Each Friday, InterWined.com pairs one great wine with one great meal and publishes the results along with the recipe in a little feature it likes to call ‘Blow the Bank’.

This week, ‘Blow the Bank’ brings you two of InterWined’s favourite pizzas.

Pizza with Parma Ham, Basil, and Red Onion

Feta & Butternut Squash Pizza with Ricotta and Pine Nuts

The 2006 ‘Taste the Difference’ Primitivo del Salento, from Italy and available exclusively to Sainsbury’s for approximately £5, is made by Cantina Due Palme, an Italian co-operative from Apulia known for their award- winning Primitivo. So, it doesn’t disappoint. In fact, it slightly astounds. For £5, this is one of the best wines that I’ve had in months; it’s also great for pairing with all manner of foods.

This wine is rich and flavourful, with a complexion that’s something of a cross between black cherries and dried blood. Thankfully, you can only taste the cherries. But even if wine could taste like blood, this wine would pull it off brilliantly. There’s such a good balance to it.

It’s also the perfect mix of spicy and sweet to match both pizzas. The sweetness really marries well with the squash and adds a little bit of a zip to the mellower flavour of the baked feta. Likewise, the sweetness helps counter any saltiness from the Parma ham, while the fresh basil, red onions, and ample cranks of cracked pepper help compliment the spice. A perfect threesome: 9.1.

InterWined’s Own Recipes in Full

Pizza with Parma Ham, Basil, and Red Onion & Feta & Butternut Squash Pizza with Ricotta and Pine Nuts

Ingredients:

2 Pizza bases, homemade or store bought
1 jar passata or simple tomato sauce

Feta & Butternut Squash Pizza:

Olive Oil
250g Ricotta cheese
1 small-sized butternut squash, deseeded
2 handfuls of pine nuts
50g Greek feta

Pizza Parma:

150g Buffalo mozzarella
1 red onion, chopped into rings
1 bunch of fresh basil leaves
Cracked pepper

Preparation:

Feta & Butternut Squash Pizza:

1. Preheat the oven to 200° C
2. After deseeding the squash, cut off the hard flesh of the squash, and chop into pieces
3. Place on a baking tray and coat with olive oil, before baking in the oven for approximately 20 minutes
4. With a couple of minutes left on the timer, cover the pizza base with a smooth layer of ricotta; be sure to leave a little ring around the edge of the base untouched
5. Remove the cooked squash from the oven and place on top of the ricotta-coated pizza base (do not turn off the oven)
6. Spoon the passata or tomato sauce over the toppings
7. Cover with sprinkles of pine nuts and crumbled pieces of feta cheese
8. Place in the oven to cook for approximately 10 minutes or until golden and serve

Pizza Parma:

1. If you are making the pizza on its own, preheat the oven to 200° C; otherwise, begin preparation as the butternut squash finishes cooking in the oven
2. Cover the pizza base with a layer of passata or tomato sauce; leave a ring around the edge of the base untouched
3. Layer the base with the onion and mozzarella, followed by wads or florets of the Parma ham
4. Rip the fresh basil with your fingers and scatter across the pizza toppings
5. Crack fresh pepper over the pizza, before placing in the oven for approximately 10 minutes or until golden
6. Serve from the oven

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