Mixed Bell Peppers and Anchovy Naan Bread Pizza Feast

Naan bread pizza is something which I make quite regularly and have actually featured on this blog in the past. This particular version of naan bread pizza is different however in that not only is it fairly substantial, it contains anchovies, a foodstuff which it often seems everyone either loves or hates without the option of an in between. If you don't like anchovies, simply miss them out or replace them with a different ingredient of your choosing and enjoy a naan bread pizza feast of your own creation. The cheese used is also simple cheddar, with none of the more traditional mozzarella.

Ingredients (Makes Two Pizzas)

2 medium naan breads (9 to 10" long)
3/4 pint homemade (or bought) pizza sauce
1 each of red, green and yellow bell peppers
2 medium closed cup mushrooms
12 pitted black olives
12 small cherry tomatoes
2oz anchovy fillets
8oz grated cheddar cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Small basil leaves to garnish (optional)

Directions

Top and tail the bell peppers and cut out the seeds. Slice to just under 1/2" thickness.

Wipe the mushrooms clean and slice. Cut the tomatoes and olives in half, down through the centre.

Put your oven on to preheat to 450F/220C.

Lay the naan breads on a baking tray or two baking trays if need be.

Spread the tomato sauce evenly between the two naans. Leave around a half inch border around the edge to form a crust.

The order in which you add the topping ingredients is entirely up to you. In this instance, the anchovy fillets were laid on first and the tomato and olive halves arranged between them evenly.

The mushrooms were added next, followed by the bell pepper slices, alternating between the colours.

Scatter the cheese on top last of all. It may not seem like a lot of cheese but for health considerations, it is best to limit it to some extent.

Put the tray in to the oven for ten minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Remove the tray from the oven and use a spatula to transfer the naan bread pizza to a serving plate.  Garnish with the basil leaves and season with some more black pepper if required. Remember the presence of the anchovies - so no salt should be required.

Serve in each instance with a glass of chilled white wine.

Sausage and Tomato Naan Bread Pizza

Naan bread pizza may just change the way you think of pizza for ever. Not only is it absolutely delicious, naan bread pizza is a fantastic way of using up leftover food items, including everything from the naan bread itself, to perhaps roast chicken, to - as in this instance - sausages. The items which can be incorporated in naan bread pizzas are virtually limitless and given that I presented a vegetarian naan bread pizza on this blog a few weeks back, I am now evening up the score with this sausage and tomato option.

It is possible of course to use tomato sauce from a jar for this recipe. If making your own, however, as I have done, note that it is vital you leave it to cool before spreading it on the naan bread. Otherwise, it will simply soak in to the naan, making it soggy and spoiling the whole effect of your pizza. Remember, therefore, to factor in around an extra hour to your cooking time for this purpose. Alternatively, make the tomato sauce the night before and refrigerate it.

Ingredients per Naan Bread Pizza

1 10" long naan bread

1 8oz can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
1 clove of garlic
1/2 tsp dried basil
Salt and black pepper

2 sausages (precooked)
1 medium tomato
1/2 small red onion
2oz pizza mozzarella cheese
2oz cheddar or similar hard cheese
3 or 4 basil leaves for garnish

Method

Pour the tomatoes in to a small saucepan. Peel the garlic clove and grate it in to the tomatoes with a small hand grater. Season with the dried basil, salt and black pepper. Place on a high heat until the tomatoes reach a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until a lush sauce is formed. Remove from the heat, cover and set aside to cool.

The naan bread pizza will need to go in to a hot oven so put your oven on to preheat to 450F/220C before you start building the pizza.

Lay the naan bread on a large baking tray and pour the tomato sauce in the centre. Spread the sauce evenly over the naan bread with the underside of a large spoon.

These sausages which I had leftover were organic pork, Cornish cheddar cheese and tomato. Any type of sausage will do, however, provided they are precooked and ideally cooled. Slicing them at an angle as shown makes for bigger, more attractive slices.

Slice the tomato as thinly as possible and arrange the sausage and tomato slices in even layers over the tomato sauce.

The red onion could also be sliced and arranged in a layer. I prefer, however, to moderately finely dice it and scatter it over the pizza. The flavour distribution definitely seems to be better.

It is important that the mozzarella cheese used for any type of pizza is the firm type, normally labelled pizza mozzarella. The soft mozzarella, usually sold in ball form in brine, is not suitable for this purpose. The mozzarella cheese should be sliced and chopped and the cheddar or other hard cheese should be coarsely grated.

Scatter the two types of cheese evenly over the naan bread pizza. Season with some freshly ground black pepper. Put in to the hot oven for ten to twelve minutes until the cheese has melted and started to bubble. Garnish with the torn basil leaves and serve immediately.

Vegetarian Naan Bread Pizza with Mixed Bell Peppers

Traditional pizza is probably one of the food types most suited to vegetarians. Lush tomato sauce, on freshly made bread, topped with fresh Mediterranean vegetables and cheese. This recipe is very much along those lines but in order to provide a little bit of variety, the base of the pizza is an Indian naan bread, rather than the traditional Italian type made in a pizza pan.

Ingredients

1 10" long naan bread
1 8oz can of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
3 mixed bell peppers
1 clove of garlic
1/2 tsp dried basil
4oz cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Handful of fresh rocket/arugula leaves for garnish if desired

Method

The first step is to make the tomato sauce for the pizza, as it will require to be cooled before it is spread on the pizza. Pour the tomatoes in to a saucepan. Peel and grate the garlic clove in to the pan and season with salt, black pepper and the dried basil. Heat until the mixture reaches a simmer and turn down the heat to minimum. Simmer gently for fifteen to twenty minutes, stirring frequently until a smooth, velvety sauce is formed. Cover and allow to cool completely.

This recipe uses one red pepper, one green and one yellow, simply to afford the finished dish some colour. Any combination of peppers can, however, be used. Top and tail the peppers, de-seed and slice to a thickness of around a quarter of an inch.

Put your oven on to preheat to 450F/220C/Gas mark 8. Lay the naan bread on a large baking tray and spread the cooled tomato sauce evenly over the top, leaving a narrow border around the edge, both to prevent spillage and to allow a crust to form.

Lay the slices of pepper alternately on the naan bread and sauce as shown. Do not add too many slices, even if it means having some left over, as this would affect how evenly the naan pizza cooks.

The cheese should be grated and spread evenly over the top of the bell peppers. Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and place in to the oven for ten minutes.

When the pizza is ready, transfer it to a plate and scatter over the fresh rocket/arugula or fresh herb of choice, if desired. Serve immediately.