individual pizzas

We took the pizza dough from Jamie Oliver:


• 1kg strong white bread flour or Tipo ‘00’ flour
or 800g strong white bread flour or Tipo ‘00’ flour, plus 200g finely ground semolina flour
• 1 level tablespoon fine sea salt
• 2 x 7g sachets of dried yeast
• 1 tablespoon golden caster sugar
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 650ml lukewarm water




Sieve the flour/s and salt on to a clean work surface and make a well in the middle. In a jug, mix the yeast, sugar and olive oil into the water and leave for a few minutes, then pour into the well. Using a fork, bring the flour in gradually from the sides and swirl it into the liquid. Keep mixing, drawing larger amounts of flour in, and when it all starts to come together, work the rest of the flour in with your clean, flour-dusted hands. Knead until you have a smooth, springy dough.

Place the ball of dough in a large flour-dusted bowl and flour the top of it. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and place in a warm room for about an hour until the dough has doubled in size.

Now remove the dough to a flour-dusted surface and knead it around a bit to push the air out with your hands – this is called knocking back the dough. You can either use it immediately, or keep it, wrapped in clingfilm, in the fridge (or freezer) until required. If using straight away, divide the dough up into as many little balls as you want to make pizzas – this amount of dough is enough to make about six to eight medium pizzas.

Timing-wise, it’s a good idea to roll the pizzas out about 15 to 20 minutes before you want to cook them. Don’t roll them out and leave them hanging around for a few hours, though – if you are working in advance like this it’s better to leave your dough, covered with clingfilm, in the fridge. However, if you want to get them rolled out so there’s one less thing to do when your guests are round, simply roll the dough out into rough circles, about 0.5cm thick, and place them on slightly larger pieces of olive-oil-rubbed and flour-dusted tinfoil. You can then stack the pizzas, cover them with clingfilm, and pop them into the fridge.




Then we added:

Our own tomato sauce: below

Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese (fresh)

Fresh Sweet Basil 

Optional:

Salami - Sliced

Red Sweet Peppers - Sliced 

Boiled Eggs - Sliced

 

No Cook Tomato Sauce:

6 large tomatoes Roma tomatoes that are ripe and clear skinned

1 clove Garlic

1 t. salt

fresh ground black pepper

1 T. olive oil

1 T. balsamic Vinegar

1 cup fresh basil chopped or combination of herbs oregano, thyme, basil etc...

1 t. natural sugar to taste

1/4 t. lime or lemon juice to taste

add powdered Cayenne Pepper to taste

Process in food processor, cover, place in fridge overnight or at least 4 hours.



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California Style

Salads

My Coleslaw Recipe

2/3 cup slivered almonds

1 cabbage shredded

1cup carrots shredded

1 cup thinly sliced green onions (including greens)

1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped

1 red bell pepper cubed

Dressing ingredients

3 Tbsp white wine or rice vinegar

2 Tbsp natural sugar

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 clove peeled and crushed garlic

1/2 teaspoon sesame or olive oil

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder

1/4 t. cajun seasoning or to taste

1 cup mayonnaise

1 Spread almond slivers out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in a 350°F oven for 5-10 minutes, until nicely browned. Set aside.

2 Combine cabbage, carrots, green onions, cilantro and parsley in a large bowl. Can make this step a day or two ahead.

3.Mix in the rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, crushed garlic, sesame or olive oil, ginger, cajun seasoning and cayenne powder. Then add the Mayo. Stir well to mix. grind almonds and mix in as well. (I also threw in dried cranberries which can now be purchased at Lotus and Big C.)

4 Can be refrigerated overnight

6-10 servings

This can be served as a coleslaw sandwich. Be sure to use fresh homemade buns or rolls. Add a fish filet or barbequed meat if you like.

Sauces

pasta sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (any combination, basil oregano thyme are my favorites)

2 cloves pounded garlic

one or two cans of chopped italian tomatoes

1 T. sugar or to taste

salt, pepper, cajun spice, crushed red pepper and parmesean cheese to taste

Directions:

stir fry galic and olive oil lightly, toss in your herbs and stir once to coat. Let sizzle a few seconds. throw in your tomatoes, stir, add spices and turn off heat when heated through. Toss with cooked pasta adding sauce to the pasta a little at a time. I do individual servings some throwing in extra red pepper and some with parmesean cheese.

Basil puree

Description:

You make the Puree and then freeze in 2T. amounts in freezer containers or bags. When you get ready to make pesto, or stir fry spagetti noodles or anything else you want to flavor with basil.

Ingredients:

1 cup of fresh basil or combination of basil and oregano or basil and thyme (especially good)

1/4 cup olive oil or more to taste.

1/4 t. salt

1 clove garlic

Directions:

Whirl ingredients in food processor and freeze.

For Spagetti noodles: Take cooked noodles, drained well. Put 1T. olive oil in pan and heat throw in the basil and garlic puree. toss the noodles until coated. turn off heat. sprinke with parmesean cheese (fresh grated) add fresh ground black pepper and red crushed pepper if desired. For a nice twist add cajun spice to the dish! For using with bread. Thaw the mixture and add chopped tomatoes. For making pesto thaw the basil mixture adding chopped almonds or pine nuts and some sun dried tomatoes in the food processor. Use for pizza, pasta or bread Wonderful and fresh!

Tenderloin au jus

Cut up a 1-2 lb. beef tenderlion into 3 inch cubes.

freeze

place frozen meat in crock pot

add: 1 cup water

turn on high

let cook for 5 hours.

add 2-4 T. mushroom soy sauce or braggs amino acid sauce

cook one more hour

These are appoximate times.

Just before serving

set out the meat and let sit for 5 min. then slice

Drain the jus and set the sliced meat back in the jus.

For another Variation:

2 T. flour in 1/4 cup water, melt flour in water till smooth.

Add crushed garlic, herbs, beef boullion seasoning, cajun spice and black pepper to taste. Boil gravy together till thickened a bit.

Add the sliced meat to the gravy or serve in a gravy boat as a sauce for the sliced meat.

Smoothies

Apricot & Rum

(serves one)

1 cup of milk (non fat)

1 T. Almond Butter

1 t. honey

3 apricots, fresh or dried that have been soaked

1/4 t. rum flavoring

nutmeg (optional)

Dash of Vanilla

4 ice cubes

whirl together in a blender till ice is blended

Banana Raspberry

serves one

1 sweet banana

1 cup milk

1/2 t. vanilla

1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

4 ice cubes

Whirl together in blender till ice is blended.

Chocolate and Almonds

1T. almond butter

1 t. honey

1/2 t. cocoa pwdr.

Mix together and use as a dip or spread

or blend with ice and milk

or blend with hot coffee and milk or just hot milk

Biscotti with cranberries and walnuts

Makes about 2 dozen.

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 t. almond extract

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup dried sweetened cranberries

3/4 cup shelled natural unsalted walnuts

6 ounces imported white chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift first 3 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl to blend well. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in almond and vanilla extract. Beat in flour mixture just until blended. Stir in cranberries and walnuts (dough will be sticky). Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Gather dough together; divide in half. Roll each half into 15-inch-long log (about 1 1/4 inches wide). Carefully transfer logs to 1 prepared baking sheet, spacing 3 inches apart.

Bake logs until almost firm to touch but still pale, about 28 minutes. Cool logs on baking sheet 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

Carefully transfer logs still on parchment to cutting board. Using serrated knife and gentle sawing motion, cut logs crosswise into generous 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place slices, 1 cut side down, on remaining 2 prepared sheets. Bake until firm and pale golden, about 9 minutes per side. Transfer cookies to racks and cool.

Line another baking sheet with waxed paper. Stir white chocolate in top of double boiler over barely simmering water just until smooth. Remove from over water. Dip 1 end of each cookie into melted chocolate, tilting pan if necessary; shake off excess chocolate. Place cookies on prepared sheet. Chill until chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes.

(Can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper at room temperature.) 

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