Let’s face it: we’re not all lucky enough to have a well-equipped kitchen filled with all the latest tools and fancy gadgets. Here’s our how-to on making do with handy household items that – with some clever thinking – can serve the same purpose as those nifty tools. 

Pressed for a pasta machine  

If attempting our pasta dough recipe on page 13 without one, use a standard rolling pin (or an empty wine bottle) to roll dough out to the desired thickness. Then, use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut dough into the required pasta shapes.  

Missing a microplane  

This handy tool is used for finely zesting citrus as well as finely grating Parmesan to add that Italian flair to meals. But, you can achieve the same texture when using the fine side of a regular box grater that’s no-doubt hiding at the back of your cupboard.  

Call for a cannoli mould  

You’ll need this when trying our crisp cannoli take on this classic dish on page 56. Don’t have one? No sweat! Simply roll some foil into individual log shapes of about 12cm in length and 3-4cm in diameter. Make sure to lightly grease the “foil log” with Cook and Spray before wrapping pastry around it and-deep-frying in hot oil.   

Pizza oven stand-in  

An icon in Italian cuisine and the mark of an authentically cooked pizza, the pizza oven result (or a close second) is easier to achieve at home than you think. Turn over a large baking tray – the flat side will now act as a pizza stone. Then, preheat the oven and baking tray to 180°C. Once hot, crank up the heat and turn on the grill setting before baking your pizza. Doing this will mimic the slightly charred and crispy edges created by the fire in a pizza oven.  

Chorizo & tomato pizza 

Serves 4 

We used chorizo for our pizza toppings, feel free to use chopped bacon, shredded rotisserie chicken or roasted root veggies to keep it vegetarian. 

Preheat oven to 200°C. Roll 500g store-bought bread dough onto a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thick and place onto a greased baking tray. Combine 1 sachet (50g) tomato paste with 1 Tbsp dried Italian herbs. Spread mixture over dough base. Top with grated mozzarella cheese, ½ punnet halved cherry tomatoes and ½ coil thinly sliced chorizo. Bake pizza for 15-20 minutes until cheese has melted and the base edges have crisped up. Top with pickled red onions, fresh basil leaves and a crack of milled pepper just before serving. 

Words by: Chad January
Photographs: Zhann Solomons