Is there a more patriotic foodstuff than Pizza Margherita?
Pizza was invented in Naples, Italy in the 16th Century, and at that time referred to any flatbread with topping, but the modern pizza that we know today is reckoned to have originated on the 11 June 1889, when, for the visit of Queen Margherita to the city, neapolitan pizza maker Raffaele Esposito created three different pizzas for her to sample. The Queen’s favourite was the pizza which featured the colours of the Italian flag: red (tomato), green (basil), and white (mozzarella), and it has had the moniker ‘Pizza Margherita’ ever since.
Fabio Cannavaro is another neapolitan legend after captaining ‘The Azzuri’ to World Cup success at Germany ’06. The central defender played every minute of every game in the tournament, marshalling his side impressively. His crowning moment came on 9 July 2006, the night of his 100th cap, when Italy triumphed over France in the penalty shoot-out, in a match best remembered for Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt on Marco Materazzi.
I make the pizza dough bases in my Panasonic bread maker, and here’s how I go about it.
INGREDIENTS (makes 2x 12″ pizzas)
Base:
3/4tsp yeast
360g strong white flour
200ml water
3/4 tsp salt
Toppings:
Medium buffalo mozzarella cut into slices
1/3 jar sundried tomatoes( around 6) chopped into bite size chunks
150ml Louise’s Secret Pizza Sauce™
Fresh basil torn into strips
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Mix pizza base ingredients into breadmaker- set to ‘Pizza dough’ programme
2. After programme completes, cut dough in half and form into 2x 12″ flat bases- prove in oven for around 40 minutes at 40C.
3. Take bases from oven and top with pizza sauce, mozzarella, and sundried tomatoes.
4. Put back in oven at 200C for 20 minutes.
5. Take out of oven, top with fresh basil leaves and black pepper.
Serve with a nice glass of Chianti! Buon appetito!
World Cup Dinners 