Make a quick and easy pizza

Pizza is an Italian dish that is basically a fairly thin, flat, round shaped yeast dough that is baked with a variety of meat and vegetables or mixed vegetable toppings, with cheese sprinkled on top.
A true Italian pizza has a thin crispy base when baked and is spread with a tomato sauce, toppings of one’s choice and a white cheese known as Mozzarella, which is sliced or grated on top. However, there is no need to be so rigid in cookery and this popular dish has been tweaked in so many different ways. This recipe is one of them!
Dough made out of yeast usually takes time because you have to wait for it to rise and double in size which takes 1½ hours or more. The dough in this recipe uses baking powder instead of yeast, to save time. The end result is a delicious pizza the quick and easy way!

For the base
227g self-rising flour or 212g wheat flour & 13g baking powder 57g butter/margarine 70g cheese ½ tsp garlic powder 142ml milk
For the topping
5 large tomatoes
1½ level tbsp tomato paste
100g fresh oyster mushrooms
2 medium-size green peppers
6 spicy sausages
1 tin tuna fish (optional)

2 medium onions
1 tbsp mixed herbs
150g cheese
3 cloves garlic
Cooking oil
Aromat

Method

1. Wash all the vegetables and the mushrooms.
2. Put only three of the tomatoes in a pan of boiling hot water for a few minutes. Cool, remove the skin and chop finely. Finely grate the garlic. Heat a little oil in a small saucepan and fry the garlic until golden. Add the chopped tomatoes,1 tbsp of tomato paste and a pinch of Aromat and mix well. Cover the pan and cook for a few minutes to make a fairly thick sauce. Cover and put aside.
3. Slice the remaining two tomatoes into medium-size round slices, cover and put aside. Chop the green peppers into strips and finely chop the mushrooms.
4. Cut one of the onions into quarters and slice finely. Chop the other onion into rings.
5. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and frying the sausages until cooked. Cool and slice into small round slices.
6. In the same pan fry the sliced onions until soft. Add ½ tbsp tomato paste and cook stirring for about a minute. Add the mushrooms and ½ tsp Aromat. Cook stirring for a few minutes. Add 2-3 tbsp water and cover the pan stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are cooked. Taste for salt and add a pinch of Aromat if necessary.
7. Drain the tuna, if using and flake (break into small pieces) with a fork.

To make the base
1. Put the self-raising flour (or wheat flour and baking powder) in a large mixing bowl. Rub in the butter or margarine with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Grate 70g cheese and stir it into the flour with the garlic powder and a pinch of Aromat. Mix in the milk and form a soft dough.
3. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a circle 25.5cm in diameter. Or divide the dough in half and make 2 small pizza(s).
4. Spread the top of the pizza(s) with the tomato sauce within about ½ cm of the edge of the pizza. Spread the mushroom mixture on top and then the slices of tomato overlapping with the onion rings. Sprinkle with the flaked tuna. Scatter the chopped sausages and the strips of the green pepper evenly. Mix the mixed herbs with the grated cheese and a pinch of Aromat and sprinkle generously all over the pizza(s).
5. Preheat the oven to 230C/450F/gas 8 for 15 minutes so that it gets really hot. Bake pizza(s) for 20-25 minutes and serve hot.