Toasted pepperoni and courgette pizza wraps

In my second year at university, four friends and I decided to take out studio apartments on the same floor of a building near the beach. It was, for the most part, great. When the weather (and coursework) permitted, I took visiting friends and family to the beach to watch the sunrise. We'd carry mugs or carafes of rapidly cooling coffee with us and settle on the sand as the sky turned pink. I didn't go to the beach nearly as much as I should have...but my memories are full of magical mornings. In our third year, we moved into a beautiful house atop a ridiculous hill. The flats were lovely but being on the same floor somehow wasn't the same as being in the same house. There is also much to be said for proper kitchens. 

Anyway, while we were there, I invited some course friends for a dinner party. I couldn't make my favourite meatsauce pizzas (recipe coming soon) because one of the girls was vegetarian. Instead, I decided to make margherita and pepperoni pizzas. It seemed simple enough in theory but it was not a smooth process - I forgot the yeast for my usual pizza dough recipe and my tiny convection oven was less than ideal. Still, it was a great night with great people. When they left, I still had tons of leftover pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni slices so I improvised a little and made these delicious wraps during the week. 

Don't worry, we're going to melt the cheese.

Zomg, these wraps. The toasted tortilla wrap is thin and crisp and it's the bold flavours of the sauce that hit you first, a flood of molten lava in your mouth. You'll never use shop-bought sauce again. The hot and juicy half-moons of slightly charred courgette are next and it's hard to explain why these are so tasty when they're only seasoned with olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper. They just work perfectly with the Italian notes of the sauce and the distinctive taste of the pepperoni. If you're not using sad but serviceable dairy-free cheese like me, use a mix of cheddar and mozzarella for both flavour and texture. I love the strings of mozzarella that pull you back, bite after bite.

Some notes: You can totally make the pizza sauce with canned chopped tomatoes (about 200g) or passata. I used fresh tomatoes today because the bottle of passata in my cupboard was shamefully out of date. I will often use a whole (small-medium) courgette in just one wrap, but work your way up. If I have baby spinach or fresh basil in the fridge, I will throw in a handful. Instead of pepperoni, I sometimes use diced or sliced chorizo. Also, the wraps I'm using are BFree's Quinoa and Chia Seeds Wraps - this is an amazing wheat- and gluten-free range, all of their products taste fantastic. 

As always, mix this up to your tastes - just let me know how it turns out ;)

Toasted pepperoni and courgette pizza wraps

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 onion (red or white), finely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 medium tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon mixed herbs
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed chillies (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon olive oil 
• 1 courgette
• 2 tortilla wraps
• 12 pepperoni slices
• cheddar or mozzarella cheese, to taste

METHOD

For the fresh pizza sauce, cut the tomatoes into quarters and whiz in a blender with just a dash of water. 

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-low. Add the chopped onion and cook for about 3 minutes until soft and translucent, before adding the garlic and cooking for another minute. Stir in the blended tomatoes, tomato paste, spices, sugar and salt. Simmer for 7-8 minutes on low until thick and fragrant. Set aside.

Slice the courgette in half lengthwise and then into thin half-moons. In a large frying pan, heat the teaspoon of olive oil over medium-low heat. Spread the courgette slices in a single layer over the pan. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Leave undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. A little charring will only add to the flavour.

Spread each tortilla wrap with 2 1/2 tablespoons of the pizza sauce. Split the hot courgette slices equally between the tortillas, before topping with the pepperoni slices and cheese. 

Fold the wraps in half and then toast in the same large pan you used for the courgettes, for about 2-3 minutes on each side until the wrap is golden and the cheese inside melts.