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!