Deep Dish Pizza

Ingredients

• 250 grams pizza dough 
• Refined flour for dusting
• 1 tablespoon olive oil + for greasing
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic 
• 200 grams boneless chicken, cut into small cubes
• ½ teaspoon red chilli flakes 
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves
• Salt to taste 
• 50 grams processed cheese 
• 3-4 button mushrooms, sliced 
• 1-2 pickled jalapeno, sliced
• 4-5 black olives, pitted
• 2-3 sundried tomatoes, soaked for 10-15 minutes in warm water
• ½ small onion, sliced
• 6 pepperoni roundels 
• Fresh basil leaves for topping
  Pizza sauce 
• 4 medium tomatoes, blanched and peeled 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 
• Salt to taste 
• 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
• Crushed black peppercorns to taste 
• 3-4 fresh basil leaves 
• ½ teaspoon red chilli flakes 

Method

1. Dust the worktop with some flour, place the dough and knock back to release excess air. 
2. Grease a baking pizza tin with some olive oil and dust with some flour. 
3. Dust the worktop with some flour and roll out the dough into large thick disc. 
4. Place the disc into the greased pizza tin and discard the excess dough. Cover with damp muslin cloth and set aside to prove for 5-10 minutes. 
5. To prepare pizza sauce, heat olive oil in a non-stick pan.
6. Roughly chop blanched tomatoes. 
7. Add garlic and chopped tomatoes to hot olive oil and sauté for 10-12 minutes or till tomatoes turn soft and pulpy. 
8. Add salt and tomato ketchup and mix. Add 2-3 tablespoons water, mash and cook for 3-4 minutes.
9. Preheat oven to 180° C.
10. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in another non-stick pan. Add garlic and sauté. Add chicken cubes, mix and cook on high heat till done.
11. Add chilli flakes. Roughly chop 1 teaspoon oregano leaves, add to pan and toss. Add salt and toss well. 
12. Add 2-3 tablespoons water to the sauce, mix and cook for 2-3 minutes.
13. Chop basil leaves, add to sauce and mix. Add chili flakes and mix well. Switch off heat and cool.
14. Dork the proven disc using a fork and spread some sauce on top.
15. Thinly slice mozzarella cheese and place over the sauce. Top with cooked chicken cubes, mushrooms, jalapeno slices. 
16. Slice black olives and put on top of the pizza. Chop sundried tomatoes, put on top of pizza along with some sliced onion.
17. Roughly chop oregano leaves and sprinkle on top of pizza and place the pepperoni roundels. 
18. Place the tin on a baking tray. Put the tray into the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. 
19. Cut into wedges, top with some torn basil leaves and serve hot.