How to Make a Vegetarian Pizza From Scratch

Most people like a pizza but then pizzas are very suitable for all types of diets. Vegetarianism is no exception. In this article I am going to show you how to create a vegetarian pizza from scratch and the pizza I have chosen is a rather curious one.

Americans might not immediately recognize it as a pizza there are other, especially German, examples of something like this Moroccan pizza from Marrakesh.

Marrakesh Pizza (Khboz Bishemar)

1 packet of dry active bread yeast 1/4 cup lukewarm water

FILLING ========================

1/4 lb vegetable suet - (approx 1 cup tightly packed) 3 tbls parsley, chopped 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped 1/4 tsp cumin, heaped, ground 1 red chile pepper, dried 1 tsp paprika, heaped tsp

DOUGH ==========================

2 cups strong, unbleached flour 1 tsp salt

GARNISH ========================

4 tsp sweet butter, margarine (melted) or oil

Sprinkle the yeast over 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Stir to dissolve and leave to stand in a warm position for 10 minutes or until the yeast has been activated and doubled in volume.

Meanwhile, create the filling. Chop or grind the suet; pound the parsley, onion and spices in a mortar or chop finely to a paste. Mix with the suet and set aside.

Mix the flour with the salt then make a well in the center. Pour in the activated yeast together with enough lukewarm water to form a ball of dough. (Add more water if the dough appears to be difficult to handle). Knead well until smooth and elastic or for around 20 minutes. Separate the ball of dough into 4 equal parts.

Lightly flour a board. Start patting the first ball of dough down to a disc shape, stretching and flattening it to create a rectangle approximately 8 x 14 inches. Spread one-quarter of the filling in the center. Fold the right and then the left side of the dough on to the filling.

Press down on this 'package' and start flattening and stretching it (with the filling inside) until it is the same size (8 x 14 inches) as before. Reiterate the folding, this time right side into the center and left side under. Repeat with the other 3 balls of dough. Set aside, covered, in a warm place for 45 minutes.

Heat a griddle. Prick the 'packages' with a fork six or seven

times on both sides. Place on the griddle - they will begin to fry in the fat released from their fillings. Fry the 'packages' 10 minutes on both sides, until crisp. Dot each package with a teaspoonful of sweetened melted butter or oil before serving.

You can have these Moroccan pizzas from Marrakesh with anything, but there is already a fat content, so it would be better to have them with a salad or even fruit. To complement this dish, drink what the Moroccans would drink - mint tea. Moroccans drink pints of sweet mint tea every day brewed from mint that just seems to grow wild everywhere.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a number of subjects, and is now concerned with vegetarian sandwich recipes. If you want to know more, please visit our site at http://vegetariancasserolerecipes.com