Pizza from scratch

My man asks me, “So what could go wrong with a pizza?’
I am not into argument or justification, so I made him my pizzas just a day after he orders Pizza Hut. That sealed the deal. Making a good pizza, is about getting it correct technically.

But the point is that plenty could go wrong with pizza.

• The base for instance could be hard or unevenly cooked. That is why it is important to keep the dough at 100- 110 degrees, you want the yeast to be active and that leads to an airy base. Also roll out the base evenly.
• Pre-heat your oven for at least 45 minutes to get your stone blazing hot. The stone absorbs the moisture from the base and this leads to a crispy base.
• If you are making thin crusts, do not overload your base with toppings and sauce. It will not slide off the peel.

The three tools you need are a pizza stone, a peel, and a pizza cutter.
I bought the following 13” stone. It is made of clay and works excellently. The pizza stone cooks your pizza evenly from the bottom and sucks out the moisture giving you a crisp base.

http://www.amazon.com/Fox-Run-13-Inch-Pizza-Stone/dp/B0000VZ4M8/ref=sr_1_11?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1288549708&sr=1-11

I bought the following peel. It is big, made of bamboo, and could also double as an attractive cheese plate.

http://www.amazon.com/CounterArt-78101-Bamboo-Pizza-Peel/dp/B0028LKE6E/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1288549953&sr=1-1

Base- makes four 11” pizzas

I take four cups of all-purpose flour with a teaspoon of salt, and one sachet of yeast. Dissolve the yeast in a cup of warm water with a teaspoon of sugar. And leave it to mix for 10 minutes before you add it to the flour. The optimum temperature for yeast is 110- 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Yeast is a living organism and you would like to keep at the same temperature to allow it to grow. Use warm water and a teaspoon of olive oil to knead the flour. Pre-heat an oven to 200 degrees, and leave the door open to allow some heat to escape. When the oven is warm enough, put the dough in, and it will double in size. I keep covering the dough with a warm wet cloth, to maintain warmth and to prevent it from drying. The dough should be ready in 3-4 hours. Punch it, and knead again. Divide into four parts, and roll it out into an 11”-12 “pie on the peel, when you are ready to make the pizza. Use plenty of flour to dust the peel so the pizza should easily slide off the peel.

Sauce

Take a 28 Oz can of crushed tomatoes. You will end up using half, so this sauce is sufficient for 8 pies. To this add one finely chopped garlic, pepper flakes, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Simmer on medium heat for 40 minutes. You may add some honey, if you like your sauce sweeter.

Cheese

I buy an eight ounce pack of fresh mozzarella cheese for four pies. If you like your pizza cheesier, use one third of the pack. I also use cheddar, parmesan, feta, and fontina for additional flavor.

Oven

Place your stone in the pizza and pre heat to 450 degrees for 45 minutes.

Assembling

To the pie, add some sauce, about one tablespoon to each pie. Do not add too much sauce, or your pie will not slide off the peel. Add the mozzarella and toppings. Some of my favorites include

• Feta, spinach, sun dried tomatoes and basil as optional
• Sautéed mushrooms and cheddar
• Sautéed bell pepper, onions, olives
• Margherita with just some fresh basil

Bake for 15-20 or minutes whenever your pizza looks ready. This depends on your oven. Pull out with the peel.

Masala Corn Pancakes – Makes 4 large

I must admit, these pancakes are kind of sweet, despite all the additions. I don’t think I will use the jiffy mix next time, maybe corn flour and baking powder, to get a lesser sweet version. But if you have a sweeter palate, this works fine.


1 - 250 g pack of Jiffy’s corn mix
1 egg
¾ cup of milk
1 cup of chopped spinach
Salt
Black pepper
1 tspn garam masala
1 clove of garlic – minced
1 piece of ginger – minced
1 scallion diced

Mix the above together.
Take some oil in a 9” skillet pan. Add ½ cup of batter.
Flip when golden.
Serve with green chutney.

Roasted Cauliflower with Bread Crumbs

Cauliflower is a divisive vegetable; it has ardent admirers and devout haters. I think a good cauliflower dish is highly dependent on getting the texture right. Vegetables like potatoes are more forgiving, but a mushy cauliflower is almost inedible, in my opinion. It tastes and smells very differently from a crunchy crisp floret of cauliflower. So for me cauliflower should be crisped, steamed soggy cauliflower is a big no-no.

This recipe was inspired by a posting on Huffington Post.
http://www.food52.com/recipes/7015_roasted_cauliflower_with_gremolata_bread_crumbs


Mix the following together and throw in a 425 degree oven. Bake till the cauliflower looks roasted and brown. It should take around 20 minutes.

1 cauliflower head cut into florets
1 tbspn olive oil
Salt
Black pepper

Meanwhile in a small pan take the following:

1 tspn olive oil
½ cup panko bread crumbs
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
Red pepper flakes
Salt

Roast till bread crumbs are light brown.
When the cauliflower is done, just add the bread mixture and add the zest of ½ lemon. You could also add some parmesan cheese, but it is strictly optional. Garnish with parsley leaves.

Eggplant Sabzi

I used to think that the only way to make eggplant edible was to make “baingan bhartha,” (http://indianfoodathome.blogspot.com/2009/03/baingan-bhartha-eggplant-relish.html) where you lose the taste of the eggplant in a flurry of spices and tomatoes. But, I am a convert now. I love “vangi bhaat,” which is a combination of fried eggplant, rice and South Indian spices.

But this recipe, which is very basic and uncomplicated, works for me too. The sweetness of brown caramelized onions, the tanginess of the tomatoes, the spices, and the robustness of Japanese eggplant, all work together very harmoniously and bring out the fleshy eggplant, pretty well. And unlike the “baingan bhartha,” the eggplant does not disappear.

2 Japanese eggplants – diced (I like to cut each eggplant in half, and then dice semi circular pieces)
2 tomatoes – diced
1 red onion diced
½ “piece of ginger minced or finely diced
½ tspn mustard seeds
½ tspn cumin seeds
1 tspn garam masala (reduce if you don’t want it too hot)
1 tspn coriander powder
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander leaves
Olive oil

1. Take some oil in a pan. When it is hot, add the cumin and mustard, and sauté till you hear a splutter.
2. Add the onions. Sauté till brown.
3. Add the tomatoes and ginger. Cook till pulpy. Add the garam masala and coriander powder.
4. Add the eggplant and salt.
5. Cover and cook till done.
6. Garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Naan Pizza

The other day my friend Ava was complaining that eating pizzas out was expensive. I like to make my own pizzas from scratch. Check

http://indianfoodathome.blogspot.com/2010/10/pizza-from-scratch.html

However, that takes time, and the following recipe is quick and a great way of using left over naan. The sauce here has Indian elements like ginger and garam masala while the toppings include paneer. But I think it is very easy and inexpensive to use naan as a base, pile it with toppings and cheese.


Sauce
14 oz can of petite diced tomatoes
1 tspn garam masala
2 cloves of garlic
Ginger finely minced
Cumin powder
1 -2 green chilies

Toppings
1 cup paneer
1 bell pepper finely chopped
Mozzarella cheese ( ½ pack)
Parmesan
Cheddar
Loads of finely chopped green coriander

Base
4 naans

Instructions

1. Simmer all the ingredients of the sauce till you get a thick sauce which loses most of its water.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Sauté the paneer and the bell pepper separately.
4. On each naan, add the sauce, toppings.
5. Bake till golden brown.

Nectarine Sundaes – for 2

Occassion - friends for dinner. My reaction -the usual "dinner is a breeze, but dessert will baffle me." Action - the usual " browse through food and wine magazine till you hit a no-bake dessert.
recipe inspiration -
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/bourbon-nectarine-ice-cream-sundaes-with-pound-cake-croutons

I did not use bourbon, and I will do so next time.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Take a pound cake and cube it till you get a cup of cubes.
3. Add 1 tbspn melted butter to the pound cake cubes and bake till crispy. Should take 15-20 mins.
4. You can freeze the croutons so make them in huge batches.
5. Slice a nectarine finely.
6. In a pan take some butter. Add 1 tbspn light brown sugar. Add the nectarine slices. Saute till moist.
7. Add some lemon juice. Cook sauce till thick.
8. In a bowl, take one fourth of the nectarine sauce. Add a scoop of ice cream. Top with croutons. Repeat.

Baked Ravioli

For Dinner I made

• Baked ravioli (recipe inspiration - http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/baked-ravioli )
• Nectarine sundaes (recipe inspiration http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/bourbon-nectarine-ice-cream-sundaes-with-pound-cake-croutons)
• Garlic Bread

Baked Ravioli

1 pound store bought buitoni cheese ravioli
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1 medium onion
Ground pepper
1 ½ tspn oregano
1 tspn pepper flakes
Salt to taste
½ pack of mozzarella cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese
Panko bread crumbs
2 tbspn olive oil

1. Pre heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Take some oil in a pan. Sauté the onions and garlic. Add the tomatoes and pepper flakes, oregano, black pepper. Cook till sauce is thick and not watery.
3. Heat some water in a pot, add salt. Now add the ravioli. Do not cook too much . Just let the ravioli rise to the top.
4. Add the ravioli to the sauce. Check the salt.
5. Add the cheeses and the bread crumbs to the top.
6. Bake till golden brown on top.