The Best Pizza Toppings

INGREDIENTS
Gourmet Vegetarian: Pesto, Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta
tub of Pesto
1/4 pumpkin, sliced thinly and roasted
spinach leaves
feta, crumbled
pine nuts
mozzarella, grated

Supreme: Salami, Olives, Mushrooms and Capsicum
tomato pasta sauce
salami, sliced
olives, pitted and halved
champignons or button mushrooms, halved
capsicum, sliced
mozzarella, grated

Satay Chicken
tomato paste
1 quantity of satay chicken
spanish onion, sliced thinly
mozzarella, grated
coriander

METHOD
Prepare pizza bases with fresh pizza dough, or slice turkish bread in half lengthways.
For each different topping:
Spread pizza base with sauce.
Add toppings.
Sprinkle with mozzarella.
Bake at 250C for 7 - 10 minutes until golden and crispy.

SERVINGS
10

SOURCE
Vikki

Basic Pizza Dough

INGREDIENTS
800g strong white bread flour
200g fine ground semolina flour or strong white bread flour
1 level tablespoon fine sea salt
2x7g sachets dried yeast
1 tbs golden caster sugar
650mL lukewarm water

METHOD
Add the yeast and sugar to the tepid water.
Mix with a fork and leave for a few minutes.
Pile the flours and salt on to a clean surface and make an 18cm well in the centre.
Pour yeast mixture into well.
Using a fork and a circular movement, slowly bring in the flour from the inner edge of the well and mix into the water- it will look like stodgy porridge.
Continue to mix, bringing in all the flour.
When the dough comes together and becomes too hard to mix with the fork, flour your hands and begin to pat it into a ball.
Knead the dough by rolling it backwards and forwards, using your left hand to stretch the dough towards you and your right hand to push the dough away from you at the same time.
Repeat this for 10 minutes until you have a smooth springy soft dough.
Flour the top of the dough.
Cover with clingfilm and let rest for at least 15 minutes at room temperature - this will make it easier to roll it thinly.
Divide the dough into as many balls as you want to make pizzas - small or large - 6 is a good quantity for this amount of dough.
Roll pizzas out 15 to 30 minutes before you start to cook them. If you want to work more in advance, keep the dough in clingfilm in the fridge.
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.
Tear off an appropriately sized piece of tinfoil, rub it with olive oil, dust it well with flour and place pizza base on top.
Continue doing the same with other pieces and then, if you dust them with a little flour, you can pile them up into a stack, cover them with clingfilm and put in the fridge.
Preheat oven to 250C.
Apply toppings.
Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the pizzas are golden and crispy.

SERVINGS
6 - 8 medium sized pizza bases

SOURCE
Jamie's Italy

Sticky Date Pudding

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups seeded dried dates
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 tsp baking soda
50g butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs beaten lightly
1 cup SR flour

BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE
3/4 cup brown sugar
300ml cream
80g butter

METHOD
Pre-heat oven to moderate, grease 20cm round tin and line baking tray.
Combine dates and water ,stir in soda and stand for 5 mins.
Blend or process date mixture with butter and sugar until pureed.
Add eggs and flour, blend and pour into tin.
Bake uncovered in mod oven for 1 hr.
Stand 10 mins, turn and serve with butterscotch sauce.

BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE
Combine ingredients for sauce in med saucepan.
Stir over low heat until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened.

SERVINGS
8

Cucumber Salad

INGREDIENTS
2 small green cucmbers
2 red thai chillies, seeded, chopped finely
¼ cup peanut oil
1 ½ tbs lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crished
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
1 tbs finely shredded mint leaves

METHOD
Using a vegetable peeler, peel cucumber into long thin ribbons.
Just before serving, gently toss cucumber with remaining ingredients in medium bowl.

SERVINGS
6

SOURCE
Women’s Weekly Cooking for Friends

Hot Cross Buns

INGREDIENTS
1¼ cups milk
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ Tbsp dried yeast (Jesus rises)
4 ¼ cups flour (Eucharist)
½ tsp salt (preserving)
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp mixed spice (annointing)
¼ tsp ground cloves (nails)
2 eggs (resurrection)
125g melted butter
1 ½ cups dried fruit (wine)
¼ cup chopped peel (bitterness)

CROSSES
½ cup flour
1 Tbsp melted butter
5 Tbsp water (water gushed out his side when pierced)

GLAZE
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp sugar

METHOD
Heat the milk to scalding point.
Remove from heat and stir in sugar.
Cool to lukewarm and sprinkle on the yeast.
Set in a warm place for 10 min or until frothy.
Sift together flour, salt and spices and place half in a large bowl.
Make a well in the centre.
Beat the eggs.
Add the yeast mixture, eggs and melted butter to the large bowl of flour.
Beat well with a wooden spoon.
Then stir in the mixed fruit and peel.
Gradually mix in the rest of the flour to form soft dough.
Turn onto a floured board and knead lightly.
Place in a greased bowl.
Turn over to grease the top of the dough.
Cover with a cloth and put in a warm place until double in bulk about an hour.
Turn onto a floured board and knead lightly.
Divide into 24 even-sized pieces.
Shape into balls and place slightly apart on a greased tray.
Cover and leave to rise again until double in size.
Meanwhile make the dough for the crosses.
Sift the flour and stir in the melted butter and enough of the water for the dough to be piped.
Using a fine nozzle pipe crosses on each risen bun.
Bake at 200 degrees C for 25 mins.

GLAZE
Mix milk and sugar together.
Brush over the buns.
Return to oven for another 5 mins.

SERVINGS
24

Chocolate Mousse

INGREDIENTS

200g best quality dark chocolate (75% cocoa solids)

4 free range eggs, separated

1 tbsp liqueur (Cointreau, Frangelico)

300 ml thickened (double) cream

METHOD

- Melt chocolate and cool.

- Whip cream till soft and dollopy.

- Beat egg whites til slightly stiff peaks form.

- Stir yolks and liqueur into chocolate.

- Add cream, then gently fold in egg whites.

- Refrigerate in your favourite serving dishes (ramekins, glasses, tea cups).

COMMENTS

This recipe makes eight small mousses or four generous. Be careful when beating both cream and egg whites, not to beat too much, as the resulting mousse will be less airy and more stiff.

SERVINGS

4 large or 8 small

SOURCE

Jules

Spaghetti Bolognese

INGREDIENTS
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stick celery
2 rashers bacon
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp oil
500g mince
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp oregano
2 stock cubes
1 cup water
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp fruit chutney
375g spaghetti
120g grated cheese

METHOD
Peel and chop onion and grate carrot.
Slice celery finely and chop bacon and garlic.
Heat oil in frypan and add veges and bacon.
Saute till onion is golden brown.
Add mince and stir til brown.
Add tomato paste, oregano, stock, water, sauce and chutney.
Mix well and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes till liquid has almost evaporated.
Cook spaghetti in boiling water for 20 minutes.
Drain and rinse under hot running water.
Mix half the cheese through spaghetti.
Pile spaghetti onto serving plates and spoon sauce over.
Sprinkle with remaining grated cheese.

SOURCE
Melissa

Dutch Croquettes

INGREDIENTS
500g gravy beefstock from meat
1-2 cups flour
salt and pepper
2-3 tbs margarine
breadcrumbs

METHOD
Cube meat and cook in pressure cooker for ½ hr or 2-3 hr on stove.
Strain meat from stock and put stock aside.
Put meat in blender and whizz.
Melt margarine and add flour.
Slowly add stock to make sauce.
Drop in meat, taste and season.
When cool put in fridge, covered.
Roll into balls.
Roll in breadcrumbs.
Refrigerate until firm.
Freeze extras for later.
Deep fry in dripping rather than oil.
Cook till a deep brown colour and cooked through.

SOURCE
Dad, Oma

Special Lemon Delicious Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS
250g speculaas, crushed
125g butter, melted
500g cream cheese, softened
¾ cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lemon, rind finely grated, juiced
4 eggs
125mls thin cream

METHOD
Preheat oven to 180C.
Grease 20cm springform pan with melted butter.
Combine biscuits and butter, mix well and press into springform pan, refrigerate.
Beat cream cheese on low till smooth and creamy. Do not over beat, as this will unnecessarily aerate the mixture.
Add caster sugar, extract and lemon, beat further 3 minutes to ensure smooth consistency.
Add eggs, one at a time, until well combined.
Add cream.
Pour mixture into pan, bake for 1 hour, or until set.
Check the cake after the fortieth minute, until set.
Turn heat off, leave cake in oven with a wooden spoon placed inside the oven door to cool cake slowly.
After one hour, remove cake and place on bench for a further hour.
Once at room temperature, refrigerate overnight, or until chilled.

SERVINGS
Lots!

SOURCE
Juliette