Cheat’s deep-pan pizza
Sausage, sweet onions & cheese
Cheat’s deep-pan pizza
Nutrition per serving
Ingredients
- 2 Cumberland sausages
- olive oil
- 1 pinch of dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 red onions
- 8 sliced jalapeños in brine
- 500 g self-raising flour , plus extra for dusting
- 50 g Cheddar cheese
Method
- Preheat the oven to 240°C/475°F/gas 9 (full whack). Put a large non-stick, ovenproof frying pan on a medium-high heat.
- Squeeze the sausage meat out of the skins directly into the frying pan, with ½ a tablespoon of olive oil. Use a wooden spoon to roughly break up the meat.
- Add the oregano and fennel seeds, and stir-fry until the sausage meat is lightly golden.
- Peel and finely slice the onions then add to the pan with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Add the jalapeños and a splash of their vinegar. Cook on a medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft and caramelised, stirring regularly.
- Meanwhile, for the dough, pile the flour into a bowl with a good pinch of sea salt. Add up to 250ml of water, mixing until it comes together as a smooth, elastic dough. You want it to be pliable.
- Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for a couple of minutes, then form into a rough round.
- Now, tip your topping out of the pan for a moment, returning the pan to a medium heat. Place the dough in the pan and – being careful not to touch the hot pan – use your fingertips to stretch out the dough to cover the base.
- Spoon the topping back over the pizza, spreading it out and pushing the sausage into the dough, then grate over the cheese.
- Turn the heat back up to medium-high and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the base has started to crisp up. Transfer to the oven for 10 minutes, or until golden, puffed up and sizzling. Serve with a nice salad, if you like.
Tips
– You could use this dough to make a flatbread, or cut it up to make quick naan-style breads or even dumplings.
GO VEGGIE:
– Replace the sausage with 1 thinly sliced courgette and 1 deseeded and thinly sliced pepper.
– If you like a more tomatoey pizza, try adding a tablespoon of my quickest tomato sauce before you add your toppings.
EASY SWAPS:
– I’ve used dried oregano and fennel seeds here but feel free to swap in whatever dried herbs and spices you’ve got to hand. A pinch of dried chilli flakes would be delicious, as would some chopped fresh rosemary.
– No onions? Try leeks or spring onions instead.
– You could swap the Cheddar for a 125g ball of mozzarella and tear over the pizza before baking.
TO SERVE:
– Delicious with a beautiful green salad.
