Courgette, bocconcini and tomato pizza
This is a great pizza topping for the middle of summer when courgette and tomatoes are at their best. If you have an outdoor pizza oven, I’m very jealous of you!
Ingredients
Basic pizza dough
- 4 teaspoons yeast
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 1¾ cups warm water
- 4 cups plain flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for oiling bowl
- 1 basic pizza dough quantity
- ¼ cup tomato pizza sauce
- ½ red onion finely sliced
- 2 courgettes cut into ribbons with a peeler
- 6 bocconcini balls sliced
- 8 cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- olive oil to serve
Instructions
- Preheat a pizza oven to medium or a conventional oven to 190°C.
- Roll dough into two rounds. Spread with pizza sauce and top with onion, courgette, bocconcini and tomato. Sprinkle with pine nuts and thyme.
- Bake for 5-8 minutes in a pizza oven, or 15-20 minutes in a normal oven (on a lined baking tray), until crust is golden, courgette has softened and cheese has melted. Drizzle with olive oil, grind over some pepper and serve.
Basic pizza dough
- In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water and mix well. Leave for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
- Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour the wet yeast mixture into the flour and form into a dough with your hands.
- Transfer to a clean, floured surface and knead for 5-8 minutes until smooth and elastic. If too sticky, add a little flour; if too dry, add a teaspoon of water.
- Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave to rest in a warm place for about 45 minutes or until doubled and puffed up.
- Remove from the bowl and knead again for 2-3 minutes, then quarter the dough and shape into pizza bases (or leave whole for the following recipes).
Notes
This pizza topping is a liiiittle fancy, and makes for a great vegetarian option as part of a pizza party (the best kind of party…). Don’t worry about trying to peel the core of the courgette when you get down to it, I just finely dice it with a knife. If you want to make your own pizza sauce, use the recipe here.
For more pizza topping ideas, check out these recipes:
Pizza Supreme
Homemade Pizza Margherita
Avocado and Prosciutto Pizza
Spiced Chicken and Mango Pizza with Curry Mayo
Lamb Pizza with Feta, Rocket and Yoghurt Drizzle
Asparagus, Pumpkin and Feta Pizza with Rocket Pesto
Smoked Salmon Pizza with Tomato, Rocket, Capers and Lemon Creme
Vegan Pizza with Tomato Cashew Cream and Avocado Herb Sauce
This recipe comes from the June/July issue of NADIA magazine.