LIFESTYLE NEWS - As we head towards winter, our thoughts turn to nesting; to warm socks, candles and fireplaces, because they make us feel cosy and happy.
But nothing can beat a good pizza with besties on a winter's evening..... So let's party with a pizza!
Our lazy baguette pizzas leave lots of time to have fun!
Serves 4-6 / Makes 4 pizzas
Ingredients:
- 4 large portabello mushrooms / 400g large brown mushrooms
- 100g baby portabellini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 baguettes
- 1 x 375ml tomato based pasta sauce of choice
- (tomato & basil works very well or use arabiata for a chilli kick)
- 250g mozzarella cheese, grated
- 200g mixed olives, sliced
- 1-2 Tbsp capers
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Chilli, for serving
Method:
- Preheat oven to 200°C, fan on.
- Place oven rack towards the top 3rd of the oven.
- Place the portabellos on a baking tray. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Dry roast for 7 minutes until just tender but not fully cooked through.
- Allow to rest skin side up and release their liquid.
- Slice.
Halve each baguette lengthways. Place on a baking tray and brush with a little olive oil. Bake in the oven for 5 min to crisp up.
Place pasta sauce in a small saucepan and reduce until slightly thickened and a good spreadable consistency. Spread a few tablespoons of pasta sauce onto each baguette half.
Top each half with cheese, sliced portabellos, raw baby portabellinis, olives and capers. Finish with a sprinkle of Italian herbs, salt and pepper.
Return to the oven and bake for 6-8 min, until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown.
Serve straight away with some chilli on the side.
And when you need to amp up your party platter, here's a few fun facts about pizzas...
- In ancient Greece, the Greeks covered their bread with oils, herbs, and cheese, which some attribute to the beginning of the pizza.
- In Byzantine Greek, the word was spelled "π?τα," pita, meaning pie.
- The Romans developed a pastry with a sheet of dough topped with cheese and honey, then flavored with bay leaves.
- Our modern pizza had its beginning in Italy as the Neapolitan flatbread.
- The original pizza used only mozzarella cheese, mainly the highest quality buffalo mozzarella variant. It was produced in the surroundings of Naples.
- An estimated 2 billion pounds of pizza cheese was produced in the United States in 1997.
- The first United States pizza establishment opened in New York's Little Italy in 1905.
- The best pizza on the planet (2023) hails from Naples. After all, it is the birthplace of the world’s favourite dish. Naples is crammed full of award-winning pizzerias, but 10 by Diego Vitagliano offers something really special. The team here only uses high-quality seasonal ingredients and there isn’t a single pizza on the menu that will set you back more than €10.
- Rated at nr 43. Massimo’s in Cape Town, South Africa made it to the Best Pizza on the planet list in 2023. Here the pizzas are ultra-thin with crusty crusts and topped with seasonal ingredients such as garlic butter, soft cheese and (obviously) mushrooms!
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