Racking your brains to come up with mid-week meals day after day? Make evenings stress-free with this delicious pizza recipe tonight.
Packed with gourmet ingredients, its nutty goodness with a sprinkling of macadamia will have everyone going nuts once it comes out of the oven. A Mediterranean topping is just the ticket for a fresh addition to this delicious meal. So make like the Italians and get cooking!
Mediterranean Vegetable and Macadamia Pizza
Serves 4
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 sachet dried yeast
- pinch of caster sugar
- 4 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup macadamia oil, plus extra for brushing
Macadamia Pesto
- 300g semi-dried tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons macadamia oil
- 1 1/4 cups unsalted macadamias
- 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
- 1-2 tablespoons of the semi-dried tomato oil
Pizza topping
- macadamia oil for brushing
- 2/3 cup macadamia pesto
- 2 large red capsicums, roasted, skin removed and cut into strips 1 large eggplant, trimmed, cut into 5mm-thick slices
- 2 zucchini, trimmed, thinly sliced lengthways
- 180g bocconcini
- 1/2 cup unsalted macadamias
- 80g rocket leaves
- pepper, for seasoning
Method
To make the pizza dough
- Combine the water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes or until foamy. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture and oil. Use a round-bladed knife in a cutting motion to mix until combined. Use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Brush a bowl with oil. Add dough. Turn to coat.
- Cover with a damp tea towel. Set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes or until dough doubles in size. Punch down dough with your fist.
- Knead for 30 seconds or until dough is original size. Split the dough into quarters. Cover 3 portions with a damp tea towel. Roll out the other portion to 30cm long and 10-12cm wide.
- Use your fingers to press the base, avoiding the edge, to make indents. This stops it rising in the centre. Repeat with remaining dough.
To make the pesto
- Place the semi-dried tomatoes and macadamia oil in a blender and process until smooth. Add macadamias, chopped rosemary and semi-dried tomato oil – start with 1 tablespoon first then if still dry add 1 more.
- Pulse until the macadamias are chopped roughly and a pesto consistency is achieved.
- To assemble the pizza
- Preheat a chargrill on high heat. Lightly brush eggplant and zucchini with macadamia oil. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes each side or until tender.
- Preheat oven to 220°C fan-forced. Place pizza bases on baking trays. Spread a thin layer of pesto over each.
- Top with grilled vegetables and capsicum.
- Tear the bocconcini into small pieces and place on top of the vegetables.
- Place the pizzas into the pre-heated oven and bake for 7-10 minutes. Add the macadamias and cook for a further 3-5 minutes or until bases are crisp.
- Remove to a board, slice. Top with rocket and season with pepper. Serve.
