Homemade Pizza with Garlic Crust Dip

What better than pizza, well I'll tell you what's better...homemade pizza! There is a certain satisfaction to making  your own pizza dough, not to mention adding as much or as little toppings as you like...even adding adding an unusual twist that makes pizza night special just for you!

Making pizza in our house is a family affair, my children love stretching the dough into a circle, mixing the easy tomato sauce and topping their pizza just the way they like it. What better weekend baking is there, no rising just lots of fun kneading and shaping. The garlic dipping sauce is just as easy to mix together as the tomato sauce and tastes as good as take out!

Mark my word, you'll think twice about ordering out after you've tried making your own...enjoy!

5 Comfort Baking Recipes

I have rounded up some of my favourite recipes, from an elevenses treat to a jaw dropping nutella centrepiece. One of my most popular blog posts of all time is my How to Make Bagels at Home (link below) tutorial, I always have helpers in the kitchen when I bake bagels, the shaping always leads to high spirits!! 

Cheese and Ham Pastry Ring

This is my favourite time of year, not just because school is back - although having a routine again is wonderful - but because it's just a really beautiful time of year. The leaves are beginning to turn on the trees around our house and the mornings are cool and crisp. 

With those cool mornings come the cool evenings and that's where this tasty dish come into it's own. It has only 3 ingredients and it bakes is 20 minutes or less! The perfect warming after school snack, I am cheating slightly with the pastry but when you are pushed for time and have hungry children waiting for something hot and filling to eat, then I think that it is only smart to have few tricks up your sleeve!   

Slow Cooker Lasagne (Update)

 

I am reposting (originally posted on the 29-11-13) this recipe because I have added a few updates. This is just a brilliant recipe and perhaps you were lucky enough to get a new slow cooker over Christmas, this might give you some inspiration!

Since I bought my slow cooker a couple of weeks ago, I still take great pleasure in coming through the door (after multiple school runs!) to the smell of dinner cooking. Especially when the recipes I have been cooking for years taste even better than before.

Broccoli and Parmesan Soup

There is nothing nicer than a warm bowl of soup after school, it's warming and nourishing goodness just feels so good after a busy day of learning. Because broccoli is a good source of fibre and as a result takes longer to digest it will make concentrating on homework that bit easier too. This soup is quick to make and freezes perfectly so it is the ideal midweek snack.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
1.5ltr Chicken stock
700g Fresh broccoli (about two medium heads)
1 Clove of garlic, peeled
Rind (or heel) of parmesan or grana padano cheese (or any hard cheese)
Seasoning

Method
Bring the chicken stock to the boil in a large saucepan.

Cut the broccoli into florets and roughly chop the stalk, everything will cook at the same time if the stalk is chopped smaller than the florets. Bash the garlic clove with the heel of your hand so that it breaks apart slightly. Gently tip all the broccoli, bashed garlic glove and the rind of the parmesan cheese into the boiling chicken stock, bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer with the lid partially on for 8-10 minutes or until the broccoli is tender. Remove what is left of the parmesan rind from the soup and discard.

Liquidise the soup with a hand blender until smooth. Taste and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Reheat if needed and serve immediately.

Serve with some brown bread or with warmed ciabatta and perhaps a splash of cream.

Homemade Garlic and Herb Cheese

You can smell it's pungent fragrance through the open window and see it's dedicated white flower all along the hedgerows, what else could it be but Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum). After a light rain shower last week and being very organised (for once) the children and I went for a walk to a wooded copse a short distance from our home. It took our breath away, firstly we were astounded by the sheer number of bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) elegantly hanging their heads, seeming almost as if they are looking demurely at us through their petals. The second was the smell of the garlic, in the steamy mist after the rain it was remarkable. The small white flowers are so pretty, so eager are they to catch your attention with their tiny upturned faces that you can't help but be drawn to them.

Very appealing indeed, which was a good thing really because I had a great hankering for some garlic cheese, now don't go running off in terror thinking that I'm going to talk endlessly about cheese cultures and curds, nope this is really very easy. In fact there is nothing really to do other that stir and leave in the fridge overnight or if you can stand it, for a full 24 hours! The result is a soft spreadable cream cheese that goes much easier on your waistline than Boursin cheese for example (a whopping 405kCal per 100g!!) and although not an exact replica it is very good to eat on all kinds of breads and cheese crackers. I prefer to use Greek yogurt as my main ingredient but feel free to experiment and let me know how it goes. If you would like a tasty dip instead then follow the method below but reduce the chilling time to 6 hours and you're good to go!!

Yield: 300g

Ingredients
500g Greek yogurt ( I used Aldi Greek Style Yogurt)
1 Clove garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1 tbsp Dried parsley or fresh parsley finely chopped
2 tsp Table salt

To serve
French baguette
Spring onions, sliced

Method
The equipment for this recipe is fairly basic, a large bowl for mixing, a square of muslin (I bought my Kilner muslin square in Heaton's, Cavan for €3.00), sieve and a smaller bowl to catch the excess liquid.

Scoop the yogurt into a large clean bowl, add the garlic, parsley and the table salt.

Combine the ingredients together, make sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Place the sieve over the smaller bowl, line the sieve with the muslin square and spoon in the garlicky yogurt mixture. 

Gather the muslin together, gently twist and lay on top of the yogurt. Leave in the fridge for 18-24 hours depending on how firm you want the finished cheese to be.

Immediately the yogurt will start to drain away the excess liquid.

This is how the cheese will look after 24 hours, it is much firmer and a has the consistency of  cream cheese.

After 24 hours I usually have about 150mls of liquid left in the bowl.

Spread on freshly toasted sliced baguette and devour!!

Almost Glam Mac and Cheese!!

What is not to like about macaroni pasta smothered in an elegant cheese sauce with a crispy topping, pure heaven! Lorraine Pascale made this on her Baking Made Easy show that aired on BBC 2, where I spent most of my time in front of the television, scribbling down the recipes furiously (most of which have made it to this blog!!) all the while planning the next day's meal, which would often be a replica of the show. I enjoy her recipes immensely and most of you do too, judging by the popularity of her Oven Baked Scotch Eggs recipe. This is a slightly altered version of her Glam Mac and Cheese, perhaps less glamorous but just as tasty!!

Serves 4 

Ingredients
340g Macaroni
80g Pancetta, diced
Small handful fresh thyme leaves
3 Spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced (I used mushrooms instead)
100g Breadcrumbs
Handful chopped fresh parsley

For the cheese sauce
40g Butter
40g Plain flour
Pinch ground nutmeg
1 tsp English mustard powder
200ml Milk
285ml Double cream
200g Dolcelatte or gorgonzola cheese ( I used mild cheddar cheese instead)
115g Parmesan, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/40º0F/Gas 6. Cook the macaroni in a large pan of boiling salted water, for 8-10 minutes, or until just cooked. (It needs to be just undercooked as the pasta will be cooked again in the oven.) Drain, return to the pan and set aside. Meanwhile, fry the pancetta in a medium frying pan over a gentle heat until it just starts to brown and crisp up, then add the thyme leaves and spring onions and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. 

Remove the pan from the heat and add its contents to the pasta. For the sauce, put the butter, flour, nutmeg and mustard in a small pan set over a medium heat and cook until the butter has melted.

Mix the milk and cream together in a jug and add a little to the flour and butter in the pan, stirring well. Keep adding the milk mixture, bit by bit, stirring well each time. (This will prevent the sauce from going lumpy. The temptation is to put all the milk in at once only to find you are left with clumps of flour floating on the surface. Should this happen, take the pan off the heat and whisk it like crazy. This normally does the trick to eliminate all the lumps! Make sure you get the spoon into the ‘corners’ of the pan as stray mounds of flour often lurk there.) Once all the milk has been added, turn up the heat and boil for a minute or two.

The sauce will thicken considerably, then remove the pan from the heat. Add two-thirds of the dolcelatte (or gorgonzola/cheddar in this case) and parmesan to the sauce while it is still hot and stir together until well combined. It may be a bit lumpy, but that is fine.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the sauce to the pasta mixture and stir everything together. Spoon the mixture into a shallow casserole dish or four individual large ramekins.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs over the top and bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese starts to bubble and the topping is golden-brown. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Potato Skins with Sour Cream and Chive Dip

This is my ultimate back up supper or party finger food and they are really popular in this house. It all came about when I would only have small potatoes left in the fridge, so I bake them as usual, scoop out the flesh and freeze the skins for later. When freezing the skins, sit them into each other as you would stacking dishes, no more than two at a time, this way they keep their shape and can be filled and cooked from frozen. I often make up a potato skins kit for the freezer, containing, 100g- 200g grated cheddar, 100g diced ham or bacon and the potato skins, which I then assemble and cook from frozen!!

The smaller the potato the better it is for finger food, they're a mouthfuls of heaven and go well with Chinese Chicken Wings.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients
For the potato skins:
8-10 Small baked potato halves, scooped out
100g-150g Ham or bacon, diced
100g-200g Cheddar, grated
Left over baked potato (optional)

For the dip:
200g Sour cream
2-3tbsp Chives, chopped
Salt

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C and line a large baking tray with parchment paper or greaseproof paper. Lay the potato skins about 3-4cm apart and fill with the ham or bacon and top with the grated cheese. (Often I have leftover potato which I mix with the ham and top as usual with the cheese, it is a much more substantial meal this way.)
Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Meanwhile mix the chives with the sour cream and season to taste, tip into a ramekin or small serving bowl. Arrange the skins on a large serving plate around the dip and devour!

Ratatouille

This vegetable stew is a handsome accompaniment to baked fish or fried chicken, I baked the fish for 20 minutes in tin foil (alongside the ratatouille) with a squeeze of lemon and a knob of butter. I personally think this is the tastiest way to enjoy aubergine and the whole meal has a really meaty quality to it. If you have any left over it is delicious as a Spanish omelette the next day or on piled up on warm crusty bread.

Serves 4

Ingredients
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp Dried parsley
2 Tomatoes, chopped
1 Aubergine, cut into 1cm cubes
1 Courgette, sliced
1 Red pepper, sliced
1 Onion, sliced into rings
3 Garlic gloves, crushed
400ml Passata
250g Cheese, grated

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease a large ovenproof dish with oil. Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan, over a medium heat. Chop the vegetables and grate the cheese. Gently fry the garlic (do not burn the garlic as it will become bitter) until lightly browned, add the aubergine and parsley, fry for 10 minutes. Season. Spread the aubergine mixture evenly over the base of the ovenproof dish, pour a third of the passata over the aubergine. Continue layering in this way until all the vegetables are used, finish with grated cheese. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden.

French Bistro Rustic Salad

 

 

Salads aux lardons et fromage fondu. This is a simple French bistro salad scattered with fried bacon cubes and drizzled with melted cheese dressing. If cheese isn't your thing just pop a poached egg on top.

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 Bag of washed lettuce
Vinaigrette
150g -200g bacon cubes or lardons (I used chopped up streaky rashers)
1 camembert round

Method
Toss the lettuce in the vinaigrette (1tbsp vinegar and 2-3tbsp olive oil), set aside. Fry the lardons until crispy and scatter over the salad. Remove the packaging from the camembert and melt in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until melted. Drizzle over the salad and serve with crisp French bread.

Fish and Mushroom Gratin

I made this today for lunch and it's perfect for Saturday simplicity. I used Basa fillets and Crimini mushrooms only because I had them in the fridge. Use whatever white fish you have but I've found smoked fish is too strong. Mashed potatoes will soak up all the lovely leftover sauce and it saves you licking the plate!

Serves 4

Ingredients

575g White fish, skinned
2 tbsp Lemon juice
Seasoning
25g Butter
1 Onion, finely chopped
25g Plain flour
150ml Milk
150ml fFsh stock
125ml Double cream
200g Mushrooms, finely sliced
Dash of Worcestershires sauce
Seasoning
125g Cheddar or Gruyere cheese, grated

Method
Wash the fish and pat dry with kitchen roll. Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and season. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/400 degrees F/ Gas 6. To make the sauce, melt the butter over a low heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion, cook gently for 2 minutes. Sprinkle over the flour and cook gently for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add the milk and fish stock, stirring all the time so the sauce is smooth. Add the mushrooms then simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir as the sauce will thicken and you don't want it to burn. Stir in the cream and the fish, season to taste, add the Worcestershires sauce.

Spoon the mixture into a large gratin dish or any ovenproof dish and sprinkle the grated cheese over.

Bake for 30 minutes or until crisp and golden.

Cauliflower and Cheese Bake

I keep a note pad and pencil beside the television in our kitchen, why I hear you ask, well it's for those impromptu can't resist recipes that crop up on TV. This one of those very recipes, scribbled down (in mostly shorthand) to be hopefully deciphered later! I took inspiration from the Hairy Bikers for this one but with some of the fussing taken out. I love this on it's own with some crunchy bread and if you're feeling healthy a green salad wouldn't go astray.

Serves 4 or 2 as a main

Ingredients
750g Cauliflower florets, frozen
100g Bacon lardons
25g Butter
50g Plain flour
250ml Full-fat milk
½ tsp English mustard
200g Cheddar cheese, grated
55ml Double cream
Salt and pepper
Fresh nutmeg, grated

For the topping
50-60g breadcrumbs
50g cheddar cheese, finely grated

Method

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4. Cook the cauliflower florets in a large, pan of boiling water for about 3-4 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a clean saucepan over a medium heat. Beat in the flour slowly with a balloon whisk until smooth.

Slowly whisk in the milk until smooth, then stir in the mustard, grated cheese and double cream.

Keep stirring until the cheese has melted and the mixture is thick and creamy. Grate over a pinch of nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then fold in the bacon.

Place the cauliflower florets into an large ovenproof casserole dish and pour over the cheesy sauce. For the topping, mix the breadcrumbs with the cheese in a plastic bag, shake, then sprinkle the mixture over the cauliflower. Place into the oven for 15 minutes, or until the topping is golden-brown and bubbling. Serve immediately.

Speedy Naan Pizza

This is quicker than Take Out because it's ready to eat in 30 minutes and so that I can call on it at anytime I keep the grated cheese, Naan bread, Passata and ham in the freezer until required.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 Naan Bread
3 tbsp Passata (sieve tomatoes)
200g grated mozzarella
100g cubed ham
2 sliced mushrooms

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C degrees. Spread the Passata on the Naan Bread, sprinkle the grated cheese, ham and sliced mushrooms on top and place the pizzas onto a hot baking and bake until golden.
Serve with a green salad and garlic Mayonnaise for dipping the crust into.