Pizza Dough

This is an easy dough recipe and, the philistine that I am, I use any flour I have, primarily all purpose. The thin crusts are my favorite, I like them with crunch!

Makes : 1 thick crust or 2 thin crusts

4 cups (520g) white flour + more as needed

2½ tsps. dry active yeast

1½ tsp salt

2 Tbsps. + more for brushing olive oil

1¼ cups warm water (105 to 110°F)

1/4 cup tomato sauce

Cheese of choice (80-100g)

Toppings of choice 

1. Use some of the water (the ¼ cup is fine) to dissolve the yeast.
2. If using a mixer, combine all the ingredients. With a dough attachment, turn on the machine to medium-low speed (Kitchen Aid = 2) 
3. Let rest 2 min then mix another 30 secs.
4. Remove and hand knead on a floured surface for at least 4 mins. NOTE also cover with flour before starting to knead. The dough is sticky! It will absorb the flour on the board, so add more flour to the board as it becomes too sticky.
5. If mixing by hand, on a board or the counter, make a mound of flour, sprinkle on the salt, create a bowl in the center of the flour mound, and start adding the oil, water and dissolved yeast, combining with your fingers. 
6. As when making pasta, the dough is sticky! It will absorb the flour on the board, so add more flour to the board as it continues to stick to your hands. Otherwise, it will be quite sticky to start but should become whole feel like slightly tacky ball of dough.
7. Oil a bowl and put the dough in to rise. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise for 1½ hours and a warm draft-free place.
8. Put a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F for 30 mins (if no stone use a cast iron frying pan as preheat-sink and place dough on top of heated cast iron pan).
9. While the oven and pizza stone are heating up, spread out dough by hand. Use a fork to pierce the dough all over, then brush with olive oil. 
10. Put the toppings on.
11. Turn down the temperature to 425°F and cook for 20 mins OR until the edges start to brown (note that the dough will cook another 5 on the counter as it cools).
12. Let cool on rack or perforated pizza pan.

Stovetop Scalloped Potatoes

A very quick hot dish, it's full of creamy starchiness. And you only need one stovetop element while making something else to go with. As a main dish, accompany with a pilaf.

3 Tbsps. butter (1½ oz/42gr)

1 small onion, chopped (4oz/115g)

4 medium potatoes, sliced thin (1lb 12oz or 800 grams)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 cup grated sharp cheddar (4 oz/115g) (Old English very good)

OPTIONAL - 1 - 2 tsps minced herbs (chives or thyme or rosemary)

1. Sauté onion in butter until they are lightly browned and soft. 
2. Add the potatoes, salt and milk. 
3. Cover and cook slowly, approximately 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. 
4. Remove cover and sprinkle with cheese. Stir in very gently. Serve at once. 

Creamy Curried Chickpeas

In brackets is the quantity when I'm only making this recipe to go with rice. The un-bracketed quantity is for a multiple dish meal.

Serves 4 as a main course

(OPTIONAL: Saute ½ onion chopped and 2 cloves chopped garlic for 4 to 5 mins then add ingredients)

1lb/453.6ml canned tomato puree or unseasoned tomato sauce

3 cups (1lb12oz/780g) milk

4 cups (1lb10oz/780g) cooked chickpeas (or 400 to 500g paneer) (OR BOTH, by halving the amount of each)

4 tsps. garam masala

1 tsp paprika or cayenne or Indian red chili powder or both

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1½ tsp garlic powder or 4 tsps. minced ginger and garlic or ginger-garlic paste

4 bay leaves, optional

4 Tbsps. (75g) yogurt 

+ 4 tsp yogurt for garnish drizzle

cilantro, sliced green chilies and lime for garnish

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add all the ingredients and mix really well. Bring to a boil. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. You can add more garam masala if you like or some ground cumin and ground coriander for additional flavor.
2. There will be a lot of liquid. Cook down at least 20 minutes, maybe longer. 
3. The sauce will thicken more as it cools so you don’t want it too thick while it’s hot.
4. Serve the butter chickpeas garnished with cilantro, lemon juice, and sliced green chillies or with rice or flatbread, or naan. You can also add a garnish of cream.

Onion, Cheddar and Bacon Pasta

This is more of a cold weather dish, with the warmth of the browned onions and smoky bacon. Wonderfully warming and creamy. 

5 servings 

6 to 8oz bacon, cut into lardons

¼ cup bacon fat

4 medium onions (24oz/680g) thinly sliced

¼ Tbsps white wine

1 lb spaghetti, linguini or fettucine etc.

1½ cups whipping (heavy) cream

6oz shredded Cheddar cheese 

Salt, to taste

1. Cook the bacon until just before it crisps, or until it is of a light golden colour. Remove it from the fat and set aside, keeping about ¼ cup of fat (if there isn't enough fat, add butter. Chop the bacon into pieces and set aside.
2. To the hot bacon fat add the onion to caramelize. To properly caramelize, cook the onions over med-low heat, preferably using a diffuser, stirring often; this can take a half hour+, be patient. It's worth it. 
3. When the onions are of a delicious brown and very soft, the sugars will have stuck to the bottom of the pan creating the fond and a lot of the flavor. Deglazed with the wine. Add as much wine as you need to get that lovely fond moving... (within reason. If you want more white wine, pour some in a glass and drink it).
4. Put the pasta on to boil.
5. Add the cream to the onions and bring to the boiling point. Turn off the heat. Mix in the cheese and the bacon.
6. Pour over the noodles; toss to coat. Test the seasoning and add salt to your liking, a pinch at a time.
7. Serve with a good grind of black pepper.

Pasta with Bacon, Swiss chard and Gruyère

This delicious concoction harbors hidden chunks of crisp bacon that don't make it into every delicious bite, but when they do, they are like little secret savory explosions of crunchy deliciousness.

1lb Swiss chard, leaf separated from stem and sliced, stems sliced thin

2 tsps. vegetable oil

2 oz bacon cut into lardons

3 garlic cloves

½ cup white wine

½ cup heavy cream

2 tsps. chopped fresh sage

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

8 to 12 oz chunky pasta OR spaghettini

3 oz Gruyère, If using Chunky Pasta, cube 1/4"; If using spaghettini, coarsely grate

1. In a pot of boiling salted water, cook chard stems for about 2 minutes, then add chard leaves and cook an extra minute. To save the water for cooking the pasta, remove the chard with a slotted spoon and drain in a colander.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add bacon, and cook until crispy and rendered; set aside. 
3. Reduce heat to low, add the garlic and cook until just starting to go brown. 
4. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half. 
5. Add the heavy cream and sage and simmer for 2 minutes. 
6. Add the salt, pepper and reserved chard; cover and remove from heat. 
7. Return the pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and add to the skillet. 
8. Toss the hot pasta with the sauce, Gruyère and reserved bacon until the cheese starts to melt.