a love affair with food
The Ginger Pig has been around for some 20+ years now and it’s been on my must-visit list for the last 2. Synonymous with a superb quality of meat and an excellent choice of produce, it’s one of those places that you half wish you lived near and are half thankful that you don’t because you could spend a serious amount of money cultivating and tending to an addiction to this place…
Is pizza actually pizza if it’s not on a round disc of dough, covered in cheese and tomato and originating from Italy?
This is the debate I had with a co-worker recently. I say yes.
She remains unconvinced.
I think if it’s based on pizza but it’s been adapted, it still counts.
She’s not sure.
This may never be something that we agree on but I can say categorically, whatever you want to call these bad boys, make sure the word ‘delicious’ is in the title.
Chorizo. Mozzarella. Artichokes. Pesto. Naan breads. Ta-flipping-da!
Rocket science this is not. Spread the bread with the pesto then scatter across the top smoky, spicy, paprika hued chorizo, soft, sliced artichoke and creamy white ripped pieces of mozzarella. By ‘ripped’ I mean you’ve torn it. I’m not specifying that your cheese has to be muscly and in possession of its own Jillian Michaels inspired six pack.
The beauty of these is two fold; the naans make for a lighter base than even the thinnest of bases you can buy and the size of them is perfect for one. BTW, one is also perfect when served with err, one more.
Everything here was shop bought and I’m not ashamed of that fact in the slightest – it’s a Friday night dinner people – but you feel free to go ahead and shame me by making your own pesto and preparing and cooking your own artichokes. I’ll applaud your Gwyneth style determination as I pour a second glass of wine and lick chorizo oil from my fingertips…
Let’s take a minute and have a spot of learning shall we?
A quick search on the internet reveals multiple definitions of a ‘tarte tatin’; an upside down tart and a classic French pastry dish are just two but I think the Guardian got it pretty spot on in their 2011 article about how to make the perfect version of it when they simply said it was a ‘glorious, sticky treat’. Ahhhh, those words alone make me want to stop typing, head to the kitchen and start banging about with pastry and tins while some jazzyily-Parisian dinner party music accompanies me.
Traditionally sweet, this is one of those dishes that also suits a savoury filling just as well. I consider it something of a cheat dish and by that I mean it’s looks are slightly out of sync with it’s difficulty rating. Of course if you make your pastry from scratch, that rating shoots up from a PG to an 18 but if, like myself and many, many, MANY chefs out there, you are using shop bought, that’s absolutely fine.
Just to compensate for how simple it actually is, I will of course have to post something next about a croquembouche or a consommé or a towering soufflé which will make both you and I dear reader, weep at the level of skill required…but later. Let’s not weep now unless it’s at the sheer and unmitigated deliciousness of this tart. Read More
