You’ve got to hand it to the Italians. What other nation has contributed two of the greatest pleasures of modern life – the Ferrari, the finest car in the world, and the pizza, the ultimate fast food?
I’ve never met anyone who isn’t seduced by that simple combination of melted cheese and crisp dough base. It always hits the spot – whether after a few beers on a boys’ night out or with a green salad for a light lunch.
The joy of pizza is that it’s quick to make and adaptable. Once you’ve mastered the dough base, you can dress it up as much as you want.
We are serving a black truffle and fontina cheese pizza at the bar in Maze, but at home I’ll make a simple margherita with the children which they love to decorate with whatever’s to hand in the fridge.
Here are recipes for four of my current favourites. People might think fish is an unusual topping, but I love the combination of smoked haddock with egg, spinach and cheese.
Cashel Blue is a superb Irish cheese, similar to Gorgonzola. Calzone (or trouser leg in Italian) makes great picnic food.
You can put in any filling, but don’t make it too sloppy or it will seep out. In the wild mushroom pizza, I add corn meal to make it crispier. And finally, a sweet pizza for dessert. Why not? Use any combination of summer berries – just don’t add mozzarella.
Recipes
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Pizza of Mascarpone, Raspberries, Strawberries and Redcurrants
Smoked Haddock, Baby Spinach, Cashel Blue and Egg Pizza