Tuna Mushroom Neapolitan-Style Pizza

Best Dough

This is by far the best pizza recipe I have made.  The dough was perfectly cooked and rose well and the crust was just gorgeous.  This pizza could give the pizza chains a run for their money it was Italian standard and I would be more than happy to make this in a flash.  If the dough is too stick add a little more flour and just add small handfuls at a time.

This recipe was adapted from Gino D’ Acampo’s fantastico! (Kyle Books, 2011).

Ingredients:

5 tbsps extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, 1 tsp dried yeast, 140ml warm water, 180g strong plain flour, 300g tinned chopped tomatoes, 1 tin tuna (drained) 1 tbsp dried oregano, 1 tbsp tomato ketchup, 1 tsp tomato paste, 1 pinch sugar, 1 tsp dried basil, 250g mushrooms (chopped), 300g grated cheese.

Method:

1. To prepare the dough, mix the salt and yeast together in a jug with the water.
2. Sift the flour into a large bowl, then make a well in the centre and add the water.
3. Add a tbsp of olive oil.
4. Turn out the dough onto a clean well- floured surface and work it with your hands for about 5 minutes.
5. When smooth and elastic place the dough in a bowl and cover the bowl with oiled cling film.
6. Leave to rest in a warm place for 45 minutes.
7. Once rested to the dough out onto a floured surface and start forming the base for your pizza.
8. Place the pizza on a baking tray and pre heat the oven to 220 degrees C.
9. In a medium saucepan add the tomatoes, tuna, dried oregano, basil, ketchup, paste and a pinch of sugar.
10. When heated through season the sauce to taste.
11. Spread the sauce over the pizza base.
12. Scatter on the cheese and then the mushrooms.
13. Bake for about 20 minutes till the pizza is bubbling and golden brown.

Wholemeal Mushroom Quiche

Fashion

I have always been a fan of style and as far as I am concerned my time in the kitchen is so special it deserve looking good for.  Frying food means that I cannot cook naked because the oil will splatter on my skin.  So instead I rocked a white cable knit jumper with a cute asymmetrical dress.  I tried to style the sides of my quiche with my outfit and it almost resembled a flower.  The extra crust of the quiche I used to dip into cheese and chutney.  Perfect for a Saturday night in with my mother who adored my  dinner.  It is more important to make the food taste good than look good so always concentrate on the flavour first.

This recipe was taken from The Best of Sainsbury’s Vegetarian Cooking (Reed International Books Ltd, 1992).

Ingredients:

125g wholemeal flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 100g butter, 2 eggs, 250g mushrooms (chopped finely), 1 large onion (peeled and chopped), 2 tbsps lemon juice, salt and pepper, 1 tbsp plain flour, 150ml double cream.

Method:

1. Sift the wholemeal flour and salt together in a bowl.
2. Rub in 50g butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Mix in one egg and a little ice water to make a pliable dough.
4. Wrap in cling film and let it chill in the fridge.
5. Roll out the pastry and use to line a 23cm flan dish.
6. Prick well with a fork.
7. Bake blind in a pre heated oven for 200 degrees C.
8. Bake for 10 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven.
10. In a medium saucepan melt 50g butter in a saucepan and cook the onions and mushrooms.
11. When softened add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
12. Leave this to cool and mix the remaining egg in with the double cream.
13. Place the mushrooms and onion into the quiche.
14. Pour in the cream and egg mixture.
15. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees C.

Chocolate and Sweet Potato Pudding

Good Pudding

I honestly had no idea what this was going to turn out like but I was presently surprised with the outcome.  It is a cross between a gooey chocolate fudge cake and sweet potato pudding.  It’s delicious and even more so when topped with creamy thick Greek yoghurt.  You can cook it in a pudding bowl and I actually would prefer to do this rather than put it in a cake tin.  It takes a while to cook because it is so dense but it is definitely worth the wait.  I think that next time I will add raisins and almond flakes,  I can imagine this will also be equally as delicious with a brandy sauce.  Say hello to a new breed of festive food.  I call it a “Caribbean sweetbrid”.

This recipe was adapted from Good Housekeeping Cook’s Year (Ebury Press, 1995).

Ingredients:

225g sweet potatoes (par boiled and peeled and cut into chunks), 125g softened butter, 125g soft brown sugar, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 2 eggs, 160g self – raising flour, 15g cocoa powder, 2 tsps ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 30ml milk, 125g dark chocolate (roughly chopped), caster sugar (to sprinkle on the top after baking).

Method:

1. Boil the sweet potatoes in water until soft.
2. Drain the water and then mush into a puree.
3. In a large bowl beat the butter, sugar, vanilla essence and eggs.
4. Mix in the sweet potato.
5. Sieve in the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda.
6. Add the milk and dark chocolate.
7. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
8. When the mixture is well combined spoon into an oven proof dessert bowl.
9. Bake for an hour and 15 minutes.
10. When finished sprinkle over caster sugar before serving.

Saffy’s Serving Ideas:

1. Thick Greek Yoghurt.
2. Vanilla custard.
3. A dollop of mascarpone and a tsp of banana jam.

Green Lasagna

Green

Green Lasagnas are wicked, ever since the success of my awesome chicken pesto lasagna I have been loving pretty coloured lasagnas that ooze incredible smells and “vibrancy” in my kitchen.   This recipe is for a vegetarian lasagna but tuna can be added as part of the first base, although this lasagna is super filling and can hold its own as a crowd pleaser.  I love the creamy four cheese sauce with the pesto it is a brilliant combo, plus the sweetness of the homemade tomato sauce is also gorgeous.  Smiles all round with this recipe.  Serve with a light salad.

This recipe was adapted from Good Housekeeping Cook’s Year (Ebury Press, 1995).

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 large onion, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 300g spinach, 2 large leeks, 300g four cheese sauce,  250g green pesto, 300g chopped tomatoes, 2 tsps sugar, 1 tbsp tomato puree, salt and pepper, 2 tsps ground cumin, 500g grated cheddar cheese, 200g mozarella, green lasagna sheets.

Method:

1. In a large frying pan heat up the oil on a medium/ high heat.
2. Fry the onion, garlic, spinach and leeks until softened.
3. In a large bowl mix the cheese sauce and pesto with the vegetables.
4. Set aside and in a medium saucepan heat up the tomatoes, sugar, puree, salt and pepper and cumin.
5. Heat thoroughly and season to taste.
6. Start cooking the lasagna sheets.
7. Mix the two cheese together and then start layering.
8. Start with the green mixture than layer the sheets.
9. Spread on the sauce and half the cheese.
10. Repeat this process and finish with a cheese layer.
11. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes at 180 degrees C.
12. When hot and bubbling leave to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Harvest Quorn Sausage Casserole

Fall Back

The clocks will soon be going back and I once again find myself with little time on my hands.  I find myself each day embarking on new troubled situations and as unfair as it seems I have to just get on with it.  Cooking in such times in very hard to do because when you are emotionally exhausted it is very tough to do cooking which requires a lot of preparation.  This dish in particular is comforting and very healthy, however despite being great for autumn the prep is seriously annoying.  So much chopping and peeling.  However,  what I have learnt from falling on hard times is that you have to turn negative situations into positive ones.  I used the time I was peeling and chopping to listen to some new music, and go over new phrases for a new language.   I admit this meal isn’t spectacular but the ingredients are fresh and settle you after a busy day.

This recipe was adapted from Good Housekeeping Cook’s Year (Ebury Press, 1995).

Ingredients:

8 quorn sausages, 4 tbsps vegetable oil, 1 large potato (peeled and chopped),  1 large sweet potato (peeled and softened), 1 large onion (peeled and roughly chopped), 1 garlic clove (peeled and chopped), 250g carrots (peeled and chopped), 250g leeks (chopped), 300ml vegetable stock, 1 tbsp flour, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 tsps cumin powder, 1 tsp dried mixed herbs, salt and pepper.

Method: 

1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a medium frying pan.
2. Fry the sausages gently then place aside.
3. In a large saucepan add the rest of the oil and heat on a high heat.
4. Fry the sweet potato, potato, onion and garlic.
5. After 10 minutes of gently frying add the rest of the ingredients and 50ml of the vegetable stock.
6. After 10 minutes when the vegetables have softened stirring occasionally chop up the sausages. Season to taste.
7. Put all of the ingredients into a casserole dish and then pour over the stock.
8. Place some cling film over the top and bake for 45 minutes.
9. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Strawberry Swiss Roll

The Perfect Roll

It’s official I can make a swiss roll roll without looking at the directions.  The trick is to make one roll with a slight incision when the roll is still warm.  You can add cream if you want to but I was far more interested in a full berry blast.  The roll does not have to look like cow skin I was just personally going for a country theme.

This recipe was taken from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible (BBC Books, 2009).

Ingredients:

4 large eggs, 100g caster sugar, 100g self- raising flour, 50g fresh chopped strawberries, 1 tbsp blueberry or raspberry jam.

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 220 degrees C.
2. Grease a swiss roll tin and line with baking parchment.
3. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl until the mixture is light and frothy.
4. Sift in the flour and then fold.
5. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and give it a gentle shake until the mixture levels out.
6. Bake in the pre heated oven for 10 minutes.
7. When the sponge is golden brown and begins to shrink from the edges of the tin remove from the oven.
8. Place a piece of baking parchment on the table surface, a little bigger that the baking tin.
9. Sprinkle the parchment with caster sugar.
10. Invert the cake onto the sugared parchment.
11. Trim the edges of the sponge with a sharp knife.
12. Make a score mark 2.5 cm in from one shorter edge and do not cut right through.  Roll to get the shape.
13. Leave to cool slightly then spread on the jam and scatter on strawberries before rolling permanently.

Jerk Rub

Jerk

This is a really good recipe for meats when you need to make a good quick crowd pleasing flavouring.  You can apparently use this on a variety of meats but I prefer to use it on chicken.  It is better to leave the seasoning on over night before cooking.

Ingredients:

1/2 ground allspice, 1/2 ground ginger, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1 garlic clove (finely chopped), Leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp sunflower oil.

Method:

1. Wash the meat and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Rub the ingredients over the meat and leave overnight or for a few hours in the fridge.

Coconut Rice & Peas

Mushy

I know how to make the perfect rice but every now and again I do tend to add a little too much water and it becomes a little mushy.  But saying that, it is actually better to overcook rice than to under cook it.  So have no fear and keep trying until you have your tried and tested technique.  Coconut rice is very easy to get wrong,  but as long as it tastes good and fluff it up with a fork and not a spoon it is sometimes forgivable if it ends up a little mushy.  And never use garden peas, kidney beans or black eyed peas only.  I love this rice, and the recipe was adapted from a surprising source.  Who would have thought a cookbook with shepherd’s pie would have a recipe for Caribbean style rice. As my big brother would say…Nioce!

This recipe was adapted by Grandma’s Best Recipes (Parragon, 2011).

Ingredients:

1 can of kidney beans (drained), 1 can of coconut milk, water (up to 3 cups), 2 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped), 1 big onion (peeled and chopped), 1 tbsp vegetable oil,  1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tbsp salt, 2 1/2 cups basmati rice.

Method:

1. Heat up the oil in a large saucepan.  Heat up the garlic and onion in a large saucepan.
2. When the garlic and onion is soft add the coconut milk and water.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients including the rice.
4. Bring to the boil then let the rice simmer for 25 – 30 minutes.
5. When the rice has cooked season to taste.
6. Fluff up with a fork and serve.

Saffy’s Serving Ideas:

1. Oxtail and Butter Bean Stew
2. Curried Goat
3. Chicken Tikka Masala

Oxtail and Butter Bean Stew

All for You

This was the first time I cooked oxtail and I was so happy with the outcome.  It was a special occasion, it’s always a special occasion when I spend time with my hubby.  He’s a super hero in my eyes, he’s super intelligent and super strong so therefore he’s the closest thing to superman and batman so there.  I made him this lovely stew so he could taste some Jamaican cooking and enjoy his birthday week.  Plus the leftover gravy is delicious. The oxtail can also be seasoned a day in advance for more flavour.

This recipe was adapted from Levi Roots’ Reggae Reggae Cookbook (Collins, 2008).

Ingredients:

6 pieces of oxtail on the bone, 1 tin of butter beans (drained), 5 cups of water, 2 onions (peeled and chopped roughly), 1 beef tomato, 2 spring onions (chopped), 1 red chilli pepper (chopped), 2 carrots (peeled and chopped), 3 cloves of garlic (peeled and chopped), 3 tsps dried thyme, 1 tbsp all – purpose seasoning, 3tbsps browning, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 3 tbsps vegetable oil.

Method:

1. First and foremost you need to wash your oxtail thoroughly with lemon juice, vinegar and salt.  It may be old- fashioned but it’s necessary.  I don’t care if the oxtail seems okay it is necessary to wash your meats before you cook them.  It’s the African/ Caribbean way cha!

2. Pat the oxtail dry before heating up the vegetable oil in a dutch pot on a medium – high heat and seal the meat.
3. The oxtail should brown for about 15 minutes.
4. When browned add some more oil and then add the onion and garlic.
5. Add the rest of the herbs and vegetables.
6. Add the water.
7. Bring to the boil and then gently simmer.
8. Cook for 2 hours until the meat is tender.
9. 5 minutes before the end of cooking add the butter beans.
10. Season to taste and serve with rice and peas.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Hiatus

Since finishing my Masters I haven’t been cooking as much as I would have liked to.  I have been busy, sick and have been attending family dos.  I would like to state that my passion for cooking has not gone and hopefully when I get a bit better I will cook as much more.  I made lovely cupcakes and I even put a cherry on top.  Mummy also recently got me a cute new serving apron, I totally need to make some more cupcakes to serve them with my cute new apron.

This recipe was adapted from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible (BBC Books, 2009).

Ingredients:

100g softened butter, 150g caster sugar, 2 large eggs, 150g self – raising flour, 3 tbsps milk, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, butter icing and cherries to decorate.

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Put muffin cases in hole tin.
3. Beat the butter and sugar until smooth.
4. Beat in the large eggs.
5. Sift in the flour, then combine before adding the milk and vanilla extract.
6. When the batter is mixed divide the batter into the cupcake cases.
7. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
8. When baked cool on a wire rack.
9. Using an icing bag to pipe on icing and add a cherry on top after cakes have cooled.