recipes

Parma Ham, Mozzarella and Rocket Pizza

When I make pizzas for my family, I prepare the base and leave an array of toppings for the children to make their own, which is great fun. If in a hurry, I make traditional Irish soda dough as a base, as it takes only 4 minutes to make.

Ingredients

Basic Pizza Dough (Makes: 3 x 30cm rounds)

1. 4g dried yeast (or ½ sachet)
2. 300ml luke warm water (more if required)
3. 10ml Roma Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4. 1 tsp salt
5. 1 ½ tsp sugar
6. 500g Roma Pizza and Pasta “00” flour

For the Tomato Sauce (this will be sufficient for 3 pizza bases)

1. 2 tbsp Roma Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2. 1 large onion, minced
3. 1 clove garlic, minced
4. 600g Roma Chopped Tomatoes
5. Salt and Pepper
6. ½ tsp chopped fresh herbs e.g. thyme, sage, marjoram
7. ½ tsp sugar (if necessary)
8. Parma Ham, Mozzarella and Rocket Topping (quantities for 1 pizza topping)
9. 2 slices Parma ham, cut into 3cm strips
10. 5 - 6 slices buffalo mozzarella
11. Handful of rocket leaves, tossed in a little dressing

Method

To make the tomato sauce

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add onion and herbs and sauté over a low heat for about 7-10 minutes, until the onion has softened.
2. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Then add the tomatoes and simmer for about 10–15 minutes until thickened.
3. Season with salt, pepper and if necessary sugar.

To make the base

1. Mix the yeast and sugar in the luke warm water. Allow to activate – the yeast will froth, then it is ready to use.
2. Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl and add the salt, olive oil and yeast mixture.
3. Mix to a loose dough, adding more flour or water as required.
4. Knead until the dough is very pliable – approximately 5 minutes using the dough hook of a food mixer or 7–10 minutes by hand.
5. Leave the dough to rise in a well-oiled bowl covered with cling film until the dough has trebled in size and is springy to the touch. It will rise best in a warm location e.g. hotpress, near a cooker or oven.
6. Preheat the oven to 230°C / Gas 8
7. When the dough has risen, knock it back and place onto a floured surface. Knead it again by hand for 2–3 minutes.
8. Roll out or stretch dough with your hands onto the pizza pan / screen or baking sheet sprinkled with a little semolina.
9. To avoid a soggy centre, bake the dough without any sauce or topping for 3-4 minutes.
10. Spread the tomato sauce mixture over the dough and top with the Parma ham strips and mozzarella slices around.
11. Return to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly brown and bubbly – 8 to 10 minutes. Top with a handful of rocket and serve.