Hello Everyone! Before we knuckle down to the pizza business, I just want tot cover one more basic recipe. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t discriminate when it comes to pizza toppings, but there are times when I can’t stand tomato-based sauce spreads on my pizza. Most of the time I don’t mind, but there are times when I prefer not to have them and I don’t have a clear definition to explain why. It might be the flavour? Too acidic at times for me perhaps?

White-based sauces can never go wrong for me, which is why you’ll notice in a few of the upcoming pizza recipes, I stuck to a white-based pizza sauce. The recipe is very simple and basic. There’s nothing difficult about it other than getting the balance of flavours right. Get creative and spice it up the way you want to! The original recipe, along with a pizza topping recipe, can be found at Macheesmo. I was actually out of plain flour at the time I made this sauce, and since I was at that time flying off in a week’s time, I wasn’t bothered to buy a whole 1 kilo bag for just a tablespoon’s worth. So I used what I had… Wholemeal flour!

PREP TIME 5 MINS | COOKING TIME 10 MINS | MAKES SAUCE FOR 3-4 REGULAR-SIZED PIZZAS

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 large red onion, minced
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp plain (or wholemeal) flour
• 1/2 tsp fresh thyme
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of salt

METHOD

1. Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Once melted, bring the heat down to low and add the minced onions. Cook and soften the onions a bit, but don’t brown them. Have a little patience and let the onions cook low and slow until they are translucent.
2. Then add in the minced garlic and cook for a few more seconds, followed by the flour which will help thicken the sauce. Be careful not to over cook the flour or your sauce won’t thicken correctly. Stir it around for about a minute or two.
3. Slowly pour the cream over the flour mixture while constantly stirring or whisking to avoid the forming of lumps.
4. Once all the cream in stirred in, let the sauce simmer for a few minutes until it thickens. It should be the consistency of a light gravy. Season it with a pinch of salt, pepper, fresh thyme, and done!

Let the sauce cool down to room temperature before saucing your pizza. If you have any left overs, you can store it in a fridge and it will keep fine for a few days. You may find that it will solidify; don’t freak out. It’ll turn back into a sauce once in the oven.

BON APPÉTIT

– Ally xx