Homemade Pizzas - BBQ Heaven & Peri-Peri Wonderland

Crisp crackling crusts. Gooey, stringy, messy, cheesy bites. Spicy, tangy, sweet flavours. The mere thought of pizza is enough to send me on a food high. But I must admit, I’m an old fashioned girl who likes it the old fashioned way. Simple, delicious, rustic and home made. It could be a lot of work I know, but over the years I’ve learned a few tricks on how to make the process of pizza making easy. For example, when I make dough, I always make extra and freeze it to have on a rainy day. And when it comes to the ingredients, I try to use whatever is available in my kitchen at that given time.

Today, Pizzas are considered to be a ‘fast food’. But believe me, there’s nothing fast about making it! Most people believe that the Italians are responsible for introducing Pizza to the world. But did you know that pizzas have been around since ancient times? In the Middle East, ancient cultures like the Armenians, Babylonians and Israelites ate flat, unleavened bread baked in mud ovens. The Greeks and Egyptians ate the same flat bread topped with olive oil and native spices. So did the Romans who called it ‘Panis Focacius’. We know it today as ‘Focaccia’. But the pizza we are most familiar with comes from Italy, where the flat bread is topped with tomato, cheese and other toppings.

I came up with these two recipes while thinking of something quick and easy to make for dinner one day. I already had previously-made pizza dough sitting in my freezer, so I looked in the fridge for any interesting ingredients to catch my imagination. This is how I came up with my version of what I now call ‘BBQ Heaven’ and ‘Peri-Peri Wonderland’.

Hope you enjoy it! I know we did! ;)

BTW, I will do a recipe on pizza dough soon. I have two versions – the long one and the 30-minute one! I will also do a blog on my homemade pizza sauce.

So here goes…

BBQ Heaven Pizza (Makes 1 large):

Note: The pizza dough I used was one I had previously made and frozen. You can use your own recipe or even buy readymade pizza crusts from the supermarket. BBQ pizza is commonly made with Gouda Cheese, Parmesan and Mozzarella. But I used what was available in my fridge. The Mozzarella & Cheddar Cheese I used a Kraft product, which is available here in Dubai. If you don’t have it, feel free to substitute with whatever you have on hand.

Let's first make the chicken. For this you only need 3 simple ingredients.

Chop up the onion. Cut the chicken into small cubes. Measure out 1 teaspoon of red chilli powder. The red chillie powder is optional, but it sure adds a nice flavour.

Before adding the oil, put the chicken in a hot pan and stir for a bit. This helps to get rid of the excess water. After this add the olive oil and fry for about 3 minutes.

Now add the chopped onions and fry for about 3 minutes. Add the chilli powder and mix.

Finally, add the 1/3 cup of BBQ Sauce and mix well. Take off the fire and set aside.

Now get all of the other ingredients ready...

Preheat the oven to 425 Degree F. Line a pizza pan or any baking pan with wax paper and spray some baking spray. You can also grease it with butter or oil. This ensures the pizza doesn't get stuck.

Roll out the dough into the shape you like. You can make a circle if you are using a pizza pan. I love the whole rustic feel of an oddly shaped pizza. Spread the 2 tablespoons of BBQ Sauce. Do not spread it to the end, leave a bit of a gap.

Spread the cheddar cheese. Spread the BBQ chicken mixture.

Spread the onions, followed by the Mozzarella & Cheddar Cheese, evenly. Finally garnish with the cilantro/coriander leaves.

Place it in the oven for about 12 to 15 minutes. This of course depends on how hot your oven is. As I always say, each oven is different.

And there you go, one simple, yet awesome pizza!

Peri-Peri Wonderland Pizza (Makes 1 large):

Note: For this recipe, I have used my homemade pizza sauce. But of course, you can substitute for your own or store-bought.

Let's first make the chicken. Once again, you only need 3 ingredients.

Cut the chicken into small cubes. Chop the onion and measure out the Peri-Peri Spice.

Once again, first put the chicken in a hot pan and cook for a bit to get rid of the excess water. Then add the olive oil and fry for about 3 minutes. Then add onions and fry for about 3 minutes. Finally, add the Peri-Peri spice and mix well. Take off the fire and set aside.

Now get all of the other ingredients ready...

Preheat the oven to 425 Degree F. Line a pizza pan or any baking pan with wax paper and spray some baking spray. You can also grease it with butter or oil. This ensures the pizza doesn't get stuck.

Roll out the dough into the shape you like. You can make a circle if you are using a pizza pan. I love the whole rustic feel of an oddly shaped pizza. Now spread the pizza sauce and make sure to leave a bit of a gap from the edges.