Rustic veggie pizza

Pizza is probably my favourite food. I love a thin base with a little bit of chew to it, a thick layer of tomato sauce over it, and I will eat pretty much any topping you put on it. And that is exactly the reason why it makes a good introductory food to the plant based diet for meat eaters. Here is a full recipe for everything from the dough for the base, to the sauce, and some of my favourite veg toppings (but feel free to buy ready made bases if you don't have time for the extra effort.)

BASE:
500g flour
10g yeast
5ml salt
325ml tepid water

Mix all ingredients together, knead dough well and leave in a warm spot to rise for about 30min. Split dough into 2-4 balls, depending on how big you want you pizzas, and roll them out to the desired thickness (I recommend about 7mm; relatively thin). Pre-bake for about 10 min at 180 degrees C.

TOMATO SAUCE:
6 ripe tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
A big glug of olive oil 
Dried basil, thyme and oreganum (about a teaspoon in total)
Salt and pepper to taste
A tiny pinch of red pepper for extra flavour

Peel and chop tomatoes and garlic, saute in olive oil, add herbs and spices and stew together until thickened and rich. 

​ASSEMBLY:
Spread tomato sauce on bases, top liberally with your favourite veg toppings, I used yellow peppers, button mushrooms, red onions and olives. Get a good quality mozzarella and dot chunks on top of the pizza, they will melt and bubble and ooze into the other toppings, it's much prettier, and you don't lose the flavour of the other toppings. Drizzle very lightly with olive oil. For a vegan option, simply switch out the mozzarella for a vegan basil pesto. Bake for 15 min at 180 degrees. Top with fresh oreganum or other herbs.

​Serve hot. Or cold for breakfast the next morning!