{"id":3542,"date":"2013-08-05T14:08:04","date_gmt":"2013-08-05T04:08:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.belly.net.au\/?p=3542"},"modified":"2013-08-07T22:23:27","modified_gmt":"2013-08-07T12:23:27","slug":"pizza-focaccia-and-a-better-workplace-through-baking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.belly.net.au\/?p=3542","title":{"rendered":"pizza, focaccia and a better workplace through baking"},"content":{"rendered":"
Today on belly we were visited by Nick Dingle – former New Yorker and Pizza Maker extraordinaire to talk to us all about baking with yeast. \u00a0Pizza, \u00a0focaccia, bread, and more. \u00a0Then Kim Kendall joined us from Mullumbimby Community Health to talk about the community health \u201cBake off\u201d and creating community through food. \u00a0As we say on belly : “Cooks WILL save the world”.<\/div>\n
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NICK’S FOCACCIA RECIPE<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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\u00a0Focaccia is an Italian flatbread, served in a hundred different ways and with a hundred-or more-different tastes added to the basic recipe. \u00a0It’s easy to mix olives, rosemary, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes through the dough, or to sprinkle over the top. \u00a0Coarse sea salt on it’s own makes a fine focaccia. \u00a0In New York, where I grew up, we knew a focaccia variant as Sicilian Pizza. \u00a0It’s simply smeared with sugo (passata) and sprinkled with mozzarella and parmigiano and baked until perfect with slightly browned mozzarella and a soft spongy crust. \u00a0Add your favourite toppings before baking and dig in…..You often see folks buying a piece of this from Italian bakeries, and walking along munching away. Great portable lunch….I’ve done it myself in Rome, Venice and Brindisi.<\/div>\n
\u00a0So, how do we make the stuff? \u00a0It’s easy, as long as the recipe is followed.<\/div>\n
\u00a0Ingredients:<\/div>\n
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\u00a01 tsp sugar<\/div>\n
\u00a01tsp dry yeast<\/div>\n
\u00a01tsp salt<\/div>\n
\u00a075ml warm water(like hot)<\/div>\n
\u00a0225gm plain flour(better if you can get pizza flour)<\/div>\n
\u00a030ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil<\/div>\n
Combine all the ingredients together at once. \u00a0I know many look to activate the yeast in the water with the sugar, and you can do this, but at Your Italian Kitchen time is always a priority.<\/div>\n
\u00a0Mix it all together. \u00a0Now it needs kneading. \u00a0Either use a mixer with a dough hook. \u00a010-12 minutes. Medium speed. \u00a0OR. \u00a0Knead by hand on a floured board. \u00a0Only use enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. \u00a0Too much flour makes a tough dough. \u00a0By hand, I usually go about 15 minutes.<\/div>\n
\u00a0Put your kneaded dough into a lighty oiled (Olive oil, of course) bowl and cover with plastic or a damp tea towel.<\/div>\n
\u00a0Allow the dough to rise by 2. \u00a0Take it out of the bowl and punch it down, roll out, and fit into a baking tray lined with paper or brushed lightly with olive oil. \u00a0I like to let mine rise again, but that’s not always done. \u00a0Once ready for the oven, top with a sprinkle of sea salt flakes, rosemary, sliced tomatoes, olives, passata and cheese, or, well whatever you fancy, trying and pop into an oven pre-heated to 240 degrees celsius.<\/div>\n
\u00a0Bake until the golden brown, or if topped, the edges are nicely browned.<\/div>\n
\u00a0Done. \u00a0Slice and add anything else you’d like. \u00a0I like fresh tomato, and then fresh basil added at the end of cooking, along with fresh bocconcini. \u00a0Light, fresh and a great starter for a dinner, or an easy weekend lunch addition.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0DO NOT EXPERIMENT until you’ve tried it a few times, and understand the process. \u00a0Cooking, it is said, is an art, but baking is a science.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0Would love to see any of you down at YOUR ITALIAN KITCHEN in Ocean Shores for authentic Italian Pasta and real Italian Pizza, because life is too short to eat bad pizza<\/div>\n
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IN SEASON – AUGUST<\/div>\n
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Time for winter soups, mushroom everything, hearty pies and more and more of that bumper citrus crop. \u00a0Sister D is cooking a lot of fish to try and use more lemons, and we have enlisted Di Hart \u00a0(see her boot muster in the food events below) to give us some in season suggestions too – oddly, she suggests lemons and fish!<\/div>\n
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See Diane’s blog for her fabulous fish and potato pie, she has included lots of photos. \u00a0The bellysisters love that she has designed it to be cooked in one pot, and the leeks, fennel and lots of parsley in the recipe, all doing well in August.<\/div>\n
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“Fish Pie with Mashed Potato –<\/div>\n
A few chilly nights and I start thinking of comfort food – this dish certainly fits the bill – and it is so easy to make and very adaptable. \u00a0It’s the kind of thing my mother used to make with smoked fish – like haddock. \u00a0I make it with whatever fresh and chunky fillet fish I can get at our farmer’s market on a Friday morning – but you could use fresh salmon or add some prawns if you were making it for a dinner party<\/div>\n
So many fish pie recipes involve a lot of different stages and consequently quite a few dirty dishes – with this one you make it and bake it in just the one pan – now, that definitely has to be a bonus! \u00a0Oh, did I say that it tastes delicious too?”<\/div>\n
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http:\/\/growfoodslowfood.blogspot.com.au\/2013\/07\/fish-pie-with-mashed-potato.html<\/div>\n
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And here is Di’s sweet suggestion, a very simple looking recipe with lots of good extra tips. \u00a0Anything with the zest of 5 yes 5 lemons has got to be good.<\/div>\n
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LEMON, ALMOND AND RICOTTA CAKE RECIPE – by Diane Hart<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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300g butter<\/div>\n
1 1\/2 cups castor sugar<\/div>\n
4 eggs<\/div>\n
2 cups almond meal *<\/div>\n
3\/4 cup fine polenta<\/div>\n
1 1\/2 tsp baking powder<\/div>\n
Zest of 5 lemons and juice of 1 lemon<\/div>\n
3\/4 cup ricotta (you need the cake kind and not the creamed)<\/div>\n
Icing sugar for dusting<\/div>\n
*NOTE: I use bulk, whole almonds, with the skin on, and grind them myself – it’s cheaper and adds extra fibre to the cake.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Preheat oven to 160oC<\/div>\n
Line 26cm springform pan with non-stick baking paper.<\/div>\n
In food processor beat together butter and sugar until creamy, add eggs one at a time.<\/div>\n
Add remaining ingredients except icing sugar and ricotta.<\/div>\n
Fold in ricotta so that it stays in lumps (that’s the white bits in the photo above)<\/div>\n
Pour into tin and bake for approximately one hour – test with a skewer that it comes out clean.<\/div>\n
Cool completely in tin and serve with cream or yoghurt.<\/div>\n
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BELLY BULLETIN<\/div>\n
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FOOD EVENTS<\/div>\n
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Northern Rivers Food is holding a seminar of media training for people who have or are thinking of setting up a food related business.Telling your story and getting the right media coverage is the secret of so many successful companies, they say.<\/div>\n
Hosted by journalist and mushroom grower Donna Harper, \u00a0the event will include talks by : Remy Tancred – \u00a0founder of Sample magazine and director of the Sample Food Festival. \u00a0Janella Purcell, ex bayfm presenter – Naturopath and Author –<\/div>\n
\u00a0Janella will provide an insight into how to prepare for being interviewed for print, radio and television. \u00a0 Trudy Johnston – on Writing a Media Release to Attract Attention\u201d. \u00a0The evening will conclude with a panel discussion involving \u00a0media experts and successful marketing executives from Northern Rivers Food businesses.<\/div>\n
Register online at Northern Rivers Food.<\/div>\n
The date is Monday, 12th August, 4.00pm \u2013 7.00pm<\/div>\n
Ramada Hotel \u00a0Cost: Members $20 Guests: $40<\/div>\n
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And the Sample Festival signs have gone up around town. \u00a0If you are visiting and love good food, think about coming back soon for the Sample Festival, a big hit with locals and visitors in the last 2 years. \u00a0Sample 2013 will be held at the Bangalow Showgrounds on Saturday 7 September from 8am to 4pm. \u00a0There will be more than 200 exhibitors. \u00a0Food tastings, cooking demos, a farmers market, kids cooking classes, music, all sorts of good stuff, showcasing the food of our region.<\/div>\n
See www.samplensw.com \u00a0 The event is free, tasting plates will be \u00a0$5 or $10, there are some separately ticketed cooking classes and a seafood feast lunch that you will need to book pretty soon if you are interested.<\/div>\n
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Finally, get yer boots out. \u00a0Old boots that is, ready for a new life in a garden.<\/div>\n
Gardener, fabulous belly guest and blogger Diane Hart wants your boots.<\/div>\n
This is what she says:<\/div>\n
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“I am doing a workshop for the kiddies at the upcoming Living Earth Festival<\/div>\n
in Mullum on 1st September and I need all your old boots. \u00a0I NEED ALL I CAN<\/div>\n
GET! \u00a0I will be talking about the ‘Wonderful World of Herbs’ and then the<\/div>\n
children get to plant them out and have something to take home with them<\/div>\n
(maybe your old boot!). \u00a0 \u00a0There are collection boxes at the Mullum Community Gardens and the the Mullum Co-op.<\/div>\n
\u00a0I am sure it will be a fantastic day and hope to see you there. \u00a0See the<\/div>\n
Mullum Community Garden website for details.” Diane’s very informative gardening and cooking blog is at<\/div>\n
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http:\/\/growfoodslowfood.blogspot.com.au<\/div>\n
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IN THE NEWS – by Sister Deanna<\/div>\n
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Research from the University of Minnesota has shown that ritualistic behaviours can influence the perception of flavour and consumption of foods.\u202d \u00a0\u202cThe study found that the rituals performed before eating can change the perception of the food consumed and improve taste.\u202d \u202cIn the experiment,\u202d \u202cparticipants were placed into two groups:\u202d \u202cone group ate a piece of chocolate following a detailed instructions of a\u202d \u201c\u202critual\u202d\u201d\u202c,\u202d \u202cthe control group were asked to relax for a time and then eat the chocolate in any way they desired.\u202d \u00a0\u202cResults showed that the participants who had performed the ritual rated the chocolate higher,\u202d \u202csavoured it more,\u202d \u202cand were willing to pay more for it than the control group.\u202d \u00a0\u202cFurther research found that\u202d \u201c\u202cintrinsic interest\u202d\u201d \u2013\u202crituals drawing people into what they are doing accounted for the positive effects of rituals on the experience of eating.\u202d \u00a0\u202cBelly sister Dee notes:\u202d \u202cthis is in line with the concept of\u202d \u201c\u202cmindfulness\u202d\u201d \u202cand being fully present in what we are doing.<\/div>\n
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Recent research has found the surprising result that antioxidants may block the cardiovascular benefits of exercise in older men.\u202d \u00a0\u202cResearch published in the Journal of Physiology has found that the natural antioxidant found in red grapes called resveratrol blocks many of the cardiovascular effects of exercise including reducing blood pressure and cholesterol.\u202d \u00a0\u202cThis is a surprising result as there has been recent attention to resveratrol and is available as a dietary supplement due to it\u2019s role in explaining the cardiovascular benefits of red wine and other foods.\u202d \u00a0\u202cThe authors were surprised to find that resveratrol decreased the positive effects of exercise on cardiovascular health particularly as these results were the opposite of animal studies.\u202d \u00a0\u202cClearly,\u202d \u202cthis study has wider implications for future research,\u202d \u00a0\u202cas Micheal Joyner from the Mayo clinic notes\u202d \u201c \u202ctoo often human studies focus on large scale outcomes and clinical trials and not on understanding the basic biology of how we react\u202d\u201d<\/div>\n
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The world\u2019s first in vitro meat-\u202d \u202ca\u202d \u202c250\u202d \u202c000\u202d \u202cEuro burger made from lab grown beef will be revealed and tasted this week.\u202d \u00a0\u202cThe burger,\u202d \u202cwhich took over two years to make,\u202d \u202cis being touted as the beginning of a new solution to the problem of population increase and a growing demand for meat products.\u202d \u00a0\u202cThe burger was created using stem cells extracted from cattle.\u202d \u00a0\u202cThe tissue is then ground up and mixed with lab grown fat to produce the lab grown burger.\u202d \u00a0\u202cResearchers believe this\u202d \u201c\u202ctest tube\u202d\u201d \u202cmeat could lead to the sustainable production of low cost food without the need for livestock.\u202d \u00a0\u202cProfessor Mark Post,\u202d \u202cthe creator of the burger notes this is a proof of principle project,\u202d \u202cand that more work is needed before lab grown meats are commercially available.<\/div>\n
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And finally,\u202d \u202con another technology note,\u202d \u202cNASA has put forward money towards the creation of a\u202d \u202c3D pizza making printer.\u202d \u00a0\u202cIn an attempt to extend the menu for astronauts,\u202d \u202cNASA is funding a project aimed at creating a\u202d \u202c3D printer to create pizza.\u202d \u00a0\u202cThe printer will fabricate the different toppings from their component ingredients.\u202d \u00a0\u202cA digital recipe will be used to combine powders containing proteins,\u202d \u202ccarbs,\u202d \u202cand oils to create food products that have a similar taste,\u202d \u202cnutrition,\u202d \u202cand smell as the real thing.\u202d \u00a0\u202cThe ingredients will be in powder form,\u202d \u202cwith the moisture taken out,\u202d \u202cand are predicted to last\u202d \u202c30\u202d \u202cyears.\u202d \u00a0\u202cIt is hoped this\u202d \u202c3D food printing device will be ready by the end of the year\u202d\u2026\u202c.Maybe we are not so far off\u202d \u201c\u202cfood simulators\u202d\u201d \u202cfeatured in Star Trek after all\u202d\u2026<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today on belly we were visited by Nick Dingle – former New Yorker and Pizza Maker extraordinaire to talk to us all about baking with yeast. \u00a0Pizza, \u00a0focaccia, bread, and more. \u00a0Then Kim Kendall joined us from Mullumbimby Community Health to talk about the community health \u201cBake off\u201d and creating community through food. \u00a0As we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-radio-show-posts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.belly.net.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.belly.net.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.belly.net.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.belly.net.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.belly.net.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3542"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.belly.net.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3542\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3545,"href":"http:\/\/www.belly.net.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3542\/revisions\/3545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.belly.net.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.belly.net.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.belly.net.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}