ULTIMATE MEAT LOVER'S PIZZA - BASED ON SANDY'S KITCHEN

Original Recipe at Sandy's Kitchen

Ingredients

 The Mince Beef Base

360 gm beef mince
75 gm grated cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon Tuscan seasoning (I use Masterfoods)
1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs


The Marinara Sauce

1 diced onion
1 large clove garlic
2 tablespoons cocnut oil andor butter
2 x 400 cans chopped tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon Tuscan spice
1 cup chopped parsley
tomato paste
pepper and salt
1/2 teaspoon Matserfoods chilli

I used half of the sauce and put the remainder in the freezer.

Suggested Toppings

75 -100 gms grated cheddar cheese
100 gm courgettes
100 gm mixed red and yellow peppers
50 gm salami or peperoni.

Slice the courgettes, peppers and salami or peperoni

To Prepare the Base

Mix the mince, cheese and herbs with hands until even.
Press into pan and spread out in thin layer

To Make the Marinara Sauce

Melt butter and coconut oil in pan. Add diced onion and cook until transparent.
Add finely chopped garlic and cook another minute.
Empty 2 cans of chopped tomato into pan
Add parsley, herbs and spices
Cook for 10 or 15 minutes on slow simmer.
Check seasoning and add pepper, salt, chilli, and if needed a pinch of sugar.
Continue cooking gently for another 20 minutes.
Cool a little and whizz with stick or in liquidiser until smoother. It can be left a little chunky.

Turn on oven and heat to 250' C/480' F

To make the Pizza base

In a clean bowl mix the beef mince, 75 gm grated cheese, herbs and seasoning with hands until evenly combined.

Press into a baking dish spreading out about 0.75 cm thick. (less than an inch thick)

Using half the Marinara Sauce spread it evenly over the meat and cheese base.
Sprinkle with half the remaining cheese.
Dot with slices of courgette, red and yellow peppers and thin slices of salami or peperoni.
Finish with a sprinkle of the remaining cheese.

Bake in hot oven 25 minutes. I turned my oven down to 200' C/390' F after 10 minutes.

I used a deep dish which collected a lot of juice. This can be drizzled over your serving. I'm glad I put it in a dish with sides. A flat tray would have left a terrible mess.

To serve divide into quarters.

Serve with green salad or whatever side dishes you fancy.


I'm not very good at nutritional details but I'll give this a go.

Total four servings

Approximate breakdown per serving.

1 serving = 320 gm
138 calories
4 gm carbohydrate
11 gm protein
9 gm fat

HELP RED CABBAGE! WHAT TO DO

I discovered some red cabbage seed in the spring when I decided to grow as many of my own veggies as possible this year. Lately several have matured. I don't care for red cabbage in salads although a few strands do look colourful. That wasn't going to use much and I didn't want to watch them rot.

I found a suitable recipe on-line and re-worked it to suit the ingredients I have to hand. I was satisfied with the result and John enjoyed it too. The crispy bacon was the making of it.

BRAISED RED CAGGAGE

50 gm butter

2 rashers bacon

1 onion

handful fresh thyme

half red cabbage, (3-4 cups when sliced)

salt

30-60 ml red wine

Dice bacon and cook until crispy. Set aside.

While the bacon s cooking .... Slice onion and cook gently in butter.

Add thyme and salt to onion and toss around for a few minutes over the heat

Add wine and cover. Cook over gentle heat for as long as it takes. I was happy after 10 or 15 minutes but some people like to cook this for 45 minutes. You really want all the liquid to be used up or evaporated.

Add crisp bacon, toss and serve.

SPICY FETA DRESSING FOR BROCCOLI

SPICY FETA DRESSING

200 gm Feta

1 or 2 cloves garlic crushed and finely chopped

1/4 Tbsp chilli paste or more according to taste or use fresh, finely chopped chilli

2 Tbs chopped parsley

1 Tbs chopped oregano 

1 Tbs chopped lemon balm

1 Tbs chopped thyme leaves

Sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper

2 Tbs olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon and juice to taste
or 2 Tbs white wine vinegar

Mash feta adding herbs and spices. Mix in olive oil and lemon juice until satisfied with taste and texture.

At this point the mixture was more like a spread. Serve on crackers or use as a stuffing under the skin of chicken. I imagine that would be really, really yummy.

I thinned the amount we wanted for our meal with a little milk and honey mustard dressing. I thought it needed a touch of sweetness to counteract the vinegar.

Serve with broccoli or other freshly cooked veggies.