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mercoledì 30 dicembre 2015

PIZZA&PASTA...THAT'S AMORE!

I think that you have understood that Italians love pizza and pasta.
All the people that I met in my entire life asked me: "Why Italians are so thin and in a good shape if they eat pasta all the time?" And immediately in my mind I wonder why abroad the imagination of Italians is of fat people...
I'll reveal you the secret: we have a very good diet, because everything we eat is healthy food and basically prepared with olive oil, no butter or fried in our main dishes...so don't worry if you are in Italy and you are eating pasta every day ;) You CAN'T miss the opportunity of taste our great flavor! but don't exaggerate with the portions! 




Pizza Margherita in 4 easy steps!

Ingredients

    For the base

    • 300g strong bread flour
    • 1 tsp instant yeast  (from a sachet or a tub)
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 tbsp olive oil , plus extra for drizzling

    For the tomato sauce

    • 100ml passata
    • handful fresh basil  or 1 tsp dried
    • 1 garlic clove, crushed

    For the topping

    • 125g ball mozzarella, sliced
    • handful grated or shaved Parmesan
    • handful cherry tomatoes, halved

    To finish

    • handful basil  leaves (optional)

    Method

    1. Make the base: Put the flour into a large bowl, then stir in the yeast and salt. Make a well, pour in 200ml warm water and the olive oil and bring together with a wooden spoon until you have a soft, fairly wet dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 mins until smooth. Cover with a tea towel and set aside. You can leave the dough to rise if you like, but it’s not essential for a thin crust.
    2. Make the sauce: Mix the passata, basil and crushed garlic together, then season to taste. Leave to stand at room temperature while you get on with shaping the base.
    3. Roll out the dough: If you’ve let the dough rise, give it a quick knead, then split into two balls. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into large rounds, about 25cm across, using a rolling pin. The dough needs to be very thin as it will rise in the oven. Lift the rounds onto two floured baking sheets.
    4. Top and bake: Heat oven to 240C/fan 220C /gas 8. Put another baking sheet or an upturned baking tray in the oven on the top shelf. Smooth sauce over bases with the back of a spoon. Scatter with cheese and tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil and season. Put one pizza, still on its baking sheet, on top of the preheated sheet or tray. Bake for 8-10 mins until crisp. Serve with a little more olive oil, and basil leaves if using. Repeat step for remaining pizza.