The Food Diaries

5-minute pizza

This is a surprisingly decent way to emulate the quick-baked, thin crust pizza you normally get with a wood-burning oven. However, a word of warning to my Italian readers - you’ll probably consider the following recipe a travesty to Italian cuisine!

First, start by turning on your oven to the grill position and leave to heat up. In the meantime, on a baking sheet place a store-bought nan bread (the plain, pre-packaged, prebaked variety works well). Brush on 1 tbs thick, good-quality Italian tomato sauce, followed by 1tsp basil pesto. I also like to use a little flaked chilli. Spread on some grated cheese (mozzarella is best). Sprinkle with herbes de provence (dried parsley, oregano, thyme).

Place under the hot grill till the cheese bubbles and the bread starts to brown nicely (if your oven is hot this will take about 2 minutes). Drizzle with olive oil and scatter small basil leaves overtop. Cut into slices and eat straight away.

Authentic Roman pizza slices comes to Smithfields

Though from a distance I wasn’t really convinced by the pizza slices at new lunchtime joint Pixxa on the move (and at just under £5, slightly pricey) I was more than pleasantly surprised by the dense chewy flavours in the pizza base and the richness of the toppings (in this case roasted aubergine, italian cheeses and chopped truffles in olive oil).

Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area (and they deliver locally too).

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PIZZA EAST >

FRANCO MANCA >

Franco Manca in Chiswick - spreading the word on authentic Italian pizza

How long does it take to bake a Neapolitan-style pizza in a wood-burning oven? 4 minutes? 2 minutes? 40 seconds?

Apparently it takes all of 40 seconds to bake a perfect pizza - and that’s exactly what Franco Manca in Chiswick delivers.

For those of us daunted by the trek to a hole-in-the-wall in Brixton - which does not take reservations, which closes early on a Saturday, and with queues out the door, the second branch of Franco Manca in Chiswick is a godsend. Still a trek for some, yet still worth the journey - they take reservations, have sociable opening hours, plenty of seating, good and inexpensive organic wines, and of course chargrilled and crisp pizzas.

The jury is of course still out till I receive a report card from my fussy Italians (when is an Italian not fussy about his/her food?) - but on the basis of my first visit, I would happily ignore any criticisms the Italians could put forward.

Spicy sausage and sprouting broccoli pizza @ Pizza East, Shoreditch, London

The jury is still out amongst my Italian friends on the Pizza East pizzas. They all consider them to be amongst the best pizzas they’ve had in London but they are somewhat perplexed by the almost fried look and taste of the crust. Not quite Italian enough for them I guess. (and don’t get Jamie Oliver started on the subject of Italians and their conservatism around food! Read more about that debate here).

It’s a shame actually that Pizza East emphasises the pizzas so much, as their other offerings - especially their wood burning roasts such as roast chicken for two and braised beef cheeks are really very good indeed.

They also do a fab red and golden beet salad with red and white endives and pecorino cheese shavings. Now that’s a recipe I must try and recreate at home soon.