Vintage Recipe Swap: Little Caramelised Onion & Cheddar Pizzas

I know my photo isn't too appealing - but these really do taste amazing!

It has been a hectic but fun couple of weeks with work and home being very busy places!  Cammy has his first tooth, Anna is potty training and we’ve had visits from Uncle Malc, Granny and Pampa and my wee brother turned 30 – this makes me feel old!  I have also managed to visit a restaurant I have been dying to visit for ages http://www.musaaberdeen.com where my favourite thing was the haggis spring rolls my husband ordered – yum! I’ve been busy on the baking front too and have had a bit on a Nigella fest – I can thoroughly recommend her Chocolate Guinness and Bounty cakes!

Work wise, things are really busy and I must admit to really enjoying being back.  The crisis in Syria has been keeping my colleagues busy and in here in Aberdeen, North Africa and Nigeria have been key areas of interest for my clients.  To see some of what I’ve been up to have a look here.

I had some very exciting news from a good family friend and former colleague who now lives out in Kabul.  He is part of a supper club out there they affectionately (and fabulously) term the “Mujahidinner” and he won with an Afghan-acceptable version of my Lentil Soup with Pumpkin Scones (i.e. switching the ham for chicken).  I am so glad he emailed to tell me, his stories always make me laugh, but this made my week – thank you JMH!

This is the first month that the monthly recipe swap I participate in has split into two groups, one posting on a Sunday and another on a Wednesday.  Along with my fellow Sunday posting pals, this month’s recipe for the Burwell General Store Vintage Recipe Swap is one of my favourites (and that of my girls)  – PIZZA!  So I encourage you to read all the lovely recipes on both days and hosted at http://www.burwellgeneralstore.com/.

The original recipe is from the “The Second Ford Treasury of Favourite Recipes from Famous Eating Places”.

My recipe this week is sooo simple, and inspired by one of my favourite snacks of recent weeks, involving oat cakes, strong Scottish cheddar and my mums red onion marmalade – mmmmm!

This recipe makes about 8-10 individual pizzas (I would serve two for adults and one for children).

Ingredients

Pizza Base

Everyone has there own recipe for pizza dough, but this is a simple one from a very useful recipe book I bought not long after I was married, the “Good Housekeeping 1001 Recipes for Every Occasion”.

350g 00 Flour (+ extra to dust)

1 Teaspoon Salt

7g Sachet fast-action dried yeast

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Tomato Sauce (enough for your pizza’s and to make a pasta sauce later in the week)

1 x 400g tinned tomatoes

3 Cloves Garlic

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Fresh Basil

Topping

2 Large Red Onions

Worcester sauce

10 Teaspoons Light Brown Sugar

White Pepper

Strong Scottish Cheddar – grated) – enough for a scant handful per pizza (I used the local Devenick Dairy’s Granite City Cheddar)

Sour Cream and Fresh Basil to Garnish

Method

For the tomato sauce, blend together the tomatoes, the garlic, basil and olive oil.  I usually do this earlier in the day and keep it covered in the fridge for the flavours to infuse.   You obviously don’t have to do this and as it is so simple, you can easily do this while to dough is rising.

For the dough, simply mix together the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl, add the olive oil and 200ml of warm water and mix together with your hands until it forms a soft and sticky ball.  Cover in the bowl and leave to rise for about half and hour.

While this is happening, caramelise your onions.   Preheat your oven to about 200 ^oC ( 180 ^oC  Fan). Peel and slice your onions into about half centimetre rings (they look so pretty this way!).  Arrange them on a large baking sheet lined with baking paper.  Sprinkle a teaspoon of the soft brown sugar on each, add a couple of drops of Worcester sauce to each and sprinkle with pepper.   Place in the oven for 15 minutes (although keep your eye on them – you don’t want them to burn). 

When you remove the onions from the oven, turn it up by 20 ^oC in preparation for your pizzas and line a couple of baking sheets with some baking paper.

Once your dough has risen turn it out onto a floured surface and punch down.  Flatten it out quite thinly with your hands and cut out your pizzas with a large round cutter (mine is about 10cm across).

Spread a good dessert spoon of the tomato sauce on each of the bases and then top with a scant handful of the cheese. Carefully place one of your caramelised onion circles on each of the pizza’s.  Transfer to the baking sheets and place in the oven for around 15 minutes (again keep an eye on them).

Serve with a dollop on sour cream on the top and sprinkle with some torn basil leaves.

A Treat for St. Andrews Day - Tablet (and Ginger Tablet)

I must apologise profusely for my failure to blog for the last couple of weeks.  A combination of preparing for a day back at work hosting two colleagues from our Nigerian partner company; a house  move; two trips to casualty (accident and emergency) with the children (all is well), and my birthday, made finding any time to blog pretty much impossible!

I did manage to talk at length with my lovely new Nigerian colleagues about food, largely as they found what was on offer here in Aberdeen and at our Hereford HQ, very bland!  I have convinced them to send me some traditional Nigerian recipes that don’t involve the use of a goat head. Also on the work front, my friend and colleague John has also deployed out to Iraq where he is working with another friend Alan, who was my host in Lebanon a few years back – I have been pestering them for some authentic recipes and hoping they bring me back some wee gems!

I got a great haul of cook books and food-related goodies for my birthday.  Among my absolute favourite pressies were the Chocolate Workshop voucher from my wonderful husband, a fabulous vintage cookbook from 1933 from my mum, and two amazing cake stands from my best bud Bexy, which are just crying out for some cakes to be made – watch this space...



My fabulous birthday pressie from my mum



Despite all that has been going on, we are all getting very excited about Christmas.  You can imagine that my two and four year olds are more that mildly hyper about the forthcoming festivities.  I am hosting Christmas Dinner this year for both my family and my husband’s – we’ll certainly have a house full but I have always wanted to do this and am feeling decidedly grown up!  I have also been inspired by all the Thanksgiving recipes posted by Blogging friends in the US, some of which I will definitely be trying on the big day.

Before the delights of Christmas Dinner, my girls and I will be making a lot of our own Christmas pressies.  This is, in part, an economy drive (I am on maternity pay after all) and also an effort to keep the girls entertained and spending fun time with mummy before I go back to work at the end of January.

This week’s recipe is for one such gift (if you don’t eat it all before you get it wrapped) and a specific request from my good friend Karen, who by looking at her lovely figure, you’d never know she has a massive weakness for this amazingly delicious Scottish treat known as Tablet.  Please note that this is not one for making with the children as recipes with boiling sugar rarely are.  I can also advise that even a small amount, if for example, pinched by a slightly naughty two year old, is like providing said child with rocket fuel – a massive sugar high and not advised!

Tablet has a long history in Scotland, it’s neither a toffee nor fudge, but has a unique texture that is completely irresistible.   The recipe I give here is that of my husband’s Granny Forbes (the photo is from her wartime handwritten recipe book).  I did, however, make this with a twist for my dad this past weekend, adding some finely grated stem ginger in syrup and must admit to being delighted with the result.



Granny Forbes Recipe Book



Ingredients

2lbs (900g) Caster Sugar

2 oz (55g) Butter or Margarine

200ml Condensed Milk

200ml Milk

(If you are making Ginger Tablet, you will also need to grate 4-5 balls of stem ginger in syrup, and one teaspoon of the delicious syrup from the jar).

Method

Grease a 20cm x 25cm rectangular tin. Put the Sugar, Milk and Butter in a large saucepan.  Bring very slowly to the boil ensuring and add the condensed milk. Allow to come to the boil once again, and watch carefully for around 20 minutes (or until the colour turns darker), you can stir it during this time.

Remove from the heat and beat vigorously in reverse (original instructions) until it thickens and the residue on the side of the pan looks grainy. 

Pour into the greased tin and allow to set before marking into bars or squares.

(If you’re making Ginger Tablet, add the ginger syrup with the condensed milk but don’t add the grated ginger until you have removed it from the heat, just before you beat it).

Enjoy!