Garlic Mushroom and Margherita Hearty Pizza by Nick Nairn from Nick’s Pizza Bar in Aberdeen

If you want a heart-shaped pizza, roll a circular pizza and shape it by cutting a ‘V’ from one side and pulling down the opposite side to a point. Do this before you put the toppings on. http://www.nicknairncookschool.com

Ingredients: Makes 4 pizzas

For the dough 14g fresh yeast 550ml warm water 745g white bread flour

45g semolina 50g olive oil 12.5g sea salt

For the topping 400g can chopped tomatoes 3 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil 1 ball fresh Italian mozzarella 2 tomatoes, sliced black pepper extra basil leaves, to garnish Garlic mushroom topping 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 6 tbsp good olive oil 100g fresh basil leaves 30g pine nuts 80g Parmesan, finely grated 6-8 chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. For the pizza dough, warm the water to about 40C. Place in a large bowl, add the yeast and whisk in well. Add just 185g of the flour and leave for 30 minutes for the yeast to ferment.

2. Now add the rest of the flour (560g), plus the semolina and salt. Gradually add the olive oil and mix in a mixer with a dough attachment for 30 mins. Leave again to rise, covered, for about 30 minutes. Then roll into 4 balls. Wrap each in clingfilm and use when you need.

3. Meanwhile, make the pesto for the garlic mushroom topping. Place garlic and oil in the food processor and blitz for a few seconds. Add the basil and blitz for about 90 seconds. Add the pine nuts and Parmesan and blitz again. Taste and season.

4. Now make the tomato sauce. Heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, add the tomatoes, season and boil rapidly until reduced and thick. Stir in the chopped basil and that’s it.

5. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas 7. Roll out the pizza bases on a worktop floured with a little semolina. Add a tablespoon of tomato sauce on each, and spread thinly. Add the mozzarella slices. Arrange the mushrooms on one side, and dot with blobs of garlicky pesto. Arrange the sliced tomato over the margherita half. Season and drizzle with olive oil. Whack into the oven for 8-10 minutes until the bases are crisp.

Remove and scatter the basil leaves on the margherita side.

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