Basic dough recipe
This will make enough dough for two large pizza bases.
• 2 cups white bread flour, plus extra to dust
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
• 1 tbsp honey
Put the flour into a large bowl with the salt and yeast. Make a well in the centre of the flour, pour in the olive oil, honey and ¾ cup tepid water, bring together to form a soft dough. Add a little more water if the dough feels too dry.
Tip out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes. Put into an oiled bowl and cover with a cloth or cling film until doubled in size (about 2 hours).
Punch the air out of the dough with your fists, then shape and proceed with individual recipe methods.
Bill's lamb "lahmacun"
This is inspired by those Turkish pizza joints, especially their meze starters and Middle Eastern-style toppings.
• 1 quantity basic dough (see recipe, above)
• 5 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
• 250g lean minced lamb
• 3 tsp sumac
• 2 tsp cumin
• 4 spring onions, chopped
• small bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped
• 100g feta, crumbled
• lemon wedges
Preheat the oven to 240ºC. Put a couple of large baking sheets into the oven to get hot. Divide the dough in half, roll each half out into a large thin circle about 25cm in diameter on a lightly dusted surface. Transfer onto the baking sheets.
In a bowl, mix the red pepper sauce with the oil and lamb. Spread this over the bases. Sprinkle with sumac and cumin and a drizzle of oil. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the base is crisp and the mince is cooked through.
Remove from the oven and top with the spring onions, parsley and feta. Serve immediately with the lemon wedges, which can be squeezed on as desired.
Sweet onion pissaladiÈre
This was one of my signature dishes (if you can call it a dish) as an earnest 19-year-old foodie. I'd make it at least once a week when I had friends coming over.
• 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
• 8 onions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 sprigs thyme, leaves only
• 1 quantity pizza dough
• semolina, for dusting
• 60g anchovy fillets in oil, drained
• handful pitted black olives, torn
Preheat the oven to 220ºC. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a low heat and cook the onions for 10-15 minutes or until really soft and light golden. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Lightly grease a 33cm x 23cm baking tray. Roll the dough out on to a surface dusted with semolina and make a large rectangle slightly bigger than the baking tray. Lift the dough onto the tray and pull and push it into place until it fills the surface of the tray; keep it rough and rustic.
Cover the dough with the soft onions, then scatter over the anchovy fillets and olives.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the dough is cooked through. Cut into rough sections and serve immediately.
Serves 4
Food preparation by Rosie Reynolds. Props merchandising by Rachel Jukes