Lost Souls Pizza

A pizza parlour that was on our list to try was Lost Souls Pizza in London. The Lost Boys movie, vampire, 80's theme did not go a miss with us and we revelled in the cozy wrap around decor and the homage to a classic cult movie.  

The interior has a spooky bijou bar to create devilishly splendid cocktails to sip with plenty to glance at and look up to the ceiling to. Our host which was our server also was seraphic and absolutely rocked!

Most pizzas are made with a charcoal crust. My husband opted for the Texas BBQ Massacre pizza, whisky shredded pork, pickles, crispy onions, BBQ sauce pentagram. There are vegetarian and vegan options available for pizzas as well.   

I had the Jack Skelly, butternut sauce, Goat's cheese, sun-dried tomato, red onion, Balsamic pentagram. This pizza was scrumptious! For a pizza parlour that's themed this was some of the best pizza we've tried. I highly recommend trying Lost Souls Pizza if you are in the mood and around London and it's definitely a revisit for us. 

French Bread Pizza

I remember having frozen French bread pizza many years ago and although quite novel and under the radar at the time, after making this recipe it doesn't seem to be that way. This was an instant hit in our house and one that definitely will be repeated. Unlike the former lacklustre store bought French bread pizza, this is a glorified garlic toast brimming with the familiar and classic flavours, slathered with garlic and cheesy goodness, it's an absolute joy to create such deliciousness with minimal effort. You can change or add whatever toppings you wish. I used a leftover meat pasta I made to replace the pizza sauce and the recipe can easily be doubled as you can see. So not only a breeze to make but also easy to devour and share. 

French Bread Pizza

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 loaves French Bread 

4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 cups pizza sauce

2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 

slices of fresh mushrooms, peppers, onions, pineapple

slices of pepperoni, chicken, ham or salami, optional

fresh basil leaves 

Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Line a large baking tray with baking parchment paper. 

Slice the French loaf in half lengthwise. Mix the melted butter, minced garlic and dried thyme together and brush all over the cut side of the bread. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven to lightly toast. 

Remove from oven and spread the pizza sauce on top and sprinkle lightly with mozzarella cheese. Top with whatever slices of vegetables and meat, if using, you wish and fresh basil leaves. Sprinkle with more cheese and bake for another 10 minutes until cheese has melted.  

Food Photo of the Day ~ Blueberry Pancakes and Pizza

A nearly perfect Canada Day... unfortunately it rained for most of it however celebrations throughout E-town were not dampened by the wet weather. We started out the morning with these fluffy blueberry pancakes with maple syrup.

And... we ended our day...

... with a homemade Canadian pizza loaded with Canadian bacon, spicy salami, peppers, field mushrooms, barbeque sauce, olives and Canadian Cheddar, of course! 

Hope everyone who celebrated Canada Day had a nice one, like us! - JD    

Leftovers #37 ~ Turkey Taco Pizza

I always find that there are a few leftovers when having made tacos. So this time we decided to make a taco pizza. Once the pizza dough was shaped a mixture of refried beans and salsa was slathered on top; then the leftover seasoned ground turkey was sprinkled over top. Any leftover veggies were placed on top of that. Then a generous helping of grated Tex Mex cheese; then into the oven to bake. Once baked and removed from the oven chopped lettuce and crushed tortilla chips were added. Delicious and very filling with a combination of flavours that work well together in a taco and in a pizza.   

- JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Herbed Pizza Dough

This one truly gets marked under simple pleasures. Adding a mixture of herbs to the flour, creates a dough, making it a more flavourful gourmet pizza when finally cooked. I added a bit of sage, thyme, oregano, and summer savoury to emphasize the summery flavour that complimented our toppings of choice. It rolled out beautifully and cooked up very nicely. 

It's a rainy Saturday here. Hope everyone is having a great weekend, rain or shine! - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Chicken and Pineapple Pizza

I make plenty of homemade pizza. Trying different toppings and sauces however the adage of keep it simple has never been more truthful with this one. A straight forward chicken and pineapple pizza with goat's cheese was at the request of my daughter... although hot sauce was added after for a bit of a kick. 

Hope everyone had a good weekend. There was plenty of sun and wind to go around.     -JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Butter Chicken Pizza

When culinary worlds collide it can be quite tasty. This is my son's representation of deliciousness... Butter Chicken Pizza. This pizza is a lovely departure from the tradiotnal and hinges on what is more reflective of the culinary society today. All you do is replace the tomato sauce with a homemade butter chicken sauce or a low sodium ready made one. Add some cooked diced chicken, veggies, of your choice, mozzarella and some cheddar cheese. It is superb! 

Hope everyone had a great weekend, we did! - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Saturday Pizza Night

Often on Saturday evenings we have pizza night. We make the dough, we pick the ingredients and we assemble our delicious humble pizza pie. Making homemade pizza is an easy way to get the kidlets into the kitchen and control fat and salt levels. Also it is great way to use up leftover pasta sauce and those remaining veggies that are at the week's end.    

Here is my daughter lending a hand and putting her touches to one of two pies we created.  

You need a fair bit of muscle to cheese this pizza and she does such a great job!  

Food picture of the day may be a regular permanent post here. I can see it being more of a random post than an everyday post. It sort of goes hand in hand with my random (food) thoughts. Ultimately, it is just another way for me to share. 

Enjoy the sunshine everyone! - JD 

500 Pizzas & Flatbreads

This cookbook is packed with plenty of delicious detailed recipes from around the world. Recipes range for the very basic of pizzas and flatbreads to the traditional and gourmet. There are invaluable tips and room for bakers... the home cook, to expand and have success making dough every time. 

The cookbook begins with the pizza basics... equipment and sauces, and moves to pan pizzas, thin crust pizzas, rustic pizzas and calzoni, International pizzas and flatbreads from Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South America and finally sweet pizzas and flatbreads. The book offers traditional and unique recipes to entice anyone, regardless of where you sit on the culinary scale, and with the many pizza recipes it is great for pizza lovers too. The recipe for the Coconut Roti I posted about last week came from this cookbook.  

Pizza can be a quick and an easy lunchtime or dinnertime meal. With a multitude of ingredients and culinary flair creating a healthier option has never been easier. 

Basic Thin Crust Pizza

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This crust rises only once and bakes in minutes, making it the quickest crust to make. It can be made into three 12 inch (30-cm) pizzas, as described below, or divided into six individual 6-inch (15-cm) pizzas. Baking time remains consistent." 

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 and 1/2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon quick-rise yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup very warm water

To prepare the pizza dough, combine 2 cups of the flour with the sugar, yeast, and salt in a bowl of standing mixer. Set aside.Combine olive oil and warm water. With paddle attachment, slowly stir the water and oil into flour mixture until well combined. Mix in 1 cup flour.

Change to dough hook attachment and knead on low for 4 to 5 minutes, until dough comes together as a ball and is smooth and elastic. If not using a standing mixer, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about 10 minutes.

Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and cover with clean paper towel. Set aside in a warm spot for 1 1/2 to 3 hours, until dough as almost doubled in volume.

Once dough has risen, use a sharp knife to divide the ball into 3 equal pieces. Shape each into a ball, and flatten to form a disc. Using fingers or rolling pin, stretch out each disc to 12 inches (30cm) rounds and very thin - about 1/12 inch (0.5cm) 

I am including the Fig, Ricotta & Honey Pizza recipe from the cookbook as well and which uses the basic thin crust pizza. However, if you have a favourite pizza crust recipe you already use then go with that when making this recipe. If you have a pizza stone great. If not, then use a regular pizza pan. 

Fig, Ricotta & Honey Pizza

---------------------------------------------

2/3 recipe basic thin pizza crust  

1/2 cup ricotta 

2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

4-6 ripe figs, sliced lengthwise

3 tablespoon on honey

Place pizza stone on middle rack of oven and preheat to 450ºF (230ºC).

Roll pizza dough out to two 12-in. (30-cm) rounds. Lightly flour pizza peel. Place first pizza crust on peel.

In large bowl of standing mixer, combine ricotta and sugar until smooth. Spread half the ricotta mixture over each pizza crust, leaving a 1/2 inch (1cm) border. Arrange half the fig slices and drizzle half the honey on the pizza. Gently shake pizza from peel onto baking stone.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until crust is slightly puffy and golden brown. 

Remove pizza from oven and transfer to wire rack to cool. Repeat with second pizza.

Hope everyone had a great weekend! - JD 

Meatball Pizza

During the holiday weekend I made meatballs... I know not the most Easter culinary dish that comes to mind however the hungry masses welcomed the change. There were leftover chicken cheddar meatballs which got used to make this a meatball pizza. Which was enjoyed quite diligently. There is no recipe because all you do is cut up the leftover meatballs in half or in quarters and place them on your homemade pizza with your choice of other toppings. Very simple and fun way to use up those leftovers.

Hope everyone had a great weekend and is full of chocolate. - JD    

Holiday Nachos and Boxing Day Pizza

Having a bit of fun this Christmas I made these holiday nachos to keep the hungry masses at bay. I used whatever veggies I had on hand and did a mix of red and yellow corn chips. Placed shredded lettuce on top for a bit of crunch and colour. 

Not everyone, including myself, managed well with the Cornish Hens therefore there were leftovers. So I served up a pizza with brown mushrooms, black olives, red onion, green peppers, feta and mozzarella cheese, and some of the leftover Cornish hen meat. Unique, festive, and slightly gamey however very tasty.   

The temperature has dropped dramatically so a perfect day to potter around the house. - JW  

Leftovers #9 - Chili Con Carne Pizza

Things have definitely warmed up in the half cut cook's kitchen. Last night I made chili and there were leftovers. Considering that I was making pizza for tonight's dinner I decided to make it a chili con carne one. Green peppers, mushrooms, cheddar cheese and freshly dried parsley were added on top of the homemade chili and homemade pizza dough. There was enough spice to give this pizza warmth and a festive kick however I did add a dash or two of hot sauce on my slice. - JW   

Berries Beautiful!

We have all tried our hand at making strawberry jam, ate a slice of strawberry shortcake at a summertime picnic, placed sliced strawberries on top of a salad, marvelled at  strawberry tarts from the bakery and even raised a glass... or two, of strawberry infused Pimms. No matter how you slice them, to me nothing rings in summer like strawberries and raspberries for that matter. I remember many summer days going out to strawberry fields and picking pint after pint. It is a wonder that I made it back home with any strawberries at all! 

This book is only 110 pages and serves up all the classic berry recipes. Apart from the few salad, sandwich, beverage and soup recipe... yes soup! Most of the recipes are for desserts. Oddly enough there is a pizza crust recipe and there are 4-5 different strawberry pizza recipes to try. Recipes have standard and metric measurements.

Whether you pick them yourself, purchase them from a farmer's market or grocery store berries are succulently sweet. And just in case you are curious and want to give it a try I will share the soup recipe with you. Enjoy! - JW 

Strawberry Soup
-------------------------------

4 cups/1 L Fresh strawberries or 4 cups of frozen whole strawberries, partly thawed
1 cup/250 ml orange juice 
2/teaspoons/10ml instant tapioca
1/8 teaspoon/0.5ml all spice
1/8teaspoon/0.5ml cinnamon
1/2 cup/125ml sugar
1 teaspoon/5ml grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon/15ml lemon juice
1 cup/250ml buttermilk

Purée strawberries. Combine purée with orange juice in a saucepan. Remove about 1/4 cup (50ml) of mixture and combine with the tapioca. Add tapioca mixture to purée in saucepan. Add all spice, cinnamon and sugar, and cook and stir until mixture thickens. Remove from heat; and lemon peel, lemon juice and buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Serves 4. 

Butter Chicken Pizza

Saturday nights I usually make pizza. This time I was inspired to make a butter chicken pizza. Fairly simple considering I used a pre-made low sodium butter chicken sauce. Roll out your pizza dough. Spread the butter chicken sauce all over, being generous. Then add pieces of pre-cooked chicken, orange peppers, onions and whatever other veggies you like. Place mozzarella cheese, grated or thinly sliced, on top. Bake until cheese has melted and bubbly and crust is slightly golden. With a pizza cutter slice into wedges and let this mouthwatering pizza leave you wanting more. Trust me it will! - JW

Saturday Night Pizza

Lately I have been making pizza dough. On Saturday night I made two pizzas the one picture here is my "everything" pizza. It is essentially load with homemade pasta sauce with ground chicken, bacon, pepperoni, green peppers, mushrooms and pineapple. Very delicious and my best pizza so far. The crust recipe I got from Jamie Oliver's website, click *here*. The recipe is fairly simple and can make about 8 individual pizzas. However I divided the dough to make 4 medium/large pizzas. Freezing the unused portions of dough in the freezer, which is always handy. The other pizza was half cheese and half pepperoni. A little less generous with the toppings I know. That's how the kidlets like it! What are your favourite pizza toppings? - JW