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CLOSEDIY Pizza Diavola With Pepperoni inspired by Crazy Stupid Love (2011)
Crazy Stupid Love (2011), Ryan Gosling eats pizza at the mall. (24 mins, 44 seconds)
Inspired by Crazy Stupid Love, you’ll fall in love at first bite with this perfect pizza. Diavola means devil in Italian, and this pizza brings some wicked heat. After making your dough from scratch, you’ll top it with melty mozzarella, pepperoni and quick-pickled green chillies. Buon appetito!
Ingredients
For 2 people [double for 4]
- 60g black olives
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 30g grated Italian hard cheese
- 1 garlic clove
- 250g pizza base mix
- 1 green chilli
- 125g mozzarella
- 15ml balsamic vinegar
- 32g tomato paste
- 15ml white wine vinegar
- 50g rocket
- 5g basil
- 30g sliced pepperoni
- 7g dried yeast
You’ll also need
- Olive oil, pepper, salt, sugar, flour
Cooking instructions 45 mins
For 2 people [double for 4]
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 240ºC / 220ºC (fan) / gas 9. Put a large baking tray [or 2] in the oven to heat up (this will stop the pizza bottoms from going soggy). Add the dried yeast to a large bowl with 100ml [200ml] warm water and 1 tsp [2 tsp] sugar. Give it a good mix up and set aside for 5-10 min for the yeast to develop.
Step 2
Meanwhile, slice the green chilli[es] into rounds. Add the chilli rounds to a small bowl with the white wine vinegar and a large pinch of salt and sugar and set aside to pickle – these are your quick-pickled chillies. Slice the black olives in half and pick the basil leaves from their stems (discard the stems).
Step 3
Peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic. Add the tomato paste to a bowl with the chopped garlic and a generous pinch of salt, pepper and sugar. Add 4 tbsp [8 tbsp] cold water and stir it all together – this is your tomato sauce. Drain the mozzarella, then pat and squeeze as much liquid out as you can with kitchen paper. Tear the drained mozzarella into rough, bite-sized pieces.
Step 4
Add the pizza base mix to the bowl with the yeast. Gradually add up to 75ml [150ml] warm water (you may not need all of it) to the bowl, a little at a time, and gently mix with a plastic spatula until a sticky dough ball has formed. Tip the dough ball out onto a floured work surface and cut into 2 [4]. Toss each dough ball in a light dusting of flour until coated, rounding the ball as you go (no need to knead).
Step 5
Press each dough ball in the centre and gently push outwards with your fingertips, leaving the rim of the pizza untouched to form a crust. Don’t worry if the dough rips, just stick it back together and carry on.
Tip: Dust with extra sprinkles of flour as you go to stop it sticking! Keep going until your base is slightly smaller than a side plate (you will make them bigger in the pan!) – these are your pizza bases.
Step 6
Heat a large, dry, wide-based pan [or 2] (preferably non-stick) over a high heat. Once hot, carefully add the pizza base[s] to the pan[s], pushing the dough out to the edge to help shape the crust. Tip: To pick up the pizza dough, gently flip it over the back of your hand to stop it ripping. Add 1/2 [1/4] of the tomato sauce to each pizza and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon. Cook the pizza base[s] for 3-4 min or until the crust has started to puff up, then remove the heated tray[s] from the oven and slide the pizza base[s] onto the tray.
Tip: Make sure the pizzas don’t overlap on the tray to avoid raw dough!
Step 7
Repeat this process for the remaining pizza base[s].
Top them with the dried oregano, torn mozzarella and pepperoni slices then scatter over the quick-pickled chillies (can’t handle the heat? Go easy!), chopped olives and basil leaves. Drizzle the crusts with olive oil, then put the tray[s] in the oven for 12-15 min or until the cheese has melted and the crust has puffed up and browned.
Step 8
Wash the rocket, then pat it dry with kitchen paper. Add the rocket to a bowl with the balsamic vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt and pepper – this is your balsamic rocket. Sprinkle the grated Italian hard cheese over the hot pizzas and serve the balsamic rocket to the side and dig in.
