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It's pizza week next week

Last post 04/02/12 at 13:04 by henriette, 12 replies
Post started by lapinrose on 02/02/12 at 15:37

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  • lapinrose avatar
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    Posted by: lapinrose 02/02/2012 at 15:37
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    Joined on 16/04/2006
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     According to a well known broadsheet sunday paper.

    I like the look of this one.

     

     http://www.greatbritishchefs.com/Recipes/pizza-with-jerusalem-artichoke-puree-spinach?utm_source=Great+British+Chefs+List&utm_campaign=f69508c1a7-2nd_February1_27_2012&utm_medium=email

     

     

    Geoffrey Smeddle
    Pizza with Jerusalem artichoke purée, spinach, pine nuts and spring onions

    Making your own pizza is always a treat - here the left-field addition of artichoke purée, pine nuts and tangy spring onions makes this a great, simple mid-week dinner for friends

    Course:Main
    Complexity:Easy
    Cooking time:45 minutes
    Serves:4
     

    Topping

    • 1 shallot, finely diced
    • 1 bunch of spring onions
    • 1 dash of double cream
    • 8 Jerusalem artichokes, peeled
    • sea salt
    • 1 knob of butter
    • 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
    • 1 tbsp of pine nuts, toasted
    • 2 handfuls of grated Parmesan
    • freshly ground black pepper
    • 100g of baby spinach leaves

    Dough

    • 1 pinch of salt
    • 4 tbsp of olive oil, plus extra for greasing
    • 16 tbsp of water
    • 440g of flour, plus extra for dusting
    • 1 packet of fresh yeast
     
    Method

    1.
    Before starting, ensure all the ingredients for the dough base are at room temperature
    2.
    Make the purée in advance. Fry the shallot and garlic in a little oil and butter until soft. While waiting dice up the Jerusalem artichokes into a fine but rough dice
    3.
    Add these to the pan and increase the heat a little, then continue cooking until lightly caramelised then transfer to a jug blender
    4.
    Add a dash of cream, just enough to allow the mix to blitz up and purée. Transfer to the fridge until needed
    5.
    For the base sift the flour into a large warmed bowl and add a pinch of sea salt. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water then stir in the oil
    6.
    Sprinkle with a little of the sieved flour then leave for 15 minutes in a warm place until frothy
    7.
    Make a well in the middle of the flour then pour this yeast mix into the well, kneading well until the dough forms, leaving the side of the bowl cleanly. If too sticky add a touch more flour; if too dry add a dash more water
    8.
    Form a smooth ball and leave in the middle of the bowl. Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place until doubled in size. This may take an hour, even two
    9.
    Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas mark 6. Knead the dough vigorously to distribute the air bubbles
    10.
    Cut into four then roll out to make a pizza base, as thin as possible and no bigger than half a centimetre thick
    11.
    Transfer to a lightly oiled tray or baking sheet and allow to rest for 30 minutes
    12.
    Sprinkle sea salt and olive oil over the base then spread the purée across each one as well. Place in the oven to cook for about 15 minutes until the base is golden and firm
    13.
    You will need to turn the tray halfway through, bringing the back of the tray to the front of the oven
    14.
    Scatter the spinach leaves, spring onions and pine nuts over the pizza base and finally scatter the Parmesan all over
    15.
    Drizzle some olive oil on too then return to the oven for 30 seconds or a minute just to wilt the spinach. Serve at once, with a chilled beer
  • Bethannie avatar
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    Posted by: Bethannie 02/02/2012 at 16:12
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    That sounds gorgeous!

    And no problem to make it cheesless! I'll just omit the scattering of parmesan!

    I have a feeling this will be on the menu next week!
  • lapinrose avatar
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    Posted by: lapinrose 02/02/2012 at 17:11
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     I like the fact it's tomato-less!!

    When I did pizzas in FT, some of the kids worked on developing a sweet pizza, some good ideas were trialled.

  • lilachardy avatar
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    Posted by: lilachardy 02/02/2012 at 17:56
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    Sounds good.

     

    My favourite is pesto, spinach and feta pizza. Especially good on sundried tomato bread... and I think I'll try a scattering of pine nuts too next time!
  • lapinrose avatar
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    Posted by: lapinrose 02/02/2012 at 20:45
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    lilachardy:

    Sounds good.

     

    My favourite is pesto, spinach and feta pizza. Especially good on sundried tomato bread... and I think I'll try a scattering of pine nuts too next time!

     

     

    Pine nuts mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

    I'm going to have a go at the pizza this weekend, provided o/h  can dis me some JA's tomorrow. Have for a fractured knuckle so digging is out and dough will be mixed in the Kenwood!!

  • modelmaker avatar
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    Posted by: modelmaker 02/02/2012 at 22:00
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    Posts 15,394

    lapinrose:
    a fractured knuckle so digging is out and dough will be mixed in the Kenwood!!

    You have been in the wars lately, lapin. How is the TN op behaving?

    On a personal note, I had my poorly hand assesed by a nerve conduction study last week and the technician confirmed it's not doing what it's supposed to do. Oddly, he said it was likely the prediction my doctor make that I have a compacted nerve in my elbow is correct. How do you compact a nerve in your elbow without an injury? My best guess is entering semi-retirement and spending too long on the Internet. Maybe I lean on my left elbow for protacted periods?

    I guess they will cut my elbow open and locate where the fault lies then re-wire the nerves by soldering new ones in.

    I'm hoping that when they eventually get round to it I'll be able to play the piano with my left hand, because it's something I was unable to to get to grips with in the past.

    However, neccessity is the mother of invention, and today I sorted out the problem of sharpening knives in our house.

    Some months ago we bought a knife sharpening device from Amazon. The concept is fine. It consists of two accurately ground pieces of carbide that you draw the knife through a few times and lo and behold, it produces an excellent sharp edge to the blade. The problem with the device is that apart from the carbide bits the rest is a cheap plastic moulding with a rubber succer affair that is supposed to keep it secure on the worktop. It doesn't. As soon as you draw the knife across it becomes loose, so you can only use it if you have two working hands.

    So I took this piece of shit into work today and secured it to a piece of acrrylic that gets my poorly hand well away from the blade and with some proper worktop grippers on the base can cope with a pathethically weak hand holding it. without the risk of losing the hand you hope they'll be be to fix.

    It  would be a good time in my life to be either rich just now or attractive  to a rich widow without any baggage  to enable me to get it sorted for good next week., but I'm not rich and I dont't know any rich widows looking for something other than their cat to spend their money on. So treatment probably remains remains months or years away. But hey-ho, with an active mind and the means to do so, there is  way to surmount such problems.
  • cosmos avatar
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    Posted by: cosmos 03/02/2012 at 07:22
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    Joined on 04/06/2004
    Posts 6,388

    Mr C recently had an op to free the compressed nerve in his elbow - very successful and although he hasn't yet regained full use of his hand, it is improving all the time - and considerably better than it was. The surgeon told him it could take several months so he just has to be patient. Mr C doesn't do patient.......

    Re the pizza dough recipe.....a packet of fresh yeast? Where do you buy packets of fresh yeast? What weight are they? Do they in fact mean dried? Which type of dried? I get very confused!

     

     
  • nick909 avatar
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    Posted by: nick909 03/02/2012 at 08:17
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    cosmos:

    Re the pizza dough recipe.....a packet of fresh yeast? Where do you buy packets of fresh yeast? What weight are they? Do they in fact mean dried? Which type of dried? I get very confused!

    If you have a Tesco with a bakery near you, they will give you free fresh yeast - normally a good thick brick of the stuff!  If you wrap it well (a food bag is fine) it will keep for up to 3 weeks in the fridge.

    I always use twice as much fresh yeast at dried.  I work on a 7g sachet of dried yeast (the fast action stuff) for a loaf with 500g flour, so double that up for fresh.

    Fresh yeast will give a slighty better rise than dried but there's not much difference.  No real advantage of using fresh over dried, really.
  • cosmos avatar
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    Posted by: cosmos 03/02/2012 at 08:41
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    Thanks Nick. I usually use fast action dried yeast for my bread and pizza dough.I got confused by the instructions for a packet of fresh yeast! I'll probably use my usual dough recipe for this pizza  - it looks good.
  • lapinrose avatar
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    Posted by: lapinrose 03/02/2012 at 15:35
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    Joined on 16/04/2006
    Posts 31,551

    modelmaker:
    You have been in the wars lately, lapin. How is the TN op behaving?
     

     

    Brilliant MM, absolutely no pain from TN since I had the op, the Asecol have finally started working for the lymphocytic colitis and now the finger is joined to the middle finger by elastoplast, no pain.

    I wish we were in Victorian times when I could just recline on a couch all day!

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