That Green Olive: Venison sausage, eggplant and tomato ragu pizza

Venison sausage, eggplant and tomato ragu pizza. Photo / Olivia Moore - That Green Olive

A well-made pizza is one of my favourite things. It’s also one of my favourite things to make; don’t be daunted by the thought of making pizza dough!

Once you make your own, you’ll never want to buy a pre-made base again. It’s also very rewarding and makes you appreciate your finished pizza so much more.

Some things to note - you need a very (very) hot oven; the hottest you can get. Using a domestic oven like I did here, you shouldn’t wait more than eight to 10 minutes for your pizza to cook, and you do want to see some rich dark spots.

This pizza is topped with an incredibly flavourful ragu. I love the fragrant notes from the fennel seeds, sage and garlic, and the sweetness of honey and white wine. You’ll find you want to make this ragu over and over - serve it over pasta next time, or use it in a lasagne. Beef sausages are fine if you’re not a fan of venison!

Visit Olivia’s website That Green Olive for more recipes.

Venison Sausage, Eggplant and Tomato Ragu Pizza

Serves two to three

Pizza Dough

● 250g flour

● 150ml lukewarm water

● ¼ tsp instant yeast

● 1/2 tsp salt

Venison Sausage and Eggplant Ragu

● ¼ cup olive oil (plus extra, for drizzling)

● 1 small onion, minced

● 3 cloves garlic, minced

● 1 small eggplant (250g), very finely chopped

● 100g cherry tomatoes

● ½ tsp salt

● ¼ tsp fennel seeds

● 2 good-quality venison sausages (175g)

● 15g sundried tomatoes, finely chopped

● 3 Tbsp pizza sauce (or 2 Tbsp tomato paste diluted with 1 Tbsp water)

● ¼ cup white wine

● ½ tsp honey

● ¼ tsp dried sage

● 50g grated mozzarella

Method

1. First, make the pizza dough. Stir yeast with lukewarm water in a bowl to dissolve.

2. Place flour into the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook. Turn the speed to medium-low and, with the mixer running, slowly pour in the water. Continue mixing for 15 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add salt and knead to combine.

3. Lightly oil a large bowl and add the dough. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm spot for four hours.

4. Once risen, transfer to a clean work surface and briefly knead. Form a dough ball, cover with a clean tea towel and let rise for an additional 30 minutes while you make the ragu.

5. Place a pizza stone or tray in your oven, and pre-heat to the hottest temperature (mine was 240C on fan bake). Always pre-heat the stone with the oven - placing a cold stone in a hot oven can cause it to crack.

6. Heat oil in a large pan over high heat. Add onion, garlic and eggplant and cook for four to five minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture starts to catch.

7. Squeeze the sausages out of their casings into small pieces, and add to the pan along with ¾ of the cherry tomatoes and the fennel seeds and salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook for seven minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly brown.

8. Add sundried tomatoes and pizza sauce, and cook for one to two minutes until the mixture starts to catch. Add wine to deglaze, and simmer for 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and stir through honey, sage and lots of pepper.

9. To assemble, first sprinkle your pizza peel (or a flat tray with no lip) with polenta and set aside. Stretch the dough, using oiled hands, to a circle roughly 30cm in diameter. Place on your pizza peel.

10. Drizzle the base lightly with oil and top evenly with ragu. Slice the remaining cherry tomatoes and scatter over the top. Sprinkle over mozzarella and season generously.

11. Carefully transfer the pizza from your pizza peel to your hot pizza stone in the oven. Bake for eight to 10 minutes (watching frequently, as it can burn quickly) until nicely browned and bubbling.

12. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and serve immediately.