Port in Pizza Night

A heatwave arrived early on in the second Saturday in April. That meant after an early trip to the local Greengrocer a ten mile walk with a semi-willing terrier was in order. When it's sunny all day  like it was on this day I like just to go off and spend all day outside. I first found that mindset in the summer of 1999 after I'd finished my GCSES when on a hot day I'd take off with my cricket bat, some tennis balls, my golf club and golf balls and hit them about in the fields behind my parents' house until teatime. In those days though my world was a lot smaller and less interesting than it is today.

On my return home from the warm walk, I decided on something that is deceptively quick to make but also fairly light on account of the warm weather we were experiencing. I realised I'd not made much Pizza of late and so settled on a Pizza Recipe that used a colourful and flavoursome new cheese I'd found in the local deli.

First I made the dough which comprised of:

Fifteen ounces of Wholemeal Bread Flour.
Four teaspoons of Yeast.
Three teaspoons Caster Sugar.
Seven fluid ounces of Water.
Four teaspoons Oregano.
Four teaspoons Italian Herbs (Sage, Rosemary and Thyme).

I mixed together all the ingredients above and when I had turned into something resembling a piece of dough I kneaded the dough hard. The motivation for the kneading was  easily found by thinking of a frustrating situation I'd experienced not too long ago.

After an intense kneading session I left the dough in my South facing conservatory to rise while I did the garden.

An hour and a half later the dough had expanded fully and I made the topping which comprised of:

One sliced Tomato.
One diced Spring Onion.
Two diced cloves of Garlic.
Sprinkling of Oregano.
Sprinkling of Italian Herbs.

I fried the above ingredients in the Le Cresceut with Sunflower Oil for ten minutes on a low heat and then put them to one side.

In the meanwhile did the rest of the topping by laying out on top of the dough evenly three seven by seven slices of Port Wine Derby Cheese and three slices of Prosciutto that was torn into strips.

At this time I was listening to James Taylor's eclectic Flag album on which includes two covers; a sloppy but fun "Daytripper" (I don't need to tell who wrote than one do I?) and a sentimental but thoroughly likeable cover of the Drifters "Up On The Roof". There is also a look back to Taylor's own past with a re-recording of his early classic "Rainy Day Man". Balanced against these looks back are some excellent new songs in the form of the sardonic "Company Man", the parochial but haunting folk masterpiece "Millworker" and the unsettling "Sleep Come Free Me" which shows the darker side of Taylor that sometimes lurks behind his sweet voice. These three songs plus the former three glances into the past more than compensate for the workmanlike songs that make up the balance of the album.

Once I'd laid the Cheese and Prosciutto over the dough I then added evenly the contents, including the Sunflower Oil, of the Le Cresceut onto the top of the dough and spread them evenly.

I then cooked the Pizza for twenty minutes in the oven on Gas Mark Six.  After that I sliced it and served it on a bed of lettuce.

The initial taste verdict was that the rich Port and Wine Derby Cheese threatened to overpower everything else at first. However the soft dough and Prosciutto stopped this being a reality. The taste of the Cheese and the Prosciutto also ensured that the Garlic and Spring Onion were tasteful rather than potent in this innovative pizza dish.

Tomatoes on a beach of purple in this melted Port Wine Derby Cheese.