–PEPPERONI FOUR CHEESE PIZZA —

If it were up to me I would crown Pizza the King of Food. It triggers taste buds you thought you didn’t have. It’s all kinds of melody in your mouth from melodious soft to hard rock rap. It’s as if you are not pulling on cheese strings but rather guitar strings that sing the tunes of your tingling tastebuds. I suppose it’s the only dish that compliments anything leftover in your fridge and be it anything; it tantalises all your senses and your imagination to be agile and to be as creative and as crazy as you want to be. It may sound like a simple pepperoni pizza with cheese but it’s all about how you layer the cheddar and the mozzarella and the fresh mozzarella and the fiery cheese and the cottage cheese. The key is to layer it not distribute it on the top. I usually start the base of this particular pizza with fresh mozzarella on the bottom first and then spread the pizza sauce on top of it. Trust me when I say, you will not regret that. Then moving on to those mini dollops of butter a bit here and there on the top of the pizza before it goes into the oven, Well! Let me just say the way it silks out the cheese is a result in an exceptionally clean pizza topping and that colour pop of fresh basil just makes it sexier; of course the kick comes from that pepperoni. I also added bits of chicken bites here and there like a little meaty surprise when you bite into it. Now when it comes down to yeast, I know usually it’s frothed before it’s added to the mix, but as it happens, I am a mom and one of the hallmarks that come with it is impatience when it comes to cooking and dining, it has to be fast. Being a Mom, we cook fast and we eat even faster. Having 3 hyper active kids clutching onto me for their needs most of the time, I have to find efficient yet sustainable shortcuts to everything, especially when it comes down to food. So, I opt for instant yeast, which doesn’t need any frothing and I mix it with the other ingredients all together and not once, not once has this base failed me. Same goes for tomatoes, if I’m making a sauce, rather than blanching them and peeling them and then grinding them into a paste, just have handy tinned tomatoes. Such little things like these I have come to call “mom is cooking savers”.

So, let me tell you, the second it comes out of the oven and you can hear that cheese sizzling, that sound is what makes your palate palatable and that burst of colour because of that fresh basil is food for the eyes, definitely. All your senses are tantalising. In all honesty, a couple of slices of these and maybe even a cold piece the next morning; and I have no regrets, I will run a little longer than usual on my treadmill the next day.
Here is what you need. This recipe will make either two small or one large pizza. Now if you don’t have a pizza plate, it’s no biggy, just roll the dough out onto the back of a baking tray, that’s just as good.

Base –

2 cups of flour

2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp instant dry yeast

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup warm water (105*F)

1/2 cup warm milk

1 tbsp oil

Mix the dry ingredients first.Make a well in the centre and mix in the wet ingredients. Knead it until it’s all combined and the dough bounces back when you press it. Brush oil in a bowl and set the base aside in it for 2 hours in a warm place (perhaps in the microwave).

Pizza sauce –

1/2 can chopped tomatoes

1/2 green bell pepper

1 small green chilli

Few leaves of fresh basil

3 green olives

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tbsp ketchup

1 tsp white vinegar

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp oil

Whizz together tomatoes, green bell pepper, fresh basil, olives and green chilli. Heat oil in a pan and add the blended mix, cook for 2 min and add the spices; ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper and oregano. Add a little water if needed and cook for another 4-6 minutes. At the very end add the nutmeg and take it off the stove.

Now roll out the base and place it in the pizza plate. Prick it with forks all over yo let the steam out. Now layer the fresh mozzarella first and spread the sauce on top. Now add the layer of pepperoni and the shredded mozzarella and cheddar and the fiery cheese ( this you can find in the cheese aisle at the super store but if you can’t just use Monterey Jack cheese or just completely leave it out). Add mini dollops of butter on the four corners and sprinkle fresh basil on top. Bake at 210*C for 12-14 minutes. Once done, garnish with fresh basil.