Garlic, Mushroom, Spinach, Onion and Pine Nut Pizza.

Isn't pizza great? Last week I decided to buy myself a pizza stone because quite simply; I really love pizza. When it arrived I couldn't wait to try it out and I've got to say I am actually really pleased with it. I decided to make this garlic, mushroom, spinach and pine nut pizza which is a pizza I had never made before but, I just thought that all of the toppings sounded like they would work perfectly together and they did just that. I've seen a lot of good reviews for pizza stones about them adding a gorgeous crisp texture to the pizza base but, I have also seen a lot of bad reviews for pizza stones about them breaking really easily. All I can say is that so far my pizza stone has worked great and the stone gave my pizza a lovely, golden and crisp crust which tasted delicious and had a lovely light, soft centre and it also didn't snap in half on first use which, I am pretty pleased about.

I have never really had a pizza without a tomato sauce base but, for this one I just decided to spread the dough with some olive oil and finely chopped garlic and I really loved the flavour it added to my pizza and how it perfectly complimented the other toppings. I added a bit of Cornish yarg too as I ofcourse live in Cornwall so, I thought it would be nice to try a bit of homemade cheese. It is a really nice cheese with a lovely creamy texture but, it does have a very mild, mellow flavour so, it doesn't have to be used on the pizza as it doesn't really add any extra flavour to the dish. You could easily use all mozzarella or maybe some vintage cheddar for a stronger flavour or you could even add some slices of goats cheese, a crumbling of feta or a dusting of parmesan for the non-veggie eaters. Your choice! I definitely recommend trying this pizza though if you are a big pizza fan and especially if you are looking to try a bit of a different pizza topping because this one is just lovely! 

Recipe

For the Pizza Dough-

500g strong white bread flour

1/2 tsp. sea salt

7g yeast sachet

1/2 tbsp. caster sugar

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 

325ml lukewarm water

For the Topping-

1 1/2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, chopped finely 

100g mozzarella, grated

100g Cornish yarg, grated

1 tbsp. butter

100g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, cut into thin wedges

A large handful of spinach

A scattering of pine nuts

A sprinkling of corn meal to stop the pizza from sticking would also be extremely handy.

Method

1. Start by making the pizza dough. In a standing mixer sieve the bread flour into the bowl. Add the salt, yeast, sugar, olive oil and water. Mix on slow with a dough hook and once combined, turn up the mixing speed to knead lightly for a few minutes.

2. Remove the dough and begin kneading on a lightly floured surface by hand. Knead for around 7 minutes until the dough is smooth and springy. Place the ball of dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Place in a warm place and allow to rise for about an hour until the dough has doubled in size.

3. Now prepare the pizza toppings. Slice the mushrooms and fry in 1 tbsp. butter until brown and soft. Set aside on kitchen paper to absorb some of the grease. Next, peel and chop the onions into wedges, fry in a dash of olive oil until bronze and slightly crispy and set aside. Wilt the spinach by placing in a saucepan, adding a few drops of water and heating on a low temperature until completely wilted. Now set aside and remember to squeeze the spinach to remove some of the excess moisture before placing on top of the pizza. Then peel and chop 3 cloves of garlic very finely, add to a frying pan with 1 tbsp. of olive oil and heat at a very low temperature until the garlic becomes very fragrant, about 3 or 4 minutes. Don't allow the garlic to go golden or burn as burnt garlic tastes awful! Now, pour this into a bowl and set aside. 

4. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Knock back the dough by kneading it around a bit to push out the air.

5. Divide the dough into three balls as there is enough to make three pizzas. You can either use the dough straight away, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for later use or the dough can also be frozen.

6. Now, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a corn meal dusted tray or  plate and place on the toppings. Rub the garlic and olive oil across the top of the dough and sprinkle with grated mozzarella and 75g of the grated yarg cheese. Now place on the sliced mushrooms, spinach and crispy onions to create an attractive finish, sprinkle over the remaining 25g of Cornish yarg and finish with a scattering of pine nuts.

7. Place the pizza stone in a cold oven and allow the oven to heat up to 200°C to 220°C. I have been using mine at 200°C just to make sure that the stone doesn't snap but, 220°C would give a crisper base. Once the temperature is reached, quickly open the oven door and slide the pizza from on the tray or plate onto the pizza stone. You could use a pizza paddle for this which would be very helpful but, because I don't have one I just used the dusting of corn meal to stop my pizza from sticking and then because it didn't just slide off of the plate I also used a fish slice to help me wriggle it off the plate onto the stone and it actually worked really well.

8. Cook for around 12 minutes until the base is crisp and bronze and the cheese is melted and golden. Remove from the oven, slice up and enjoy!

Summer Vegetable Pizza Pie.

I always find that whenever I do any baking, I tend to go straight to the internet to find new recipes to try even though I've got a huge stack of delicious cookbooks in my bedroom so, today I decided to make my first recipe out of my Higgidy Cookbook and I'm very glad I did as this pizza pie was lovely. It is very similar to a quiche so, perfect to serve alongside some salad in the summer or to even take as a yummy snack for a picnic. I literally fell in love with the croustade pastry, it is gorgeous and tastes like a rich, buttery cheese scone. Yum! The filling was also very tasty and quirky and tasted very fresh and summery with all of the summery vegetables and the addition of the lemon zest. 

I really loved this pizza pie and it was actually really easy to make too which is good as pastry dishes can often be quite faffy and require lots of skill and time to make them look neat. I love the rustic look of this pizza pie which, is perfect for me as I have always been pretty terrible at shaping pastry and haven't quite managed to make any gourmet looking quiches or pies in all my ten or so years of baking yet but, I didn't think this pizza pie looked too shabby. 

Has anyone else stumbled upon any delicious recipes recently in their mound of long forgotten about cookbooks? 

Recipe

For the Savoury Croustade Pastry:

200g plain flour, plus a little for dusting

A generous pinch of salt

75g unsalted butter, well chilled and cut into small cubes

50g mature Cheddar cheese, finely grated

1 medium egg, beaten

2-3 tbsp. ice-cold water

For the Filling:

A knob of butter

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 courgette, cut into discs and then halved or quartered to make small chunks

4 large spring onions, cut into 1.5cm slices on an angle

75g asparagus, chop each asparagus spear into three

250g full-fat cream cheese

1 medium egg

Zest of 1 lemon

2 tbsp. chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Topping:

1 ball buffalo mozzarella, torn

A little beaten egg, for brushing and glazing

Finely grated zest 1/2 lemon

Method

1. Start by making the savoury croustade pastry. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl, add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the grated cheddar and stir until the cheese is just mixed in. Add the beaten egg and a few splashes of ice cold water and mix just enough to bring the pastry together. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly until smooth. Try not to handle too much or the fat will get warm and the pastry may turn out tough and chewy. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30-60 minutes before use.

2. Now prepare the pizza pie filling. Melt the butter in a large frying pan. When it's sizzling throw in the garlic, courgettes and asparagus and fry over a high heat for 2 minutes. Add the spring onions and fry for a further 4 minutes or until the veg is beginning to steam but, hasn't lost it's vibrant colour. Now set aside to cool.

3. Beat the egg in a medium bowl and then beat in the cream cheese until fully incorporated. Season with black pepper. Add two-thirds of the cooled vegetables, the lemon zest and chopped parsley and stir to combine. Preheat the oven to 200°C. 

4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into a 30cm circle about 3mm thick. Transfer to a large baking sheet (the pastry may hang over the sides). Spoon the creamy mixture onto the pastry, leaving a border of about 5cm all the way round the edge. Sprinkle over a third of the torn mozzarella and a good grating of black pepper and a pinch of salt. Top with the remaining vegetables and mozzarella and turn up the excess pastry around the edges of the filling.

5. Brush any exposed pastry with beaten egg and bake for about 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp. Finally, remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing into wedges and serving.