Smoked Salmon, Olives and Herbed Sour Cream Pizza

On Sundays we like to eat big breakfasts. And elaborate lunches, a lavish afternoon tea and sometimes even a few in-betweens. Sitting around the table at home or eating out at a restaurant, filling each other in on the week that was, debating over the menu or simply watching our little boys voice out their opinion at every opportunity… is our favourite way of relaxing on a holiday. By dinner time we are either on a guilt trip or stuffed till the brim. Naturally no one is hungry for a meal. A soup or a light sandwich is generally our first choice but on days we wish for a lighter yet fitting end to a great day, I make a quick pizza. Wondering if a pizza could ever have anything to do with small or light, well it could. If you make it from scratch. You decide the portions, you pick the toppings and trust me when I say..homemade pizza is better than any takeaway.

Making pizza dough is actually such a simple process. It hardly fails, freezes well and appeals to kids and adults alike. When I have leftover dough (which is most often) I either store it to make a rosemary Focaccia bread or roll out a few Naan breads (Indian flatbread) with a little garlic butter the next day. It is such a versatile dough. For extra flavour, you can add some thyme, rosemary or oregano leaves, fresh or dried.

I used the left over smoked salmon from my salmon scotch egg recipe to make this. You can use prosciutto, leftover chicken, paneer, tofu, grilled pumpkin, pineapple, your favourite cheese..literally any topping of your choice. I have skipped the cheese to make it healthier…relatively! I love sour cream and find it extremely useful to make fillings for sweet and savory or just dolloping it over soups, pancakes or pizzas. And lastly adding leafy greens not only enhances the look but also is a good source of nutrition. Roll out your pizzas in any shape, size or thickness as you prefer. I am actually known for my pizzas-for-two. Simply roll out the dough in a rectangle and add your toppings. Once ready slice them in as many ways as you want.

 

Smoked Salmon, Olives and Herbed Sour Cream Pizza

Pizza Dough (makes two 12 inch pizzas)
3 cups Plain Flour
2 tsp/7g/1 sachet dried yeast
1/2 tsp castor sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 tbsp olive oil
Olive oil, for brushing
Semolina or Polenta, to dust

Pizza Topping
1 tbsp passata/pizza sauce
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
A few slices of smoked salmon
A handful kalamata olives
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil for drizzling
A handful of spinach, rocket, thyme and dill leaves

For the Herbed Sour Cream
1/4 cup sour cream
a few sprigs of parsley/oregano/thyme/chives finely chopped

Make the dough: Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the warm water and olive oil. Mix together and use your hands to bring it to a soft dough. Knead it on a floured surface to make it smooth and pliable. Return it to the mixing bowl that has been brushed with oil. Add the dough and turn to coat.
Cover with a damp tea towel. Set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes or until dough doubles in size. Punch down dough with your fist. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it gently for a minute. Halve the dough and roll it out to the desired portion and thickness.

Make the topping: Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C. Dust pizza tray with semolina or polenta. Place the rolled out dough onto the prepared tray. Spread a thin layer of passata or pizza sauce around the base of the pizza. Top with smoked salmon, olives and red onion. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes or until base is crisp. While the pizza is baking mix the sour cream and herbs together to make herbed sour cream. Remove the pizza from the oven, dollop with sour cream and top with leafy greens.