This is so wrong and yet tastes so right.
The lovely people at Ocado gave me a freebie of flame-grilled naan bread with my delivery today. Not the biggest lover of shop-bought naan, but I am Dutch. And the Dutch could give the Scots a good run for their money when it comes to being frugal. Or tight, if you prefer.
So what to do with a freebie? Dig through the fridge and the larder and change your dinner plans!
I don’t usually throw ingredients from different cuisines on the same plate. But when presented with a challenge, I’m all up for an experimental mix & match.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
This time, it worked.
Naan or nan bread is a leavened flatbread from South Asia, with influences from the Middle East. The actual name originated in Iran. In England it is mostly known as a side to an Indian curry.
In India naan bread is traditionally cooked in an eye-wateringly hot tandoor oven. It is served hot, brushed with butter or ghee. It can be stuffed or used to scoop other foods.
Meanwhile on the other side of the world:
Nduja is a wonderful spicy spreadable salami from Calabria in Italy. It’s beautiful scraped sparingly onto a rye cracker or melted into pasta. It’s quite powerful, so you don’t need much. Natoora and Brindisa do nice ones, but just use a little Tabasco or chili sauce if your search is unsuccessful.
Burrata is another sheer wonder. It’s similar to Mozzarella, but much richer. It’s also made from fresh buffalo milk, but where Mozarella is shaped into a firm ball, Burrata is made into a little hollow pouch and filled with cream and the soft stringy curd bits left over after making Mozzarella. The best ones ooze like a ripe brie when you cut into them. Most supermarkets stock Burrata now, but use Mozzarella if you can’t find it.
You can easily vegetarianise this recipe or make it gluten free. And if naan is too wacky for you, a traditional pizza base, pitta bread or a sturdy wrap like a seeded Newburn Bakehouse will do.
The roasted tomatoes make a lovely side dish in their own right. Blitzed up with some fresh basil, they’re the easiest of quick pasta sauces.
THE RECIPE
Naan Pizza with Roast Tomato and Nduja Sauce, Spinach, Mushrooms and Burrata (Serves 2 – RSF)
Ingredients
2 naan breads (plain, garlic or onion)
300 gr tomatoes (I used lovely heritage tomatoes)
1 whole clove of garlic, unpeeled
a drizzle of balsamic vinegar
a drizzle of olive oil or basil oil if you have it
S&P
1 tbsp of Nduja
A handful of mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 of a courgette, thinly sliced
2 good handfuls of fresh spinach, blasted in the microwave for 2 mins on medium-high, firmly squeezed dry
Some fried bacon or pancetta lardons (optional)
100gr Burrata for topping
Freshly grated Parmesan or Grana Pardano
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C
Halve the tomatoes and place in an oven dish. Nestle the garlic clove among them. Season and drizzle with (basil) oil and balsamic vinegar. Bake for 20-30 mins or until lightly charred at the edges.
Transfer the tomatoes and juices to a mini-food processor or blender. Squeeze the garlic out of its skin and add to the tomatoes. Add the Nduja. Blitz until smooth. Check the seasoning.
Place the naan breads flat side up onto a baking sheet. If you like your pizza crunchy, crisp them in the oven for a few minutes before topping.
Thinly cover each naan with 2 tbsp of the tomato sauce. Top with the spinach, mushrooms, courgette and lardons (if using).
Dot with roughly torn Burrata and grate over plenty of Parmesan. Drizzle with (basil) oil and give it a good grind of black pepper.
Bake the naan pizza for 8-12 mins.
