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!