FRIDAY NIGHT TREAT

Swap shop-bought pizza for a special homemade version topped with pork meatballs in a thick, chewy crust

Treat yourself to a Us-style deep-dish meatball pizza

Deep-dish meatball marinara pizza

Inspired by America’s deep-dish pizzas, this one is made even better thanks to a lip-smacking sauce.

SERVES 6 PREP 1 hr plus at least 2 hrs proving and resting COOK 1 hr MORE EFFORT

250-300ml semi-skimmed milk 500g strong white bread flour, plus

extra for dusting

1¼ tsp salt

1½ tsp fast-action dried yeast

½ tbsp caster sugar

5 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for proving, the baking tray and crust

230g grated mozzarella

300g pork mince

50g fresh breadcrumbs

1 medium egg yolk

½ tsp fennel seeds, crushed

(optional)

½ tbsp fine polenta

20g parmesan a few leaves of oregano,

to serve (optional)

For the sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed 400g can chopped tomatoes 1 tbsp tomato purée

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp sugar 1 Gently heat the milk in a small saucepan until steaming, then remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Combine the flour, salt, yeast and caster sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, and pour in 4 tbsp olive oil and 250ml of the warm milk. Stir to combine, adding the rest of the milk if the dough feels dry. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 mins, then put in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and leave to rise for 1 hr 30 mins-2 hrs until doubled in size. 2 To make the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan over a low heat and fry the onion with a large pinch of salt for 12-15 mins, or until the onion is softened and translucent. Add the garlic and fry for 1 min more. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato purée, oregano and sugar. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15-20 mins, or until the sauce has thickened. Season. If you prefer a smooth sauce, blitz with a hand blender.

3 Lightly oil a roughly 33 x 23cm baking tray. Roll the risen dough out slightly with a rolling pin, then stretch it over the tray and into the corners, pushing it up the edges to make a lipped crust. Spread over the tomato sauce and top with most of the mozzarella. Cover and leave to rest for 30 mins. 4 Heat the oven to 240C/220C fan/ gas 8 with a baking sheet inside to heat up – it should be large enough to hold the pizza tray. Combine the pork, breadcrumbs, egg yolk, fennel seeds and some seasoning in a large bowl. Mix everything with your hands for about 5 mins until well combined, then roll the mixture into 12 balls. Heat the remaining oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, and fry the meatballs for 5 mins until evenly browned. Set aside.

5 Brush the crust of the pizza with a little oil, then sprinkle over the polenta. Top the pizza with the meatballs, pressing them into the sauce and cheese a little, then scatter over the remaining mozzarella. Immediately slide the pizza tray onto the hot baking sheet and bake for 15-18 mins, or until the pizza is cooked through in the middle and crisp around the edges. Scatter over the parmesan and oregano, then slice into six squares to serve.

GOOD TO KNOW calcium • folate • 1 of 5-a-day

PER SERVING 686 kcals • fat 28g • saturates 10g •

carbs 75g • sugars 8g • fibre 4g • protein 32g • salt 1.7g