Vegemite and three veg pizza

I grew up in a family where we ate a very traditional meat and three veg most nights of the week.  I wasn't very keen on vegetables as a kid.  The ones I liked were potato, pumpkin and peas.  One of my favourite things my mum made every now and again was a mixture of mashed potato, mashed pumpkin, peas and vegemite (as in this post).  I don't think it was a common thing to do.  It seemed quite normal to us and a great inspiration for today's pizza.

As an Australian I grew up eating vegemite regularly.  On toast and sandwiches mostly.  I love the stuff - in moderation of course.  I love trying new products with vegemite and using it in recipes.  I am always wary about using too much as it is such an intense flavour.  (We have all heard stories of foreigners who try it out and hate it because they spread it on too thick.)  I am also aware that it does not spread well and needs some watering down for such purposes.

I wanted a vegemite recipe because this year is the 100th anniversary since it was invented.  Vegemite pizza seemed a good idea and initially I thought the classic combination of vegemite and cheese but then I thought of mum's mashed potato, pumpkin, peas and vegemite.  So I spread pizza dough with vegemite, pea puree, roast potato, roast pumpkin and cheese.  It was so much of my childhood favourites in a pizza as I loved roast potato and pumpkin too. 

My tastes today are quite different to those of my childhood.  In fact I suspect I would not be that keen on the pizza or on the pea puree having tahini in it.  Although it combines a lot of the flavours of my childhood, it is done in a way I would not recognise at all.  But what a way to enjoy reminiscing on my childhood as an adult.  It was a wonderful pizza.  I just wish I had more time to make this sort of pizza more often.

More interesting pizza recipes on Green Gourmet Giraffe blog:

• Buffalo cauliflower sourdough pizza with tofu blue cheese (v)
  
• Carrot and leek pizza (v)
• Chocolate and berry pizza 
• Shamburger pizza
• Tex Mex Pizza with sourdough base (v)

Vegemite and three veg pizza
An original Green Gourmet Giraffe recipe
Serves 2

1 pizza base - 1/2 fast track sourdough pizza base
1 tbsp vegemite
1/2 - 1 tsp water - (to make vegemite spreadable)
1 quantity of pea puree (see below)
1/2 - 1 cup of diced roast potatoes
1/2 - 1 cup of diced roast pumpkin
1-2 handfuls of grated cheese

Pea puree:
1 cup frozen peas
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tahini
1-2 spring onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp garlic granules
1/4 tsp onion granules
juice of 1 lime or 1/2 lemon
seasoning

Make pea puree:

Defrost peas - I did this in the microwave.  Blend all ingredients to make a puree.  I used a hand held blender and the ingredients were in a tall cylindrical container.  Taste and season lightly according to taste. 

Assemble and bake pizza:

Line pizza tray and press base into fit it.  

Mix vegemite and water in a small bowl.  This makes it easier to spread.

Spread the vegemite on the pizza base.  Next spread the pea puree - it is quite thick but this seemed to work well.  Arrange the roasted (and lightly seasoned) potato and pumpkin dice over the pizza.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 15-25 minutes depending on your pizza base and how crispy you like your cheese.

NOTES:

• This wasn't a quick pizza, even with using a pizza dough that didn't take long.  It required roasting potato and pumpkin, and making the pea puree.
• The pea puree is quite sweet - to balance with the very intense salty taste of the vegemite, hence it should only be seasoned lightly to give the sweetness a savoury edge rather than overwhelm the sweetness.
• The pea puree seems like a lot but it worked to have so much. 
• I have tried to spread vegemite on dough before and it is so difficult to spread that it tears the dough. I have found that adding a little water makes it easier to spread.  I add a little water at a time to see how much I need.
  
• I used my fast track sourdough pizza dough for the base.  It doesn't have to be kneaded or rise long and makes quite a thick bready base.

On the stereo:
Silence is Empty: Starsailor