Broccoli and potato pizza

Broccoli and potato are two pizza toppings that taste fantastic, but I haven't enjoyed them since living in New York and Melbourne respectively.



Broccoli heaped high on a pizza slice is a classic choice at Penn Station at 34th street. Now, the Yanks like their pizzas fairly plain. They often go for a single topping, such as pepperoni, broccoli or even just cheese. That's their culture. Where as I'm the sort of person who orders a vegetarian pizza and add chicken.



Potato on a pizza might be seen as carb-loading, the sort of thing Michael Phelps might inhale before an Olympic swimming event. However, when done modestly, the crackle and softness of herb encrusted roast potato pieces is the perfect addition to any pizza. I first tried it in Lygon St. Melbourne and suddenly remembered how good it tastes.



Anyway, before the toppings comes the dough-making athleticism of my beloved husband Morgan! See the recipe here. Last night he even allowed me to touch the stuff mid-knead. I felt like a bit of a duffer, every time I tried to gently squish the dough, it tore. Ah well, practise, practise, practise. :)


While the dough sits to rise. Chop up a sweet potato, 1 potato and 1 beetroot into 3cm-5cm cubes.


Oil a baking tray and add veges. Cover with a little oil, rosemary, tarragon, salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Put in a medium oven for 40mins. Take out the sweet potato and beetroot. Let the potato cook for another 10-20mins.

We use Alfa One Rice Brain Oil Cooking Spray. Rice bran oil has a mild nutty flavour and a high smoking point, which is good in the oven. We use it to spray around the metal bowl for the pizza dough too.


Dough is ready!


Chop up broccoli florets. Make a mixture of olive oil, vinegar (I used pomegranate balsamic), lemon juice garlic, salt and pepper. Use this mixture in addition to tomato paste for the base of the pizza. You can also sprinkle it on top of the ingredients before they go into the oven. You don't want the broccoli to get dry.


Put tomato paste onto rolled out dough. Add grated mozzarella cheese next. Finally add: broccoli, torn salami and slices of roasted sweet potato.


Mmmm, broccoli


Finished!


For the potato pizza, start the same as above, but then add cubes of roast potato, roast beetroot, 2 slices prosciutto, sliced olives, some crumbled feta and sliced mushrooms


Delicious!

Brisbane Pizza Dough

Morgan has kindly shared his secret pizza dough recipe with me. He bases his dough on the recipe suggested by Theo Kalogeracos in Theo and Co: The Search for the Perfect Pizza p.61. But, he doubles the yeast recommended! Very cheeky.

Ingredients to make enough dough for two dinners for 2-4 people. That means one giant pizza on the night you make it and two big calzones from frozen dough. Allow frozen dough six hours to fully defrost.

500g strong bakers flour (i.e. plain flour with the highest protein level available)
5g salt (roughly half a tsp)
5g sugar (roughly half a tsp)
20g dry yeast (2 x sachets from the supermarket)
165ml cold water +/-

Mix all the dry ingredients together and slowly add the water and bring the flour into it over a few minutes. Then, knead the dough for 10minutes. This is the most important thing to remember. Set a timer and get sweaty!

The thing about making pizza is that you need to practice. Buy Theo's book for pictures and more help on the specifics. Morgan doesn't really measure anything but the flour and the yeast. Everything else he does by intuition. He adds water to the point it 'feels right'.

Once the dough is made, Morgan oils the bottom of a metal bowl, covers it in glad wrap and sets it next to a boiled kettle--after he makes a cuppa.


Dough re-enactment! :)

He comes back an hour later for his next cuppa and the dough is ready to use. This is what it's like making pizza dough in Brisbane in the late summer.


The combination of Brisbane's flora, fauna and shifting culture makes it an absolutely unique place to live.

When Morgan grew up in the Dandenongs, he would come home from school at 3pm on a cold day and his mum would start making bread dough whilst he chopped wood. It took about the same amount of time to knead ingredients and start a fire. When the fire was ready, dough could be placed beside it and bread would be ready in time for dinner.


Morgan and me walking along the river when we first arrived in Brisbane in 2006. This photo was taken one week before our wedding day.

Heirloom Tomato Pizza

Last night you didn't hear much from us because we enjoyed leftover curry. Yummo! Tonight I convinced my amazing beloved to make pizza dough for dinner to honour the heirloom tomatoes that just arrived in our Food Connect Gourmet box.


Look at these beauties!


I made an olive oil, garlic, lime juice, mystery herb (minty thyme or oregano?), rosemary, salt and pepper marinade.


I allowed the oil, herbs and garlic mixture to meld with the fresh tomato whilst Morgan's pizza dough was constructed. I have no idea how he wrangles the yeast and flour into submission, but I appreciate it so much. Thanks baby!!!




I take shortcuts that make sense. These pizza tomato pastes sit in our fridge for months and save time.


Rocket, marinated tomatoes, cheddar cheese, green capsicum, sliced mushrooms, olives, fresh red chillies, spring onions and the leftover Castello on top.


In the oven for 10-15mins


Oooooh yummmy!!!


Melty


What a good life