This recipe is almost as old as I am (!) Yes it is. It comes from my mother and it is the kind of classic recipe she made when we were kids. And you know how kids love pizza! So it was our favorite. The whole house would be full of diverse smells, the melted cheese, the baked dough, the ham and most of all the smell of the green pepper! All those smells were flirting constantly with our nostrils while the pizza was being cooked and we would sit impatiently waiting for the magic result.
Living in the Netherlands made me appreciate some things, and one of them is my mother’s Homemade Pizza. I took a classic recipe of my childhood and – with the help of my dear Kornel – we evolved it in a fresh, light and modern way.
Ingredients
Pastry
10 grams dry yeast
½ spoon of salt
1/3 spoon of sugar
1 glass warm water
2/3 glass of oil
Flour as much as it takes
Layers
mushrooms
tomato sauce (it can be your own or a ready one)
3-4 pieces of ham (we use the smoked but light one)
Gouda cheese to sprinkle
Olive oil
some rocket
Procedure
In a big pot pour in the yeast, the warm water and the spices. Now it is time to wash your hands, if you haven’t done already, because it is about to get dirty! Stir it a bit with your hand and with your clean hand pour in the oil and the flour. Work with the dough till the pastry is soft, but not sticky to the hands. If you make it too firm, it will not be inflated. Cover the pot with a towel and let the pastry inflate for 2 hours in a warm place.
When you uncover it you will see that it became almost double in size, this is good! Choose a pan, round or square. Try to spread it to the whole pan and according to your taste, you can use the whole pastry in one time, making thick dough or you can make two or three rounds of Italian, thin pizza. We always choose the second, because it is the traditional way, but my mother always makes the New York style. What can I say, I love both!
Time for our layers! Spread the tomato sauce, then put the ham, the mushrooms and sprinkle with cheese. Add some olive oil and put in the over for 30 min in 180 C. As soon as it is ready put some rocket on top, it really makes the difference! Some beer on the side and you have the perfect recipe for the World Cup!
Enjoy!
When a Greek Cooks 