SURPRISE CLAY OVEN BIRTHDAY CAKE

WHAT A FABULOUS SURPRISE BIRTHDAY CAKE

 

I had no idea my parents had come up with the idea to make me a birthday pizza oven birthday cake, however I should have know better lol!!!  I loved the cake my dad has made me for my 40th birthday, it was fantastic and tasted awesome!

 

 

Love that fact that my birthday cake fitted in really well with my pizza oven birthday party.

WOODFIRED CLAY OVEN CALZONE

ANOTHER PIZZA !!!

 

I am aware myself I must becoming a little boring blogging pizza pizza pizza oven & recipes, but I love it, I am so enjoying myself, lighting successful fires and cooking the best pizza's ever!  Waist has expanded considerably tho!!!  Don't worry I have a huge amount of other cooking to start playing with, I am working on a pork and apple cider dutch oven slow cooked cowboy dish and a lamb curry in a clay oven cole pot, so bear with me...:-)

 

 

Calzone, this cooked in under 2 minutes.

 

Gorgeous pepperoni and gooey buffalo mozzarella in a super thin crispy pizza case.

 

INGREDIENTS

 

FOR THE DOUGH

500g 00 strong flour

15g yeast

10g salt

50g ooil

320g water

 

FOR THE CALZONE FILLING

1 buffalo mozzarella ball

grated mozzarella

oregano tomato pizza sauce

sliced pepperoni

 

Mix all the dough ingredients together and using a rolling wave technique knead the dough by lifting the far side of the wet dough up and pulling towards you to create the crest of a wave shape then flop it forward rolling the edge under itself just like a wave behaves as it hits the beach.  This you only need to do for 7 minutes or so and the dough will become springy, if it is still sort of tacky don't worry.

 

 

I make this dough the night before or in the morning and place it covered in the fridge to prove nice and slow, this helps create a crispy base with a slight chewy texture.

 

When you are ready to make your pizza's bring the dough out of the fridge and divide into 6, leave to rest for 15 minutes to warm up slightly, this allows you to roll out the pizza base's without them trying to shrink back.

 

 

To make your pizza a calzone just fill only half and pull over the other side of the pizza base and crimp the edges together, and cook as you would your pizza.  The difference with a calzone it that the filling is really deep and gooey and oozy and sumptuous with a really thin crispy shell.

 

MUSHROOM AND WHITE WINE STROGANOFF

 

CREAMY MUSHROOM AND WHITE WINE STROGANOFF

A really quick and easy supper in 15 minutes

 

INGREDIENTS

(serves 4)

 

60 mushrooms, (button, seps, chestnut, shitake, oyster)

50ml ooil

25g butter

4 rashers back bacon un-smoked

1 onion finely diced

1 red chilli chopped

1 stick celery fine chopped

200ml dry white wine

1 jelly chicken stock cube (optional)

600-800ml double cream

Pinch of salt and black pepper

 

PERFECT BASMATI RICE

2 coffee cups of rice

4 coffee cups of water

1 jelly chicken stock cube (optional)

1 knob of butter

 

First put the rice, water, chicken stock and butter in a pan with the lid on and bring to a simmer, now with the lid on time for 6 minutes, do not take the lid off or stir the rice.  At 6 minutes take the pan off the heat and leave alone for a further 10 minutes and then you will have perfect fluffy cooked rice.

 

In a deep deep pan, like a pressure cooker size heat the ooil and butter and gently pan fry the onion, bacon and celery until soft but not coloured for 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and stir for 3 minutes then add the white wine and place a lid on the pan and let the mushrooms steam for 5 minutes, now add the chilli, jelly stock and cream and simmer until thickened, season to taste with the salt and pepper and serve with a  sprinkle of fresh parsley on the rice.

 

A great rich supper from start to finish in 15 minutes that is so Moorish you will be scraping you plate for every little morsel.

WALDOF SALAD

GORGEOUS

WALDOF SALAD

 

 

A few simple ingredients that make a first class sumptuous salad, no wonder it is the worlds most famous and still top salad.

 

INGREDIENTS

 

(serves 2)

1 red apple fine sliced in quarters

1 stick celery fine sliced

1/4 bulb of fennel finely sliced
20 black seedless grapes halved

20ml walnut oil (optional)

1 lemon juiced

4-6 tbsp mayo or

(equal amounts of Greek yogurt and crème fraiche for a light dressing)

mixed lettuce leaves, rocket and watercress

 

FOR THE CANDIED WALNUTS

100g walnuts halved

1 egg white

1 tsp fennel seeds

pinch of cayenne

pinch of sweet paprika

 

First candied walnuts, toss the walnuts in the egg white and then in the spices, sprinkle out on baking paper on a tray and place in a pre-heated oven 160 degrees for 15 minutes, until slightly toasted.

 

Toss the apple in the lemon juice, this is to stop the oxidation and de-colouration, place in a large mixing bowl the sliced apple, fennel, celery, grapes and mixed salad leaves.  Mix the mayo with a little of the lemon juice and gently whisk in the walnut oil, toss in the salad and mix gently but thorough.

 

Place your salad on your plate or in a bowl and sprinkle of the halved candied walnuts and enjoy.



WOOD FRIED PIZZA OVEN CHRISTNING PARTY

FANTASTIC PIZZA COOKING PARTY

 

 

WAHOOO this is my first official full firing up of my wood fired clay oven and in true Kristi style why not invite all my friends to enjoy my fabulous wood fired oven! (eek) 80 pizzas to cook for all of them!

 

Watched a few videos on you tube on how long it takes to cook a pizza in an oven at 500 degrees.  I wanted to be able to let my friends and family order their own toppings and did not want people waiting too long for their pizza's as I was going to have around 80 pizza's to cook.  On average each pizza took 2-3minutes to cook and I was able to cook 2 pizza's at a time, the oven could take 3 but I found that a little hard to manage, burnt a couple of crusts here and there lol, but with practise I will master that. 

 

Brilliant run with the oven which was kept fired up for 10hrs as once we had finished cooking over 4hrs we then enjoyed the fire and warmth.  Learnt a lot from this pizza party all great.



 Order up !!!

For fun me and my son Oscar made a menu for the party.

 

 

Keeping the wood fired oven up to heat was easy once the oven had been going for a couple of hours, it was just a case of throwing on another log, this did whack the temperature up for half an hour or so, past 700 degrees, each time I did this I burnt the edge of the first pizza back in as it cooked in under two minutes and I was not paying full attention!

 

Such a magnificent sight and so pleased with myself for keeping the fire going all day long.

 

2 minutes to cook!

 

My west Indian habanero hot sauce buffalo chicken with gorgonzola pizza, beautiful!

The best pizza's ever, once you have cooked a pizza in a wood oven there is no going back, the thin crust dough takes on a whole new level of flavour from the stone floor and wood smoke and is a super crispy with a hint of chewy in the centre of the base.

WOOD FIRED CLAY OVEN ROASTED LAMB

FIRST WOOD FIRED CLAY OVEN ROAST

 

 

THIS IS THE VERY BEST JUICIEST ROAST LAMB I HAVE EVER COOKED !!!

LOVING MY WOOD FIRED CLAY OVEN

350 degree cooking

 

INGREDIENTS

2kg leg of lamb

50ml ooil

salt and pepper

10 King Edward potatoes peeled

3 carrots peeled, halved and quarted

2 parsnips peeled, halved and quarted

1/2 swede cut into same size fingers as carrots

100ml honey

 

I was not feeling fully in control about the first wood fired roast, mainly because I was cooking fathers day dinner for two fathers and the whole family, with un-controlled heat!  But I am really pleased to say it was so easy, (after a glass of wine!!).  I learnt a huge amount about controlling the temperature of the fire, by adding more kindling and wood to keep it high or to let it burn down, and when it almost went out, I was pleased I was able with a little kindling and some paper balls to bring the fire back to life immediately and the temperature came back up too, so this was a great experience as well as my first proper roasting cooking lesson too.

 

Place the lamb in your roasting tin and drizzle with the ooil and pop into your approx 350 degree oven.  For the first half an hour you leave your lamb exposed to the raw heat to seal and slightly char adding that extra zing of wood fired roast flavour.  By now your fire will be about 260 degrees so cover the lamb with foil and let the fire tick over so that the temperature is coming down slowly,  place the oven door and chimney lid on your oven to keep the heat around 200 degrees.  This size lamb will need 2hrs to cook to a medium done pink.  Part boil your potatoes and vegetables and place in roasting tins ready to go in the oven when the lamb comes out to rest.

 

The lamb will need 30 minutes to rest wrapped in foil, therefore the potatoes and veg will need to go in to roast when you take the lamb out for 30 minutes.

 

 

FIRST WOOD FIRED OVEN ROAST POTATOES

These were part boiled King Edward potatoes for 10 minutes, then drained and fluffed up in a colander and sprinkled with seasoned semolina before roasting.

ROASTED VEGETABLES WITH A CARAMELISED HONEY DRIZZLE

Carrots, parsnips and swede part boiled for 7 minutes and then tossed in oil and roasted for 30 minutes, after 20 minutes I added a generous glug of honey which caramelised and made the roasted vegetables really flavoursome.

 

THE JUICIEST WOOD FIRED BEST ROAST LAMB

 

 

Ta Daa.. The finished dinner.



FRENCH CASSOULET

 

  

Spent the day in France, had the best time ever in the supermarket, (I know I know!) but I love it, brought lots of gorgeous cheeses, and cured meats, and lots of ingredients that are more expensive over here, oh and a 150 bottles of wine, well it would have been rude not too !!!

 

INGREDIENTS
1 casserole dish with lid
1 tbsp ghee or ooil
1 onion finely chopped
1 stick celery finely chopped
10 rashers of sweetcure bacon chopped or pancetta
200ml dry white wine
salt and pepper
smoked paprika

 1 jar cooked haricot beans
1 tin tomatoes

 500ml chicken stock
250g pork fillet 2" sq pieces
8 pork sausages
250g lamb neck fillet in 2" sq pieces
salt and pepper
chopped fresh parsley to finish

Heat the ghee in a deep casserole dish and gently fry the onion, celery and bacon for five minutes, remove from the pan and keep to one side, now in the same pan brown off the sausages, pork and lamb pieces, add the fried onions back along with the white wine and simmer for a couple of minutes.  Now add the chicken stock and tomatoes and bring to a simmer, then add the haricot beans, smoked paprika and some seasoning.

Place your lid on and pop in the pre-heated oven 170 degrees for approx 1hr, you want the consistency of the cassoulet to be medium thick but not dry.  Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.  Serve sprinkled with fresh parsley and crusty bread and butter

WOOD FIRED PIZZA OVEN COOKING

 

 

MY VERY FIRST PIZZA COOKED IN MY WOOD FIRED PIZZA OVEN

 

INGREDIENTS

1 wood fired oven or pizza stone in your oven

FOR THE DOUGH

10g fresh yeast (Morrisons)

500g 00 flour

10g salt

50g olive oil

320g water

FOR YOUR TOPPINGS

Buffalo di campana

grated mozzarella

tomato base with oregano

fresh basil

 

I like to make my dough the night before or first thing in  the morning, crumble the yeast into the dough and mix in the salt, add the oil and water and if by hand bring together gently, turn out and fold in air by lifting the dough and flopping it over and pulling/rolling it back for five minutes, if using a dough machine on a low speed knead for one minute and then on the next speed up knead for  6 minutes.  Turn out into a floured bowl and leave in the fridge over night or all day to slowly prove.

This slow prove gives the dough a crispy outer with a slightly chewy texture inside.

 

 

Don't panic and feel the need to add extra flour, if you keep working, within five minutes the dough becomes soft, sponge like and springy, with out the need for any flour.

 

Here she is the very first pizza to be cooked in our homemade wood fired oven, and as I hoped this pizza is the very best I have ever eaten, the wood fired oven makes a huge difference on cooking time, (4 mins), the flavour and texture, we normal cook two pizzas on a stone in our oven and don't quite finish them off between us, but today we cooked two, ate them and then cooked another two and then polished them off, because the smokey flavour was that good we did not want to stop eating, also cooking with the open log fire flame feels quite magical and a natural thing and we loved sitting just watching the open fire.

COUNTRY FRIED PORK WITH COUNTRY GRAVY AND JACK DANIELS SWEET POTATO MASH

 

My husband says this is the only way he ever wants to eat a pork chop again, this makes me fabulously happy as these chops were outstandingly gorgeous.

 

INGREDIENTS

Pork chops off the bone and bashed flat

FOR THE SEASONED FLOUR COATING

plain flour

 good pinch of salt, white and black pepper

pinch onion powder

pinch of garlic powder

THE DIP BEFORE THE FLOUR COATING

3 eggs beaten

FOR THE BEST FRY

1 ltr ground nut oil or 3 packs of lard

FOR THE COUNTRY GRAVY

6 sweetcure bacon fine diced

500ml milk

100ml double cream

salt and pepper

chicken stock

3tbsp plain flour

FOR THE JACK D'S SWEET POTATO MASH

6 sweet potato's peeled

100ml Jack Daniels

4 tbsp brown sugar

100g butter

 

First job is to take your pork chops off the bone if they are on a bone, lay some cling film on your chopping board and then place the pork chop or loin on the cling film and cover with another sheet of cling film, then with a rolling pin or heavy object gently bash away until you have a nice medium thin escalope of pork, season with salt and pepper, these are ready to dip in the egg and then the flour and then to fry.

 

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees and place a pan of water onto boil for the sweet potato mash.  Peel the sweet potato's and place in the boiling water and boil for approx 20 minutes until fork tender, drain and leave to steam for a few minutes.  Place the potato's in a bowl, mash well and then season and add the butter, Jack Daniels and sugar mix, stir in and place in a baking dish and pop in the pre heated oven for 20 minutes to fluff up while you fry the pork and then finish off the country gravy.

 

 

 Keeping one hand for wet and one hand for dry, dunk your pork into the egg wash and then into the seasoned flour and place on a plate ready to cook.

 

 

Meanwhile start to heat a deep frying pan and melt the fat, I like to bring my fat up to 200 degrees, this I find then gives me a better seal and a better crispy country finish.

 

Your country fried pork should take approx 3-4 minutes each side in the frying pan.  Once your pork is cooked, place in your oven to keep warm while you make the country gravy to finish the dinner.

 

THE COUNTRY GRAVY

 

FOR THE COUNTRY GRAVY

I like to drain off 3/4 of the frying fat, keeping all the bits in the pan, add the bacon and gently cook for 3 minutes, add the flour and stir in well this is making your roux, start to add your milk a generous glug at a time and stir in well, once all the milk had been absorbed add the chicken stock and cream and seasoning, if you feel your gravy is too thick add a little more milk to loosen. 

 

To serve the dish, take your southern fried pork and place on your plate, add the Jack Daniels mash and make a well in the centre to accommodate the country gravy, and I like to over spill a little onto my southern fried pork chop.  This is one of my top favourite dinners a naughty but oh so nice !!!

 

BBQ CHICKEN BURRITO WITH HABANERO SALSA

 

LIP SMACKINGLY GORGEOUS

Left over roast BBQ chicken, what better than to stuff it in a burrito with some fresh chopped tomato and coriander salsa, hot habanero sauce, re-fried beans, salad and rice.

 

INGREDIENTS

 

Left over BBQ spiced roast chicken

1 tomato diced

2 tbsp chopped coriander

1 spring onion chopped

salt and pepper

some shredded iceberg lettuce

4 tbsp cooked rice

large flour tortilla

1 tbsp re-fried beans

sprinkle of grated mozzarella

generous dollop of sour cream

generous dollop of habanero sauce (wacha)

 

Really this is just a heat and assembly job, and what a fantastic meal in it's own right, one of my most ever favourites...  Heat your chicken and rice, place the re-fried beans and cheese in the centre of your tortilla and heat in a medium hot non stick frying pan for a couple of minutes, this is to heat and soften the tortilla for folding and to melt the cheese, remove and in lines from the centre lay all of the ingredients in the tortilla leaving a three or so inches top and bottom, I always try to only fill 1/3+ of the tortilla as this makes it easier to roll and fold.

 

To fold and roll I do have a trusted techniques, I like to take the side closet to me and pull it over the centre, tuck and pull back and then turn and repeat with the other side, now I turn the whole tortilla over, ie upside down and then fold over the two ends left to right and then flip back over, this seals in all the juices and ensures a lovely sealed burrito almost barrel like cylinder that is easy to wrap in foil to eat on the go or as a takeaway lunch or straight to your plate with lots of accompaniments.

MY GARDEN IN A SALAD

 

First salad from my garden, two types of lettuce, baby spinach leaves, baby spring onions, chives, oregano, tomatoes and basil.  Topped with roast chicken tossed in buffalo and blue cheese mayo and warm grilled halloumi cheese, finished off with a drizzle of olive oil and English apple cider vinegar.

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1 pack halloumi sliced

Lettuce leaves whole &

some finely sliced

1 beef tomato diced

baby spring onions whole

baby spinach leaves

fresh chopped chives

left over roast chicken

 2 tbsp West Indian hot sauce

6 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tbsp blue cheese spread

6 fresh oregano leaves

6 fresh basil leaves

glug of ooil

drizzle of apple cider vinegar

 

Heat a non stick pan quite hot and place the halloumi in the pan, it takes approx. 3-4 minutes to brown off each side, this adds a nutty creamy rich flavour to the cheese and your salad.

 

Now to make the buffalo blue cheese mayo by combining all 3 ingredients, toss the chicken in the sauce.  Assemble your lettuce in your bowl and sprinkle over the tomato with a hint of salt and pepper, build up the rest of the ingredients and finish of with the chicken and halloumi and a drizzle of the olive oil and apple balsamic.

 

TACOS STUFFED WITH CHORIZO, GARLIC ROASTED POTATOES AND ROAST CHICKEN

 

INGREDIENTS

To make your own soft corn tacos

1/2 cup of white corn flour (ma se ca)

1/3 cup of water

 

FOR THE FILLING

1 cooking chorizo diced

100g left over roast chicken

1 clove garlic sliced

6 new potatoes diced

oil

 

FOR THE TOPPINGS

1 tomato diced

1 small red onion diced

fresh coriander chopped

salt and pepper

Mix together

iceberg lettuce fine sliced

sour cream

 

I love making my own tacos, they taste so fresh and have a vibrant corn flavour that you don't get if you buy pre-made.  They only take a couple of minutes to make and are ready to go at a moments notice with a whole variety of fillings.

 

 

Divide the taco dough into four and roll into balls, place the ball in your tortilla press or if using a rolling pin, place cling film either side of the ball and then roll out to a 6" disk.  If using a tortilla press line with cling film and place the ball towards the back centre of the press and then press down to make your corn taco.  It makes no difference using a press or rolling pin.

 

Ta Daa...

 

In a non stick frying pan heat a dash of oil and pan fry the potatoes until cooked, add the garlic and chorizo when the chorizo is cooked add the roast chicken to warm through and soak up all of the chorizo and garlic flavours.

 

Once your are ready to serve, heat a cast iron comel or skillet to a high heat and cook your soft corn tacos for 30 seconds on each side, keep them warm in a tea towel.