The thing I love about spring is the ability to get outdoors
more. Not that I generally let it stop play, though, as we just get bundled up
in our warmest layers and throw ourselves into the weather, come wind, rain or
snow. But as it gets warmer, the nicest pastime is
being able to eat outside.
It’s such a sociable thing to do, as there is generally less
distraction (I’m talking about you TV) and so it encourages slower eating, more
conversation and just generally enjoying being surrounded by nature. Listening
to the birds tweeting above and the slight rustling of a breeze between the
trees is just such a relaxing feeling.
With the sun peeking out on Sunday we decided to make the
most of it and get the garden sofa out, set the table and invite family over
for our favourite dish, pizza. The sun filled the patio and warmed our cheeks,
making us feel like we were on the Mediterranean rather than in Yorkshire. We nestled
in among the sofa cushions and chit chatted about what we had been up to.
I set the table with the gorgeous, bright cloth I bought
from our recent travels to India and brought out cushions, blankets and antique candlesticks to create a cosy, bohemian setting to while away a couple of hours with loved
ones. The prosecco was put in to chill alongside my stylish but practical enamel camping mugs, whilst we set to work on making the
feast.
The herbivore (me) made a pesto, goat’s cheese, beetroot and
crushed walnut pizza on a cauliflower base, which I named The Bohemian. If you’ve
never tried a cauliflower base before I recommend you give it a try, as it’s
arguably just as yummy but doesn’t leave you with the heavy bloated feeling
that a bread base does.
The carnivore (him) made a rustic and simple but delicious tomato,
mozzarella, olive and mushroom pizza on a bread base, which we decided to name
The Traditionalist.
With our guests set up at the kitchen island with drinks, we
set to work amidst a silver cloud of flour.
The Bohemian recipe:
My recipe started with putting a cauliflower head into the
food processor and whizzing until it’s a soft powdery rice texture.
Then put it in a bowl and microwave it for four minutes
until heated through.
Once cooled a little, tip out the rice onto a clean tea
towel and scoop each corner up to create a sort of knapsack. Thinking of this made
me start humming the Littlest Hobo theme tune… Wring out the excess moisture –
there should be about a cup full.
Add a quarter of mozzarella, a good pinch of parmesan, salt,
pepper and mixed herbs to the cauliflower rice. Add one egg and mix in a bowl
with your fingers until nicely combined and it resembles a dough.
Then get some baking paper and douse in olive oil or butter
to stop the base sticking. Lay out your ‘rice’ and gently use your fingers to
knead it into a pizza base shape. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
Place the base on the pizza stone, still on the baking
paper, and put it on the top shelf of a preheated oven (250°C/500°F/gas 9). We
used the oven indoors because we don’t have
an outdoor pizza oven but we do often use our pizza stone, which can be placed
on a BBQ or fire pit for an authentic stone baked flavour. We'd love to install an outdoor pizza oven, like this one from Direct Stoves, during the summer.
After 8 or so minutes of being baked on its own, it’s ready
for toppings to be added. Layer your pesto on first, spreading it evenly around
the base. Then place roughly torn goats cheese, a bit of mozzarella, and place
beetroot wedges evenly around it.
Crush your walnuts in a pestle and mortar or just with the
back of a spoon on a chopping board and sprinkle them throughout your pizza.
Pop it back in the oven for another 7-10 minutes to cook and
voila! When it comes out the cheese is gooey, the beets are caramelised and it’s
ready to be enjoyed.
The Traditionalist recipe:
Put the flour and salt on to a clean surface and make an
18cm well in the centre. Add 14g yeast and 1 tbs sugar to the lukewarm water,
mix up with a fork and leave for a few minutes, then pour into the well.
Mix well until it looks like a thick porridge. When the
dough comes together and becomes too hard to mix with your fork, flour your
hands and begin to pat it into a ball.
Knead the dough by rolling it backward and forward using
your hands to pull and push it away from you. Repeat this for 10 minutes, until
you have a smooth, springy, soft dough.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a
kitchen towel wrap, place somewhere warm and let it double in size for about 45
minutes.
You can make your own sauce but for ease we used a readymade
passata. Add your own salt and pepper to taste.
Divide the dough in two – half can be frozen for another
time. With the other half, divide the dough into balls. Flour and cover the
ball and let it rest for about 15 minutes. This will make it easier to roll it
thinly.
Take a piece of the dough, dust your surface and the dough
with a little flour, and roll it out into a rough circle about 0.5cm thick.
Preheat your oven to 250°C/500°F/gas 9.
Put the rolled-out dough rounds onto each of an oiled baking
sheet. At this stage you can apply your topping. Smear the tomato sauce over
the base of your pizzas and spread it out to the edges. Tear over the
mozzarella and scatter with the remaining basil leaves. Add chopped mushrooms
and olives to taste and drizzle with a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil and add
a pinch of salt and pepper.
Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the pizzas are golden and
crispy.
We took them out to our hungry guests on rustic wooden
chopping boards and the pizza stone, standing back to admire the feast. They may not look perfectly round but it adds to the rustic vibe and they tasted delicious.
We
cracked open the prosecco and poured it into camping mugs to add a delightful,
slovenly, rustic, bohemian touch. Hungrily we tucked into the pizzas and oohed
and aahhed at the flavours.
Both pizzas were delicious but very different. The crumbly, salty
cheese combined with the sweet beetroot of The Bohemian provided a salty sweet
combination that was just heaven. The garlicky pesto added the perfect touch to
the base and was a nice change from the usual tomato base. Combined with
chopped walnuts and some peppery rocket for garnish to finish, the textures combine
on the tongue to provide a taste sensation.
The thinly rolled pizza dough of The Traditionalist provided
the most amazing base for the melty mozzarella and tomato, which are staples of
the classic Italian recipe but then were pimped up with mushrooms and olives
but you could add anything you like. The carnivore (him) kept this one veggie
to suit all tastes but could as easily have added some lovely cold cut prosciutto.
After we’d had our fill of pizza, we sat well into the evening chatting. Wrapped up in the blankets, we lit the fire and absorbed the
warmth on the chilly spring evening. As the embers died down we bade
our farewell to our guests but promised that we would do it again very soon.
Roll on long summer days and more outdoor feasting.
Ooooh wow I absolutely adore this outdoor area! It looks so lovely and definitely inviting for summer evenings with friends.
ReplyDeleteLove, Kerstin | http://www.missgetaway.com/
Thanks Kerstin. It felt very cosy and relaxed, perfect for outdoor dining. I'm hoping for a lovely warm summer so we can eat outdoors every night. :)
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