CHICKEN CURRY PIZZA

We will cook a different pizza today. Pizza made from scratch but with a chicken curry flavor. Italian and Indian together. Let’s cook it!

Ingredients:

Dough,

1 cup and 1 tablespoon water
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
½ tablespoon salt
3 ¼ cups flour
½ tablespoon yeast

For the curry,

1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
A little piece of star aniseed
½ ground cinnamon
3 cloves
½ teaspoon cardamom seeds
½ teaspoon ground garlic
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ chopped onion
1 chopped shallot
½ chopped green pepper
½ chopped red pepper
½ chopped squash
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 chopped tomato
Some extra virgin olive oil
½ chopped chicken breast
Some salt to taste
Some freshly ground pepper to taste
½ cup coconut milk
Some shredded cheese

First we will make the pizza base. I use a bread machine to make my pizza but, of course, you can knead your dough by hand. Using my bread machine, I put the ingredients in this order: water, oil, sugar, salt, flour and yeast. I select the program just to knead the dough and turn the bread machine on. The machine will do its job and then it will let the dough grow. If you want to make your dough by hand, you can do it placing the flour on a table making a well with the water inside. Add the rest of the ingredients and make the dough. And then you will have to knead the dough properly. Knead and knead till the dough is elastic. Let it rise in a bowl covered by a wet cloth.
Once we have kneaded the dough, either by hand or with a machine, we will shape the pizza with a rolling pin. Remember that a floured work surface is always important. With that amount of ingredients you can make two pizzas.
Using a pizza stone will make your pizza crispier because these stones distribute the heat evenly. Nonetheless you will have to preheat the oven earlier and maybe use a pizza peel to transfer your pizza to and from the oven. Anyway, if your oven is powerful, your pizza will be good.
In the meantime, we will have prepared our curry. To do that, we will start preparing the spices. In a mortar we will grind the coriander seeds, the cumin seeds, the black peppercorns, the star aniseed, the cinnamon, the cloves, the cardamom seeds and the fennel seeds. Add to that the ground garlic and the turmeric. Reserve the spices.
Heat some olive oil in a wok and when it is hot, add the green and red pepper, the onion and the shallot. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the garlic, the ginger, the squash and the chicken. Then we will add the spices. Mix well and keep on cooking. Then we will add the coconut milk. Add some salt and black pepper to taste. Let it cook for some minutes and reserve.
Then we will go to the oven. Preheat it to 450ºF. With the help of a rolling pin, shape the dough into a pizza on a greased tray. Then we will paint the pizza with a little olive oil. Then spread the chopped tomato on top of the though. Add the curry to the pizza. Do this so that the curry is well spread in all the pizza. Add the cheese evenly.
And your pizza is almost ready. You will only have to put it in your oven. Let it cook for about 15 minutes. Let it cool for a minute and serve. A good and original Chicken Curry Pizza. Enjoy!

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MINESTRONE SOUP

A delicious soup for today. Easy to make and full of ingredients: pasta, beans and lots of vegetables. I cannot wait to make it. Let’s cook.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ small squash
1 green onion
½ green pepper
½ carrot
1 clove of garlic
3 cups beef broth or water
½ cup cooked red beans
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon rosemary
½ teaspoon parsley
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small tomato
1 oz conch shells pasta

First we will start preparing the vegetables. We will chop them finely. After that, heat some extra virgin olive oil in a pan and when this is hot enough, sauté the pepper and the carrot. Then we will add the other vegetables. We should do this two minutes later. Three minutes later we will cover the vegetables with the broth or the water.
If we want a vegetarian Minestrone, something healthier, we can use water instead of the beef broth. On the contrary, if we want a more authentic Minestrone, though less healthy, we can use the broth and we can sauté some little pieces of bacon along with the vegetables.
Now we will add the cooked beans. Make sure they are well washed if they are from a can. This is the moment of adding the spices and the Worcestershire sauce. A bit later we will add the tomato, previously finely chopped. Then we will add the pasta and we will have our Minestrone Soup when the pasta is ready. We will add some salt and pepper to taste and we will serve.
Enjoy!

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LASAGNA

Pasta! A dish with lots of possibilities. I will cook a simple Lasagna. But of course, if you use your imagination, you can create your own Lasagna. It is a bit of work, but it is worth it. Let’s cook it.

Ingredients:

9 lasagna slices
Some drops of oil for cooking the pasta
A pinch of salt for cooking the pasta
½ lb ground beef
Some tomato sauce
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped green pepper
¼ cup chopped red pepper
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon oregano
Some salt to taste
Some freshly ground black pepper
6 cheddar cheese slices
1 cup ricotta cheese
Some olive oil
Some milk
Some flour
A pinch of nutmeg
Some grated cheddar cheese
Some grated parmesan cheese
Some grated romano cheese

First we will make our pasta. We will heat quite a lot of water and prepare the lasagna slices. Remember to put some oil and salt in the water. Once the pasta is cooked, after having cooked it according to the package directions, drain it and reserve.
Now we will prepare our tomato and ground beef sauce. You can start from scratch if you want but I will start using some tomato sauce previously prepared, at least in part.
First I cook the ground beef a bit. When it starts to get cooked, I add the tomato. To the sauce I normally add some chopped vegetables. They have to be really finely chopped. The vegetables I add are onion, green pepper, red pepper and garlic. Do not forget to add some spices to the sauce. Thyme, rosemary and oregano are perfect for the sauce. Put some black pepper and salt to taste too.
Once the sauce is ready, we can start layering our lasagna. First we will take a greased tray and we will put a layer of lasagna slices. On top of that we will put a layer of our tomato and ground beef sauce. Then we put the six cheddar cheese slices. Now another layer of lasagna slices. Then we will spread the ricotta cheese. On top of it, we will put another layer of the tomato and ground beef sauce. And then another layer of lasagne slices.
Now we will prepare the béchamel sauce. We will put two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and when it is a bit hot, we will add three tablespoons of flour. We will stir continuously. Then we will add some milk, little by little. We can add the nutmeg now. We will add more milk if we see that our sauce needs it. We want a creamy sauce, not too thick. When it is done, remove it from the fire. Finally we will top our lasagna with the béchamel sauce. We will put the cheddar, the parmesan and the romano cheeses on top of the béchamel and the lasagne is ready for the oven. This must be preheated to 375ºF. Our lasagna will be ready in 10 or 15 minutes. You only will have to enjoy it.

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SUMMER SAUSAGE PIZZA

Today is pizza day! Do you like pizza? Maybe you don’t like those mushy pizzas. But there is nothing like a homemade crispy pizza! I will show you the way I make my own pizza. You can even make your own dough. It’s not difficult. I will show you how you can do it.
I will make a Summer Sausage Pizza. Of course, you can choose your own ingredients. That is one of the good things of making a pizza. Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

Dough,

1 cup and 1 tablespoon water
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
½ tablespoon salt
3 ¼ cups flour
½ tablespoon yeast

Toppings,

Some flour
Some olive oil
½ cup tomato sauce
Summer sausage slices
1 chopped mushroom
¼ cup cubed squash
¼ cup cubed dill pickle
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
¼ cup chopped green onions
¼ cup chopped green olives
1 tablespoon roasted chopped red pepper
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
Salt to taste
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup grated romano cheese

First we will make the pizza base. I use a bread machine to make my pizza but, of course, you can knead your dough by hand. Doing it by hand is hard, so, as I have a bread machine, I use it to knead my dough. You can use a stand mixer as well.
Using my bread machine, I put the ingredients in this order: water, oil, sugar, salt, flour and yeast. I select the program just to knead the dough and turn the bread machine on. The machine will do its job and then it will let the dough grow. If you want to make your dough by hand, you can do it placing the flour on a table making a well with the water inside. Add the rest of the ingredients and make the dough. And then you will have to knead the dough properly. Knead and knead till the dough is elastic. Let it rise in a bowl covered by a wet cloth.
Once we have kneaded the dough, either by hand or with a machine, we will shape the pizza with a rolling pin. Remember that a floured work surface is always important. With that amount of ingredients you can make two pizzas. What I do is dividing the dough into two parts. I make a pizza with one portion and I use the other one to make bread rolls. You can make two pizzas if you want, of course.
Using a pizza stone will make your pizza crispier because these stones distribute the heat evenly. Nonetheless you will have to preheat the oven earlier and maybe use a pizza peel to transfer your pizza to and from the oven. I haven’t tried the pizza stone yet but I am planning to get one. I think the results must be good. Anyway, if your oven is powerful, your pizza will be good.
Let’s go to the oven. Preheat it to 450ºF. I hope you will have your toppings ready because now you will have to add them to your pizza base. If you use a pizza stone, put some semolina on the stone. If you use a regular oven tray, make sure it is greased.
First we will paint the pizza with a little olive oil. Then spread the tomato sauce. On top of that put the summer sausage, the mushroom, the squash, the pickle, the garlic, the green onions, the green olives and the red pepper. Do this evenly. Now we will add the spices: black pepper, rosemary, thyme and oregano. Add some salt if you want. I do not add any salt as the dough and some other ingredients already have some. Then I finish the pizza with cheese. You should always use mozzarella cheese in your pizzas. I add parmesan and romano cheese as well, as I like the combination of these three cheeses. And your pizza is almost ready. You will only have to put it in your oven. Let it cook for about 15 minutes. Wonderful pizza!

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TIRAMISU

A delicious dessert. I admit I have not tasted Tiramisu in Italy. I have done it in several countries. They were different but, most of them delicious. You can find Tiramisu turned into cakes or even ice cream. Again, I will show you how to make my Tiramisu. Remember, there are many ways of cooking something. Discover yours.

Ingredients:

8 oz mascarpone cheese (or regular cream cheese)
3 oz ladyfingers
Some espresso coffee
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Tiramisu should be done with mascarpone cheese but if you cannot find it, regular cream cheese will do, although it will not be same, of course.
First, we will take the eggs and separate the white from the yolk. Then, in a bowl we will mix cheese, sugar and yolks. It has to be really creamy. In another bowl we will beat the whites till they are stiff. We will mix then these two bowls. But it is important to try to get a fluffy mixture, so do not mix too much. We will have some coffee ready. I prefer some really strong espresso coffee. Then we will start layering the Tiramisu. We will use a container in which we will put a layer of ladyfingers. Then we will wet the ladyfingers with some coffee. And now a layer of the mixture. Then more ladyfingers and more coffee. Cover with another layer of mixture and finally sprinkle with the cocoa powder. Cover the container and put it in the fridge. It is better to let it cool and it tastes better if you eat your Tiramisu the following day.
There is a “but” though. Raw eggs. You have to bear in mind that using raw eggs has a risk. You can use pasteurized eggs if you want. But I am sure of something, you will love Tiramisu. And you can also put some liquor in the coffee. Some rum or whisky, for example. That will give a different touch to your Tiramisu. I also put some chocolate chips along with the cocoa powder. Enjoy.

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