Broccoli and goat’s curd pizzas recipe

There are a few decent pre-cooked bases available in our supermarkets. Aside from removing the need to make your own, one advantage of these is that they can hold larger amounts of toppings than if you were cooking a base from scratch. This means you can be a little ‘extra’ without ending up with a soggy mess. Here’s one way to do that – I enjoy that the earthy, herby greens are countered by sharp, soft curd and feisty flecks of chilli.

Timings

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves

4 with sides

Ingredients

For the pickled chilli

• 1 mild red chilli, halved, deseeded and finely chopped
• ½ tsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp white-wine vinegar

For the tarragon oil

• Leaves from 15g tarragon, finely chopped
• 4-5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

For the pizzas

• 200g purple sprouting broccoli
• 30g Parmesan, finely grated
• 2 x large ready-made pizza bases with tomato sauce
• 120g baby spinach
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 150g goat’s curd (alternatively, you can use sheep’s curd, cottage cheese or a soft goat’s cheese)

Method

1. In a very small bowl, combine the chilli, sugar and half a teaspoon of fine salt. Stir and leave to macerate for five minutes, then stir in the vinegar and two teaspoons of water, and set aside.
2. Combine the chopped tarragon and oil in another bowl. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6.
3. Trim the purple sprouting florets into even-sized pieces. Blanch in rapidly boiling water for one minute, then drain, chill under a cold running tap, and drain again.
4. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the tomato-topped pizza bases. Toss the spinach leaves and olive oil together and scatter over the bases, then arrange the purple sprouting broccoli on top, drizzling the florets with a little of the tarragon oil.
5. Bake the pizzas for about 15 minutes, until the bases are golden, the spinach wilted and the florets a little charred. To serve, dot with goat’s curd, drizzle generously with tarragon oil, and use a fork to scatter on the pickled chilli (but only a little of the liquid it sits in).