FLOWER POT KITCHEN: SIMPLE CRISPY THIN CRUST ROASTED RED PEPPER PESTO MARSCAPONE AND PLUM TOMATO PIZZA

28 Sept 2012

SIMPLE CRISPY THIN CRUST ROASTED RED PEPPER PESTO MARSCAPONE AND PLUM TOMATO PIZZA

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE DOUGH (makes 2)

400g 00 or plain flour

100g semolina

7g dried yeast

1 generous pinch of salt

325ml luke warm water

2 tbsp ooil
1 pinch sugar

A really simple and fantastic everyday pizza dough, place the flour and semolina on your work top and make a well in the centre. In a jug mix the water, ooil, sugar and yeast together, let sit for 5 minutes so that the warm water activates the yeast and the sugar feeds it, slowly pour into the the well and mix slowly into the flour until all the mixture comes together to make a dough ball. Knead for five minutes, if you want thin crust roll out the dough and use immediatly, if you want a more light and deep pan dough,, then leave your dough in a oiled clingflimed bowl to rise until doubled in size and then knock back and roll ou the dough and use.

FOR THE PESTO BASE
2 red peppers skinned
ooil
100g pecarino cheese fine grated
30g toasted pine nuts
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Take your peppers and on a flame from your hob or grill blacken the skin of the peppers all over, then place in a bowl and cover with clingfilm to keep the heat in and this will help remove the skin of the peppers by steaming while they also become soft. After 10 minutes of so take off the clingfilm and peel off the skin, take off all the flesh of the peppers, descarding the seeds and place in the blender, with the pine nuts and some ooil, blitz, add more ooil if needed you want a slightly loose paste, add the cheese and season to taste.

TOPPINGS
4 fresh plum tomato's
200g marscapone cheese or fresh mozzarella
10 fresh basil leaves
1 fresh sliced chillies
Fine grated Parmesan cheese

Roll out your pizza dough to the shape and depth you want, spread from the centre you pesto base, and then layer on your toppings, I like to work from the centre out, reserve the basil leaves for serving. In a pre heated oven 200 degrees, pre heat our baking stone or sheet and then place your pizza on and cook for 7-10 minutes for a crispy thin crust or 15-20 minutes for deep pan. Remove from the oven and sprinkle on torn basil leaves and a drizzle of ooil and enjoy.

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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.