Cheat’s Point Break Pizza

I write Movie Bites for The Ticket in Friday’s Irish Times, sharing recipes inspired by classic films. Oisin Davis writes Booking The Cooks, where he interviews bands and artists about their favourite foods. Le Galaxie are electro-bop future-space party-enablers.

We love food, we’re very fond of a great movie, and we all adore Keanu Reeves.

And so, this Thursday the 31st of May The Big Blue Bus in The Bernard Shaw will host the first Ticket Mash-Up.

We will be screening the bodatious 1991 surf-thriller Point Break on the top deck of The Big Blue Bus while the Olly the pizza chef freshly prepares our special Meatball Sub Point Break Pizza downstairs. You can indulge in a pizza and a beer for €10, or €12 for a pizza and a Keanu-inspired cocktail.

We’ll be screening the movie at 8pm sharp and seats are absolutely free. Space is extremely limited and we will be giving away tickets for the 25 seats on the bus from 7pm sharp. So get down early. But hey, even if you miss the flick, there’ll be plenty of pizzas to go around. Plus, you can check out the good folk at Forward/Slash who will be holding fort in the front bar. So hopefully there’ll be no Sad Keanus on the night.

If you can’t join us on the night, get yourself a copy of Point Break and follow my recipe for cheat’s pizza.

What you need for a cheat’s Point Break Pizza

Olive oil

6 to 8 good quality Italian pork sausages (we like Hicks & Sons)

1 x 400g tin of chopped tomates

2 cloves of garlic

1 red chilli

1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

2 good quality shop-bought pizza bases

1 ball of buffalo mozzarella

Fresh basil leaves

Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.

Squeeze the meat out of your sausages and using your hands to roll the meat into small bite-sized meatballs. Fry the meatballs in the hot pan for 15 minutes, until browned and cooked through.

Meanwhile, heat a little more olive oil in another frying pan. Finely slice the garlic and red chilli (de-seed the chilli if you like less heat) and fry them for 3 minutes, until the garlic has taken on a golden hue. Add the chopped tomatoes and the balsamic vinegar and stir well. Simmer for 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

Now you can assemble your pizza. Spread the tomato sauce onto your pizza base. Add the meatballs and tear over some mozzarella cheese. Cook according to the pizza base package instructions, probably around 6 to 10 minutes. Serve with some fresh basil leaves scattered on top.   

To whet your appetite for the flick, here’s the trailer for Point Break. See you on Thursday!