Talk to me about pizza toppings please

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Our new oven has a 'Pizza setting' and makes pretty nice pizzas, using a bought base dough. However, the mozzarella goes very runny.

Is there a specific mozzarella I should be buying? I usually just get Sainsbo's own, but it makes a real mess.

Also, can you please tell me your favourite veggie toppings that don't use mozzarella and don't have a tomato base?

I usually use pesto or red pepper pesto, rather than a tomato sauce.

I'd be especially interested in ideas for a blue cheese pizza, maybe with walnuts? Any other delicious ideas? I'm not fussy about cheese, so feel free to tell me use Parmesan etc, although I do usually buy veggie-friendly ones.

i use balls of mozzarella that are well drained - I find that if you're cooking them fast on a high heat then you don't get the sogginess - I'm not a fan of the mozzie block.
My fave is mozzarella ball, olives, capers and some cherry tomatoes - I do a very thin bit of tomato on the base

Gorgonzola, with figs, when it comes out sprinkle with rocket and drizzle with honey

How does one drain a mozarella ball?

I obviously poor away the brine (?) it sits in when I open the packet but how do you drain the ball?

Now we're talking. That sounds fabulous.

I have enjoyed pretty much all the pizzas on the Smitten Kitchen food blog - some good veggie ones on there. Also www.halfbakedharvest.com/garden-greens-goddess-pizza/ sounds a bit weird but is delicious. Oh, and www.seriouseats.com/kale-pizza-garlic-gruyere-fontina-mozzarella-recipe

My favourite is roasted veg and goats cheese (can spread some tomato sauce/purée/pesto on the base first)

Replace the tomato sauce with puréed roasted red peppers (from a jar - just blitz them up having drained them - save the oil though as it's good for salad dressings - of course feel free to make your own but this is much easier and the jars last (unopened) for ages).

Then put goats cheese on top.

After cooking put on watercress and a drizzle of EV Olive oil for a peppery finish (optional)

Lush.....

Asda do a block of mozzarella that's not in the liquid. If I've not got an fior di latte in, I use that and it's a good outcome but that is in a pizza oven I'm not sure how it copes in an actual oven

Lots of lovely ideas here. Thank you.

I do a nice one with pesto, goats cheese, caramelised onion, artichokes and black olives - based on one I had in a restaurant once. Delicious!

Olives, capers and thinly sliced garlic is our current (salty) favourite

Another - a thick nutmeg heavy béchamel sauce topped with spinach (frozen and liquid squeezed out) with feta and an egg.

A riff on Spanakopita.

I don't know if it's available in the UK, but in the US we buy low-moisture whole milk mozzarella for pizza making. It's available in blocks or grated. It doesn't get wet or runny at all when used on pizza.

I'm not a big fan of tomato sauce, so I always do a bianca, just using garlic oil on the base. (Jamie Oliver's recipe for pizza dough is the best!)

My favourite combinations are pear, gorgonzola and walnut (the walnut goes on after cooking) with rocket on top, or goats cheese, olives, mushroom and red onion with rocket on top. Ooni have loads of pizza recipes here if you need some extra inspiration (and you can filter by vegetarian).

Mozzarella simply has to be the block one. The balls aren't designed for cooking and are far too wet, and the grated mozzerella is horrible and plasticy. I find I can get the block mozzarella in all supermarkets.

Quality of mozzarella matters on pizza. We have found good stuff from the farmers market or the Waitrose No. 1 aren’t too wet but cheaper own brand ones are watery.

Sorry @BreadInCaptivity but egg has no place on a pizza imo. I bet DP would love it though.

This thread is making me hungry - and I've only just had tea!

You can buy mozzarella slices too. That's what I use. I've never seen a block in my local supermarkets

I slice a mozzarella block either the morning before or an hour or so before I want to use it.

I usually drain the slices in a sieve. But alternatively I squish them on kitchen roll to absorb the moisture - just don't leave them on there or it sticks!

My favourites are:

Mozzarella, blue cheese and Parma ham (obviously not vegetarian!)

Goats cheese, pine nuts and honey with rocket on the top after cooking.

I reckon you could do a good one with pesto and those roasted red peppers you get in a jar, maybe with grana padano (never find parmesan melts) - I would probably prefer to add mozzarella too.

Mostly yes, but on this pizza I disagree....you want it to ooze into the spinach, sauce and feta.....but happy to
agree to disagree.

However pineapple on a pizza is a sin and a hill I'll die on.

I use cheddar with a little parmesan, way nicer than mozzarella

I'm a caterer. We buy "pizza cheese" which is actually 50/50 grated mozz and cheddar

I'll have a trip to Sainsbury's tomorrow and investigate the cheese. :)

Definitely no pineapple on pizza Or sweetcorn.

Mmmmm it's homemade pizza night here tonight, I'm having leek, mushroom and blue cheese, yuuuuuuum! Sautéing the leeks and mushrooms first so they don't make the base too wet, then blobs of a very gooey blue cheese right when it comes out the oven (we're using Tarago Shadows of Blue) and some rocket on top

My fabulous local pizza place posted this earlier Today...my resolve to make my own is fading. Their pizzas are incredible!

This sounds nice.

The last pizza I had in a restaurant was leek and...wait for it....Marmite! It was bloody gorgeous - think it had smoked mozzarella on too.