Peaceza on kitchen table V1 240918.jpg — ***Pizza per favore*** … *before* the grand bake-off.

So what! I may have missed the boat somewhat but I think it goes without saying that everyone would enjoy a bit of *Peaceza* all year round if they could. This is a tasty vegetarian version. Feel free to be creative as you like with your toppings, just please don’t let them clash with the ‘peace symbol’! **See the result of the baked version below.**

PIZZA SAUCE
Pizza sauce is extremely versatile — added to drained cooked pasta, with Crespelle (pancakes, spinach and ricotta) and as an additive in soups for instance or for any dish that calls for a tomato flavouring. It will keep for a good week in the refrigerator and can be successfully frozen for future use. Sufficient for at least 10 x 10” (25 cm) pizzas.

1 red large onion, finely chopped
12-14 ripe Roma tomatoes
28 fl oz (800 ml) tomato puree, a “Passata” consistency
A good handful of fresh basil leaves and several sprigs of thyme (optional)
2-3 bulbs garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon caster sugar.
2 tablespoons Italian virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Rinse and quarter the tomatoes and add these with the basil into the blender. Pulse on “Chop” for a few seconds. In a large pan and moderate heat, fry the onion in a little butter until golden. Add the olive oil, chopped tomatoes and basil, tomato puree, garlic, sugar and plenty of seasoning. Mix in well, set the heat to low-moderate and cover with splatter guard for around 40 minutes or until thickened.

PIZZA DOUGH
*Plus extra. Sufficient for 10 x 10-12” (25-30 cm) round or oblong pizzas.

7 oz (200 g) wholemeal flour
1 lb 5 oz (600 g)* unbleached bread or strong flour
7 oz (200 g) semolina
3 teaspoons salt (but two if you’re watching your intake!)
1 teaspoon sugar
28 fl oz (800 ml) water
1 tablespoon light olive oil
2 tablespoons chilled ‘dried’ yeast — e.g. Bob Mills — or dried yeast (made up according to the manufacturer’s instructions)

Heat the water with the sugar until warm — but not so hot that a finger cannot be dipped into it — and whisk in the yeast. Leave for around ten minutes until a head has formed.

Meanwhile, sift the flours, salt and semolina into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre, pour in the yeast mixture and the oil. Mix in well with a wooden spoon and then, using the hands, knead the dough for around 10 minutes, adding some extra flour when it gets sticky, until the dough is pliable and elastic.

Lightly flour the dough and place back into the bowl. Cover with a large clean tea-towel until the dough for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Line the baking trays with baking parchment and lightly dust with flour.

Divide the dough into 10 equal amounts and if making a PEACEZA as below, please keep one portion back for the peace symbol topping!
Taking one mound, prick the sides out with the fingertips. Now taking the dough — and if you are right-handed — underneath the dough, make a fist with the left hand and outstretch the right hand with the fingers together. Use the right hand to give the leverage in order to sweep up the pizza round into the air and then catching it with two fists.

Keep practising, as I am doing. There are plenty of You-Tube clips on the Internet where you can watch the experts too. But if that doesn’t “flick your thang”, well by all means use a rolling pin!

BASIC PIZZA TOPPING

1lb 2 oz (515 g) of a combination of orange and yellow cheddar with ‘bite’
1 lb (454 g) fresh Mozzarella, thinly sliced
Handful of fresh basil, chopped
Salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 410ºF (205ºC)

Spread 2 generous tablespoons of pizza sauce evenly onto each base. Dividing into individual amounts, grate the cheeses directly onto the pizza and add the mozzarella slices or chunks, followed by the chopped basil and seasoning.

**METHOD FOR PEACEZA PIZZA**

ONE option is to mix a tablespoonful of some Pesto sauce in with the dough to give it an interesting light green colour.

Divide the spare ‘peace’ of dough into half. Using both hands on a non-floury surface roll out a strand long enough to make a circle onto the pizza. Lay lightly on top. Halve the other portion and roll out the central line and then two diagonals as one piece cut into two.

Cut the basil leaves into vertically long strips, carefully picking up sections of dough and wrapping the strips around so that the join is not visible.

Bake the pizzas for approximately 12-15 minutes, switching the trays around if necessary.
Either eat while hot or let cool together with the baking paper onto a baking rack.
If freezing, interlace the pizza surfaces with parchment paper to ensure that there is no potentially-hazardous pizza bonding!
To re-heat, simply set the oven at 375 deg. F (190 deg. C) and bake for between 10-12 minutes.