I’m still having fun with my new pizza stone. But I like to mix things up. There is so much more you can do than just recreate your favourite Italian pizza. Try a naan pizza, a flammkuchen, a white pizza or something with the exotic flavours of North Africa.

This particular pizza is inspired by the #CookForSyria cookbook, as well as the recent addition of two Yotam Ottolenghi bibles to my extensive cooking library. So I’m transferring some of the wonderful flavours of my Warm Winter Salad onto a crispy base.

Check out tips on buying and using a pizza stone in my White Pizza post.

The tomato and red pepper base with its warming spices is gorgeous simply stirred through some couscous or fregola too.

THE RECIPE

Morrocan Pizza with Butternut, Harissa and Feta (makes a 12″ pizza – V RSF)

Make your own favourite dough if you have the time and inclination. In which case you could make this gluten-free.

Ingredients

220 gr pizza dough (I used rosemary Northern Dough) or a flatbread of choice

Flour for rolling out the dough

A dusting of semolina if you’re afraid the dough will stick (optional)

For the harissa tomato sauce:

300 gr tomatoes

1 red or romano pepper, halved and deseeded

1 whole small onion or shallot, skin on

1 plump whole garlic clove, skin on

1/2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil

A small pinch of ground cloves

1 sprig of fresh thyme or rosemary

1 tsp harissa

1/4 tsp sumac

1 tbsp tomato puree

S&P

For the butternut squash:

8-10 thin slices of butternut squash (I left the peel on)

1/2 tsp Ras El Hanout

1/4 tsp sumac

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1tbsp olive or rapeseed oil

S&P

Other toppings:

50 gr feta, crumbled

1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced

a few mushrooms, thinly sliced

Toasted pine nuts

To garnish:

pomegranate seeds

a few rocket leaves

fresh coriander, parsley and/or mint, finely chopped

A good pinch of chilli powder or cayenne

Method

For the tomato sauce and butternut squash:

Preheat the oven to 200 C.

Mix the oil with the herbs and spices in a large bowl. Add the squash, tomatoes and pepper. Toss to coat. Transfer to an oven dish whole onions and garlic cloves. Roast until tender (about 30-40 mins).

Set the butternut squash aside. Discard the herbs, then squeeze the onion and garlic out of their skins into a blender or mini food processor. Add the tomatoes, red pepper, tomato puree and any juices from the oven dish. Blend to a paste and set aside.

For the pizza:

Increase the heat of the oven to maximum or as high as your stone or tray can take.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Add the dough onto a large piece of greaseproof paper sprinkled with some semolina.

Thinly spread the tomato sauce onto the dough. Scatter over the mushrooms and onion slices, then the butternut squash, feta, pine nuts and half of the rocket. Drizzle with a little oil.