Flatten out one piece of dough into a rough circle with the palm of your hand. Gently roll out to a 30cm circle and transfer to a prepared tray.
Spread 1 tablespoon passata onto the pizza base with the back of a spoon and top with a quarter of each topping – the peppers, mozzarella and capers. Bake for 8–10 minutes, until the base is coloured and crisp. Serve topped with rocket and a drizzle of olive oil.
BURRATA, PROSCIUTTO AND PEACH PIZZA
MAKES 4 PIZZAS
polenta, for dusting
plain flour, for dusting
extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle
12 slices prosciutto
handful rocket leaves
2 × 125g burrata cheese
3 ripe peaches, stones removed and flesh torn
Preheat the oven to 250°C/gas mark 9 and dust four 30cm pizza trays or two large oven trays with polenta. Dust the work surface lightly with flour. Turn out the pizza dough and knead for 1 minute to knock back, then divide into 4 pieces. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
Flatten out one piece of dough into a rough circle with the palm of your hand. Gently roll out to a 30cm circle and transfer to a prepared tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and bake each pizza, one at a time, for 6–10 minutes, or until the base is coloured and crisp. Top each pizza with a quarter each of the prosciutto, rocket, burrata and peaches and serve.
CARAMELISED FENNEL, FINOCCHIONA AND MOZZARELLA PIZZA
MAKES 4 PIZZAS
2 fennel bulbs, cut into wedges
1 orange, quartered
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
polenta, for dusting
plain flour, for dusting
2 × 125g balls mozzarella cheese, torn
60g black olives, pitted
6 slices finocchiona (fennel salami)
½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
Preheat the oven to 250°C/gas mark 9. Place the fennel and orange wedges on a baking sheet and season with sea salt. Drizzle with olive oil and roast for 20–25 minutes, until softened and charred. Squeeze the juice from the orange wedges over the fennel and set aside to cool.
Dust four 30cm pizza trays or two large oven trays with polenta and dust the work surface lightly with flour. Turn out the pizza dough and knead for 1 minute to knock back, then divide into 4 pieces. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
Flatten out one piece of dough into a rough circle with the palm of your hand. Gently roll out to a 30cm circle and transfer to a prepared tray. Add a quarter each of the mozzarella, olives and fennel and bake each pizza, one at a time, for 12–15 minutes, until the base is coloured and crisp. Top with the finocchiona and chilli flakes and serve.
Local lore tells that finocchiona (fennel salami) was created when a thief stole a salami and hid it away in a Tuscan field of wild fennel.
PLUM AND VANILLA COMPOTE
This is just the thing to make when stone fruit are in season and you’ve gone wild at the growers’ market. Peaches and nectarines will work equally beautifully here. Serve with ice-cream or yoghurt, or on bread with mascarpone and an espresso chaser for an oh-so-stylish Italian breakfast. Or make a simple pastry and bake a teatime plum, vanilla and almond tart (here).
MAKES 2 × 450G JARS
1kg ripe plums, halved and stones removed
pared zest and juice 2 oranges
80g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out and reserved
Place the plums and 125ml water in a large saucepan and heat over medium–low heat until the plums start to break down. Add the orange zest and juice, sugar and vanilla pod and seeds, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature before spooning into sterilised jars. The compote will keep in the fridge for 1 week.
I have been told, many many times, that ‘pronto’ doesn’t actually mean pronto in Italian. In fact, my Milanese friend assures me her family weep with laughter when they hear us English-speakers appropriate their word to mean quick and instant – because it’s what real Italians say to answer the phone. But, for me, ‘pronto’ sums up all that is glorious about Italian dining: that a plate of cured meats and a salad of three simple but perfect ingredients can be on the table in a couple of fuss-free minutes ... Roughly the same length of time it takes me to find my mobile phone and answer the thing.
MELON, PROSCIUTTO AND BURRATA SALAD
Burrata is a rich fresh cheese from Italy’s Puglia region. At first glance it looks like a ball of mozzarella, but tear open the soft rind and you’ll release the creamy curds inside. If you can’t find burrata, rip up a ball of mozzarella and toss it with a couple of tablespoons of crème fraîche.
SERVES 4
1 cantaloupe melon, deseeded
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
12 slices prosciutto
200g burrata cheese, torn
handful basil leaves, torn
handful rocket leaves, torn
Use a spoon to scoop out rough chunks of melon flesh into a bowl, catching any juice as you go. Add the olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Divide the dressed melon and the prosciutto between four plates. Top with the burrata, basil and rocket and a grinding of black pepper. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and serve.
RAW COURGETTE, ROCKET AND RICOTTA PASTA SALAD
One of the most refreshingly relaxing aspects of a holiday in Italy for me is that any meal can consist of a plate of antipasto, or a couple of salads and some simply grilled meats. I’ve tried to stick with this idea since I’ve been home – although I suspect that if you live in a house bursting with teenagers you will need to add bread into this equation.
SERVES 4
300g dried short pasta