Meatzza

I find this more and more helpful in the repertoire as so many children – small children at any rate – seem to be kept on strict wheat-free diets by their parents these days. This is why I’ve given the option of replacing the breadcrumbs with porridge oats, and very well it works, too. All in all, it is just about the perfect children’s tea.

Meatzza. © BBC

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 500 g (1lb 2oz) minced beef (preferably organic)
• 3 tbsp grated parmesan
• 3 tbsp breadcrumbs or porridge oats (not instant)
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• butter, for greasing
• 400 g tin (14 oz) chopped tomatoes, drained
• 1 tsp garlic oil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 125 g ball (4½ oz) mozzarella (not buffalo), halved, then sliced
• few leaves fresh basil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7).

In a large bowl, using your hands, combine the mince, parmesan, breadcrumbs or oats, parsley, eggs, garlic, and add some salt and pepper. Do not overwork it, just lightly mix together or the meat will become compacted and dense.

Butter a round baking tin of about 28 cm (11 in) diameter and turn the meat into it, pressing the mixture lightly with your fingers to cover the bottom as if the seasoned minced meat were your pizza crust.

Make sure you’ve drained as much runny liquid as possible out of your tin of chopped tomatoes, then mix the tomato with the garlic oil, oregano and some salt and pepper and spread, using a rubber spatula, lightly on top of the meat base. Arrange the mozzarella slices on top, and then put in the oven for 20–25 minutes, by which time the meat should be cooked through and lightly set and the mozzarella melted.

Remove from the oven and let it sit for five minutes, then adorn with some basil leaves and bring it to the table before cutting into wedges, like a pizza.

See Nigella Lawson in Nigellissima. Find details and more recipes from the show here. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.