Tuna And Pesto Pizza

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL  and I have finally got the internet up and running, settled everything else, gotten over the shock of being surrounded by loads of people, the noise and everything else for that matter.

So now I have relocated back home to Maldives, the recipes will change to more local produce and also to stuff available around here, without breaking the bank. The prices are sky-high. And yes they do have pesto, huge bottles in fact, in most supermarkets.

My eldest sister handed me her huge bottle of pesto
 saying she had no idea what to do with it. I was planning to make pizza for dinner and decided to pair it up with tuna. Both me and my hubby agree that tuna and pesto go very well together.

Recipe : Tuna and Pesto Pizza

For 1 regular size thin crust pizza

Pizza dough :
2cups flour
 salt( about 1/4 tsp)
olive oil ( about 3 tbsp)
3/4 ( approximately) cups, of lukewarm water
1 tsp dried yeast
1/2 tsp sugar

Topping:
3-4 tbsp pesto ( bottled or freshly made)
1 can tuna, any liquid drained and the fish flaked
1 small onion, chopped finely
1/2 tsp ground fennel( dhavigandhu) seeds
4 mild chilli peppers or capsicums
1/2 a large red bell pepper, deseeded
salt and pepper
a generous amount of cheddar cheese, grated

1. In a  mug, add lukewarm water and sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Sprinkle the yeast on top and leave covered for 10 minutes till it frothes.

2. While that's happening,  sift the flour into a large bowl,  along with salt and make a well in the centre. Add olive oil and then slowly add the frothy yeast mixture a little at a time till the dough sticks and comes together.   Knead the dough till it soft and smooth. Rub some olive oil around a clean bowl place the dough inside, cover with a cling film and a clean kitchen cloth and leave to rise for 1- 2 hours in a warm  area in the kitchen( now don't go chucking it into the oven )

3. While the dough rises, prepare your topping,  place your chilli peppers and the bell pepper ( skin side down) in a hot oven till the skin blisters and blackens. Place them in a bowl, cover with a cling film or plate and leave to cool, then remove the skin with your fingers, deseed and roughly chop them into large pieces.

4.  Prepare the tuna by heating a small frying pan with a little oil, saute' the onions till soft, and add the flaked-up tuna, fennel, a big pinch of pepper, and salt to taste. Cook till the mixture is quite dry. Let it cool.

5. Now to make a crispy thin-crust pizza you need a  very hot oven about gas mark 6, preheated of course. And you have to get the pizza pan or whatever pan you are using hot too.

6.  Take the pizza dough out, punch it down and then roll it out on a piece of large foil which is lightly oiled with just a tiny bit of olive oil. Take the hot baking pan or tray out and slide the dough in or just pop the foil in and adjust the dough to fit the pan, Don't worry the foil will come off easily once it is baked. 

7. Spread a thin layer of pesto all over the pizza, top with the tuna, and scatter the chilli peppers and bell pepper. Finally, top with a generous amount of cheddar. Finish off by sprinkling a  pinch of black pepper on top.  Bake till the cheese is golden.

Enjoy!!!