Has your Friday night pizza for dinner become a boring event? Are you tired of the plain old usual pizza toppings? Then look no further than my guide to pimp that pizza.
Everybody loves the old Italian reliables of Margherita or pepperoni atop a crisp golden pizza dough base. Or, maybe you are more of a meat feast person. On the other hand, you could be at the opposite end of the spectrum and you delight in the veggie heaven they call (in Domino’s) the garden party. Whatever kind of pizza you love and no matter how much you love it, don’t you ever get bored of the usual?
Well I am here to be the devil on your shoulder, whispering into your ear, why not spice up your life? I am the pizza topping equivalent of the voice in countless boys’ heads in Casa Amor (yes, I watch Love Island) saying “but, couldn’t you be happier?” I am here to add the jazz hands to your pizza’s performance. This may mean just taking that frozen cheese and tomato pizza from the freezer and adding some sliced mushrooms and torn basil. Pimping is always better (in pizza terms only, of course).
Here are a few of my pimping ways to get that Friday night homemade pizza popping.
Give it some pesto pizzazz. In my opinion, pesto improves most things. It adds the necessary seasoning as well as the fresh herby note needed to lift a heavy dish such as pizza. A family favourite of a Friday night would be a tomato base topped with mozzarella (not Buffalo as it’s too moist), sliced red onion, thin rounds of chorizo and salami, baked, and once cooked drizzled with fresh pesto. Once you try it you can’t deny it, it is good.
Julius would be proud. Courtesy of everyone’s most beloved Italian chain, Pizza Express (where else would I be talking about), comes the genius addition of a drizzle of Caesar dressing to a crisp tomatoey base. This pizza is probably my personal favourite with slices of Parma ham and halved cherry tomatoes crisped and softened respectively while the pizza cooks. Then comes the show; once cooked sprinkle a handful of rocket leaves, shavings of Parmesan and a good drizzle of Caesar dressing on top. Fresh, delicious, some may even say angelic.
Tarti-what? I said, tartiflette. Yes, who could imagine a potato bake adorning a pizza dough base? Paul Hollywood can. Damn that blue eyed silver fox for changing the pizza game for me forever. Invision cooked fluffy sliced potato topped with soft onion, fragrant garlic, crispy lardons, a sprinkling of thyme, slices of Reblochon (or if unavailable, Brie) and drizzled with double cream all on a pizza base, baked. It is either a French twist on an Italian classic or an Italian twist on a French classic but, whichever way round it is undeniably delicious.
However, what makes homemade pizza so great, and the toppings we choose to pimp with shine, is the sauce. Here are my top tips (passed down from my mum, shout-out to Gale) for the perfect tastiest tomato-based sauce. The sauce starts off with the usual onion and garlic cooked until soft and then a tin of chopped tomatoes added and then blended but, there are three key things that truly make the difference. One, add a teaspoon or two of sugar to the sauce to offset the acidity of the tomatoes. Two, add in a squeeze of balsamic drizzle or thick balsamic vinegar with the chopped tomatoes to add depth to the sauce. Lastly and most certainly not least, make sure to reduce the sauce for at least 20-30 minutes to really enrich the sauce.
Where shall my next pizzaventure take me? Maybe to the creamy isles of a Carbonara with a white base this time (sorry mum), pancetta and a baked egg in the middle. Heck, I don’t even like egg very much but it has to be worth it for the aesthetic satisfaction of the oozy yolk alone right?
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