proper pizza

i think the key to the dough is to use the fine-ground typo "00" italian flour and plenty of salt.

~base~
1c lukewarm water
1 pinch sugar
1 sachet yeast
generous pinch (enough to fit in the grasp of your thumb and four fingers) of Maldon salt
typo "00" flour

Pour the water into a bowl with a pinch of sugar and sprinkle the yeast over the surface. Leave to bubble for 5 minutes or so. Add the salt and flour and mix to a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Return to the bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm spot for an hour or two (until at least doubled in size). Punch down and set aside while you prepare your toppings.
Roll out until quite thin. Heat the oven to maximum temperature (including the baking sheet you'll be cooking the pizza on). Once ready, take the sheet out of the oven, brush with oil, lay out the dough on the tray and quickly assemble the toppings.

~toppings~
I like a simple base sauce of whole peeled chopped tomatoes and passata, rendered down slightly with a pinch of sugar and some olive oil. Then add cheese (mozzarella), dried oregano, and whatever else you like: capers, torn cured meat (prosciutto, salami), a few slices of sweet small tomatoes, torn or sliced buffalo mozzarella, parmesan, finely chopped red chili, anchovies, olives, artichoke, roasted sweet peppers and aubergine, etc. Once cooked, to finish, brush the edges with olive oil, scatter a little sea salt and a little olive oil, and a few torn leaves of fresh basil.

aubergine & chili penne

1 aubergine, chopped into 1cm square chunks
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red chili, finely chopped
chili flakes to taste
olive oil
Maldon
Parmesan
basil leaves
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes, cut into eighths
100g pancetta
freshly ground black pepper
squeeze lemon
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
pinch raw sugar

1 pkt Italian penne

heat some oil in a large pan and gently cook the onion, garlic, fresh chili and pancetta. add the aubergine and cook for several minutes. add the tomatoes and reduce slightly. season, including adding the chili flakes and sugar to taste. cook the pasta until al dente, drain and add pasta to the sauce in its pan. stir to coat, adding a handful of torn basil leaves, some grated Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon. drizzle with a little oil and serve.

spicy pancetta & basil penne

handful fresh basil
1 red chili, de-seeded and finely sliced
100g pancetta
handful sun-blushed tomatoes
penne pasta
olive oil
Maldon
freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add penne and cook until al dente. Meanwhile, gently fry pancetta and chili. Once pancetta is crisp, add roughly chopped tomatoes and cook for one minute. Turn off the heat and add 1/2 torn basil leaves, salt and pepper. Drain pasta and add to pan with rest of basil and a generous grating of Parmesan. Add slosh of olive oil as required. Toss and serve.

pancetta & basil ravioli

~pasta~
200g "00" flour
2 eggs

~filling~
125g ricotta
freshly ground black pepper
6 slices pancetta
1 clove garlic, crushed
handful fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
a pinch of Maldon salt
25g Parmesan

Place flour on bench in a mound. Make a recess in the top and break the eggs into it. Mix together until dough forms, knead until smooth and elastic and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.

Cook four slices of pancetta until crisp, add garlic, remove from heat and chop finely. Finely chop remaining two slices of pancetta. Put all filling ingredients into a bowl and mix.

Roll pasta out into two thin squares. Place one square on the bench, and divide the mixture into teaspoonfuls, placing at intervals on the pasta, leaving a couple of centimetres between each dollop of filling. Whisk one egg and brush between dollops. Place the second sheet of pasta over the first, so that the dollops of filling are sandwiched between the two layers of pasta. Gently press down around the filling, taking care to squeeze out the air. Run a pasta crimper between the dollops of filling to create the ravioli squares. Place on a dusted tray (semolina or "00" flour) and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil, then gently drop in the ravioli, boiling gently for six minutes or so until cooked.

In a shallow pan gently melt 50g butter, add 10 or so sage leaves. Pour over the ravioli and serve with a scattering of Parmesan, some flakes of Maldon and some freshly ground black pepper.

antipasto plate

1 ball of good quality bufallo mozarella
couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes
handful of red chilis
fresh basil
pesto
kalamata olives
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

Cut cherry toms in half and place cutside up on a foil lined baking tray. Deseed the chilis (use mild medium sized chilis) and cut into quarters lengthways. Scatter amongst the tomatoes. Sprinkle the tomatoes with a little sugar, Maldon and freshly ground black pepper. drizzle with olive oil and put in the oven at 180C until slightly shrivelled (20 minutes or so). Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Arrange on a serving dish with pieces of mozzarella, pitted, sliced olives, torn basil and drizzled with balsamic, olive oil and pesto. serve with bread, crostini or your favourite crackers.

~optional~
add peppers, zuchinni, red onions, garlic, aubergine, beetroot etc to the roasted tomatoes