Cheater's Pizza

This is a recipe for an almost effortless dough, that does not need any time to raise and it's ready within minutes for a quick and delicious snack or meal.

Ingredients:

350g plain flour

180g warm water

20g fresh yeast or 10g instant yeast

25g olive oil or grape seed oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1 egg

favourite pizza ingredients, i.e.: jarred tomato ragu or sauce, spicy if you wish, or 1 tin of chopped tomatoes (you can blend them in TM for few seconds/Speed 4-5 with some favourite seasoning); cheese - if you don't have already shredded one, chop it in TM bowl before preparing the tomato sauce by dropping the chunks of cheese onto the running blades at Speed 4-5 for 2-3 seconds, or until it has a desirable texture. You can use fresh tomatoes, ham, sausage (I used some of yesterday's BBQ burgers chopped), vegetables, olives, onion - whatever you fancy!

Prepare the dough (now this is really that easy!):

1. Weigh the flour, water, yeast, oil, salt, sugar and egg into the TM bowl and kneed (2 minutes / Closed Lid / Dough Setting). DONE!

2. Preheat to oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Line a pizza baking tray with some baking paper (I use a round one with lots of holes in it, so that the heat can get through from underneath cooking the dough quicker)

3. Drop the dough from TM bowl directly onto the baking tray, sprinkle it a little bit with some flour so that is easier to work with, make a ball, flatten it and stretch with your hands over the whole tray. Or divide the dough between 2 smaller trays if you are making more than one type of pizza. You will see how easily the dough will stretch and it will be very playable.

4. Cover the pizza dough with the tomato sauce, sprinkle  with the cheese and as many or as little ingredients as you desire.

5. Bake 20-25 minutes in 180°C/Gas 4

Chicken Biryani

It is advisable to prepare the chicken and yogurt mixture 2-3 hours before the cooking and marinade it in the fridge. I have, however, skipped this and cooked it straight away and it worked well. So, if you are pressed for time, worry not, it will be delicious!

Ingredients:

small piece fresh ginger (thumb size)

2 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp Garam Masala

1 tsp chilli powder

2 tsp salt

5 green cardamon pods, bruised

300 ml natural yogurt, thick Greek style

1 chicken, weighing 1.5kg or 800-1000g chicken fillets

150 ml milk

1 1/2 tsp saffron strands

6 tbsp ghee

2 onions, peeled and sliced into thin half moons

450g basmati rice

2 cinnamon sticks

4 fresh green chillies or mix of medium red and green chillies

2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves

4 tbsp lemon juice

1. Put the full kettle on.

2. Add ginger cut in quarters, garlic, Garam Masala, chilli powder and half the salt  into TM bowl, chop on Speed 6-7 around 3-4 seconds

3. Add the cardamon pods and natural yogurt and mix together on Speed Spoon / Reverse Blades

4. While this is mixing, prepare the chicken.

If using the whole chicken, skin the chicken and cut into 8 pieces.

If using the chicken fillets, cut them into large cubes.

5. Mix the chicken with the yogurt mixture.

If using the chicken pieces, put them into a large bowl, pour the yogurt over and mix well. If using the fillets (like me), you can add them straight into the TM bowl and leave it for a minute or two mixing on Speed Spoon / Reverse Blades

6. Meanwhile, pour the milk into a small pan, bring it to boil. In a large pan heat up the ghee. A  third, medium pan, fill up with the water from the kettle, add the rice and cinnamon sticks and bring to boil. Then simmer for 4-5 minutes.

7. When the milk has boiled then take off the heat, sprinkle the saffron over it and set aside covered with a lid.

8. When the ghee is hot, add the onions and fry until golden. Mixing every so often.

9. Prepare a large pan for the whole curry dish. Drain the rice, pour it into a bowl and mix with the other half of the salt.

10. When the onions are ready, add half of them together with the ghee into the final dish pan. Pour all the chicken and yogurt over it, scraping the sides of the TM bowl with the spatula, as much as you can.

11. Put the TM bowl back on the TM base (no need to wash it!). Cut the chillies in halves and remove the seeds. Add them to the TM bowl and finely chop by pressing Turbo button a few times.

12. To the onions and chicken add: half of the chillies, half of the coriander leaves, half of the lemon juice and half of the saffron milk. No need to mix it, just scatter and pour them evenly all over the chicken. Add the whole rice (together with the cinnamon sticks) on the top of them. Then the rest of the ingredients, including the other half of the onions and the ghee.

Cover tightly with some kitchen foil, pressing gently down. Put the lid on and cook for an hour on a very low heat. Check that it's cooked through (the chicken pieces might take a bit longer), if needed extend the time by 15 minutes. Mix well before serving.

Serve with some natural yogurt on the side or a Cucumber Raita, sprinkle with some coriander leaves.

I have recently come across this simple yet delicious recipe. Great one for a quick, midweek dinner. Enjoy!

Pasta sauce with chicken and pineapple

Pasta sauce with chicken and pineapple
(by courtesy of "anka25" from przepisownia.pl)


Ingredients:

100g   onion, peeled and cut in quarters
20g     olive oil
40g     leek
1 tin    chopped tomatoes
1         cube of chicken gravy
1/2tsp salt
50g     pineapple juice (from the tin)
100g   water
1/2tsp dried basil
1/2tsp dried oregano
180g   chicken fillets, diced in small cubes
150g   tinned pineapple, cut in chunks
80g     sweetcorn
5         basil leaves, cut in thin strips


1. Put the onion into TM bowl and chop (4 sec/speed 5)
2. Add olive oil and cook together (2 min 30 sec/Varoma Temp/ speed 1)
3. Add the leek and mix together (3 sec/speed 5)
4. Add tomatoes, stock cube, salt, pineapple juice, water, dried basil, dried oregano and cook (5 min/Varoma Temp/speed 2)
5. Add the chicken to TM bowl, pineapple and sweetcorn and cook (7 min//90°/speed 1)
6. Just before the end of cooking add the basil leaves


Serve either with pasta or rice.