peegaw:

Here’s the second recipe of the weekend. I guess you can say the house inhabitants ate very well today.

Zucchini, Chilli and Mint Pizza:

[ 2 large flatbreads or 4 small ones + olive oil + 2 zucchini + 1 garlic clove + 1 red chilli + Mozarella cheese + A handful of mint leaves]

If you can’t get your hands on some flatbreads, I’m also posting up a recipe for pizza dough below. Mind you, the calorie count will no longer be the same.

Pizza dough recipe: (Makes 4 medium sized-pizza base)

[225g flour + 1 tablespoon instant dry yeast + 2 tablespoon olive oil + 175ml warm water + 1 teaspoon sugar + a pinch of salt]

Put the flour, yeast and salt into a bowl and mix.

Dissolve the sugar and yeast into the water. Add the oil.

Mix the liquid into the flour. It might seem a bit wet but leave the dough for 15-30 minutes covered in a damp cloth.

Turn the dough into a floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide into 4. Roll out each piece of dough into a circle of desired thickness.

I used a skillet to grill them straightaway and make some flatbread, but you can always put it in the oven after you’ve put on the topping.

Assembly:

Cut the zucchini into ribbons using a potato peeler. Grate or crush the garlic and chop the chilli.

Toss the zucchini with the olive oil, garlic and chilli. Season well

Brush the flatbread or pizza base with olive oil. Pile on the zucchini and add the mozarella.

Grill until the cheese melts and the zucchini starts to wilt. Add a splash more olive oil and scatter the mint leaves on top.

Nutritional information (per pizza):

292 cals, protein 11g, carbohydrate 43.4g, fat 9.5g, saturated fat 1.3g, fibre 5.4g, salt 1.1g

Enjoy!

peegaw:

I love caramel. If I had to choose between chocolate and caramel, I’d hands down choose caramel. And though this recipe in itself is pretty much a health hazard, both to cook and to eat, it really is worth it as long as you have it once in a while. With the copious amount of sugar, the cream, the butter and the salt, I couldn’t help but think that the serving size is a little too big, so I cut mine into 16s instead of 8s. As always, feel free to stick to the original recipe.

Sea Salt Caramels (recipe from Cookin’ Canuck): 

[ 1 1/2 cups sugar + 1/4 cup light corn syrup + 1 cup heavy cream + 5 tablespoons unsalted butter + 1 teaspoon sea salt or fleur de sel ]

* Prep work:

Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing it to drape over 2 sides, then brush the paper lightly with oil.

* Making the caramel:

In a small pot, bring the cream, butter and 1 teaspoon of fleur de sel to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat and set aside.

In a deep saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water bring them to a boil over medium-high heat.

Boil until the mixture is a warm golden brown. Don’t stir — just swirl the pan.

When the sugar mixture is done, turn off the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture.

* *Be careful, the mixture will bubble up violently once you add in the cream mixture.

Keep stirring and cook over medium-low heat for about 10-15 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees F (firm ball) on a candy thermometer.

Very carefully pour the caramel into the prepared pan and refrigerate for a few hours, until firm.

When the caramel is cold, pry the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board. Cut the square in half.

Starting with a long side, roll each of the caramel up tightly into an 8-inch-long log.

Sprinkle the log with extra sea salt, trim the ends and cut into 8 pieces.

Start by cutting the log in half, then continue cutting each piece in half until you have 8 (or 16) equal pieces.

** It’s easier to cut the caramels if you brush the knife with flavorless oil like corn or canola oil.

Serve or wrap individually in 4-by-5-inch pieces of parchment paper, twisting the ends. Store in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!