I adore Pizza, in any way shape or form. Generally speaking, I like to make my own. Of course when I was younger, that usually involved using a pizza kit/mix from the shops, either Chef Boy Ar Dee or Kraft and we always enjoyed them. In fact that was the first kind of pizza I ever had. I had a boyfriend when I was 16 who introduced our family to it and we all really enjoyed it.
Those mixes are not something you find readily available over here in the UK, so I now make everything from scratch. I have a favourite pizza dough that I like to use. A few years ago I tried a Deep Dish Pizza recipe that I also enjoyed. Todd also enjoyed it and he is not a pizza lover!
I discovered a Cast Iron Deep Dish Pizza Dough on Pinterest the other day from Cafe Sucre, which I thought I would like to try and so I printed it out, and yesterday was the day I finally got around to trying it!
I have to say that this was one of the easiest pizza doughs and pizzas I have ever made. The dough went together really quickly and rose beautifully. I did use my Iron Skillet, but you can also use a heavy based round cake tin of a comparable size. (10 inch skillet, 9 inch cake tin)
It was lovely and thick and beautifully flavoured. I kept the toppings simple. Cirio Passata Rustica crushed tomatoes . . .
Italian garlic herbs spice . . . and some crushed fennel seed. I do love fennel seed on a pizza.
I sprinkled the top of the sauce with some grated Parmesan cheese and then torn Mozzarella . . .
Finally I tore up some fresh basil leaves and scattered them on top . . . I kept it all very simple.
It was beautiful. I could easily have eaten two pieces . . . but I promise you I didn't! (I wanted to though!)
This is now going to be my "Go-To" deep dish pizza dough! Its amazing! (And I don't say that lightly!)
Yield: 6 servings
Easy Deep Dish Pizza Dough
This is not only quick to make but delicious. If you are a fan of deep dish pizza, this is sure to become your go-to dough!
ingredients:
- 3 TBS light olive oil
- 2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast
- 180ml hot tap water (3/4 cup)
- 2 TBS caster sugar
- 280g strong flour (2 cups, bread flour)
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- Toppings as desired
instructions:
- Have ready a heavy duty 9 inch round cake tin, or a 10 inch iron skillet. Pour 2 TBS of the olive oil into the skillet or pan and set aside.
- Warm a clean bowl with some hot tap water. Let it sit for a bit and then pour it away. Add the 180ml hot tap water, sugar and yeast. Give it a stir and then let it sit for five minutes. At that point it should be bubbling and active. Add the remaining TBS of olive oil, stirring to combine. Stir in the flour an salt with a wooden spoon, stirring until all of the flour has been incorporated and you have a shaggy dough.
- Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or so until you have a smooth dough. Shape into a ball. Drop it into the pan/skillet and turn to coat with oil. Cover the pan tightly with cling film and set aside in a warm place for 15 to 20 minutes.
- At the end of that time, uncover and press the dough out to cover the base of the pan, making little dimples with your finger-tips. Spoon on the sauce and whatever toppings you are using. (I used rustic passata crushed tomatoes, Italian garlic spice, fennel seed, Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella Cheese and torn basil leaves.) Cover again and set aside for a further 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 230*C/450*F/ gas mark 8. (220*c/425*F gas mark 7 if using a cake tin.) Cover the pan tightly with aluminium foil. Pop into the oven on the lowest oven rack and bake covered for 15 minutes, uncover and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the edges of the pizza are golden brown and crusty.
- Lift out of the pan onto a wooden board with a large spatula and cut into wedges to enjoy!
Of course any pizza is only as good as the crust you use and the toppings you choose. The Ciro Passata Rustico was perfect to use as a sauce for this purpose!
Cirio’s unique experience and expertise has resulted in the finest Italian Passata. Perfectly smooth and velvety with a sweet, delicate flavour, round Italian tomatoes are peeled and passed through a fine sieve to produce a creamy Passata that will enhance the taste of any dish. I know my tomatoes, and I am a huge fan of the Cirio products as you know. Their Passata Rustica comes in several sizes and packaging, including tetrabriks and handy glass bottles. It has a beautiful flavour and texture that I really enjoy and worked very well as a pizza topping.
I loved this deep dish pizza so much, I am already thinking of making it again. This crust was so easy and quick to make and really no trouble at all. I give it the English Kitchen two thumbs up sigh of approval! 👍👍
I went to bake these cookies the other day and couldn't believe that I hadn't already shared them with you. This recipe is one of my all-time favourite cookies to bake, and for several reasons.
Back in the mid 1980's after moving into a new home, I became friends with a wonderful lady who lived next door, named Mabel. Mabel's husband was in the Canadian Military, the same as mine, and we both had children of similar ages. We both loved to craft and to cook.
Oh we had some really good times together. Every night after supper, once the dishes were done (in the warmer months anyways) we would both sit out on our front door steps, enjoying a coffee together and reliving our days with each other.
Several times a month we would share a dinner evening, with a theme actually . . . one time at hers, another at mine. We had German nights, and Italian nights, Mexican nights, etc. We used to play Cribbage with she and her husband and we also enjoyed going to Ball room dance classes and square dancing together, and Mabel and I enjoyed going to the same church guild. I remember being truly gutted when she and her husband were posted away. I thought my heart would break.
Happily we have stayed in touch all these years and so have our children. Two of our sons were best men at each others weddings. We have shared so many things together, our faith, happy times, good food and tasty recipes. This recipe is a refrigerator, slice and bake, cookie recipe I got from Mabel all those years ago. (At least 35 now!)
It is a cookie which I just love, not the least because of my dear friend, but also because they are pretty darned delicious. I would call these the best oatmeal cookie I bake and my favourite!
They are simple to make. Just stir everything together, shape into logs, wrap and chill. (At least 2 hours.)
Once chilled you are ready to cut them into slices ready to bake . . .
You will want a good, sharp knife to cut them into slices, especially if you have used chocolate chips. They can be quite hard to cut through, becoming brittle, so a sharp knife is a must. I can't recommend the MyKtchn Premium Black Ceramic Kitchen Knife Set enough! Made of Zirconia ceramic, this six piece set of knives feature longer durability than regular steel while leaving your food free of chemical and metal taste. They are sleek, easy to handle and perfect for your slicing and dicing needs. I use mine every day!
Once baked and cooled you are rewarded with a beautiful, well flavoured and crisp oatmeal cookie which is perfect for dunking . . . serving to the children with cold glasses of milk, or generally just munching on when you are craving something moreishly tasty!
The dough is easy to make and shape, the cookies are easy to cut and bake, and they are incredibly tasty. You can also freeze the dough, ready to take out and bake at will. Just another one of their positive qualities.
Yield: Makes about 4 dozen
Dad's Cookies
prep time: cook time: total time:
A fabulous slice and bake oat cookie that you can adapt to your own family's tastes with the addition of raisins, nuts, dried cranberries, white or semi-sweet chocolate chips, etc. The dough needs to chill for at least two hours prior to baking.
ingredients:
- 240g butter (1 cup)
- 200g soft light brown sugar (1 cup)
- 190g granulated sugar (1 cup)
- 2 medium free range eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp salt
- 240g oatmeal (not quick) (3 cups)
- 210g plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
For variations:
- add 1 cup coconut, chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, nuts, etc.
instructions:
- Cream the butter and both sugars together until light and creamy. Beat in the vanilla and both eggs. Stir in the oats to combine well. Sift together the flour, salt and soda. Stir into the creamed mixture, again to combine well. Add in any fruit, chocolate chips, or nuts you wish to use, again combining well.
- Divide the dough and shape into 4 equal logs. (about 2 inches in diameter) Roll and wrap tightly in plastic cling film, or greaseproof paper, twisting the ends to seal. Place in the refrigerator to chill for several hours or overnight.
- When you are ready to bake them, preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line several baking sheets with baking paper.
- Using a sharp knife, cut each roll into 12 equal slices, about 1/3 inch thick. Place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. Let sit on the baking sheets for a few minutes before scooping off onto wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
NOTES:
You can freeze the unbaked rolls, wrapped well, for several months. You can also freeze the baked cookies.
Created using The Recipes Generator
Please be warned however, that you will never ever be able to eat just one. Its impossible. They are just that darned tasty! Thanks Mabel for all the goodness you have shared with me through the years, and especially for your friendship. Happy weekend everyone! Bake someone you care about some lovin' from the oven today!
With Saint Patrick's Day being on Sunday I thought it would be fun to make a smaller batch of Irish Stew for the smaller family. This recipe will serve 3, or 2 people generously. Or two people on the day and one with the leftovers the day after.
Its a simple and yet attractive stew, using simple methods and simple ingredients, because lets face it . . . the Irish were basically a very poor people, a humble people, without artifice, and many did not have stoves or ovens, but cooked over an open fire on the hearth.
This is a recipe I adapted from one I found in this book. It is originally meant to feed four people generously. This is a great book by the way. I have had it for a few years now and every recipe tried has been a real winner. Its from the Love Food people.
All you need for it is some stewing lamb . . . you could use neck fillets if you wanted to, I just used cubed stewing lamb I got at the shops. British or Welsh lamb is not quite in season yet, so suspect this was NZ lamb.
There is no browning or faffing about with the meat, which also lessens the fat calories. You just season and dust the cubed lamb with flour and lay it in the bottom of a heavy casserole dish. (I used my medium sized Le Creuset.)
Once the lamb is in the bottom, you layer on diced onion and sliced carrots. I like to lightly season each layer.
Once you have those layered in, you cover the top with wedges of potato. I used two medium/large potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges. I got kind of fanciful when I layered them on top. I thought it looked quite pretty.
Finally you just pour over a mix of hot stock and dried thyme. The recipe called for beef stock. If I do it again, I will use chicken stock. I thought some of the integrity of the lamb was lost by using beef, but that may just be me.
After that you just cover it up tightly and let the oven do the work. Go read a book, do some knitting, housework, whatever . . .
The recipe didn't call for it, but about 15 minutes before it was done, I took it out of the oven and brushed the potatoes with some butter, then popped it back into the oven at a higher temperature. It browned the potatoes up a bit, which I thought was a nice touch.
This was a really lovely stew. I am thinking if you didn't have lamb, you could do beef or pork in the same way, probably even chicken would be good done this way.
This is something I have done with stew since I was a child. I like to mash the potatoes up a bit and dab some butter on them. (Don't judge me.) Its really good that way. I also love sweet pickles with stew, but those don't exist over here, so I just think about how good they used to be and settle for what I have.
Yield: 3
Small Batch Irish Stew
prep time: 15 minscook time: 2 hour and 30 minstotal time: 2 hours and 45 mins
A small batch Irish Stew for the smaller family. Simple and delicious. This will give you a hearty meal on the day.
ingredients:
- 2 TBS plain flour
- 1 pound stewing lamb
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 largish potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- salt and black pepper
- 600ml hot beef stock (2 1/2 cups)
- small knob of butter
- parsley flakes to garnish
instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 165*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.
- Season the meat and roll it in the flour, shaking off any excess. Lay it in a single layer in the bottom of a casserole dish. Top with the chopped onion, then the sliced carrot, and finally the potato wedges. Season each layer lightly as you go. Whisk together the stock and thyme. Pour into the casserole dish. Cover tightly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 hours. About 15 minutes before it is done, remove the cover and brush the top of the potatoes with the knob of butter and return to the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Let the potatoes brown a bit. Sprinkle some parsley flakes on top and serve.
calories
302.37
302.37
fat (grams)
10.34
10.34
sat. fat (grams)
5.09
5.09
carbs (grams)
38.40
38.40
net carbs
33.63
33.63
protein (grams)
15.31
15.31
sugar (grams)
5.56
5.56
Created using The Recipes Generator
Todd had the leftovers today for his dinner and he said it tasted even better than it had the other day when I made it. That is often the way with stews. They seem to taste better upon "ripening" overnight. Yum! I think the Irish would approve!
Every now and again, I like to enjoy a good burger. I have to confess however, I am not totally fond of Beef Burgers. In truth I would rather have a Turkey Burger.
Its a texture thing really . . . as soon as I get a bit of gristle or something even closely resembling it in between my teeth, my gag reflex kicks in. It is a problem I have mostly with beef or pork. I haven't experienced it with turkey yet.
Its awfully hard to enjoy eating something once the gag reflex kicks in. My mother used to try feeding me hamburger (s) when I was a child and it was a no go. I used to hide it under my plate, (only got away with that one once), under the carpet (that worked until my mother hoovered), and in the cold air vents. (Worked until Spring Cleaning kicked in.)
I would be told that I had to sit there until I ate it, and I would sit there all afternoon if need be, and on into the evening, patiently awaiting my opportunity to ditch it. (We had no dog. If we had, it would have been a lot easier!) My mom finally gave up.
I still don't really ground meat of any kind mixed into anything. I think I was the only child on the planet who could pick out all of the hamburger from a hamburger casserole, eating the pasta and sauce, but leaving the hamburger behind. (Yes I was that annoying!) Again, it was a texture thing.
I can eat and do enjoy meatballs now, and occasionally a Hamburger, but for the most part I leave them alone. I do enjoy ground turkey however, so more often that not, this is what we will have.
This is a recipe I found on the Hellman's site. The original called for the use of Chorizo sausage. I couldn't bring myself to use that, so instead I used their suggestions for an alternative, which was basically a spice mix.
You may think I am picky, and perhaps I am, but I think Chorizo tastes like dirty socks. (Not that I have eaten or tasted dirty socks because I haven't. To me it just tastes like what I imagine dirty socks to taste like.)
The end result was a very delicious Turkey burger, with lovely smoky flavours and a moist texture, as you can see from the photographs. I cooked them on our electric grill. Todd enjoyed his with a nice bun. I enjoyed it all on its own, both with sweet potato wedges on the side.
Yield: 4
Smokey Turkey Burgers
prep time: cook time: total time:
Delicious and moist with spicy smoky flavours. I served them on buns with slice tomato and lettuce, some cranberry chutney and a squirt of mayo, but they are equally delicious on their own without the bun.
ingredients:
- 600g lean turkey mince (1 1/4 pound)
- 100g fresh bread crumbs ( about 2 1/2 slices)
- 1 small onion, peeled
- 2 TBS fresh parsley, chopped
- 3 TBS mayonnaise
- 2 tsp English mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 TBS smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp oregano flakes
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
instructions:
- Tip the turkey and bread crumbs into a bowl. Put the remaining ingredients into a small food processor and blitz until smooth. Add to the turkey and bread crumbs and mix well together with your hands. Shape into 4 large patties. Place onto a plate and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.
- When you are ready to cook them, remove from the refrigerator and cook on a lightly oiled grill or in an oiled skillet for 8 to 10 minutes, until cooked all the way through and the juices run clear.
- Serve with your favourite accompaniments. We like toasted buns and sweet potato wedges.
Created using The Recipes Generator
I added some mayo, some of my Christmas Cranberry Chutney, sliced tomato and shredded lettuce. (If you have gotten this far after reading about the taste of dirty socks and gristle, I applaud your tenacity!) Seriously though, they really are quite good. 'Nuff said.
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