RIVER COTTAGE PIZZAS
Makes 4–5 pizzas (each serves 1 generously)
For the pizza dough: 250g plain white flour 250g strong white flour 10g fine sea salt 5g dried or fast-action yeast 2 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil Cornmeal, fine polenta or semolina, for dusting (optional)
For the quick tomato sauce (optional): 2 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil 1 garlic clove, finely sliced 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes (or 1 tin plus a jar of passata)
A pinch of sugar Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Topping ideas: Scraps of air-dried or cooked ham, or crisp nuggets of cooked bacon or chorizo
An egg, broken on to the pizza just before baking
A handful of sliced mushrooms, sautéed in oil with garlic until dry
Cheese – strips of buffalo mozzarella, coarsely grated hard cheese or crumbled blue or goat’s cheese
Coarsely chopped olives Anchovies, rinsed and drained Sardines in oil, drained and coarsely flaked
Capers Roughly chopped rosemary or thyme
For adding after baking: Shredded basil or rocket, or torn flat-leaf parsley, or thyme leaves
1 To make the dough, combine the flours and salt in a large bowl. If you’re using ordinary dried yeast, dissolve it in 325ml warm water and leave for 10 minutes or so. If you’re using fast-action yeast, mix it straight into the flour. Add the yeast liquid or 325ml warm water and oil to the flour, mix to form a rough dough, then turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until silky and elastic. Don’t be tempted to add too much extra flour, even if the dough seems sticky – it will become less so as you knead.
2 Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning it so it gets a coating of oil, cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm
44 | THE WEST COUNTRY FOODLOVER
place until doubled in size; this will probably take at least an hour.
3 Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce (if using): heat the oil in a frying pan over a gentle heat. Add the garlic and let it sizzle very gently for a minute or so. As soon as it starts to turn golden, add the tomatoes. Let them bubble gently, stirring often, for 10–15 minutes, until you have a thick sauce.
4 Transfer to a jug and purée with a stick blender (if you do it in the pan, the sauce will go everywhere), or just crush the chunks of tomato in the pan with a fork until you have a reasonably smooth sauce. Season to taste with salt, pepper and the sugar.
5 Preheat the oven to 250°C/Gas Mark 10, or as high as it will go, and put 2 baking sheets in it to heat up. Punch the risen dough down with your hands to knock it back on a floured surface and cut it into 4 or 5 pieces. Use a rolling pin or your hands (or both), to roll and stretch each piece into a thin circle or square, or a strange, amoeba-type shape, whichever you prefer; it should be no more than 5mm thick – thinner if you can get away with it.
6 Carefully take one of your hot baking sheets from the oven, scatter it with a little flour or, even better, some cornmeal, polenta or semolina, and lay the pizza base on it.
7 Thinly spread a little tomato sauce (a couple of dessertspoons should be enough) over the dough. Now add the toppings of your choice and grind over some pepper. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the base is crisp and golden brown at the edges. While it is cooking, roll out the next piece of dough, and prepare the next pizza in the same way. Serve hot, in big slices, trickled with a little more oil.
PIZZA BIANCA
This is pizza without tomato sauce. A tangle of soft, sweet onions top the dough, seasoned with thyme or oregano and enriched with a little mozzarella or crème fraîche – a lovely, simple meal. Make the dough. While it is rising, heat 4 tablespoons of olive or rapeseed oil in a large frying pan, add 1kg very finely sliced onions and a good pinch of salt and cook gently for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent. Spread them over the rolled-out dough, scatter over some thyme or chopped oregano, then add a few dollops of crème fraîche or some mozzarella, broken into small pieces. Grind over some pepper, drizzle with a little oil and bake.
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