RECIPES FROM 1979
Pizza Italian Style
Pie-dish pizza with a quick crust, bacon, cheese and 1979 ambition.
VERY 1979
40 MINS
SERVES 2 - 4
ABOUT THE RECIPE
Pizza was still a novelty in many home kitchens when this recipe appeared in the Ward 9 cookbook. Here, it becomes something closer to a savoury pie, with a baking powder crust pressed into a dish and topped with onion, tomato, cheese, bacon and mushrooms.
It is not quite Italian and not quite pizza, but that is what makes it so interesting. You can feel a home cook trying to recreate something new with what they had.
THE ORIGINAL RECIPE
THE MODERN CONVERSION
From 1979 to today’s kitchen.
The original recipe, reworked with clearer measurements, modern steps and everything you need to make it now.
Ingredients
Crust
175 g plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ cup milk
Filling
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup tomatoes (fresh diced or tinned)
125 g grated cheddar cheese
2 rashers bacon, chopped
½ cup mushrooms, sliced
Method
1.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced and lightly grease a 23 cm pie dish.
2.
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk and mix to form a soft dough.
3.
Divide the dough so that three quarters will form the base and sides of the crust and one quarter will form the rim. Roll out the larger portion and press it into the pie dish, covering the base and sides. Prick the base several times with a fork.
4.
Roll the remaining dough into a long strip and press it around the top edge of the dish to create a simple raised rim.
5.
In a frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter and cook the diced onion until soft and tender. Spread the cooked onion evenly over the pastry base.
6.
Spoon the tomatoes over the onion layer. Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the top, then scatter with the chopped bacon, sliced mushrooms, or both.
7.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crust is lightly golden and the cheese is bubbling. Allow to cool slightly before slicing and serving.
THE TASTE TEST
So, was it worth making again?
The honest verdict after cooking from the 1979 page.
I can imagine this feeling exciting on a New Zealand dinner table in 1979, when pizza still felt new and a little exotic. The crust baked through, the filling worked, and the whole thing was perfectly edible.
Today, it feels more like a curious little savoury pie than pizza night. I am glad I made it, mostly because it shows just how much our idea of pizza has changed.
SAMANTHA'S NOTES
Expect savoury pie
Prick the base
Let it settle
This is not pizza in the modern sense. It eats more like a retro savoury tart with a cheesy bacon topping.
A few fork holes help the crust cook through properly, especially because it is pressed into a deeper pie dish.
Give it a few minutes before slicing. The filling holds together better once the cheese has stopped bubbling.
KEEP COOKING
More from the 1979 Archive
A few more vintage cookbook recipes to cook, save and come back to.
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