Banana curry pizza
Pro tip:
Make the banana chip chili crunch a few days ahead to maximize flavors!
When you think of Swedish food, you don’t necessarily jump to “weird and unusual”. If anything, most Swedish food that Americans know of seems pretty simple - that is, until you hear about banana curry pizza. You heard that right, Swedes are known for a very unique pizza and yes, it’s actually good!
I’ve only tried this pizza twice and I just think it’s the silliest. Apparently, when bananas were first imported, Sweden was one of the last countries to receive their shipment. They received a surplus of bananas, which led citizens to incorporate this fruit (berry?) into a number of dishes. The two that really stuck over time were the ever elusive banana curry pizza and the “Flying Jacob” - a banana curry chicken peanut…casserole? Ouf.
There are many versions of this pizza in the pizza stands of Stockholm and around Sweden, and after surveying my family I learned of additions of ham, chicken, and even pineapple. For this recipe, however, I chose to keep it simple and let the subtle sweetness of the banana shine. I kept my marinara basic and without Italian seasoning and I used a combination of fontina and mozzarella to cut the sweetness with a creamy tang.
Whip this recipe out for a pizza night or to show your Swedish friends you’re a little crazy!
Ingredients:
Pizza + sauce
1 ball of room temp pizza dough (or try this Easy Pizza Dough Recipe from Love & Lemons)
2 large bananas thinly sliced (wait until right before using)
1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, I like the brand San Merican and the style Pomodori Pelati
Splash of white wine or chicken stock
1 tbs diced shallot
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 c shredded fontina
1 c shredded mozzarella
1-2 tablespoons curry powder for dusting
1/4th cup olive oil
Salt
Banana chip chili crisp
¾ c olive oil
2 tbs crushed red pepper flakes
6 cloves fresh garlic minced
2 tbs dried onion minced
5 tbs dried banana chips minced
½ tsp curry powder or more to taste
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions:
If using pre-made dough from a grocery store or your local pizza shop, let the dough come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before using.
Mix together all ingredients for banana chip chili crunch and set aside. Add more oil if it’s too thick and additional salt to taste. This gets better with time and will last on the shelf for up to 3 months.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees with a pizza stone on the middle rack so that it comes up to temperature slowly and retains the heat before you add the dough. If you do not have a pizza stone, no problem! This works just fine on a cookie sheet. There is no need to preheat the cookie sheet!
While the oven is preheating, it’s time to make your simple marinara sauce. Pour the can of whole tomatoes into a separate bowl and using your hands (or a potato masher) break down the tomatoes until they resemble a chunky sauce.
Heat 1/4th of a cup of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add the diced shallot and crushed garlic. Stir for 2-3 minutes until softened.
Deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine or chicken stock and stir around quickly.
Add the tomatoes and 1 tsp of salt and mix well. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes covered. If the sauce feels a little loose, remove the lid from the pan and cook for another 10-15 minutes until it slightly thickens, with some of the moisture evaporating.
When the sauce is complete, turn off the heat and leave in the saucepan.
Roll out the dough on a well floured surface to the desired shape of your baking dish. For thickness, thinner is better, but anywhere from ¼ th to ½ inch will do.
Carefully remove the pizza stone from the oven and place on top of a cooling rack or heat proof surface. Brush the stone with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the pizza stone by rolling it onto the rolling pin and unrolling it over the pizza stone. Return to the oven and partially bake the crust for around 8 minutes. If using a cookie sheet, brush the cookie sheet with olive oil, add the dough and stretch to the edges, and bake for around 8 minutes.
While the pizza dough is partially baking, slice the bananas and grate the cheeses.
Remove the pizza from the oven and add ½ cup or desired amount of marinara sauce and arrange sliced bananas over the top. Cover with the shredded cheeses and sprinkle with curry powder.
Brush the crust with olive oil and put back into the oven for another 8-12 minutes, keeping an eye on the crust towards the end to remove when it’s your desired level of crispy!
Let cool slightly and serve with the banana chili crisp.
Visit my Instagram page for a video on how I made this!
Hope you enjoy 🍓
Amelia
