It’s All About Pizza & Wine this Summer

Wine with pizza is like beer with fish and chips… it’s just meant to be!

Margherita Pizza Wine Pairing

With its aromatic notes of fresh basil and the use of other lightly flavored fresh ingredients (tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella), a rosé, such as Endless Weekend, is the perfect Margherita pizza wine pairing. With something lightly flavored like a Margherita Pizza, the fresh palate clean with the perfectly balanced acidity of Endless Weekend will be a perfect combination. To know more about Endless Weekend check our Instagram and Facebook.

Margherita Pizza in 4 Easy Steps

Here is the archetype of a thin-crust pizza pie, a pizza margherita adorned simply in the colors of the Italian flag: green from basil, white from mozzarella, red from tomato sauce.

Ingredients

For the base

• 300g strong bread flour
• 1 tsp instant yeast (from a sachet or a tub)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

For the tomato sauce

• 100ml passata
• handful fresh basil or 1 tsp dried
• 1 garlic clove crushed

For the topping

• 125g ball mozzarella, sliced
• handful grated or shaved parmesan (or vegetarian alternative)
• a handful of cherry tomatoes halved

To finish

• handful basil leaves (optional)

Instructions

1. Make the base: Put the flour into a large bowl, then stir in the yeast and salt. Make a well, pour in 200ml warm water and the olive oil and bring together with a wooden spoon until you have a soft, fairly wet dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 mins until smooth. Cover with a tea towel and set aside. You can leave the dough to rise if you like, but it’s not essential for a thin crust.
2. Make the sauce: Mix the passata, basil, and crushed garlic together, then season to taste. Leave to stand at room temperature while you get on with shaping the base.
3. Roll outthe dough: If you’ve let the dough rise, give it a quick knead, then split into two balls. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into large rounds, about 25cm across, using a rolling pin. The dough needs to be very thin as it will rise in the oven. Lift the rounds onto two floured baking sheets.
4. Top and bake: Heat oven to 240C/fan 220C /gas 8. Put another baking sheet or an upturned baking tray in the oven on the top shelf. Smooth sauce over bases with the back of a spoon. Scatter with cheese and tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil and season. Put one pizza, still on its baking sheet, on top of the preheated sheet or tray. Bake for 8-10 mins until crisp. Serve with a little more olive oil, and basil leaves if using. Repeat step for remaining pizza.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, September 2007