Valentine’s Day: a day of cards, poems, romance, busy florists and chocolatiers, flustered men and women in potentially-uncomfortable-but-drop-dead-gorgeous lingerie… and pizza.
As the preparation of the pizza base takes around 2.5 hours, if you are stuck for time you can buy a pizza base and cut it into the shape of a heart.
PIZZA BASE
INGREDIENTS
250g strong white flour
130ml water
1.5g rapid rise yeast
½ tsp salt
(This makes two
medium-sized pizzas.)
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 200°C. (click here if you’re in the market for a pizza oven)
- Place the flour, yeast and salt into a bowl and mix well.
Make a hole in the flour and gently add the water, using your fingers work the mixture until it is all blended. - Place the dough on a well-floured countertop or table and knead for 10-15 mins. (Perhaps YouTube how to do this if you are unsure.)
- Grease inside a bowl and place the dough in it. Cover with cling film and leave it to prove (rise) for 1.5 hours.
- Take it out of the bowl, knead it again and let it prove for a further 30 mins.
- Divide the dough into two. Flour your countertop and start to roll out the dough until it is nice and thin. Keep it well-floured so that it doesn’t stick to the counter. Once you have the base at the desired depth cut in into the shape of a heart. Pop your base into the freezer first to let it harden a little if you are finding cutting the shape difficult.
- Repeat step 8 for the other half of the dough.
PIZZA TOPPINGS
INGREDIENTS
12 tbsp passata
2 sundried tomatoes
1 handful fresh basil
½ red onion
2tbsp pine nuts
2 cubes defrosted frozen spinach
½ yellow pepper diced
8 cup mushrooms
1tbsp vegan parmesan cheese
(recipe on my Instagram page)
METHOD
- Place the passata, sundried tomatoes and fresh basil in the blender and blend.
- Scoop the now blended tomato sauce onto the pizza and spread evenly.
- Place all the other ingredients on top and sprinkle some vegan parmesan cheese.
- Transfer your pizza onto a pizza cooking tray (or pizza stone) and cook for 10-12 minutes. (Keep an eye on it!)
RECIPE BY The Gibraltar Vegan instagram.com/thegibraltarvegan
