HOMEMADE PIZZA

INGREDIENTS FOR FAVOUR’S PIZZA MARGHERITA • For the Pizza Dough: • 200g Strong White Bread Flour • 0.5 Teaspoon Quick Acting Yeast • 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus extra for topping • 0.5 Teaspoon Salt • 1 Tablespoon Sugar • 125 ml Warm Water • For the Tomato Sauce: • I onion – finely chopped • I Clove of Garlic – finely chopped • 1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes • A Few Leaves of Fresh Basil • Salt and Pepper • For the Topping: • 1 Mozzarella Cheese • 2 Large Tomatoes • A Few Leaves of Basil • Dried Oregano EQUIPMENT • Mixing Bowl • Wooden Spoon • Chopping Board • Rolling Pin • Baking Tin or Sheet • Saucepan METHOD • First make the pizza base by combining all of the pizza dough ingredients in a bowl to form a dough. Knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball. Place the dough in a clean oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for an hour. • To make the tomato sauce, gently fry the chopped onion and garlic in a saucepan for five minutes. Add the chopped tomato and continue cooking for ten minutes until the sauce has reduced. Add a few chopped basil leaves and season with salt and pepper. Leave to cool for at least ten minutes before using. • Pre heat the oven to 200C. • Roll out the dough into a circle about 30 cm in diameter on a lightly floured surface. Carefully lift the dough onto a baking sheet. • Use a spoon to spread the tomato sauce in a thin layer over the dough, leaving about one centi- metre at the edges. • Ask an adult to help you thinly slice the fresh tomato and place the slices on the pizza. • Thinly slice the mozzarella cheese and place on the pizza. • Add some shredded basil and a sprinkle of oregano to the pizza. • Season with salt and pepper and drizzle a little olive oil over the pizza. • Ask an adult to help you put the pizza in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the base is crispy.

VARIATIONS There are many different types of pizza and you can have fun making up your own recipe. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

MARINARA – Add seafood to the Margherita recipe after you have spread the tomato sauce and before you add the sliced tomato and cheese. Prawns, tinned tuna, squid and mussels are often used. You might want to add some finely chopped garlic too.

HAWIIAN – Add sliced ham and pineapple chunks to the Margherita pizza after you have added the sliced tomato and cheese.

PEPPERONI – Add slices of pepperoni to the Margherita pizza after you have added the sliced tomato and cheese.

QUATTRO STAGIONI (FOUR SEASONS) – Add ingredients representing the four seasons on each quarter of the pizza. Tinned artichokes and olives for spring; peppers for summer, mozzarella cheese and tomatoes for autumn; ham and mushrooms for winter.

CALZONE – Add tomato sauce, sliced tomatoes chopped ham, mushrooms, mozzarella cheese and oregano to half of the pizza base and then fold in half and seal the edges. Be careful, the filling will be very hot when it comes out of the oven.

RAPHAEL – Add tinned tuna, sliced chicken, pepperoni, sliced tomato and mozzarella cheese.

PAULINE – Add pepperoni, sweetcorn and sliced mozzarella.

QUICK PIZZA – If you don’t have time to make the pizza base you could use pitta bread sliced in half or ready- made pizza bases. If you don’t have time to make the tomato sauce you could use tomato puree or passata.