We’ve been experimenting with our new Ooni Pro pizza oven. This is the very first pizza we made and it turned out pretty good. The recipe is by Gill Meller (of River Cottage fame) and we’ve since seen that he’s working with Ooni – a match made in heaven!
Wine Suggestion: a joyful red, preferably Italian to match the mood. Tonight the Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico, but we’ve equally enjoyed wines from Abruzzo, Piedmont and Sicily to name a few with pizzas like these. Just make sure it isn’t too heavy or alcoholic though – light to medium bodied.
Gill’s Favourite Pizza – makes 3 large pizzas
FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE:
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes (good ones!)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 bay leaf
FOR THE BASE:
- 500g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 10g salt
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing
- 1 tsp instant dried yeast
- 320ml lukewarm water
FOR THE TOPPING (PER PIZZA):
- 3-4 tbsp tomato sauce
- 1 ball of mozzarella, torn
- 100g chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
- 75g blue cheese, crumbled
- 2 or 3 thyme springs, leaves picked
To make the sauce, heat a medium pan over a moderate heat. Heat the olive oil in the pot, then add the garlic. Sizzle for about 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes, half a tin of water and the bay leaf. Cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring now and then. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
To make the base, put the flour, salt and olive oil in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a dough hook. Combine the yeast and water in a jug and whisk to dissolve. Pour this over the flour and allow the machine to run for 4-5 minutes or until the dough is soft and smooth. You can also knead by hand but it will take a lot more effort and about 10 to 12 minutes.
Lightly grease a bowl with olive oil and place the dough inside. Cover with a damp tea towel and allow to prove for 3-4 hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 240C/475F/gas mark 9½ (or if you have a pizza oven you can get it going).
Heat a baking sheet or pizza stone inside the oven.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knock it back, then left it rest for a few minutes. Dust the dough with more flour, then roll each ball out thinly. Remove the hot baking sheet or pizza stone from the oven and lay on the pizza dough. Top the pizza as quickly as you can. Gill suggests tomato sauce followed by mozzarella, mushrooms, onion, blue cheese and thyme. Trickle some olive oil over the top and season well. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until crispy and golden. Serve straight away and repeat with the remaining dough.
(Original recipe from Time: A Year & a Day in the Kitchen by Gill Meller, Quadrille, 2018.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 