Finally, it is Easter. And for most Christians who
participated in the Lenten season, it is a time to
rejoice. Now, they can enjoy their meals after the
fasting season.
And what better way to relish this Easter than
enjoy it with a healthy and sumptuous meal.
There is really no need to eat out this period
when you can stay at home and make a delicious
meal for you and your family to relax and enjoy.
Rice, traditionally, has been a festive dish. But
there is no law that says you cannot deviate
from that tradition and try out something
different.
You can actually go Italian. Virtually everybody
loves pizza. And really, in the comfort of your
home, you can make pizza that is equally as
good as the ones you order.
Oh yes, Pizza may not have a wonderful
reputation when it comes to healthy meal. But
hey, pizza is really healthier than you might
think. Pizza can actually be a highly nutritional
meal that covers most of your basic food groups
and meets most of your nutrition requirements.
The main ingredient to make Pizza sauce is
tomato. And we know that tomatoes contain
antioxidants, which help to reduce cancer. The
sauce contains onions, black olives and red
pepper which also help to fight heart diseases
and lower blood sugar.
Ingredients
For Pizza base:
Plain flour – 2 1/2 cups
Instant dry yeast – 2 tablespoon
Olive oil – 1 1/2 tablespoon
Honey – 1 tablespoon
Salt – 3/4 tablespoon
½ tablespoon oregano, rosemary or basil
(optional)
Water – 1 cup, lukewarm
Cornmeal or Semolina – few tablespoons
For Pizza sauce:
One medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tablespoon tomato puree
Black pepper powder – 1/4 tablespoon
Red pepper flakes – large pinch
Sugar – 1/2 tablespoon
Dried Rosemary – 1/2 tablespoon
Dried basil – 1/4 tsp or fresh basil – few
leaves
Salt to taste
Preparation
Preheat oven at 220 C for 30 minutes
In a large wide bowl, add the flour, salt, dried
herbs, sugar or honey, yeast and olive oil and
mix to combine. Slowly add the warm water
and make a dough. If the dough is dry, add a
little more water and knead gently for six
minutes into a smooth firm dough. Grease
the bowl with olive oil and place the dough in
the bowl, cover with cling film and set aside
in a warm place for 15 minutes.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface
and divide into two equal portions. Cover
them with plastic wrap and allow to rest for
another five minutes.
Lightly grease the back side of cookie sheet
with oil and sprinkle cornmeal or semolina
liberally (this will give a good crunch to the
base as well as ease the removal of the
pizza from the cookie sheet without sticking)
Place a ball of dough on the cookie sheet and
spread it out into a flat disk using your
hands. After flattening it to a circle, roll the
base as thin as possible using your rolling
pin.
Brush the rim of the pizza base with olive oil;
spread two heaped tablespoons of the pizza
sauce evenly all over. Sprinkle the grated
mozarella cheese liberally all over.
Add any toppings of your choice.
Slide the cookie sheet onto the lower rack of
your oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. Allow
to rest for 3-4 minutes before slicing.
To prepare Pizza Sauce: In a heavy bottomed
vessel, add olive oil and heat on medium
flame. Add the minced garlic and sauté for a
minute. Add the dried oregano and dried basil
and mix. Add onions for five minutes. Add
the chopped tomatoes and sauté for three
minutes on high. Reduce flame and simmer
for 20 minutes without lid.
Add tomato puree, pepper powder, red chili
flakes and salt and mix.
Turn off flame and cool
Culled from www.sailusfood.com
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