Artichoke and mozarella pizza
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Ingredients
1lb of strong white flour, 1 tablespoon of active dried yeast, 2 teaspoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of truffle oil, 250ml warm water, passata tomatoes, white onion, |
1) Pizza dough
Dissolve the yeast in 150ml of warm water and set aside to rest. After 10 minutes add the honey and truffle oil. Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture a little at a time and mix thoroughly with your hands until it becomes dough like in consistency.
It is possible to make this if you have a dough attachment for your blender.
Transfer your dough ball to a lightly floured surface and flour your hands. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes and then sit to rest in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover this with a warm, damp cloth. The bowl must be big enough to allow the dough to double in size over the next hour.
Divide the dough into small dough balls and kneed these again before rolling out on a floured surface to make your pizza crust. This dough recipe is best suited to thin, crispy pizza bases. I recommend baking the base first for 3 minutes in the oven to avoid the centre becoming soggy.
2) Pizza sauce
Finely dice half a white onion and sautee in a tablespoon of basil oil. As the onions begin to soften, add a glass of red wine and cook it off until only half the liquid remains. Add the passata tomatoes and simmer the sauce on a low heat, adding a haldful of freshly chopped basil and a good pinch of salt and black pepper.
3) Pizza toppingTo prepare the artichoke vinaigrette: Break the stem of the artichoke as close to the base as you can, then put the artichoke head first into a pan of hot, salted water and keep it submerged with an upturned pan lid (or plate). It will take 20-30 minutes to cook until tender - test the base with a knife - if it goes in smoothly it's ready! Slice the artichoke leaves and mix into equal parts of basil oil, lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped basil.
Top the part baked pizza crust with half a ladle of the pizza sauce, layer with slices of mozarella and artichoke, a few vine ripened tomatoes and bake for 10-15 minutes. Serve with rocket and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
