Aircraft Pizzas

I've been trying to spend more special time with my toddler since the arrival of his little brother and a great way to do this has been to spend some time cooking and baking together. We decided to make and decorate pizzas, but he is helicopter mad, so they had to be helicopter & aeroplane ones.

This is our efforts...

Aeroplane Pizza with BBQ sauce

Helicopter Pizza - see the hot dog main rotors and the pepper & olive tail rotor

Another photo of the helicopter pizza

...he was so proud of his achievement in making his own tea with mummy.

Pepper, Onion & Chorizo Puff Pastry Pizza

Ingredients: 

A very big Pepper, Onion & Chorizo Puff Pastry Pizzas

Ready made puff pastry (or if you want to have a go at making your own you can find a recipe at FOODY FRIDAY: Easy Puff Pastry)

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp of basil

1 crushed clove of garlic

2 peppers, sliced thinnly

2 red onions, sliced thinnly

1 tbsp soft brown sugar

125g goats cheese, crumbled

125g chorizo, chopped finely (Optional)

Olives (optional)

Grated cheddar cheese (quantity to desired taste)

Olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat oven to Gas 7 or 220C.
2. In a pan place the tin of tomatoes, crushed garlic and basil, bring to the boil and simmer until it has reduced to a thick paste (~20 mins of simmering).
3. Roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface to small squares about 10cm x 10cm or round 10cm in diametre (your preference) and approximately 0.5cm thick.
4. Place the pastry squares or rounds onto a baking tray.
5. In a tbsp of olive oil gently fry the peppers, until soft & transfer to a bowl.
6. In the same frying pan add a little more oil and fry the red onions with the brown sugar to caramelise and until soft.
7. On top of the squares or rounds of pastry spread the tomato paste evenly leaving a centimetre around the edge bare.
8. Sprinkle on top the peppers, onions, chorizo, olives and top with cheeses, to your desired taste.
9. Bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the pastry edges have puffed up and are golden brown and the cheeses have melted on top.

ENJOY with a seasonal salad!

TIP: do not try to make pizzas bigger than 10cm in diametre as the pastry in the middle tends to get quite soggy and make sure the tomato sauce is not too watery!

Stuffed Crust Tortilla Pizza

Ingredients:

4 tortillas

1 pepper, sliced

1 red onion, sliced

150g goats cheese

1 tsp brown sugar

6 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp dried basil

4 tbsp warm water

1 garlic clove, crushed

oil

olives (optional)

hot dog sausages (optional)

Method:

1. In a small pan add the tomato puree, water, basil and garlic, stir together to form a smooth paste and heat gently warm.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and gently fry the peppers.
3. Remove peppers from the pan and add the red onions and brown sugar, cooking until for ~5 minutes or until soft.
4. Place the tortillas on a baking tray and brush the edges with water.
5. Crumble half of the goats cheese and sprinkle around the rims of the tortillas.
6. Fold over the edges of the tortillas over the cheese and pinch hard to create the stuffed crust.
7. Spread the warmed tomato mix in the middle of the tortillas, top with the onions, peppers, olives, hot dogs and the rest of the crumbled goats cheese.
8. Cook in the oven for ~10 minutes until the tortilla is golden and the cheese has melted.

Homemade pizzas

Tomato sauce topping

Ingredients:
Base:
375g plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp caster sugar
7g dried active baking yeast
2 tbsps olive oil
225ml warm water

Tomato sauce topping:
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsps of dried basil (or fresh if you have it!)
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp oil

Toppings (all optional):
Pineapple
Ham
Mushrooms, sliced

Adding the tomato sauce topping to the base
(NB you will notice in this photo that the base
 is already cooked I have tried making pizzas both ways and
find it better to add the topping and baking together
than baking the base first)

Peppers
Olives
Hot dog sausages, sliced
BBQ sauce
Small pieces of cooked chicken
Chillies, finely chopped
Sweetcorn
Spinach
Fresh basil leaves
Cheese (NOT OPTIONAL!)
Mozzarella cheese
Cheddar cheese
Feta cheese
Parmesan cheese

Method:
Base:

Adding the toppings

1. Mix flour, sugar, yeast & salt in a bowl. 
2. Add oil and warm water and mix well.
3. Spread out on to a greased pizza tin. (Depending on the thickness of the base you require and how large the pizza it may make a few pizzas)

Tomato Sauce Topping:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the garlic and basil until the aroma fills the room.
2. Add the tin of tomatoes and heat gently until simmering.

PIZZA:

1. Once you have the topping and dough made you need to put it altogether to create a pizza. So spread tomato sauce on top of the round of dough on the pizza tin.
2. Add various toppings (as above).
3. Top off with cheese and further herbs if required.
4. Bake in the oven on Gas Mark 5 or 190C for 20-25 minutes until it looks ready to eat...
5. .....ENJOY!!!!!!!!

PIZZA with guerkins, peppers, hot dog sausages, mushrooms and BBQ sauce