Not a week goes by without all kinds of junk mail being dropped into the letterbox, and usually a few of them are from fast-food restaurants making you an offer you can’t refuse on pizza– that eternal favourite.

In the past, I always loved a good pizza, especially when I started going to sea many moons ago. At first I was not keen on anything other than plain, simple Irish food, but when I sailed with some brilliant cooks this began to change.

On board the M. V. Irish Oak in 1976 the chef/ cook, a Wexford man, Dessie Meagher, used to make great pizzas. He was the first cook I saw using real pizza dough.

He would cover huge trays with the pizza dough, allow it to prove, and then bake the base in the oven for about 20 minutes. In a saucepan, he would have the pizza mix ready. For this, he always used red and green peppers, tinned tomatoes and mushrooms, as well as chopped onions and garlic.

First, he would spread a layer of garlic and tomato puree on the base, followed by the mix, and topped off with finely-cut ham or frankfurters and lots of grated cheddar cheese.

Then the whole thing was popped under the grill for a few minutes– my mouth is watering while I’m typing this! This was real pizza as I first came across it. Miles better, for my money, than anything you will get in a supermarket or even in some restaurants and much cheaper too.

So here is my recipe for real Pizza Pie.
You will need:
3 lbs plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 oz fresh yeast
1 oz sugar
Good cup olive oil
1½ pints warm water
2 oz milk powder optional
3 tins of tomatoes
2 large red peppers
2 large green peppers
2 large onions
2 large tinned mushrooms
Chopped ham or hot dogs
1 small tin tomato puree
1 clove fresh garlic
Salt & pepper
1 lb cheddar cheese

For the base, first dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water until the yeast starts to ferment. This will take about twenty minutes. Meanwhile, sieve the flour, milk powder and a pinch of salt into a mixing bowl and add the olive oil gradually, while mixing– then mix well for ten minutes. Then, slowly add the fermented yeast to the mix and make a nice, pliable soft dough. This will be achieved by kneading the dough very roughly– the more the dough is worked, the better the result.

For the topping, peel and chop the onions and drain the tomatoes, add these into a saucepan along with the chopped peppers, mushrooms, finely-sliced garlic and a dollop of tomato puree. Allow to simmer for twenty minutes and adjust the seasoning. Allow the mix to stand for at least twenty minutes.

When the dough has been allowed to prove twice it is now ready for use. Grease two large baking sheets, then roll out the dough to cover the entire sheet. Cover the centre with a smaller tray and allow to prove for about fifteen minutes in a warm place.

Bake for twenty minutes at gas mark 6 or 250º centigrade in an electric oven. When the bases are baked, allow them to cool before spreading with garlic and tomato puree.

Next, spread the tomato sauce topping, add finely-sliced ham or sausage to taste and lastly cover with the grated cheese. Put your pizza under a hot grill or in a hot oven until the cheese has melted. Finally, sit down with family or friends and a good bottle of wine or two to enjoy a real pizza.