Bet you never knew you could make pizza using mielie meal – here’s how

Before you frown at the use of mealie meal for this recipe, I think I should point out that proper pizza dough makes use of semolina flour, which is gritty and course just like maize meal. It’s where I got the recipe idea from. After a few tweaks, I managed to find a balance.

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For the pizza base

Ingredients:
1 cup mealie meal
¾ cup cake flour1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 pinch sea salt
1 tablespoon chopped basil
1 jumbo egg½ cup plain yogurt¼ cup cold water

Method:

Mix the egg, water and yogurt, and then mix into the dry ingredients. Divide the pizza batter in two, flatten as thin as possible and place in two greased oven-proof pans. Bake at 180 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside.

For the toppings:
3 spoons tomato paste
½ cup grated Cheddar cheese
½ cup grated Mozzarella cheese
5 sliced Pepperdews
5 sun-dried tomatoes
Gooseberries
2 large chutney-marinated chicken breasts (see method below)

Method:

Marinate the chicken breasts in a cup of chutney, two spoons of olive oil, salt and a spoon of balsamic vinegar. Grill the chicken breast on a braai. Cut into bite-sized cubes. Once your pizza base is done, spoon the tomato paste on top of the base, top the pizza with the rest of the ingredients and bake in the oven until the cheese has melted. Top with rocket, drizzle with honey and balsamic reduction. Serve hot

Check out more recipes on Semenya’s blog at lesdachef.wordpress.com. For his professional services, visit lesdachef.com

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