THE PIZZA!!

I told myself I wasn't ever going to blog about food... but after making this Pumpkin PIZZA, I couldn't help myself, YUMMO!!

I was making pizza the other night and decided I might use one of the recipes from this great book my mum bought me 'Pizza modo mio' by John Lanzafame.  

Pumpkin Pizza

Makes one 30cm (12inch) pizza

3 tbsp soft brown sugar

120g pumpkin, cut into 1cm pieces

1 small handful rosemary sprigs

1 head of garlic, top sliced off and discarded

1 zucchini, cut lengthways into 2mm thick slices

Olive oil, for brushing

Course semolina, for dusting

1 quantity pizza dough

2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

2 tbsp balsamic onions

30g gorgonzola dolce latte cheese, crumbled

75g grated mozzarella cheese

Place a pizza stone or heavy-based oven tray in the oven and preheat to 180C

Combine the pumpkin, brown sugar, rosemary and garlic in a heavy-based roasting pan and roast for 15 minutes, or until golden and tender.

Put the zucchini slices on a heavy-based oven tray in a single layer, brush with a little olive oil and season to taste, then bake for 2-3 minutes, or until just tender.

Increase the oven temperature to 250C

Lightly dust your workbench with semolina, then roll out the dough into a 30cm round, place on a pizza tray and prick all over with a fork.  Brush the base with oil, then scatter with the pine nuts, parsley and balsamic onions.  Top with the zucchini slices, roasted pumpkin and cheeses, then place on the preheated stone or tray and bake for 5-6 minutes, or until the base is golden and crisp. 

Balsamic onions

Makes 125ml

1 tbsp olive oil

1 brown onion, thinly sliced

1 1/2 tbsp soft brown sugar

4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan over high heat, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until just starting to caramelise.  Add the sugar and stir until dissolved, then add the balsamic vinegar, combine well and simmer over low heat for 6 minutes, or until the mixture is jam-like but not too dry.  Balsamic onions can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days... but if your like me, it won't last that long, this stuff is delicious!

Ok, so I didn't follow the recipe completely, who does... I didn't have any zucchini's, so they were out... and with the cheeses, I used mozzarella and parmesan.  

So I added the Balsamic onion recipe as well, because its so nice.  I thought you can organise the base yourself I mean, you are on the net looking at this blog, so look up a pizza base recipe.  I usually use a bread maker on the dough setting, all you have to do is throw it all in, set it to dough and woola, it rises and everything, then all thats left is to roll it out and you have your base!!

Anyways... this is the outcome and it was great!! 

and now that you have the recipe you can go and make it too!!!