Homemade Pizza

Pizza is such an awesome dish - you get to share it with a bunch of people, and yet everyone can top their slice according to their own taste. We made two racks of pizza, topped with fresh tomatoes, olives, mozzarella & thyme, slices of salami, yellow capsicum, red onions and feta cheese. Leo always makes the base while I prep the sauce and toppings. This is what we used:

Homemade Pizza

(serves 4)

for the base you'll need

• 500g strong white flour
• 325ml water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 1 leveled tablespoon salt
• 7g dried yeast

1. Heat up the water so it's nice and warm and pour it into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt, honey and olive oil and give everything a good stir. Preheat your oven to no more than 50° celsius.
2. Once the water has cooled down a little stir in the yeast, then carefully add the flour and knead until your arms are sore / the dough feels firm and smooth. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and place it on the low rack of your oven - you can turn the heat off now and just wait for the dough to rise in the warm air for about 30 minutes.

in the meantime you can make your pizza sauce:

• 1 can chopped or pureed tomatoes, depending on your preference
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 shotglass red wine
• 1 teaspoon herbs of your choice, e.g. thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil

1. In a saucepan, heat up some olive oil and fry the garlic until fragrant - be careful not to burn it or it'll get bitter!
2. Add the tomatoes, then stir in the honey and red wine. Let everything simmer for about 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened a little. Season with herbs, salt and pepper, then set aside.
3. By now the dough should have risen and doubled in size - take it out of the oven and turn the heat back on, now to 200° celsius.
4. Give the dough another quick knead, then roll out on a floured surface and place it on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Prick with a fork to prevent air bubbles from forming and give it a quick brush with a little olive oil.
5. Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the base and top it with whatever tickles your fancy.
6. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

The Sandwich Series, Part II: Beans on Toast...with Tuna & Baby Spinach

One thing I eat a lot more of here in London is sandwiches, mainly because in Germany we didn't have a toaster and I hate untoasted toast...I'm having a lazy Saturday today and couldn't be bothered to cook, so this is what I made for lunch. It may not be the world's fanciest sandwich but it sure was nice.

Sandwich with Tuna, Kidney Beans & Baby Spinach

(serves 1)

• 2 slices of soft wholemeal bread
• 1 small handfull baby spinach leaves, rougly chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons kidney beans
• 1-2 tablespoons canned tuna
• 1 tablespoon salad cream (I have a feeling humus would work great, too...but maybe that's just me and my obsession with humus)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl, combine tuna, baby spinach, beans, salad cream, salt and pepper.
2. Toast your bread, then place the tuna-spinach-bean-mix between the two halves and have a big bite. EASY.