Newsgroups: alt.callahans
From: cliveg@cix.compulink.co.uk (Clive Grace)
Subject: Re: Moving Right Along
Reply-To: cliveg@cix.compulink.co.uk
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 11:04:00 +0000


Tanais' 20 minute Pizza
=======================

Ingredients:
============

Pizza Dough Mix (I did say it was a 20 minute Pizza)
1/2lb Cheese, grated (any kind, but I use cheddar)
1 Tin of Peeled plum tomatos -- strained
1/2 jar of Tomato Puree
1 Clove of Garlic (per 2 people)
1 Large Onion (roughly chopped)
1 Large pawful of fresh (*not* dried) Parsley
1 Tablespoon of Green or Red Pesto sauce.
3 Tablespoons of olive oil

Have some plain white Flour on hand
One large Pizza Dish -- this will make a 15 inch thin and crispy 
pizza

It's 20 minute because I cheated and used a Pizza base mix... it's 
also vegetarian: (but only because of the toppings I use -- 
carni/omnivores may add what they like). This is the recipe for my 20 
minute Pizza. It came together on a whim and like Muffin recipes, the 
variations and combinations are endless.

Switch oven on to 160 degrees for fan assisted ovens. (180 degrees or 
Gas Mark 5-6 for normal/Gas ovens). And let it reach the right heat 
as you mix the dough and make the sauce.

Mix and knead the dough (as per instructions. I use a Magimix with a 
dough hook for about a minute, some mixes are very dry some are too 
wet. Add water if it's too thick or add white flour if it's too wet. 
If you hand knead the dough, then don't worry if it all seems to 
stick to your hands at first, when it reaches the right consistency 
it somehow magically pulls away from your hands and ends up on the 
dough ball).

(as you knead you can do all sorts of fun things like add some 
parsley or garlic, or both! If you do, add a teaspoon of olive oil so 
that it's well mixed in with the dough)

With a well-floured rolling pin, flatten it out on a board. Take care 
not to let the dough rip away onto the rolling pin. Always add more 
flour (a paw at a time) if you need to. Oil the Pizza tray (for thin 
and crispy bases I use a 15-inch souffle dish) and flatten the dough 
out on a board. Transfer the dough disk to the pizza tray and 
paw-spread out any irregularities taking care not to split the dough 
base.

Against all recommendations, I put just the pizza base in the oven 
(so as to cook the inner bit -- it's always soggy in the middle 
otherwise). You'll take it out in ten minutes time.

Put three tablespoons (or more :-) of olive oil into a saucepan and 
turn on the pan's heat to medium. Let it heat up.

Chop and peel the onions roughly along with one clove of (finely 
chopped) garlic per two people eating (add more if you want to keep 
vampires at bay) and put them in the pan -- stir occasionally. Open 
and drain one tin of peeled Tomatos and put them in the pan being 
careful to smush them up as they cook -- Careful! The oil will be 
hot. Add half a jar of Tomato Puree and mix in well with a wooden 
spoon or wooden spatula. Add as much or as little black pepper as you 
like. Tanais loves freshly ground black pepper. 

Turn the heat to the pan down so the tomato and onion sauce simmers 
while you chop the parsley finely and put into the pan.

Grate 1/2 lb of cheddar cheese (you can use a combination of 
different cheeses if you like) and put to one side.

Carefully take the tray out of the oven (it'll be hot) and spread a 
tablespoon of red or green pesto on the base. Then add the sauce and 
spread it evenly over the surface of the base as well. 

Sprinkle the cheese on top of this lot so that it is all evenly 
covered and put the pizza back in the oven until the cheese melts to 
a golden brown colour.

You can add just about anything to the pizza as it's a basic sauce. 
Just remember if it's reasonably dry (like mushrooms or most washed 
vegetables), then put them *under* the cheese topping, if it's "wet" 
or "oily" like Salamis or Anchovies or Olives, then put them *on top* 
of the cheese...

Eat... And make sure your mate or the cubs do the washing up!

Now, who's going to invite me to a realspace so I can bring a few of 
these along with me?

Tanais
--
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| When I grow up, I want to give up being   |cliveg@cix.compulink.co.uk|
| a Journalist and learn how to write...    |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
|       Bisexual knitter of quality and distinction since 1992.        |
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