THE COOKBOOK 12 TOMATO-BASED PIZZA IDEAS ROAST FENNEL, GOAT’S CURD, THYME, CHILLI Roasting fennel really intensifies its flavour and it goes well with soft creamy goat’s curd. Use another creamy cheese like burrata or Gorgonzola, if you prefer. To a thin base of tomato sauce add a handful of roast fennel wedges. Dot with goat’s curd, about 75g (¼ cup). Sprinkle on some fresh thyme leaves and a pinch of dried chilli flakes. Season with a grind of salt and pepper and add a good drizzle of olive oil. FOR THE ROAST FENNEL: Spread out thinly sliced fennel wedges on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper and a few chilli flakes. Slide into a hot oven and roast for 20–25 minutes, until soft and lightly caramelized. ANCHOVIES, GARLIC, OREGANO, MOZZARELLA To a base of tomato sauce, add a handful of anchovy fillets. Scatter over a finely sliced clove of garlic and a sprinkle of oregano – fresh leaves or dried – and dot the top with a few generous lumps of mozzarella, 4 or 5 pieces torn from a ball. Add a sprinkle of dried chilli flakes for extra punch, season with a little pepper and drizzle with oil before cooking. OVEN-DRIED TOMATOES, SPINACH, EGG, MOZZARELLA, PARMESAN I love putting an egg on a pizza, and for a long time the Fiorentina was my pizza of choice at a rather well-known pizza restaurant. Now that I’ve mastered my own pizza- making in the wood-fired oven, this is still one of my very favourite combinations. Top your pizza base with a little tomato sauce and dot spoonfuls of seasoned spinach around the edge to create a ‘wall’ to hold the egg in. Add about 4–5 oven- dried tomato halves around the edge (see page 182), or use ‘semi-dried’ tomatoes from a deli counter, along with a few chunks of mozzarella torn from a ball. Just before sliding it into the oven, crack an egg into the centre and season the top with salt and pepper. Slide the pizza into the oven to cook. Once it’s out of the oven, scatter over a few shavings of Parmesan. FOR THE SPINACH: Wash a couple of handfuls of spinach per pizza, shake dry and tip into a saucepan. Cover with a lid and set over a medium–low heat to wilt for a few minutes. Scoop into a sieve, set aside to cool a little, then press the spinach firmly to squeeze out as much water as possible. Place in a bowl, stir in a drizzle of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. ’NDUJA, ROCKET, RICOTTA ’Nduja is a spreadable and rather fiery salami. It’s seriously addictive and it’s brill on pizzas, where it sort of melts into an intense savoury chilli hit. It works really well with all sorts of pizza toppings, so try it in other combinations too. Find it online or, increasingly, in larger supermarkets. Spread the base with a little tomato sauce and dot little cubes of ’nduja on top, about 30–40g (¼ cup) or so. Bake in the oven in the normal way, then, while it’s still piping hot, add a few teaspoons of ricotta cheese and a big handful of rocket leaves. Drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil, add a grind of black pepper, and eat immediately, before the rocket wilts. 34PIZZA OF COURSE!12 TOMATO-BASED PIZZA IDEAS ROAST FENNEL, GOAT’S CURD, THYME, CHILLI Roasting fennel really intensifies its flavour and it goes well with soft creamy goat’s curd. Use another creamy cheese like burrata or Gorgonzola, if you prefer. To a thin base of tomato sauce add a handful of roast fennel wedges. Dot with goat’s curd, about 75g (¼ cup). Sprinkle on some fresh thyme leaves and a pinch of dried chilli flakes. Season with a grind of salt and pepper and add a good drizzle of olive oil. FOR THE ROAST FENNEL: Spread out thinly sliced fennel wedges on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper and a few chilli flakes. Slide into a hot oven and roast for 20–25 minutes, until soft and lightly caramelized. ANCHOVIES, GARLIC, OREGANO, MOZZARELLA To a base of tomato sauce, add a handful of anchovy fillets. Scatter over a finely sliced clove of garlic and a sprinkle of oregano – fresh leaves or dried – and dot the top with a few generous lumps of mozzarella, 4 or 5 pieces torn from a ball. Add a sprinkle of dried chilli flakes for extra punch, season with a little pepper and drizzle with oil before cooking. OVEN-DRIED TOMATOES, SPINACH, EGG, MOZZARELLA, PARMESAN I love putting an egg on a pizza, and for a long time the Fiorentina was my pizza of choice at a rather well-known pizza restaurant. Now that I’ve mastered my own pizza- making in the wood-fired oven, this is still one of my very favourite combinations. Top your pizza base with a little tomato sauce and dot spoonfuls of seasoned spinach around the edge to create a ‘wall’ to hold the egg in. Add about 4–5 oven- dried tomato halves around the edge (see page 182), or use ‘semi-dried’ tomatoes from a deli counter, along with a few chunks of mozzarella torn from a ball. Just before sliding it into the oven, crack an egg into the centre and season the top with salt and pepper. Slide the pizza into the oven to cook. Once it’s out of the oven, scatter over a few shavings of Parmesan. FOR THE SPINACH: Wash a couple of handfuls of spinach per pizza, shake dry and tip into a saucepan. Cover with a lid and set over a medium–low heat to wilt for a few minutes. Scoop into a sieve, set aside to cool a little, then press the spinach firmly to squeeze out as much water as possible. Place in a bowl, stir in a drizzle of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. ’NDUJA, ROCKET, RICOTTA ’Nduja is a spreadable and rather fiery salami. It’s seriously addictive and it’s brill on pizzas, where it sort of melts into an intense savoury chilli hit. It works really well with all sorts of pizza toppings, so try it in other combinations too. Find it online or, increasingly, in larger supermarkets. Spread the base with a little tomato sauce and dot little cubes of ’nduja on top, about 30–40g (¼ cup) or so. Bake in the oven in the normal way, then, while it’s still piping hot, add a few teaspoons of ricotta cheese and a big handful of rocket leaves. Drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil, add a grind of black pepper, and eat immediately, before the rocket wilts. 34PIZZA OF COURSE!ROASTING AND GRILLING70 WOOD ROAST RATATOUILLE This is a really loose recipe, ripe for adapting to whatever quantities of Mediterranean veg you happen to have to hand, and is perfect for tweaking in lots of ways (see below for a few ideas). It’s great to make in midsummer when all these veg are plentiful and cheap. This recipe makes a generous amount, more than you need in one sitting, but it keeps well for several days in the fridge and tastes really good at room temperature too, making it ideal for picnics or workday lunches. 250–280°C (480–535°F) SERVES 4–6 You need a good hot roasting oven for this recipe – a temperature of 250–280°C (480–535°F) with some live flames is ideal to get plenty of good colour into the veg. Like many recipes in this book, you can definitely cook it at a lower temperature – it will just take a bit longer and you will get slightly less intense flavours. Put the diced aubergines and peppers into a large roasting tin, drizzle over the olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper. Slide into the hot oven, near the fire, to roast for 10–15 minutes, taking out the tray and stirring once or twice, depending on the heat of the fire. You are looking to get some good colour into the vegetables. Remove the tin and add the courgettes and garlic. Stir to mix, and roast for another 10 minutes. Remove the tin from the oven again and add the tomatoes, vinegar and sugar, once again stirring together. Slide the tin back into the oven and cook for another 20–25 minutes, by which time the vegetables should be caramelized, soft and tender. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then drizzle over the extra virgin olive oil, scatter on the basil, toss everything together well and spoon into a serving dish. Sprinkle generously with the Parmesan and serve, either warm or at room temperature. 2 aubergines (eggplants), cut into small dice 2 red, yellow or orange (bell) peppers, cut into small dice 5 tbsp olive oil 3 courgettes (zucchini), cut into small dice 5 fat cloves of garlic, finely chopped 750g (1lb 10oz) cherry tomatoes, quartered 4 tbsp red wine vinegar 2 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar, or a little less if your tomatoes are really ripe salt and freshly ground black pepper To serve 2–3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling a large bunch of fresh basil, chopped 75g (1 cup) Parmesan, freshly grated, or to taste AND ANOTHER THING... • Add a drained and rinsed tin of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or cannellini beans along with the tomatoes (or better still, some home- cooked ones, see page 179). • Toss through a couple of tablespoons of chopped capers or black olives just before serving. • Add some spices as you roast the veg (a generous teaspoon each of ground cumin and coriander, a little pinch of cinnamon) and you’ll have a version of the Turkish dish turlu turlu.ROASTING AND GRILLING70 WOOD ROAST RATATOUILLE This is a really loose recipe, ripe for adapting to whatever quantities of Mediterranean veg you happen to have to hand, and is perfect for tweaking in lots of ways (see below for a few ideas). It’s great to make in midsummer when all these veg are plentiful and cheap. This recipe makes a generous amount, more than you need in one sitting, but it keeps well for several days in the fridge and tastes really good at room temperature too, making it ideal for picnics or workday lunches. 250–280°C (480–535°F) SERVES 4–6 You need a good hot roasting oven for this recipe – a temperature of 250–280°C (480–535°F) with some live flames is ideal to get plenty of good colour into the veg. Like many recipes in this book, you can definitely cook it at a lower temperature – it will just take a bit longer and you will get slightly less intense flavours. Put the diced aubergines and peppers into a large roasting tin, drizzle over the olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper. Slide into the hot oven, near the fire, to roast for 10–15 minutes, taking out the tray and stirring once or twice, depending on the heat of the fire. You are looking to get some good colour into the vegetables. Remove the tin and add the courgettes and garlic. Stir to mix, and roast for another 10 minutes. Remove the tin from the oven again and add the tomatoes, vinegar and sugar, once again stirring together. Slide the tin back into the oven and cook for another 20–25 minutes, by which time the vegetables should be caramelized, soft and tender. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then drizzle over the extra virgin olive oil, scatter on the basil, toss everything together well and spoon into a serving dish. Sprinkle generously with the Parmesan and serve, either warm or at room temperature. 2 aubergines (eggplants), cut into small dice 2 red, yellow or orange (bell) peppers, cut into small dice 5 tbsp olive oil 3 courgettes (zucchini), cut into small dice 5 fat cloves of garlic, finely chopped 750g (1lb 10oz) cherry tomatoes, quartered 4 tbsp red wine vinegar 2 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar, or a little less if your tomatoes are really ripe salt and freshly ground black pepper To serve 2–3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling a large bunch of fresh basil, chopped 75g (1 cup) Parmesan, freshly grated, or to taste AND ANOTHER THING... • Add a drained and rinsed tin of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or cannellini beans along with the tomatoes (or better still, some home- cooked ones, see page 179). • Toss through a couple of tablespoons of chopped capers or black olives just before serving. • Add some spices as you roast the veg (a generous teaspoon each of ground cumin and coriander, a little pinch of cinnamon) and you’ll have a version of the Turkish dish turlu turlu.ROASTING AND GRILLING84 CHILLI ROAST PINEAPPLE WITH WHIPPED COCONUT CREAM Roasting a whole pineapple certainly has a wow factor about it, especially if you leave the top on, which will burn and frazzle with a little drama in the flames. The fruit is caramelized with sugar spiked with chilli and a splash of rum, which cooks to a dark golden syrup as it roasts. 240–250°C (460–480°F) SERVES 4–6 The oven needs to be running a good steady roasting temperature with some live flame and plenty of glowing embers. Put the chilled coconut cream into a mixing bowl, along with the icing sugar, and beat with an electric whisk until you have soft billowing peaks. You can also use a balloon whisk and a lot of elbow grease! Scoop into a serving bowl and keep chilled. You can make the coconut cream several hours before you eat if you want to get ahead. To prepare the pineapple for roasting, use a large sharp knife to chop off the top and bottom, or keep the top on for dramatic effect in the oven if you like. Rest the pineapple flat bottom down to keep it stable, and slice down in thin strips to remove the peel, cutting just a few millimetres of skin off. The pineapple will now be left with a load of unsightly brown eyes that you don’t want to eat. If you look closely you can see that the eyes are in spiral lines running diagonally around the pineapple. Turn the pineapple on to its side, take a small sharp knife, and cut a deep V-shaped trench down either side of a row of eyes, removing the row in one piece. Rotate the pineapple a little and move on to the next row. Repeat until all the eyes have been removed. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and chilli flakes, then, using a combination of a teaspoon and fingers, press this mix into the spirals all around the pineapple. Once you’ve used up all the sugar, rest the pineapple upright in a small roasting tin and slide it into the hot oven. If you are using the rum, pour it over the top of the pineapple and let it puddle at the base. Roast for about 20–25 minutes with the door open, rotating the tin frequently. Every 5 minutes or so, slide the tin towards you and use a silicon brush to baste the pineapple with the syrupy juices. If you have roasted the pineapple with its top on, slice it off before serving. Cut the pineapple into wedges and serve while warm with the chilled coconut cream alongside. 1 x 250ml (9fl oz) carton of coconut cream, chilled overnight 1 tbsp icing (confectioners’) sugar 1 large ripe pineapple 5 tbsp dark brown sugar 2 tsp chilli flakes, or to taste 2 tbsp golden rum (optional)ROASTING AND GRILLING84 CHILLI ROAST PINEAPPLE WITH WHIPPED COCONUT CREAM Roasting a whole pineapple certainly has a wow factor about it, especially if you leave the top on, which will burn and frazzle with a little drama in the flames. The fruit is caramelized with sugar spiked with chilli and a splash of rum, which cooks to a dark golden syrup as it roasts. 240–250°C (460–480°F) SERVES 4–6 The oven needs to be running a good steady roasting temperature with some live flame and plenty of glowing embers. Put the chilled coconut cream into a mixing bowl, along with the icing sugar, and beat with an electric whisk until you have soft billowing peaks. You can also use a balloon whisk and a lot of elbow grease! Scoop into a serving bowl and keep chilled. You can make the coconut cream several hours before you eat if you want to get ahead. To prepare the pineapple for roasting, use a large sharp knife to chop off the top and bottom, or keep the top on for dramatic effect in the oven if you like. Rest the pineapple flat bottom down to keep it stable, and slice down in thin strips to remove the peel, cutting just a few millimetres of skin off. The pineapple will now be left with a load of unsightly brown eyes that you don’t want to eat. If you look closely you can see that the eyes are in spiral lines running diagonally around the pineapple. Turn the pineapple on to its side, take a small sharp knife, and cut a deep V-shaped trench down either side of a row of eyes, removing the row in one piece. Rotate the pineapple a little and move on to the next row. Repeat until all the eyes have been removed. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and chilli flakes, then, using a combination of a teaspoon and fingers, press this mix into the spirals all around the pineapple. Once you’ve used up all the sugar, rest the pineapple upright in a small roasting tin and slide it into the hot oven. If you are using the rum, pour it over the top of the pineapple and let it puddle at the base. Roast for about 20–25 minutes with the door open, rotating the tin frequently. Every 5 minutes or so, slide the tin towards you and use a silicon brush to baste the pineapple with the syrupy juices. If you have roasted the pineapple with its top on, slice it off before serving. Cut the pineapple into wedges and serve while warm with the chilled coconut cream alongside. 1 x 250ml (9fl oz) carton of coconut cream, chilled overnight 1 tbsp icing (confectioners’) sugar 1 large ripe pineapple 5 tbsp dark brown sugar 2 tsp chilli flakes, or to taste 2 tbsp golden rum (optional)WALNUT AND BLACK PEPPER ‘LEAF BREAD’ WITH BAKED CAMEMBERT The proper name for this multi-lobed bread is ‘fougasse’, but my daughter said it looked like a leaf, and so leaf bread it has become. Whatever you call it, it is delicious – the shape of the bread gives you maximum crust, which is exactly what you want to scoop up the oozing cheese. Inspiration for this bread came from the brilliant Chez Panisse Menu cookbook by Alice Waters. Alice’s recipe is rather more complex and she, of course, calls it by its proper name . . . 200–210°C (400–410°F) MAKES ONE LARGE FLAT LOAF, SERVING ABOUT 4 AS STARTER OR AS PART OF A TAPAS MEAL You need an even baking temperature of around 200°C (400°F) for this bread. Because it is thin it cooks pretty fast, so you can cook it with a little live flame with the door ajar, or you can cook with the glowing embers and the door shut. It’s quite a forgiving kind of bread. Put the flour, black pepper, yeast and salt into a mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Whizz the walnuts in a food processor until they are coarsely ground, or chop very finely with a sharp knife. Stir into the flour mix. Pour in the warm water and bring the dough together with a wooden spoon until it forms a rough ball. Set aside for 10 minutes for the flour to hydrate. Lightly oil the worktop and tip the dough on to it. Scrape any bits of flour from the bowl, and drizzle the inside with a little oil, using your hands to spread it all over. With oiled hands, very lightly knead the dough for just 10 seconds, with one pull per second. Put back into the bowl, cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Repeat this 10-second knead and 10-minute rest twice more. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover and leave until risen by a good 50 per cent, which will take an hour or so. Once the dough has risen, lightly flour the worktop and scrape the dough on to it. Using floured hands, gently flatten and pat the dough into an oval that’s about two-thirds the size of your wooden peel. Lift on to a lightly floured wooden peel and use a really sharp knife to cut diagonal slashes on one side of the loaf from the middle to nearly the edge, opening up the gaps so it looks like a large tropical leaf. Repeat on the other side, then set aside to prove for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, get the Camembert ready for baking. Unwrap the cheese and place it in a small heatproof dish – I use a shallow enamel bowl, but any small baking dish would be fine. Use a small sharp knife to pierce a dozen slits in the top, and into these press slivers of garlic and bits of rosemary. Drizzle over the sherry and season with salt and pepper. Immediately before baking, drizzle the bread with a little oil and sprinkle over some sea salt flakes. Slide the loaf into the hot oven and bake for 15 minutes. After that time, slide the dish of cheese alongside, and rotate the bread if necessary to make sure it’s cooking evenly. Bake both for another 10–15 minutes, until the cheese is oozing and the bread is crisp. Serve immediately, while hot. 300g (2¼ cups) strong white bread flour 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper ½ tsp instant yeast ½ tsp fine salt 100g (1 cup) walnuts 200ml (¾ cup) hand-hot water olive oil, for kneading and drizzling For the Camembert 1 whole ripe Camembert 1 clove of garlic, finely sliced a sprig of fresh rosemary, needles picked 2 tbsp dry sherry (use dry white vermouth or white wine if you prefer) sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper 108BAKING: BREADWALNUT AND BLACK PEPPER ‘LEAF BREAD’ WITH BAKED CAMEMBERT The proper name for this multi-lobed bread is ‘fougasse’, but my daughter said it looked like a leaf, and so leaf bread it has become. Whatever you call it, it is delicious – the shape of the bread gives you maximum crust, which is exactly what you want to scoop up the oozing cheese. Inspiration for this bread came from the brilliant Chez Panisse Menu cookbook by Alice Waters. Alice’s recipe is rather more complex and she, of course, calls it by its proper name . . . 200–210°C (400–410°F) MAKES ONE LARGE FLAT LOAF, SERVING ABOUT 4 AS STARTER OR AS PART OF A TAPAS MEAL You need an even baking temperature of around 200°C (400°F) for this bread. Because it is thin it cooks pretty fast, so you can cook it with a little live flame with the door ajar, or you can cook with the glowing embers and the door shut. It’s quite a forgiving kind of bread. Put the flour, black pepper, yeast and salt into a mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Whizz the walnuts in a food processor until they are coarsely ground, or chop very finely with a sharp knife. Stir into the flour mix. Pour in the warm water and bring the dough together with a wooden spoon until it forms a rough ball. Set aside for 10 minutes for the flour to hydrate. Lightly oil the worktop and tip the dough on to it. Scrape any bits of flour from the bowl, and drizzle the inside with a little oil, using your hands to spread it all over. With oiled hands, very lightly knead the dough for just 10 seconds, with one pull per second. Put back into the bowl, cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Repeat this 10-second knead and 10-minute rest twice more. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover and leave until risen by a good 50 per cent, which will take an hour or so. Once the dough has risen, lightly flour the worktop and scrape the dough on to it. Using floured hands, gently flatten and pat the dough into an oval that’s about two-thirds the size of your wooden peel. Lift on to a lightly floured wooden peel and use a really sharp knife to cut diagonal slashes on one side of the loaf from the middle to nearly the edge, opening up the gaps so it looks like a large tropical leaf. Repeat on the other side, then set aside to prove for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, get the Camembert ready for baking. Unwrap the cheese and place it in a small heatproof dish – I use a shallow enamel bowl, but any small baking dish would be fine. Use a small sharp knife to pierce a dozen slits in the top, and into these press slivers of garlic and bits of rosemary. Drizzle over the sherry and season with salt and pepper. Immediately before baking, drizzle the bread with a little oil and sprinkle over some sea salt flakes. Slide the loaf into the hot oven and bake for 15 minutes. After that time, slide the dish of cheese alongside, and rotate the bread if necessary to make sure it’s cooking evenly. Bake both for another 10–15 minutes, until the cheese is oozing and the bread is crisp. Serve immediately, while hot. 300g (2¼ cups) strong white bread flour 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper ½ tsp instant yeast ½ tsp fine salt 100g (1 cup) walnuts 200ml (¾ cup) hand-hot water olive oil, for kneading and drizzling For the Camembert 1 whole ripe Camembert 1 clove of garlic, finely sliced a sprig of fresh rosemary, needles picked 2 tbsp dry sherry (use dry white vermouth or white wine if you prefer) sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper 108BAKING: BREADNext >