For the roasted butternut squash sauce
1. Preheat your kitchen oven to 150 °C (300 °F).
Place the diced butternut squash on a baking tray, toss in oil and cook for 40 to 50 minutes or until tender but not caramelised. Allow to cool.
2. In a blender or food processor, purée the roasted squash with the water.
Continue adding water until the sauce is smooth and liquid enough to use on top of a pizza (it should have about the same consistency as a cooked tomato sauce). Add in the vegan butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
For the candied chillies
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the water to a boil.
Add the sugar, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Add the chillies, cover with a lid, and leave to simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chillies are cooked and glassy and the syrup has taken on their flavour.
2. Remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully pour the liquid into a jar or bottle.
Add the apple cider vinegar and stir. Set aside.
For the fried sage leaves
1. Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
When the oil reaches about 175 °C (350 °F) degrees, place the sage (one leaf at a time) into the pan. Fry the sage until crispy, about 15 to 30 seconds.
2. Quickly but carefully remove the leaves with a slotted spoon or strainer; leave the leaves to dry and cool on a plate covered with a paper towel.
For the pizza
1. Preheat the oven, aiming for 500 ˚C (932 ˚F) on your baking stone.
You can check this quickly, accurately and from a safe distance with an infrared thermometer.
2. Place a dough ball on your lightly floured work surface.
Push the air from the centre out to the edge with your fingers. Stretch the dough out to a 12-inch (30-centimetre) round base, and then keep your dough on the counter, or lie the stretched dough over a lightly floured pizza peel.
3. With the back of a spoon, evenly spread about 100 grams of the roasted squash sauce across the pizza.
Add the 60 grams of vegan ricotta, candied chillies and chilli syrup, to taste.
4. Launch your pizza into the oven.
Cook for 60 to 90 seconds, turning every 20 seconds or so with a pizza peel to ensure an even cook.
5. Once cooked, remove the pizza from the oven.
While it’s still warm, crumble the crispy fried sage leaves over the top. Slice, serve immediately and indulge in this delicious winter treat!
