Meatza - Meat Pizza with homemade tomato paste

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade tomato paste ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Wash the tomatoes, remove the cores and quarter each tomato.

   KnifeCutting board
2. 2
   Put the tomatoes, the salt and half of the olive oil in a wide pot, cover and cook over medium heat about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes soften and release their liquid.

   StoveWide, shallow pot
3. 3
   Pass the tomatoes and their liquid through a food mill or sieve and return the purée to the pot: the skins and seeds stay behind.

   Food millorFine sieve
4. 4
   Cook uncovered about an hour at a lively simmer, stirring now and then, until the purée reduces by half.

   StoveWooden spoon

   💡The paste burns easily as it dries: stir and scrape the bottom and edges, and once it is thick, don't walk away.
5. 5
   Preheat the oven to 110°C (230°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
6. 6
   Grease a wide baking dish with the rest of the olive oil and pour in the purée in a thin layer. Dry in the oven about 3 hours, stirring and scraping the edges every 30 minutes, until the paste is thick, sticky and brick red.

   OvenBaking sheetSilicone spatula
7. 7
   Let the paste cool.

   Jar

For the Lahmajun Meat Topping

1. 8
   In a bowl, mix the ground meat with the egg, onion and garlic.

   Bowl

   💡Grated tomatoes and onion release liquid: squeeze them lightly in a strainer before mixing, so the filling doesn't make the dough soggy.
2. 9
   Add the paprika, salt and black pepper and knead by hand into a uniform mixture.

To assemble

1. 10
   Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

   OvenBaking panParchment paper
2. 11
   Spread the meat mixture on the baking sheet and shape a flat round 30–32 cm across, about 1 cm thick all over.

   Baking pan
3. 12
   Bake for 15 minutes.

   OvenBaking pan
4. 13
   Take it out of the oven and pour off the liquid that has formed.
5. 14
   Spread the tomato paste over the meat and sprinkle with the mozzarella.
6. 15
   Arrange the tomato slices, peppers and olives on top.
7. 16
   Return to the oven for another 10–12 minutes, until the cheese melts and browns.

   OvenBaking pan
8. 17
   Sprinkle with the oregano, slice and serve right away.

   Knife