February 9 is celebrated as National Pizza Day. Whether it’s a big cheesy American-style pizza or a thin and crispy Italian one, it’s undeniable that this meal is delicious and hugely popular! We bring you a few recipes by celebrity chef Ruchika Sharma
Waffle Pizza
Ingredients for waffle
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
|2 eggs
1½ cups warm milk
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Other ingredients
Pizza sauce as required
Cheese as required
Method: In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the milk, butter and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture; whip until blended. Ladle the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp. Spread pizza sauce on baked waffle and grate cheese and bake again till the cheese melts. Slice and serve.
Waffle Pizza
ROTZZA (Roti+Pizza)
Ingredients
For the dough 2 cups wheat flour
2 teaspoons oil
Salt as per taste
Water as required
Toppings: 3 to 4 teaspoons tomato sauce/pizza sauce
1 capsicum
2 onions (2 piece)
2 teaspoons oregano
Method For Dough and Base
Take wheat flour in a wide vessel and add salt, water and 1 teaspoon oil.
Knead till the dough is slightly hard, then knead again by adding oil. Rest the dough for 15 minutes. After letting it rest, make 6 flat balls out of it. Take one flat ball on rolling pin and make 5 to 6 diameter circle to make Pizza base or roti. Prick the rolled rotis. Cut the capsicum and onion in long thin shreds. Heat oil in the pan and add shredded onion and saute till it turns pink. Add shredded capsicum and saute till it becomes slightly soft and keep aside.
Assembling
Heat a nonstick pan and roast the roti on one side till it’s brown. Lower the flame and turn the roti. Spread pizza sauce/tomato sauce on top of it. Top it with cooked onion and capsicum. Grate cheese on top and sprinkle oregano. Cook till the cheese melts. Your Rotzza is ready to serve.
ROTZZA (Roti+Pizza)
Cauliflower pizza crust
Ingredients for crust
500 gm cauliflower
3 tbsp flax seeds
150 gm rice flour
100 gm chickpea flour
2 to 3 tbsp hummus
Handfull of cherry tomatoes
4 to 5 black olives
½ tsp oregano
Extra virgin olive oil as required
Salt to taste
Water as required
Method for crust
Preheat the oven to 200º C. Cut off the florets of the cauliflower, place the florets in a blender or food processor and pulse until you get crumbs. Place the crumbs in a non-stick pan and cook them over medium heat for about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir constantly. Cool to room temperature, place it in a muslin cloth or strainer to remove as much water as you can. Place the flax seeds and the water in a blender and blend until smooth. Let it stand for at least 5 minutes.
In a big bowl, add the cauliflower crumbs, flax seeds, rice flour and chickpea flour. Season with salt and herbs. Mix well. Place the pizza crusts onto a baking sheet with baking paper. Bake in a preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Ingredients for hummus
200 gm soaked and boiled chickpeas
2 tbsp or more lemon juice
2 crushed garlic cloves,
1 tsp ground cumin
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
4 tbsp water
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp paprika
Method for hummus
Combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt, tahini, and water in a food processor, and blend to a creamy purée.
Add more lemon juice, garlic, cumin or salt to taste. Turn out into a dinner plate, and make smooth with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and scatter with the reserved chickpeas. Use as required.
Final Method
Spread the hummus, on crust add the tomatoes, olives and oregano and bake again for 10 minutes. Drizzle olive oil and serve.
CAULIFLOWER PIZZA CRUST
Paneer Makhani Pizza
Pizza gets an Indian makeover! This Paneer Makhani Pizza has a creamy curry as the pizza sauce and is topped with pieces of spiced paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese).
Ingredients For Pizza Base
2 cups flour
2 tsp dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
For the makhani sauce
3 medium sized tomatoes (blanched, pureed and strained)
1 pod green cardamom
2 cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 finely chopped green chillies
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp Kashmiri red chili powder
2 tbsp cream
1 tbsp roasted kasoori methi powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp cashewnut paste
2 tbsp butter
Salt to taste
Other ingredients
200 gm paneer
Method for pizza bases
In a small bowl put yeast, sugar and warm water and keep it aside for 5 minutes till frothy. Mix yeast with flour and salt and mix water. Knead into smooth dough.
Method for Makhani Sauce
Heat butter, add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, green chilies and temper for a minute. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till brown, then add tomato puree, salt and cook on medium flame for around 10 to 15 minutes. Then add cashew nut paste, kashmiri chili powder, garam masala powder, kasoori methi and mix well. Lastly, add cream and simmer for 5 minutes.
For the makhani Pizza
Take a big size dough and roll it out into a semi thick circle, prick the rolled dough and spread makhani sauce and top it with paneer cubes and grated mozerella cheese. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180º C degrees for about 15 minutes till the base becomes golden brown and cheese melts. Slice and serve hot.
Paneer Makhani Pizza
Vespa-E-Spinaci
Ingredients for pizza base
250 gm flour
1 tsp yeast
½ tsp sugar
2 tsp olive oil
Salt to taste
Water as required
Ingredients for Pizza Sauce
250 gm boiled and peeled tomatoes
½ tsp dry oregano
1 tsp sugar
Few leaves of basil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Other ingredients
50 gm feta cheese
2-3 slices dried tomatoes
1 small bunch of spinach
1 shredded shikate mushroom
2-3 chopped basil leaves
2 tbsp mozzarella cheese
½ tsp thyme Olive oil to drizzle
A handful of button mushrooms
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Method for Pizza Base
Knead the dough by adding ingredients one after another.
Make round shapes with each 200 gm of dough each.
Leave it to room temperature. Use as required.
Method for sauce
Make sauce with peeled tomatoes, oregano, salt, pepper, olive oil, basil leaves and sugar.Blend all the ingredients to a rough consistency Use it as pizza sauce.
Final Method
Cook mushrooms with herbs and seasoning, let it cool down.
Flatten the pizza base, spread the sauce and mozerella cheese on top of the dough. Arrange feta cheese, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and spinach.
Bake the pizza in a preheated oven at 180º C till done. Cut it into 8 spices, garnish with basil and drizzle some olive oil. Serve hot.
Vespa-E-Spinaci
Calzone Napoletanos
Ingredients
200 gm pizza dough
¼ tsp oregano
Pizza sauce as required
Mozzarella cheese as required
A handful of basil leaves
Method
Flat the pizza dough, spread the sauce and cheese, oregano and basil on one side.
Fold the pizza and close the edges tightly.
Bake the pizza in a pre heated oven at 180º C till done. Baste with olive oil, cut into 4 pieces and serve hot. 
Calzone Napoletanos
Hawaiian Pizza
Ingredients
1 ready-made pizza base
2 to 3 tbsp ready-made pizza sauce
Mozerella cheese as required
¼ cup pineapple cubes
½ cup cubed onions, red capsicum, yellow capsicum
1 chicken breast
A handful of basil leaves
Olive oil to drizzle
Salt to taste
Pepper to tastev
Method
Roast the chicken with cajun spices, roast the capsicums and onion with herbs and seasoning, let it cool down.
Take pizza base, spread the sauce and cheese on top of it.
Arrange the cajun chicken, roasted onions, capsicum and fresh pineapple.
Bake the pizza in a pre-heated oven at 180º C for about 15 minutes or till done. Garnish with basil and drizzle some olive oil. Cut into slices and serve hot.
Hawaiian Pizza
