Recipes

Tomato-Basil Sauce Makes: 2 cups Ingredients: 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 8 large Red Tomatoes - coarsely pureed 2 tbsp Sugar 3 tsp Salt 2 tbsp Fresh Basil Leaves - chopped OR 2 tsp Dry Basil Leaves 1-1/2 tsp Red Pepper - crushed	Heat oil in a large pan and pour in tomato-puree. Cover and cook on high heat for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the sugar and salt. Cook for about 20 minutes to reduce the sauce to a medium-thick consistency. Stir in the basil leaves and red pepper. Set aside till use. Refrigerate to store up to one week.
Basic Pizza Dough Makes: (720 gm dough) 2 large or 3 personal pizza Ingredients: 1 tbsp Active Dry Yeast OR 20 gm Fresh Yeast 1-1/4 cup (280ml) Warm Water 3-1/3 cup(450gm) Flour (Maida) + extra for dusting 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Sugar 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil + extra for bowl	Dissolve active dry yeast in water and let stand for 10 minutes or until foam develops on top. In a large bowl, whisk flour, salt and sugar. Add oil and mix to uniformly disperse. Pour the water-yeast solution and knead for 10 minutes into smooth dough. Pour a teaspoon of oil in a large bowl and roll the dough in the bowl to evenly coat the dough with oil. Cover the bowl with a plastic film and set aside in a warm place until the volume doubles, at least 1 hour.
Mushroom Capsicum Pizza Ingredients: 720 gm Basic Pizza Dough 2 cups Tomato-Basil Sauce 2 large Capsicum - thin sliced 1 cup Sliced Mushroom 20 - 24 Cherry Balls of Mozzarella or 2 cups shredded Mozzarella	Place the baking stone/tiles or baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 260°C /500°F. Gently, deflate the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into as many pizzas as desired. Roll each piece into a smooth ball and let rest under a moist towel for 5-7 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, begin to press out the dough ball into 1-inch thick disk. Place one hand in the center of the dough and stretch the edges from the other hand until the desired thickness is attained. Alternately, roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Maintain the edges thicker than the center of the pizza base. For a thick-chewy base, spread pizza dough on a parchment/baking paper, cover with a moist towel and let the base rise for 15 minutes. Place the base (with the paper) on hot stone, prick the base with a fork and blind bake for 5 minutes. For a thin-crunchy base, directly spread the pizza dough on the hot stone and proceed. Spread sauce evenly on base. Arrange mushroom and capsicum slices and top with mozzarella. Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and serve the pizza immediately. Variation: Pesto-Zucchini Pizza - Substitute tomato-basil sauce with 8 tbsp of pesto. Spread thin slices of 2 large zucchinis, pieces of 1/2-cup sun dried tomatoes and generously top with mozzarella.