FLOWER POT KITCHEN: WOOD FIRED PIZZA OVEN DEEP PAN CHICAGO STYLE

10 Sept 2013

WOOD FIRED PIZZA OVEN DEEP PAN CHICAGO STYLE

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE DOUGH

(makes 4)

500g strong plain flour

15g yeast

50ml ooil

10g salt

320ml water

FOR THE TOMATO BASE

1 shallot finely diced

1 garlic clove grated

dash ooil

8 fresh tomatoes rough chopped

1 tsp fresh oregano

FOR THE DEEP DISH FILLING

4 balls of buffalo mozzarella

600g grated mozzarella cheese

36 slices of pepperoni

4 tbsp tomato base

EQUIPMENT

4 straight sided cake or pie tins

First make the dough, there is no shame in knocking this up in your mixer with a dough hook, if I have time I love to bring the dough together by hand as I find this method really therapeutic and satisfying. Bring all the ingredients together and knead for 6 minutes, cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for 1 hour out on the side or up to 48hrs in the fridge, and yes the dough will prove in the fridge, in fact it proves slower which gives the dough a better crispy and chewy texture. When you are ready to use the dough form into 4 balls and leave to settle for 15 minutes before rolling out.

FIRE UP YOUR PIZZA OVEN

In the event you don't have a pizza oven, get a pizza stone, tile or cast iron pan placed upside down so you can cook on the base., in your oven and pre heat the oven to the hottest setting 240 degrees plus.

THE TOMATO BASE

Gently soften the onion and garlic in ooil for 5 minutes or so, add the chopped tomato's and cook until all pulpy and reduced to a thick sauce, add the oregano and season with salt and pepper.

Take you ball of dough and using the tips only of your fingers press the dough down pushing out one third of the way in, do this in a circle motion like you are making a track, keep doing this and you will find that the dough becomes a bigger circle and you get the characteristic rolled crust, once it is the same size as your pie baking tin, place the dough in and squidge the crust up the sides of the dip like you would for pie pastry.

Now the fun bit, filling the pie, I like to place some of the tomato base on first, then grated mozzarella, then the meats, then more grated cheese followed with one whole torn buffalo mozzarella ball finished off with a little drizzle of tomato base to finish.

Bake in the wood fired oven, 450 degrees for approx 5-7 minutes until the cheese is bubbling hot and the crust is browned, if in a domestic oven this pie takes approx 15-20 minutes.

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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.