Ashish's Kitchen: Flatbread Pizza Puff

For me, nothing says comfort food like pizza. For some time, I've had to give in to temptation and splash out at pizza express or even pizza hut (how could I not resist the deals and even the free salad buffet regarding the latter). But then I started on my own pizza recipe by thinking small. Firstly I started to think about my base, then the sauce, followed by the toppings and finally the last minute touches. Thus my flatbread pizza puff was born and has been making me smile since 2017 (not so long I know, but definitely one of my go to recipes).

For my recipe you will need:

Toppings

1 handful of chopped spring onions

1 portion of mushrooms (flat cap or Portobello)

1 Red Pepper

1 handful of sweetcorn

1 aubergine (cut into small wedges)

1 small pot of sun ripened tomatoes (available at all good supermarkets, opposite or near the deli counter).

1 handful of mozarella cheese or applewood cheese (for a more smoky flavour)

Base

- Ready rolled puff pastry or good quality pizza base mix

Sauce

Ready made marinara sauce (why not try Morrison's own 'Pizza Topper' sauce

or

Marinara sauce (from scratch)

*If you decide to make your sauce from scratch then blitz together chopped tomatoes, crush garlic, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, 1 teaspoon of oregano, basil (optional) and chopped onions (white).- For added flavour why not add fresh red chilli and a few shavings of dark chilli chocolate.

Cut for time? Simply mix together 1 tablespoon of tomato puree, a little olive oil, black pepper, dried oregano and a pinch of salt for a time friendly sauce (without compromising on taste).

Method

1) To start off with, chop up all your vegetables whether thats into small portions or big chunks. Next, leave all pre-cut veg on one side and head to your fridge to take out your pastry (at least 10 minutes before assembling you pizza) or alternatively make up your own base in due time.

2) Upon assembling your pizza, start by generously placing a few teaspoons of your marinara sauce (pre-manufactured or freshly made) around your ready rolled dough. Then spread the sauce gently with the back of a teaspoon. If any sauce is left behind, add a little oil and continue to re-distribute around base.

3) For your toppings, start to equally distribute all veg onto the sauce.

Ashish's Tip: Be sure to scatter all your spring onions last onto the pizza

Ashish's Tip: For added taste, why not grill you aubergine slices before hand and gently coat in olive oil (I use a chilli infused version), paprika, a pinch of sea salt & course black pepper.

After all your toppings have been placed on your pizza puff, finish off by sprinkling some garlic powder, oregano, more corse black pepper and chilli flakes (one of my favourite ingredients incase you couldn't tell already) before placing your pizza in the middle of your oven at 190 degrees for 30 minutes, until base is golden/puffed to perfection.

Top Tip: For added texture why not add crispy fried onions or Sriracha sauce on top (for an added kick).