FLOWER POT KITCHEN: TRULY A DEEP DEEP DISH CHICAGO PIZZA PIE

7 Nov 2011

TRULY A DEEP DEEP DISH CHICAGO PIZZA PIE

DEEP DEEP DISH DOUBLE LAYER AUTHENTIC CHICAGO PIZZA, MADE MINE WITH LEFTOVERS IN FRIDGE, CHORIZO, MOZZARELLA, CHEDDAR, SWEETCORN, HAM, FRESH PINEAPPLE, PARMESAN AND HOMEMADE TOMATO HERB PASSATA

1 packet dried yeast

Plain flour

Warm water

salt

Chorizo

Ham
Pineapple
Cheddar
Sweetcorn
Parmesan
Homemade tom base
Mozzarella

Make the tomato base, pan fry some finely diced onions with garlic and chorizo, remove the chorizo and add the onions and garlic to a tin of toms, reduce down by a third and season with salt and black pepper and add a dash of mixed herbs. Blend to a puree. Have all your toppings ready chopped/torn to go.

Making the dough, mix the dry ingredients together, add the warm water and mix well, then knead for 5 minutes. Cut off one third and roll out the rest and line oiled deep tin all the way up to the top.

Layer your cheese and meat toppings, not the tomato till you have filled 3/4 of the pie dish. Roll out the reserved dough and place it as a lid on the toppings. Top this dough lid with the tomato sauce and lots of Parmesan cheese. Roll over the edges of the crust into a rope like crimp and bake at 200 degrees for 20 minutes approx until hot in the centre.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.