Today, February 9th, is National Pizza Day!! Possibles the cheesiest day of the year...
Anyway! Pizza's are awesome, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles knew it, and so do you. Getting Pizza dropped to your doorstep is a wonderful feeling for any food fan, embracing that smell! But, personally I think making your pizza at home is an even better experience. You get to put anything and everything you want on it.. even pineapple if you're that way inclined! The aromas that come from your oven as your homemade piece de resistance bubbles away is far more tantalising than that drop off at the door. So, why not try make your own pizza at home? The recipes below from Aldi are alternative and great ways to enjoy your favourite dish, and also a good way to get the kids involved! Pizza sauces and bases are available for you to create your own at home, if you prefer (like me) to have the bases ready made.
Beetroot Base Pizza
A sweet, tasty and healthy way to enjoy one of your favourite foods all year round.
Serves: 4 people Prep time: 120 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Tip: Makes 2 x 30cm pizzas
Ingredients: Base Ingredients:
• 2 Nature’s Pick Cooked Beetroot
• 1 x 7g sachet The Pantry Dried Yeast
• 500g The Pantry Gluten Free Plain Flour
• 1½ tsp Stonemill Salt
• 2 tsp Grandessa Squeezy Honey
• 200ml Lukewarm Water
Toppings:
• Specially Selected Irish Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese
• Specially Selected Pesto
• Chopped Nature’s Pick Tomatoes
• The Deli Milano Salami
• Nature’s Pick Peppers
• Nature’s Pick Onions
• Nature’s Pick Asparagus
• Nature’s Pick Basil
Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C
2. Put the water into a small bowl and sprinkle over the yeast. Wait until it starts to bubble a little and goes cloudy.
3. Roughly chop the beetroot up and put into a food processor along with the honey, salt and yeasty water. Then blitz to a purée.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the flour with a balloon whisk. Add the beetroot mixture and with your hands mix until comes together. If it’s too dry add a little more water, if too wet add a little more flour.
5. Turn onto a floured board and knead for 5 minutes.
6. Put the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film and put in a warm place for about 80 minutes, until it’s doubled in size.
7. Divide the dough in half, then roll and cut the dough into 30cm circles.
8. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets. Put the pizza bases on the sheets.
9. Top with mozzarella, pesto, chopped tomatoes, salami, peppers, onions, asparagus, basil or whatever topping you like.
10. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are browned.
Tortilla Chicken Pizzas
Succulent chicken breast and fresh peppers: simple and delicious in equal measure.
Serves: 4 people Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 12 minutes
Ingredients:
• 4 Village Bakery Tortilla Wraps
• 2 Butcher’s Selection Irish Chicken Breast Fillets
• 50g Ardagh Grated Mature Cheddar
• 125g Specially Selected Irish Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese
• ½ Nature’s Pick Red Pepper
• ½ Nature’s Pick Green Pepper
• 100ml Cucina Passata
• 10ml Specially Selected Pesto
• 20ml Solesta Olive Oil
• Stonemill Black Pepper
Method:
1. Turn the oven onto its highest setting.
2. Thinly slice the chicken breast into strips. Then, heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the strips for a couple of minutes until just cooked.
3. In a bowl, mix the passata and pesto, then season with some black pepper. Finely, slice the peppers and chop up the drained mozzarella.
4. Put the tortillas onto a flat baking sheet and spread with the passata mix. Then, sprinkle over the mozzarella and peppers and divide the chicken strips between them. Lastly, sprinkle over the grated cheddar.
5. Bake in the oven for 6 minutes, until the bases are crisp, and serve immediately.
Not to worry if you haven’t mastered the art of baking over the last year, as well as recipes, Aldi has an extensive range of fresh and frozen pizzas in store every day. Visit 1 of their 145 stores nationwide to check out the full range.
5 facts about pizza that you might not know!
1. The first pizza is thought to have been invented in Naples, Italy in the 1500s
2. Common pizza toppings in Japan include squid and mayonnaise
3. Pizzas in Italy were originally square shaped
4. There are 9,000 Pizzerias in New York state alone, and 70,000 across the entire United States!
5. While the 9th of February is National Pizza Day, October is National Pizza Month.. roll on October!!
Bon appétit,