Photo of your dinner (vol 2)
Discussion
Pizza night last night, or should I say "day" because it took most of it to make!
First the tomato sauce. I really don't like the over reduced, sweet sauces from jars and as the tomatoes in the garden aren't ripe enough I went back to a reliable favourite.
Couple of tins, drained the juice off and reduced it to a thick sauce with some fresh basil and whole garlic which were then removed. Added the uncooked tomato flesh, seasoned and a splash of aged vinegar.
Then a standard yeast based dough, 00 flour, plenty of salt and olive oil.
Then the fun bit... mozzarella
Heat the milk and citric acid...
Add the rennet and cut and cook the curds...
Drain...
Cook...
Shape...
Finished...
I was so chuffed with the first result I though "must do again" so rushed out to get more milk and spotted some gold top. Working on the theory "more fat=better" I bought a couple of litres and repeated the process...
More fat might not mean better in this instance but it certainly means more cheese, probably 50% more but at 3 times the price. But there is a massive difference in colour and texture although the texture is more likely to my inexperience in making cheese!
Time to test the cheeses...
Top is the gold top mozz. (very firm), right is whole milk (creamy and soft) and left is a generic shop bought mozz. (soft and stringy).
Cooked on a bit of test dough for 90 seconds.
Top is a very watery shop bought cheese, left is the gold top and right the whole milk.
Decision made to go with the whole milk.
Before...
90 seconds later...
Can't say I will be making mozzarella regularly but fun to try and definitely light years ahead of supermarket cheese and significantly cheaper than buying the "good stuff". I will experiment again as I want to try increasing the salt in the cheese and keeping in brine for a day or so.
First the tomato sauce. I really don't like the over reduced, sweet sauces from jars and as the tomatoes in the garden aren't ripe enough I went back to a reliable favourite.
Couple of tins, drained the juice off and reduced it to a thick sauce with some fresh basil and whole garlic which were then removed. Added the uncooked tomato flesh, seasoned and a splash of aged vinegar.
Then a standard yeast based dough, 00 flour, plenty of salt and olive oil.
Then the fun bit... mozzarella
Heat the milk and citric acid...
Add the rennet and cut and cook the curds...
Drain...
Cook...
Shape...
Finished...
I was so chuffed with the first result I though "must do again" so rushed out to get more milk and spotted some gold top. Working on the theory "more fat=better" I bought a couple of litres and repeated the process...
More fat might not mean better in this instance but it certainly means more cheese, probably 50% more but at 3 times the price. But there is a massive difference in colour and texture although the texture is more likely to my inexperience in making cheese!
Time to test the cheeses...
Top is the gold top mozz. (very firm), right is whole milk (creamy and soft) and left is a generic shop bought mozz. (soft and stringy).
Cooked on a bit of test dough for 90 seconds.
Top is a very watery shop bought cheese, left is the gold top and right the whole milk.
Decision made to go with the whole milk.
Before...
90 seconds later...
Can't say I will be making mozzarella regularly but fun to try and definitely light years ahead of supermarket cheese and significantly cheaper than buying the "good stuff". I will experiment again as I want to try increasing the salt in the cheese and keeping in brine for a day or so.
I find the "Pizza express passata" is good for just pouring onto pizza bases.
https://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Pizza-Expres...
https://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Pizza-Expres...
BJG1 said:
Another vegan dinner
spaghetti and courgetti with green veg, tomato and leek in a lime, basil and rice wine sauce.
Egg free pasta? Only ask as I know the gluten free pasta I use at work is also egg free which is important for a couple of kids who are allergic. Problem is its really horrible stuff so if you have a brand of egg free pasta that is good I'd appreciate it.spaghetti and courgetti with green veg, tomato and leek in a lime, basil and rice wine sauce.
21TonyK said:
Egg free pasta? Only ask as I know the gluten free pasta I use at work is also egg free which is important for a couple of kids who are allergic. Problem is its really horrible stuff so if you have a brand of egg free pasta that is good I'd appreciate it.
Pretty much all dried pasta is egg-free. Giuseppe Cocco is good.Blown2CV said:
slightly O/T but what is the deal with the sudden popularity of vegan food?
Plant-based diets are becoming more popular due to an increase in people doing so for their health and also an increase in the number of vegans, which is on the rise because more people are seeing the light on animal welfare.Eating a plant-based diet and being a vegan isn't the same thing though.
21TonyK said:
Pizza night last night, or should I say "day" because it took most of it to make!
First the tomato sauce. I really don't like the over reduced, sweet sauces from jars and as the tomatoes in the garden aren't ripe enough I went back to a reliable favourite.
Couple of tins, drained the juice off and reduced it to a thick sauce with some fresh basil and whole garlic which were then removed. Added the uncooked tomato flesh, seasoned and a splash of aged vinegar.
Then a standard yeast based dough, 00 flour, plenty of salt and olive oil.
Then the fun bit... mozzarella
Heat the milk and citric acid...
Add the rennet and cut and cook the curds...
Drain...
Cook...
Shape...
Finished...
I was so chuffed with the first result I though "must do again" so rushed out to get more milk and spotted some gold top. Working on the theory "more fat=better" I bought a couple of litres and repeated the process...
More fat might not mean better in this instance but it certainly means more cheese, probably 50% more but at 3 times the price. But there is a massive difference in colour and texture although the texture is more likely to my inexperience in making cheese!
Time to test the cheeses...
Top is the gold top mozz. (very firm), right is whole milk (creamy and soft) and left is a generic shop bought mozz. (soft and stringy).
Cooked on a bit of test dough for 90 seconds.
Top is a very watery shop bought cheese, left is the gold top and right the whole milk.
Decision made to go with the whole milk.
Before...
90 seconds later...
Can't say I will be making mozzarella regularly but fun to try and definitely light years ahead of supermarket cheese and significantly cheaper than buying the "good stuff". I will experiment again as I want to try increasing the salt in the cheese and keeping in brine for a day or so.
Nice pizza.First the tomato sauce. I really don't like the over reduced, sweet sauces from jars and as the tomatoes in the garden aren't ripe enough I went back to a reliable favourite.
Couple of tins, drained the juice off and reduced it to a thick sauce with some fresh basil and whole garlic which were then removed. Added the uncooked tomato flesh, seasoned and a splash of aged vinegar.
Then a standard yeast based dough, 00 flour, plenty of salt and olive oil.
Then the fun bit... mozzarella
Heat the milk and citric acid...
Add the rennet and cut and cook the curds...
Drain...
Cook...
Shape...
Finished...
I was so chuffed with the first result I though "must do again" so rushed out to get more milk and spotted some gold top. Working on the theory "more fat=better" I bought a couple of litres and repeated the process...
More fat might not mean better in this instance but it certainly means more cheese, probably 50% more but at 3 times the price. But there is a massive difference in colour and texture although the texture is more likely to my inexperience in making cheese!
Time to test the cheeses...
Top is the gold top mozz. (very firm), right is whole milk (creamy and soft) and left is a generic shop bought mozz. (soft and stringy).
Cooked on a bit of test dough for 90 seconds.
Top is a very watery shop bought cheese, left is the gold top and right the whole milk.
Decision made to go with the whole milk.
Before...
90 seconds later...
Can't say I will be making mozzarella regularly but fun to try and definitely light years ahead of supermarket cheese and significantly cheaper than buying the "good stuff". I will experiment again as I want to try increasing the salt in the cheese and keeping in brine for a day or so.
You've concentrated on the cheese but really where most people struggle is getting the right base texture and then heating it correctly. The toppings are actually a smaller part. Best getting the base and the tomato right and then just using the cheese of your choice to finish it off with the topping of your choice. For instance I would not even bother with Mozz, instead Taleggio plus a bit of something blue for funk
cheddar said:
I'd love that please Tony
I'll start a generic cheese making thread, I have made ricotta and fancy a go at paneer if someone wants to add to it. By chance I have a relative who makes cheese presses (but he doesn't make cheese!?) so might try something like a hard cheese if I can find some space to store it!
Another saturday, another curry!
This time lamb curry with kachumba (again), mint raita (again), and spicy cauliflower rice. I cheated with the garlic and coriander naan breads, they were bought ones.
I've also been quite a vanilla Haagen Dazs ice cream enthusiast lately.
This looks really boring, the ice cream with home made butterscotch sauce, which happened to be exactly the same colour as the ice cream!
But it was very nice.
This time lamb curry with kachumba (again), mint raita (again), and spicy cauliflower rice. I cheated with the garlic and coriander naan breads, they were bought ones.
I've also been quite a vanilla Haagen Dazs ice cream enthusiast lately.
This looks really boring, the ice cream with home made butterscotch sauce, which happened to be exactly the same colour as the ice cream!
But it was very nice.
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