Recipe: Juicy vegetarian homemade pizza

I bet there are million of recipes for pizza, at least 234 567 of them being vegetarian. One would say no point of adding yet another one to the list. But, let me explain you why my pizza deserves to have the recipe published:

• it smells so good, it tastes even better and it melts in your mouth
• also, in this recipe I'll share some easy and cheap tricks how to make your homemade pizza taste just like ones from the pizzerias

Here's a list of stuff that you must have if you want a tasty, juicy vegetarian pizza:

• a fresh dough
• plum tomatoes - from a can if not a season
• cheese - not any type of cheese is good, try something like Gouda cheese
• fresh mushrooms (champignon) - the ones from a can are a total disaster, and I would say if you cannot have fresh ones don't use these ones either
• sweet corns - ones from a can or jar would do
• oregano, as well as other spices like salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, basil...

List of things that would be great to have on vegetarian pizza, but are not that necessary:

• fresh paprika - sliced
• onion - sliced
• zucchini - sliced
• arugula
• mozzarella
  

Ok, so here comes the procedure..

1) Make dough. Use 400g of flour, 7g of dry yeast, 1 tsp of salt, 2 Tsp of olive oil and 2 deciliters of warm water. Just sift flour to a bowl, add salt, yeast and a little bit of oil. Pour warm water into glass, and add it little by little to the flour and mix. Your dough is ready when all the flour is used up, and the dough is rather soft than gummy. Cover with cloth and place on a warm spot.

2) While the dough is rising up you can start chopping the vegetables. Start with the tomatoes, as they need to be cooked. Chop the garlic, too. Put the oil in a pot, and place on the low heat. Add garlic, and a bit later add salt and pepper. Add tomatoes, and have water prepared near by to add. Add oregano and other spices you'd like. Leave cooking, stir from time to time, and add some water.

3) Heat up the oven to say 200 °C (400 °F), but take the oven crossbar out first.

4) While the tomatoes are cooking you can slice the rest of stuff (olives don't need do be chopped), into thin slices.

5) Spread the dough. Cover the oven crossbar with the aluminum foil, and spread oil over it. Place the dough on the oven crossbar.

6) Add half of the tomatoes and spread them over the dough. Add all the shredded cheese all over the dough, and cover with the rest of the tomato sauce. Add rest of the chopped vegetables you have.

7) Cover the pizza completely with another piece of aluminum foil, it's not a problem if it touches pizza, but it shouldn't be completely attached to pizza. Place in a preheated oven. Your pizza will be ready in 15 - 20 minutes, depending on the size, heat and oven.

I tried many homemade pizzas, and everybody who makes them has a little trick, and I find it great. My trick is consisted of simply using fresh ingredients, cooked tomato sauce and keeping pizza juicy. Isn't it awful when the cheese, mushrooms and corn just dry out, and become chewy and hard? That's why you need to mix the cheese into the sauce; that way it'll melt, but won't dry out. Also, by putting the aluminum foil under the pizza you allow it to bake faster, and the dough to become more crunchy and pizza like than bread like. By putting the upper aluminum foil you make sure that the vegetables don't dry out, but remain fresh and juicy.

Buon appetito!

Recipe: Pasticada - a vegan version

Is there a better way to start a new blog than by posting a tasty festive recipe? I cannot think of any!

To begin with; pasticada is a traditional meal in Dalmatia, part of Croatia (it's in Europe - do your geography :). It's usually prepared with meat, and takes lots of time (two days for preparation - ohlala), but it could be prepared as a tasty sauce itself and accompany with gnocchi or corn porridge.

Pasticada is remarkable for it's rather cheap, but healthy ingredients that make very specific combination of tastes. It's ingredients are fairly cheap, but the meal itself is fancy and a bit exotic.
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Here's what you'll need to cook pasticada :

• tomatoes - 800 g (or 28 ounces) if it's not a season it's best to use those from a can
• carrots - 2 medium size
• onion - 2 medium size, but you can use less if you want
• dried plums (prunes) - 100 g (or 3,5 ounces)
• garlic - a little bit
• olive oil - few tablespoons
• salt
• pepper
• spices - it's best to use some of the green spices like laurel, thyme, parsley... in short anything herbal, spicy, mediterranean
• red wine and/or vinegar - few drops (i didn't use it this time, but you can if you like it's taste)

Chop the tomatoes, onions, dried plums and garlic. Slice the carrots, better thinner than wider.
Put olive oil in a cooking bowl, and put on a low heat. Add garlic, and after a minute or two add onion. It's good to add salt and pepper already now as salt helps softening the onions. After the onions soften a little bit, say 2-3 minutes, add carrots and plums, and cook until the carrots get at least bit softy, that could be further 5 minutes or so. Than, add the tomatoes and all other spices. Have water close to add.

You'll probably be cooking this for another 25 minutes or so; you simply must taste it to see if it's good. The taste of the sauce depends on how long you cook it, so you decide if it's over or not.


As a side dish I used grilled soy stakes with chopped garlic and olive oil, arugula salad and corn porridge. All of those you can easily prepare while the pasticada is still cooking.