In early 2000, aged just 22, I began relief managing a gourmet pizza restaurant in Cape Town. I have no idea why the owner decided to trust a 22yr old with his business while he and his family went away but I must have done a decent job because next thing I knew, I was the permanent manager at their second restaurant. We did pizza and man did we do it well. The restaurant is now a franchised chain and our first stop whenever we are in South Africa. So, it is safe to say, I know one or two things about pizza. Here are a few things I know:

• Pizza should always have a thin and crispy base
• Pizza should be cooked in a wood-fired pizza oven
• Pizza toppings should be generous. Very generous
• Pizza tastes best with the addition of avocado once it is cooked. Avocado improves ALL other pizza toppings
• Pizza should not be ordered as a take-away. The base goes soggy….
• Bacon and Banana is an outstanding pizza topping. Obvs improved with avo.
• I have yet to find any pizza as good as those at Col’Cacchio. However, The Cooperative’s Truly Irresistible range comes close (obvs by adding avo) and last night, my made from scratch weren’t too shabby……

Rin’s Pizza

Base:

• 500g strong white bread flour
• 1 x 7g sachet of dried yeast
• 1/2 T salt
• 1/2 T castor sugar
• 325ml warm water

I cheated and used my Kenwood with a dough hook to make the dough. Put the dry ingredients into the Kenwood, being careful not to let the salt and yeast touch. Roughly mix with your fingers. Add the water slowly while mixing on the minimum speed for 1 minute. Then mix on speed 1 for 3 mins, speed 4 for 1-2 mins and back to speed 1 for a further minute. The dough should be springy and smooth. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl and leave to double in size (about 30 mins) in a warm place. It is freezing here so I put mine on the radiator cover…..

Once doubled in size, remove from the bowl onto a floured surface and break it into 4 balls. Each ball will roll out to a single pizza about 3mm thick. This recipe makes 4 medium pizzas.

Pizza ingredients

• Tomato puree / tomato pizza sauce
• Olive oil
• Mixed herbs
• Grated mozzarella
• Toppings of choice

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (fan) and get out a baking sheet for each pizza. I know, I know, I said pizza should be fired in a wood-burning pizza oven but who has one of those at home? If you have a pizza stone thing, even better but I find a metal baking sheet works just dandy.

Roll out your pizzas and put each base on a floured baking sheet. Drizzle each with olive oil and sprinkle on a small pinch of mixed herbs. Using the back of a spoon, distribute this evenly so the base is evenly covered. Now add your tomato base. I use puree but you can find some great recipes for a base sauce. JO does some good ones. Now sprinkle on your grated mozzarella. If you are feeling posh and rich, you can tear up balls of buffalo mozzarella which is of course unbelievably yummy.

Now to the toppings. Last night we had one margherita with proscuitto ham (and avo) and I had the same but added mushrooms and peppadews.

Before the oven and addition of avo

Proscuitto, mushroom and peppadews

AVo – every pizza needs avo!

These were just the things we had in the fridge but my all time favourite topping combos are these:

• Brie, sesame seeds and caramelised onions (obvs add avo)
• Bacon and banana (obvs add avo) and
• Chicken, garlic and fresh tomato (obvs add avo)

You can use whatever you want, download the Col’Cacchio menu for some inspiration.

COD likes a bit of salad with his pizza and specifically asked me to get Sainsbury’s bistro salad which is essentially leaves and raw beetroot. I didn’t quite get to Sainsburys so went off to the lovely Barrow Boys and bought some baby spinach and red and golden beetroot and made my own version. A little Extra Virgin and Balsamic and we were away! All-in-all, an excellent dinner and best of all, LOD and EEROD loved their kiddie sized pizzas topped with ham and salami (no avo – my children don’t like avo).

In other news:

• I have been co-opted onto an ALMO Board of Directors. This is all very exciting.
• I have to go back to London for a work ‘away day’ next week. The highlight obviously being that I get to see some lovely friends while there
• ACOD is 6 months and 4 days today. She can sit, shout and doesn’t consistently sleep through the night. She still doesn’t laugh but smiles so much she looks like she will explode
• My copy of Isle of Wighter has arrived and is packed full of discounts so expect lots of news from eateries around the Island.
• Today, I am mostly caught up with laundry. This will not last beyond the morning
• It is cold. So unbelievably cold. Tomorrow I am going to purchase some electric blankets. I last had an electric blanket when I lived in Jhb and it regularly went well below freezing at night and WE HAD NO HEATING.