Pizza Recipe; Perfect Post Ski Recovery Food.

What They Been Saying’ Must Be True.

pop quiz: the lyric above is from what song and artist? clue: Jesus at home having a drink to prevent his hangover.

With the festive season upon us it seems only seasonal that I have just had an epiphany. I have just read an article on Outside Magazine by A C Shilton that pizza is the perfect recovery food. She talks to Anthony Mangieri, one of America’s most celebrated pizza chefs and an obsessive biker to conclude that pizza is “super-satisfying” and, more important, “it goes well with beer.”

Heaven is a Post Ski Pizza

Now being a veggie, pizza is one of my ‘go-to’ foods when in a ski resort, whether it’s an Italian ski resort or not. The vast majority of ski resorts have a restaurant purporting to be some variant of an Italian – so it is there I head.

When at home I do make my own, so here’s my route to pizza heaven.

Ingredients for a Post Ski Pizza

• 170g Bread Mix made up to a dough as instructed on the packet; I usually use one flavoured with Italian herbs and sun-dried tomatoes or a multi-grain variety. The Mix I buy comes in a 500g bag so I use a third per pizza.
• Soft cream cheese; I like philadelphia or mascarpone or crème fraiche or a mixture
• Rich tomato sauce; I like to roast fresh tomatoes with garlic until they are soft and then mix them with a squeeze of tomato paste and a few chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil.
• Your favourite pizza toppings; mine include (not all on the same pizza) Olives, Mushrooms, Blue Cheese, Spinach, Rocket, Sweet Corn, Peppers, Egg, Red Onion, Feta, Pesto, Roast Butternut Squash, Roast Beetroot, Jalapenos, Roast Aubergine and Mozzarella.

How to Make a Post Ski Pizza

1. Heat the oven to about 200oC, put a tray in the oven to heat up; I use a ceramic tile I had left over from decorating the bathroom; makes the perfect pizza stone.
2. You should have proved the dough, so on a floured surface kneed it for a couple of minutes and then roll/pull it out to a large disc shaped.
3. Spread the top surface with a thin smear of cream cheese; leave in a warm place for about 10mins.
4. Transfer the pizza base to the hot stone and bake in the oven for 5 minutes.
5. Take it out, turn the oven down to 180oC and then assemble your pizza topping.
6. Spread with tomato sauce.
7. Generously top with your favourite toppings; you may include meat, but I forbid pineapple!
8. Sprinkle over a handful of grated mozzarella cheese.
9. Return to the oven for 10-15mins; how long depends on the thickness of your toppings and whether you like your cheese browned. I like my cheese browned so I switch the oven to grill for the final couple of minutes.
10. Slide onto a large plate, slice, pop the top off a couple of beers and enjoy.

pop trivia: In 1975, Scottish heavy rock band ‘Nazareth’ released ‘Hair of the Dog’; the title track of an album by the same name. A tune destined to become the band’s signature tune.