Home made pizza - yum!

For dinner last night we made pizza, which is such an easy way to feed a few people at once - although a second oven would be handy.  Or even better, a pizza oven (one day!).

Potato, caramelised onion and anchovy (top) and margareta

I used the same dough recipe I always use, courtesy of Jamie Oliver's 'Jamie at home' - recipe here.  I used my own tomato sauce recipe, which is simply to gently cook 3 crushed cloves of garlic in about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Add 2 tins good quality crushed tomatoes, 1-2tsp sugar, some torn basil leaves, and a good pinch of dried oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Cook over a very low heat, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens.

Potato, onion and anchovy pizza

Drizzle base with olive oil, and scatter a small handful of mozzarella.  Spread some caramelised onion (see below for recipe), thinly sliced potato, and rosemary on top.  Finish with panchetta, and a tiny bit more cheese.  Cook at 170 deg celcius for approx 15 minutes or until you think it's done!  Once cooked, top with white anchovy fillets and rocket.

Margareta 

Spread tomato sauce around base.  Top with some torn basil leaves, torn or thinly sliced mozzarella, and bake at 170 deg celcius until starting to brown (around 15 minutes).  Top with prosciutto and rocket leaves once cooked.

Pork and Fennel sausage pizza

Pork and fennel sausage pizza

Prepare and bake as per margareta pizza, however before baking top with some crumbled or sliced home-made pork and fennel sausage, diced tomato, and shaved parmesan.  See below for sausage recipe

Salami and mushroom pizza 

Prepare and bake as per margareta recipe, however before baking add sliced mushrooms, and shaved salami slices.

Margareta (left) and salami and mushroom

Margareta again

Caramelised onions

Slice 1 large brown onion and 1 large red onion into thin rings.  Cook over a low heat in 1-2 tbsp of olive oil for around 15 minutes.  The onion should be very soft and dark.  Add 1 tbsp brown sugar and cook for a further five minutes or so.  

Turn any leftovers into onion jam by adding some balsamic vinegar and beef stock, and reducing gently until you get some gooey, sticky, jammy goodness.  

Pork and fennel sausage

1kg Pork shoulder (or another fatty cut of pork)

1 tbsp fennel seeds

3 garlic cloves

1 egg

1 tsp all spice

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp red wine

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp smokey paprika

2 tsp fine sea salt

Load of cracked black pepper

Mince the pork in the medium hole of a grinder (or process in a food processor).  Dry-roast the fennel seeds in a frying pan over medium heat.  Mix the fennel seeds and pork mince with the other ingredients, and prepare sausages using your sausage maker instructions.  Alternately, for the pizzas you could simply fry the meat in the form of burger patties, then crumble over your pizza. 

If you have made sausages, place in a frypan and fill with COLD water (otherwise the sausage skins will burst).  Bring to a simmer and cook for around 5 minutes.  Remove from the pan, pat dry with paper towel.  Preheat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat in a frying pan, and add the sausages.  Cook until browned on each side.