Vegetarian pizza

Dough
4 tsp dried yeast
1 tsp caster sugar
1 ¾ cups warm water
4 cups flour
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Combine yeast, sugar and water in a small bowl and leave for 5-10 minutes until foamy. Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the yeast mixture and form a dough with your hands. Turn dough out onto a clean, floured surface and knead for 5-8 minutes until smooth. Oil a bowl with the olive oil and place the dough in the bowl. Rest in a warm place for 45 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size. Remove from the bowl and knead for 2-3 minutes. Cut dough into four even portions.

Sauce
1 can whole peeled tomatoes
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp dried oregano
5 tbsp oil

Put all ingredients into a food processor and blitz into a sauce.

Pizza
Mozzarella cheese
Onion, finely sliced
Mushrooms, finely sliced
Red capsicum, finely sliced
Grilled aubergine (finley sliced and grilled 3 minutes each side)
Artichoke, finely sliced

Assemble

Preheat the oven to 250°C. Shape the dough into four bases and spread the pizza sauce on top. Bake for six minutes. Remove the pizzas from the oven, add the toppings and return to the oven for six more minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and parmesan.

Recipe kindly supplied by

Chef Cesare Pudda
Tuatara Café and Bar
30-32 Dee Street, Invercargill
(03) 214 0954