The Runner’s Guide To Pizza
Prepped the right way and consumed in reasonable quantities, the slice is definitely right. Choose pizza for fuelling, recovery... and, yes, reward.
PUT THE PIZZAS TOGETHER
The recipes on this spread all begin with the same basic crust recipe. From there, the possibilities are endless.
Start here
Heat your oven to 260°C. If you’re using a pizza stone, place it in the oven on a rack in the upper-middle position as it heats. If you’re using a baking sheet, lightly coat it with oil. Roll your dough into a 30cm round or 30x20cm rectangle, roughly half a centimetre thick. Brush the dough with a small amount of oil, concentrating on the edges.
Pizza Margherita
• 285g pizza dough
• 240g fresh tomato sauce
• 115g mozzarella, patted dry and torn into 2cm pieces
• 6 large basil leaves, torn
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 20g parmesan, grated
• ½ tsp cracked black pepper
METHOD
Spread the tomato sauce over the dough, leaving a 2cm border uncovered. Lay the mozzarella pieces on the sauce. Place your pizza on a pizza stone or baking sheet, and bake until the crust is golden and crisp, and the cheese is bubbling. This should take about 10 minutes. Garnish with basil, olive oil, parmesan and black pepper.
Mediterranean pork pizza
• 285g pizza dough
• 225g pork fillet, sliced
• 120g purple tapenade
• 85g soft goat’s cheese, crumbled
• 40g thinly sliced radicchio
• 90g thinly sliced fennel
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• 6 basil leaves, torn
METHOD
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over a medium heat and cook the pork until browned on the outside, but still pink in the middle. Spread the purple tapenade over the dough, leaving a 2.5cm border uncovered. Top with the radicchio, goat’s cheese, pork and fennel, in that order. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden and crisp. Top the cooked pizza with pine nuts and basil.
Chicken and mushroom pizza
• 285g pizza dough
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 240g garlic white bean sauce
• 140g sliced cooked chicken
• 90g sliced mushrooms
• 125g sliced courgette
METHOD
Fry the onions in butter over a medium heat. Mix in the sugar and vinegar, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Spread the bean sauce over the dough, top with the chicken, mushrooms and courgette. Bake for 10 minutes, then finish with the caramelised onions.
Salmon pesto pizza
• 285g pizza dough
• 120g rocket pesto
• Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
• 60g sliced roasted red pepper
• 1⁄2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 115g smoked salmon, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped dill
METHOD
Spread the pesto over the dough, leaving a 2.5cm border uncovered. Top with the cherry tomatoes, sliced peppers and red onion, in that order. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and crisp. Spread the smoked salmon over the cooked pizza and garnish with dill.
Bacon’n’egg pizza
• 285g pizza dough
• 240g fresh tomato sauce
• 30g baby spinach or chopped kale
• 60g mozzarella
• 130g grated sweet potato
• 115g bacon, sliced
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tbsp chopped chives
METHOD
Spread the tomato sauce over the dough. Top with spinach, mozzarella, sweet potato, bacon and spring onions, in that order. Make four ‘nests’ in the toppings and carefully crack an egg into each. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the egg whites are set but yolks are still runny. Sprinkle with chives.
Butternut and prawn pizza
• 285g pizza dough
• 6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 240g butternut squash sauce
• Small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 225g prawns, peeled and patted dry
• 1 small avocado, peeled and chopped into 1cm cubes
METHOD
In a pan, heat the vinegar and brown sugar over a medium heat and simmer until syrupy – about six minutes. Spread the butternut sauce over the dough and top with the parsley and prawns. Bake for 12 minutes. Finish with avocado and a drizzle of the balsamic syrup.
