Never say never

Just before Christmas I made pizza.  It wasn't the first time but I vowed it would be the last. I came to pizza quite late in life and, as with most things, I am quite fussy about it.  I blame the pizzerias of Naples who turned me into a pizza snob which hurts no one but myself. I thought the ideal way to get it exactly how I wanted it was to make it.  This is where the trouble started, it sticks to the baking tray, it doesn't cook in the middle, it somehow turns into a big pink sticky mess...  It wasn't good and I had reached the end of my tether.  Then lo and behold on Christmas morning I unwrapped a gift from my mother who had no idea about my previous traumatic experiences. It was a terracotta pizza plate complete with a supposedly fool proof recipe.  I was torn between my delight at a new piece of kitchen equipment and the unsettling feeling that this meant I would probably have to make pizza again.  I decided to give it one last go before swearing off it forever.  The results may not have been the most beautiful sight in the world but it tasted great.  The base was a little bit thicker than I usually like but only slightly and for most normal people who can just eat their food without examining every minor little flaw it would probably be fine. 
We had ours just with a quick tomato sauce, mozzarella and mushrooms but the pizza topping world is your oyster. 

The below recipe makes two pizza bases, I used the second to make some garlic bread.


Recipe:
1 x 7g sachet dried yeast
400g strong white bread flour
100g semolina
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon caster sugar
325ml lukewarm water


Add the yeast and sugar to the water and mix.  Leave to one side for a few minutes until bubbles start to appear.
Meanwhile, put the flour, semolina and salt into a bowl.  Mix together and make a well in the centre. 
Add the yeast and water mixture to the dry ingredients and bring together into a dough.
Knead for 10 minutes by hand or about 5 in the mixer until the dough is smooth and springy.  If you put a finger in the dough and it bounces back then it's ready.
Put in an oiled bowl and cover with either clingfilm or a damp tea towel.  Leave somewhere warm for 45 minutes to rise. After this time, separate the dough into two balls and leave to rest for 15 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 200-220°C.
Sprinkle semolina or flour onto the pizza plate to stop it sticking and roll out one of the balls of dough to fit the plate.  
Add toppings of your choice and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until crispy.  You can then roll out the other ball of dough and bake that in the same way. 
Eat greedily without really chewing.  Or is that just me?

Merry Christmas to...Me!

I cooked my first ever ham back in the spring for my Royal Wedding Garden Party and since then I have been dying to cook another.  It's a bit excessive to cook a whole ham for just the two of us but Christmas is the season of excess so it'a perfect excuse!  I use Nigella's ham in coca-cola recipe and it's just fantastic (I'm not going to retype the original recipe but you can get it from here:
http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/ham-in-coca-cola-171).  
Since I am a messy cook I find it safest to apply the glaze using gloves, it's a bit 
CSI:Ham but definitely cuts down on the cleaning up afterwards! I had some for lunch as a solo treat and now it sits pleasingly in the fridge ready to go at a moment's notice. 

Definitely the best Christmas present I could make myself!

Gingerbread

To me the smell of Christmas is embodied by gingerbread baking in the oven.  This version isn't as dark as others I've tried but is sticky and rich and perfect with a cup of tea by the lights on the tree on a cold winter's afternoon.  I put the juice of half an orange in mine which gives it a slight citrus flavour which I like but if this isn't your thing then it doesn't suffer from not including it.  

Ingredients:

150g butter

150g golden syrup

150g black treacle or molasses

150g dark muscovado sugar

2 teaspoons finely grated ginger

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, dissolved in 30ml (2 tbsp) warm water

250ml full-fat milk

2 eggs, beaten to mix

300g plain flour

Juice of 1/2 orange (optional)

Makes 20 small squares

Preheat the oven to 175°C and line your baking tin with baking parchment.

In a fairly large saucepan melt the butter, sugar, golden syrup, treacle, gingers and spices over a low heat.  This will take a while but be patient and eventually it will all melt together into a shiny and sticky liquid.  At this point you can add the orange juice if using.

Add the dissolved bicarb, milk and beaten eggs to the melted mixture.  I find it easier to break the eggs into the milk and mix it together.  

Pour all of the liquid ingredients into the flour and mix well to combine, it will be fairly liquid which is what keeps the gingerbread moist and sticky.

Pour the mixture into the baking tin and put in the oven for 45-60 minutes depending on your oven.  

Cool and cut into squares before dusting with icing sugar for a snowy festive look!