Margherita Pizza With Sausage And Pesto Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees, with rack in lower third lined with a pizza stone or baking sheet. Turn dough out onto a pizza peel or thin wooden cutting board dusted with semolina (do not punch down). Starting in center and using both hands, press down and outward with your fingertips, rotating dough occasionally. Gradually work toward edges, leaving a 1-inch border of undisturbed dough, until it's stretched to an approximately 13-inch round.
• Lightly drizzle dough with oil; season with salt and pepper. Gently spread sauce evenly to just inside border, top evenly with mozzarella, and sprinkle with Parmigiano. With one quick forward-and-back jerking motion, slide pizza from peel onto stone. (This is not the moment to hesitate! Be brave and bold, and the pizza will slide off the peel.)
• Bake until crust is puffed, golden brown in places, and set on bottom, and cheese is bubbly, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer pizza to a wire rack; let cool 2 to 3 minutes. Top with basil and pepper flakes, slice, and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Remove the pizza dough from the freezer 1-2 hrs before cooking to defrost. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Put a large baking sheet in the oven to heat.
• Tip the chopped tomatoes into a saucepan, simmer uncovered for 15 mins until reduced and saucy, then season to taste.
• Squeeze the sausagemeat out of the skins and into a bowl. Divide into 10 small balls. Pour the oil into a non-stick frying pan and fry the meatballs over a medium heat for 5 mins until golden brown.
• Roll the dough out into two oval-shaped pizzas about 20cm long. Top with a layer of the tomato sauce, then swirl in the pesto. Tear the mozzarella and scatter that over along with the sausage meatballs. Slide the pizzas onto the hot baking sheet and cook for 18-20 mins or until crisp and charred at the edges. Scatter over a few basil leaves to serve, if you like.