Homemade Pizza

TODAY, we made pizza! 

It was pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. But of course, I cannot take all the credit. Let us all bow down to Gordon Ramsay and his Ultimate Cookery Course cookbook! 

It was quite a simple recipe, made with ingredients most people have lying around the house. Here is the same recipe with different toppings. We just used the recipe for the dough and followed the instructions. And for the topping, we kinda just went CRAZY! Okay, not really crazy - we just raided the fridge to see what was available. 

We were pretty lucky actually, because there was loads! Especially some lovely courgettes that Dan's mom's friend from work grew in her garden. So they're pretty fresh, I think :) 

Uncooked, courgettes are a little bland and have this weird foam board texture, but any kind of cooking, especially grilling makes them taste amazing. They have quite a subtle flavour, but it's quite a unique taste and I like it a lot. 

We knead you! 

Har har har...

Don't ask me why I'm not funny. 

/edit: 

Dan said: 'I don't think anyone will have to ask...' D:

So the great thing about this recipe, is this bit where you fry off the dough in a pan, because according to Gordon (no, I don't know him in person, but you know, we both like food, so in my head, we can be friends on a first name basis), a normal home oven is usually not quite hot enough to get that crisp fluffy dough. And it really works well this way, the base gets really nice and crispy, and when the top is ready, you put the toppings on. Easy peasy.

And if you have an oven proof pan, without plastic handles, then even better, you can place it straight into the oven to grill the toppings. 

As you can see here, the pizza looks pretty good.

And I can confirm that it tastes pretty good too ;)

Shawarma Chicken Skewers

It's been sunny in England - gloriously sunny. As such, to celebrate, this week I've had not just one, but THREE barbecues! Incredible!

We had this recipe for Sharwarma Chicken a few times before but thought we'd try it on the barbecue :) The recipe is originally for making wraps, which you can find in Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course cook book that Dan got for Christmas.

I have to say, the marinade for the chicken is pretty damn amazing. I don't know if it's true to authentic Middle Eastern shawarma flavour but I promise you that it's really tasty and zingy. The marinaded chicken worked really well on the barbecue and I think it added a nice smokey flavour.

Making the marinade is quite fun - feels a bit like being a mad scientist. Sort of. But not really. 

Mmm. Smokey chicken skewers.

Dan said, "Why is cooking so fun?"

Because you get to eat THIS!

Here's the original recipe, if you can't get a hold of the book. 

You will need:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2–4 tortilla wraps or paratha breads
• Olive oil, for frying
• 2 spring onions, trimmed and finely shredded
• ¼ head of pointed cabbage, finely shredded
• FOR THE MARINADE:
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• Seeds from 3 cardamom pods, ground in a mortar
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• Juice of ¼ lemon
• Small bunch of coriander, leaves chopped
• Olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• TO SERVE:
• Mayonnaise
• Chilli sauce or sauce of your choice

Instructions

1. First make the marinade. Place the spices, garlic, lemon juice and coriander in a small blender or mortar and grind until smooth. Add 5 tablespoons of olive oil, along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and blend again to mix well. Transfer the marinade to a large dish. Add the chicken and rub in the marinade, making sure that all of the chicken is covered. Leave to marinate for up to 2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6.
3. Heat a griddle pan over a medium heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off any excess, and cook on the hot griddle for 3–4 minutes on each side until slightly charred but not burnt. Transfer to a roasting tray and finish cooking in the oven for 5–8 minutes. Leave the chicken to rest.
4. Meanwhile, cook the tortilla wraps in batches in a single layer on the cleaned, slightly oiled griddle pan. Toast on each side for 2 minutes or until the wraps are hot all the way through but still pliable. Keep warm.
5. Remove the chicken from the oven and slice into bite-sized chunks. Place some chicken on each warm wrap and sprinkle with spring onions and shredded cabbage. Add mayonnaise and chilli sauce to taste, then roll up the wraps and serve.