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Television presenter Kate Humble has written her first cookery book. Home Cooked: Recipes from the Farm features all the things she loves to cook. Photography by Andrew Montgomery.
Tray of pizza
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
For the dough:
• 500g strong white bread flour
• 1tbsp fine sea salt
• 7g fast-action dried yeast
• 5tbsp olive oil
• 330ml warm water
For the tomato sauce:
• 400g can good-quality tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove, grated or minced
• 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 basil leaves, finely torn
• Salt and pepper
For the toppings:
• 300g mozzarella, sliced
• A selection of toppings, such as:
• Chargrilled artichokes
• Roasted red peppers
• Semi-dried tomatoes
• Roasted garlic
• Herbs
• Rocket
METHOD
In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt and yeast until everything is evenly distributed. Add two tablespoons of the olive oil and the warm water and mix together really well until you have a smooth ball of dough. It is a bit of a sticky and messy process, but it will all come together. Or you can do it in a food processor if you have one. Once your dough is ready, pour three tablespoons of the olive oil onto your largest baking tray (ideally around 45 x 30cm) and spread it over the entire tray using your hands. Put the ball of dough onto the tray and roll it in the oil to coat. Squash and stretch the dough into a small, roughly rectangular shape, similar to that of your tray. It won’t stretch to the edges at this point. You’re just after a shape that is similar to your tray, but smaller. Cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and leave in a warmish place to rise for at least three hours and up to 12.
Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce.
Pour the can of tomatoes into a bowl and add the garlic, olive oil, half a teaspoon of salt and the basil leaves. Using your hands, squash the tomatoes until finely pulped. You can use a stick blender if you prefer, but a bit of texture here is quite nice, so doing it by hand is best. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. You will have more sauce than you need, but it freezes really well and defrosts quickly, so you’ll have a handy supply for your next pizza, or you can use it for a quick pasta supper.
Once your proving time is up, and the dough has risen to at least double its size and is spreading out on the tray, preheat your oven to its highest setting. Place a shelf on one of the bottom rungs of the oven.
Gently stretch the dough to the edges of the tray. Try not to knock out too much of the air. Leave it somewhere warm while you assemble all your toppings, so once you come to make your pizza you can do it as speedily as possible.
Once ready, spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce onto the dough, leaving a clean rim around the edge which will be the crust. Top with the slices of mozzarella and anything else you like (although please resist the urge for pineapple). Then put in the oven for 10 minutes. Check it at this
point to see if your pizza base has turned golden. If it hasn’t, give it a few more minutes. Remove from the oven and slide onto a wooden board for everyone to help themselves. No knives or forks needed, but napkins, or possibly bibs, are advised!
Roast lamb with garden veg, oregano and feta
SERVES 6
INGREDIENTS
For the lamb:
• 1 leg of lamb, about 2kg
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• Olive oil
• A handful of rosemary and thyme sprigs
• A generous glass of red wine
For the vegetables:
• 400g broad beans in their pods, or 200g frozen
broad beans
• 300g French beans
• 100g peas (fresh or frozen)
• Leaves from 3 sprigs of oregano
• Zest of 1 lemon, juice of half
• Olive oil
• 50g feta
• Salt and pepper
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200C (400F), Gas
Mark 6. Make sure your lamb is at room temperature before you cook it, so take it out of the fridge 20 minutes or so beforehand. With a knife, make small, deep cuts all over the leg of lamb and push a slice of garlic into each one. Rub over some olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.
Put the rosemary and thyme sprigs in the bottom of a roasting tin and place the lamb on top. Put in the oven and cook for about one hour and 10 minutes if you want your lamb to be pink (it is so much nicer when it is) or for longer if you want it cooked through. Remove from the oven, put the lamb on a board and let it rest for 10 minutes or so before you carve it.
Remove the rosemary and thyme sprigs from the tin and put it over a high heat on the hob. Add the wine to the juices and let it bubble for a moment or two to form a thin but tasty gravy. Pour into a jug and keep warm.
Cook the broad beans (shelled, if fresh) in boiling water for about two minutes. Drain and tip them into a
bowl of cold water. Slip off the skins to reveal the bright emerald green beneath. This is, I admit, a bit of a faff, and you don’t have to do it, but they taste so, so much nicer without the skins. Set aside. Cook the peas briefly in boiling water, drain and set aside. Trim the tails off the French beans and steam or plunge into boiling water and cook until they are al dente. Drain and put in a bowl together with the broad beans and the peas.
Finely chop the oregano leaves and add all but a few (saved for garnish) to the vegetables. Add the lemon zest and then drizzle over a bit of olive oil to make the vegetables glossy, but not swimming in it. Squeeze over the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and mix gently. Tip into a pretty serving bowl, crumble over the feta and scatter with the remaining oregano leaves. Carve the lamb, pour the gravy over the slices and serve the vegetables alongside.
Clementine cake with an orange and pomegranate salad
SERVES 8 INGREDIENTS
For the cake:
• 375g – or as near as possible – clementines or
tangerines
• Oil for greasing
• 6 eggs
• 225g golden caster sugar
• 250g ground almonds
• 1 heaped tsp baking powder
For the orange salad:
• 6 oranges
• 1tsp orange blossom water
• 2tbsp pomegranate seeds
• 2tbsp toasted flaked almonds
• Some mint leaves, shredded
METHOD
For the cake: boil the whole fruit (in their skins) in a pan of water for one to two hours until soft. Let them cool, cut in half and remove the pips. Puree the fruit halves – skins and all – in a food processor until smooth. Preheat your oven to 190C, Gas Mark 5, and grease and line a 20cm springform tin.
Beat the eggs with a fork, then stir in the sugar, almonds and baking powder. Once well mixed, add the fruit puree and stir until the fruit is evenly distributed in the mix. Pour into the prepared tin and cook for one hour. Check with your trusty skewer that it is cooked through. If it gets a bit too brown before the end of the cooking time, loosely cover with foil. Let it cool in the tin on a wire rack.
For the salad: Peel the oranges carefully, making sure you remove all the pith, then slice them into discs about five millimetres thick. Arrange them in a dish. Sprinkle over the orange blossom water and the pomegranate seeds. Just before serving, add a scattering of toasted flaked almonds and shredded mint leaves.
■ Home Cooked: Recipes from the Farm by Kate Humble is published by
Gaia, priced £25.