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1
Preheat the oven to gas 6 / 200C / 400F
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2
Make the pizza dough and bake as required before topping - see my recipe for details or use a store bought plain one and follow the directions on the pack.
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3
From raw dough it's usually about 15 minutes before topping it then another 10 - 15 after topping
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4
You're best to pre-cook mushrooms and bacon first or else the juice / fat they release will make the pizza soggy - just a tiny splash of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook until they don't release any more liquid, then they'll be ready to use on your pizza.
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5
Don't worry about the mushrooms overcooking on the pizza.
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6
They aren't technically vegetables so the normal rules don't apply!
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7
Cook them until they're brown.
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8
Just undercook the bacon slightly though.
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9
If using spinach for instance to make a beautiful green eye, wilt it first in a pan, pat it dry then add to the pizza after it comes out of the oven so it doesn't overcook or make your pizza wet.
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10
I like to soften my pepper strips in the frying pan to make them flexible to shape for this too
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11
I like to spread garlic butter on top of the half cooked dough then on top of that tomato paste, pesto and grated cheese / cheese substitute.
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12
Add circles of mozzarella style cheese to make the whites of the 'eyes'
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13
Now add your 'iris' on top of the cheese slices.
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14
I've used sliced pepperoni but you can use anything you like.
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15
Chopped green pepper, spinach, sweetcorn...
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16
Add the olives or mushrooms for the 'pupil'
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17
You can also do one big eyeball by piling the chopped mushrooms / olives right in the middle then the chopped bacon / pepperoni / vegetables around them.
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Add some thinly sliced red peppers and shape into yucky bloodvessels around the iris
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Now bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until the toppings are all cooked through and the base is crisp
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20
If making one big eyeball, serve as a whole pizza then at the table use a fork to distribute the piled topping evenly over the whole surface before slicing in front of everyone
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21
And it doesn't need to be scary for the kiddies either