven warms up to 210°C, complete steps 2-4.
2. Using a liquidiser (or if you’re like me and have a hand-held blitzer – perfect for soups!), reduce the beetroot to a pulp and then spread this over the bases. I find beetroot is a nice alternative to the traditional tomato purée – and gives a lovely deep pink colour of course!
3. Next, tear pieces of ham and sprinkle these on top, followed by the haloumi.
4.  Dot over the hazelnuts.
5. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, which is just enough time for the haloumi and hazelnuts to be toasted perfection.
6. Serve immediately and buon appetito!

Pesto Pizza

Pesto. Food of the Gods. I love the stuff! So much so that pesto pasta has become one of my all-time favourite dishes and is probably the one I’m best known for making (aside from pizzas of course!). The ease and simplicity combined with its deliciousness mean I make it at least once a fortnight. It goes in sandwiches, pastry tarts, salads, you name it! Which got me thinking… high time it went on one of my pizzas!

To make the base for this pizza, please click here.

To make the pesto:

In a food processor, blitz together 150ml olive oil, 50g parmesan cheese, 50g pine nuts and a handful of basil leaves – it couldn’t be simpler! Then again, supermarket jars of the stuff run a pretty close second…

Other ingredients:

6tbsp tomato purée

200g chicken strips

260g green beans

20 cherry tomatoes

Method:

1. Towards the end of the proving time for the bases, fry the chicken until cooked. Discard the ends of the green beans and cut the veg into smaller, more bitesize pieces. Boil these until tender.
2. When the bases have finished, take them out and turn the oven up to 210°C.
3. Top the bases with the tomato purée, adding the chicken and beans.
4. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and pop these on top also so that they become nicely roasted in the oven.
5. Bake the pizzas for 10 minutes.
6. Before serving spatter over your (hopefully homemade!) pesto as the crowning glory!
7. Buon appetito!

The Love Pizza

As I sit down with my fiancé at the weekend to plan out some more details for our wedding, I realise how lucky I am to be surrounded by love. The love of my ever supportive family. The love of my wonderful friends. And, of course, the love of the man sitting next to me carefully working out the order and timings of our reception playlist. As Hugh Grant so rightly quotes in Love Actually: “If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around”.

To make the base for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

6tbsp tomato purée

200g chicken strips

150g feta cheese

2 handfuls artichokes hearts antipasti

2 handfuls sundried tomatoes

Drizzling of red pesto

Method:

1.      When the bases have finished proving, take them out and turn the oven up to 210°C.

2.      While the oven is heating up, fry the chicken until cooked.

3.      Top the bases with the tomato purée and then add the chicken.

4.      Dot over the artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes.

5.      Crumble over the feta cheese and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

6.      Before serving, drizzle over the red pesto – in my opinion the more generous, the better!

7.      Buon appetito!

Gary’s Protein-Packed Pizza

Now, my brother-in-law, Gary, LOVES pizza so it was only right that I dedicated one of my recipes to him. Like the rest of the family he’s big into his sport, but particularly cycling. If he’s not out beating a personal best, he’s either building a bike from scratch or tinkering with the mechanics of it – I don’t know anyone who knows more about the inner workings than he does! As with anyone serious about sporting performance, Gary is also big into his nutrition and so this recipe is packed full of protein to help speed up the recovery of those leggies! This one’s for you Big Bro J

To make the base for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

6 tbsp tomato purée

2 160g cans of tuna, 1 for each pizza

1 red onion

1 400g can of five bean salad

100g cheddar cheese, grated

Method:

1.      This is a simple pizza to make as there’s not much preparation needed because most of the ingredients come in a can! All that can really be done is to slice the red onion and fry in a saucepan until tender.

2.      When the bases have finished proving, take them out and turn the oven up to 210°C so it has time to heat up.

3.      Spread the tomato purée over the bases and then the red onion.

4.      Drain the tuna and add this to the pizza as well.

5.      Do the same with the can of five bean salad.

6.      Sprinkle over the grated cheddar and pop in the oven for 10 minutes.

7.      Buon appetito!