Peasant pizza

Pizza has to be the ultimate peasant food. Flour, water salt and yeast tended with love and leftovers! We were blessed the other night with a visit by dear friends presently living and working in Switzerland, and a one time sailing coach, now good friend of Holly's. "Nothing in the frig" was overcome in no time.

6 cups flour,  preferably pizza flour, and you will notice the difference, but anything will do.
Make a well in the middle for 1 teaspoon sugar and 2 good teaspoons of dried yeast. Add about 1/4 cup blood heat water and leave to fizz. Around the edge of the bowl, put in 2 teaspoons salt (or as you like) and a good glug of any oil. When the yeast is fizzing, add water to bind and make a yielding dough, It will be about 2 cups, but depend on the flour and weather. If you can leave it to develop the yeast for half an hour, then do, otherwise roll it out into pizza rounds. We like ours thin.

Toppings are up to you - the world will not fly off it's axis if you do not use tomato sauce, oregano and parmigiano, but you will notice a difference if you use honest ingredients Personally, I think butter chicken and BBQ pork are better reserved for another evening, but I tend to be a little purist in the country food area. Then a little round of oil, a sprinkle of cheese, pecorino or parmigiano, mozzarella ( we keep mozzarella pearls in the freezer for just such an occasion), into  cast iron frypan and cook in oven preheated to 200 degrees. Don't cook too long - I have made the mistake often of thinking brown will be tasty, but I really think it spoils a beautiful bread.

Try Hungarian Deli Chabay, chopped tomato, roquette and Gruff Junction fromage blanc. The fromage blanc refuses to melt ... perfect

Pesto, cooked chicken, , blanched spinach with a sprinkle of parmigiano or capsicum.

Artichokes (Roman style stalks on are the best) roast tomato and mozzarella

Black pudding is a winner with a crumbly, tart cheese, or a creamy Danish style feta.

The interesting thing is the cost. Some of the ingredients are expensive by weight, but the total for an evening meal with a big salad of greens, nuts, avos whatever, would be no more than most meat based meals. A treat for students, and great drinking food as it just keeps on coming.

I will keep adding  toppings to this list, so let me know your favourites.