Nigella's Meatzza

After watching Nigella cook Meatzza on her show last week, I felt compelled to try it out.

As someone who grew up with mince on the menu at least twice a week (including very pale looking sliced marrow, accompanied by bolognese), I'm intrigued to find yet another variation of a family meal with mince as it's main ingredient.

  

For those of you that haven't heard of, or seen Nigella making her Meatzza, it looks like a pizza, but its base is made out of meatball mixture. Meatzza, Pizza....get it?

We were off to a good start, as the children found the whole meatzza, pizza connection very amusing. It was also pretty quick to make and easy for them to help with, but best of all.....they loved it.

Nigella's Meatzza will definitely be on the menu again.

Ingredients

500g Minced beef

3 tbsp grated Parmesan

3 tbsp breadcrumbs (or porridge oats, not instant)
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 pinch of salt and pepper to taste
0 butter for greasing
1 can chopped tomatoes (400g), drained
1 teaspoon garlic oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 ball mozzarella, sliced (not buffalo)
1 bunch fresh basil
  

Method

Preheat the oven to 220ºC/gas mark 7.

In a large bowl, using your hands, combine the mince, parmesan, breadcrumbs or oats, parsley and eggs. Grate in the garlic and season. Do not overwork it, just lightly mix together, or the meat wiill become compacted and dense.

Butter a shallow, round baking tin of about 28cm diameter and turn the meat into it, pressing the mixture lightly with your fingers to cover the bottom as if the seasoned minced meat were your pizza crust.

Make sure you've drained as much runny liquid as possible out of your can of chopped tomatoes, then mix the tomato with the garlic oil, oregano and some salt and pepper and spread, using a rubber spatula, lightly on top of the meat base. Arrange the mozzarella slices on top, and then put in the oven for 20-25 minutes, by which time the meat should be cooked through and lightly set and the mozzarella melted.

Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes, then adorn with some basil leaves and bring it to the table before cutting into wedges, like a pizza.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/meatzza_60080