Bloody Mary Vodka Pizza

Prepare your pizza dough ahead of time. Our guide to making the perfect Classic Pizza Dough covers everything you need to know.

Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Season with salt. Once the tomatoes have softened, increase the heat so the sauce begins to bubble. Add your vodka, tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, crushed red pepper, ground black pepper, and dried oregano. Once the alcohol has cooked away, for a further 15-20 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Set aside to cool.

Finely slice the garlic clove and place the slices in a small bowl of olive oil. This enriches the flavour of the garlic, and protects from burning.

Dissolve the salt into a small bowl of water. Add your basil leaves and allow them to submerge. This helps protect the structure of the basil and enhances the natural essential oils.

Fire up your Ooni pizza oven. Aim for 500˚C (952˚F) on the stone baking board inside. You can check the temperature inside your Ooni quickly and easily using the Ooni Infrared Thermometer.

Place a cast iron pan inside the oven to preheat. Once hot, add a little oil and your bacon strips and return the pan to the oven. Cook the bacon for 1-2 minutes on each side, or to your preferred crispiness. Once cooked, remove from the oven, chop into small pieces, and set aside to cool.

Using a sieve or sauce mill, separate the coarse skin and seeds from the sauce. You’re looking for a smooth and silky bright orange sauce.

Using a small amount of flour, dust your Ooni pizza peel. Stretch the pizza dough ball out and lay it out on your pizza peel. With a large spoon or ladle, spread a good layer of sauce evenly across the pizza. As there’s no cheese in this recipe, you can be more generous with the sauce. Top with your bacon pieces, garlic slices, and basil leaves. Finish with a dash of tabasco and Worcestershire sauce to your taste.

Slide the pizza off the peel and into your oven. Cook for 1-2 minutes, making sure to turn the pizza regularly. Once cooked, remove the pizza and transfer to a cutting board. With a vegetable peeler, top the pizza with a couple of celery shavings.

Finish with a sprinkling of fresh ground black pepper, and serve right away with a tall glass of refreshing Bloody Mary.