The Royal Chef At Home: Easy Seasonal Entertaining

P izza has come a long way from its southern Italian roots to be one of the most beloved dishes around the world. I’ve had pizza, good pizza, almost everywhere I have traveled, including throughout Asia and into Northern Europe. Evidently Indians in New Delhi are absolutely mad for pizza, and China, a country not known for its cheese or cheese eating habits, opens a new Pizza Hut store every single day. I think pizza’s enormous popularity has to do with the fact that it presents a blank canvas, adaptable to any number of cuisines and tastes. Even more wonderful is that the best piz zeria can be right in your kitchen. I really enjoy making pizza at home, and I have a lot of fun with my children and their friends as we try new and wonderful combinations. One friend had visited Norway, where he found out that pizza isn’t pizza without lots of paprika and ham. Another let me know that a proper Korean pizza has pepperoni, bulgogi, pickles and a good smear of gochuchang chile paste. My own children seem to like a fusion approach to pizza, and over time we have come up with a few delicious family favorites, forgoing the usual cheese and pepperoni. There is a classic fig, Parma ham and goat cheese pizza which I could eat every day when fresh figs are in season. It is delicious. Come fall a slightly Frenchified galette of squash, apple and blue cheese tastes terrific. Something spicier is the old Indo-British favorite, chicken tikka masala, but reconceived as a pizza topping with a nice dollop of cilantro chutney and a drizzle of cooling yogurt. Even a simple store bought flatbread can be turned into a Thai(ish) pizza with a bit of red curry sauce and chicken. As long as you have all your ingredients ready at hand, becoming the household pizzaiolo isn’t all that hard. It's just shape, top, bake, cut, serve. Then repeat. GARDEN PIZZA PARTY

93 SUMMER · GARDEN PIZZA PARTY