Pizza! The universally acceptable child friendly food and what used to be considered a healthier fast food alternative to burgers, chips and the like. In keeping with my image of being someone who has a tendency towards miserableness and one who likes to view things from a slightly negative way I’ve managed to make a very child unfriendly version. In my house anything with beetroot in will not be eaten in spite of the fact that none of the three teenagers that reside there have ever actually tasted beetroot in any shape or form.
Based closely on Paul Gayler’s Potato Pizza Bianco but with a standard pizza dough base. Much tastier than it sounds – honest.
For the base
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups strong flour
1 sachet yeast powder
Do this the lazy way and place all the ingredients in a bread machine or food mixer and knead into a dough. Or do it by hand. Then leave for about an hour somewhere warm to rise.
Once risen knock out the dough then shape and roll it into a round pizza base shape. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and leave again to rise a little.
For the topping
1 beetroot – peeled and thinly sliced
1 pack mozzarella
2 tablespoons creme fraiche
a few sprigs rosemary
salt and pepper
Put the oven onto the highest heat it goes to.
Place the beetroot slices in a bowl and microwave for about 3-4 minutes until tender. Allow to cool. Spread the creme fraiche over the base, season then arrange the beetroot slices artistically on top. Fill the gaps with torn chunks of mozzarella, sprinkle over the rosemary then bake for 10 minutes or so until the base is well cooked and the cheese is starting to brown.
