Pizza... (kind of)

There is definitely no better way to spend your saturday night than eating pizza and watching mean girls.

My best friends have decided to give up gluten for lent and dominoes is really expensive when it's not tuesday so I was a bit stuck as to how I was going to get my pizza fill, until I stumbled across the recipe for cauliflower-crust pizza. I was more than dubious at first. But let me tell you - it's deeeelicious.

It is definitely not a healthier option as it is fully laden in cheese. But cheese is dreamy... and so is this.






Pre-heat your oven to 220C /430F.

Start with your cauliflower. Cut off the stems until you are left with the heads.

Now you can grate it or if you're feeling fancy, food-process it. We used a soup hand-blender and a fair bit of elbow grease......

Then I forgot to take photos because I was over excited (I also forgot to turn off my camera's bright effect which means the next few photos are preeeetty garish. Apologies).

So next, put the cauliflower in the microwave for four minutes.

While that's cooking away, get on with your cheese grating.

When the microwave pings, tip the cauliflower out onto a tea towel. Leave it on the towel to cool for about 3 mins.

While you're waiting, get your toppings ready - we sliced up some mushrooms.

Then we gather up the edges of the towel, hold it over the sink and squeeze like there's no tomorrow. (That saying probably makes no sense in this context... I was going to make a gym/bulking joke but I'm not funny and neither is bulking.)

Once you've squeezed out as much liquid as possible out, put it back in your mixing bowl, add an egg, the mozzarella/cheddar combo, oregano, a garlic clove and salt. Mix them together and put it onto baking parchment. Make sure to really compact the mixture with the back of your spoon.

 Then shove it into the oven for 10 minutes.

Next is topping time. I poured on some tomato sauce from a jar... (cue really bright photos)

Sprinkled on some more mozzarella and cheddar....

 Added some pepperoni slices & some mushroom...

Then back into the oven they went for a further 5 minutes...

Cause we were feeling pretty fancy, we indulged in some bubbly...

Then you leave you leave the pizzas to cool for 5 minutes so that the cheese firms up and your hard work doesn't crumble before your eyes...

Really, really delicious. We are already planning our next attempt... perhaps adding some broccoli to the base, and maybe layering on some chicken, goats cheese, caramelised onions & a dash of balsamic. The most exciting of times.

This cost us about £4 each.

I made enough for three but will give you the amounts for one.

SERVES 1

INGREDIENTS

Cauliflower Crust

• 1 cauliflower (with greens and stems trimmed away)
• 2/3 of a mozzarella ball
• a handful of grated cheddar
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 egg
• oregano
• Maldon sea salt 

Toppings

• Jar of tomato sauce for pizza
• 1/3 of a mozzarella ball
• a small handful of cheddar
• sliced mushrooms
• pepperoni slices

Bubbly

• Strongbow (very fancy stuff, only for special occasions)

Steak Supper

Times are tough. It's coming to the end of the month and I am running out of money.

What better way to cheer myself up than to indulge in a succulent steak drizzled with chimicurri sauce and a side of roasted and caramelised potatoes, sweet potatoes and onions?

I know... Student life.

First, take your steak out the fridge and leave it for an hour or two to come to room temperature before you frazzle it.

Pre-heat your oven to 190c / 375f / gas 5.

Take this time to prep your veg. Peel your potatoes and sweet potatoes, dice 'em up and throw them in a pot of boiling water for about 5 mins or until you can pierce them with a knife pretty easily.

Saving the worst till last. The dreaded onion.

Sling some oil in an oven-proof dish with some sea salt and some herbs. I used sage, rosemary and oregano. Put it in the oven. If your oil's hot when you add your veg, instead of soaking up the oil, they will crisp up.

Check your pots with a knife, when they're ready, drain them and shake them about in the pan so they become floury on the outside. Alternatively, you can lightly crush them with a masher...

Throw them into the hot oil, along with the onions and put them into your pre-heated oven for about an hour. Every twenty minutes give them a good stir to coat them in the oil & herbs.

Next is the chimichurri sauce. It's an Argentinian dressing similar to pesto but it's really tangy and zesty.

Put a large bunch of parsely in a food processor, along with a handful of coriander. Next add two garlic cloves, a shallot, a couple of sprinklings of chilli flakes (depending on how spicy you want to go), 1 tsp of dried oregano and blitz.

Next add 2 tsp red wine vinegar and finally, 2 and a half tbsp of oil. Delish!

Finally the steak. Put a frying pan over the hob and heat it up as hot as you dare. Pat the steaks dry with some kitchen roll and then hold the fatty edge of the steaks down in the pan until they are brown and have coated the pan in their meaty oil.

Lay the steaks flat in the frying pan and sprinkle on some salt & pepper. After about a minute, turn them over and season the other side. The high heat and meat fat will allow a caramel crust to form on the steak. Nom.

Then I add a wee bit of butter and baste my steaks while they cook for a further 2 minutes on each side (but you should play it by ear...)

This test works a treat.

Now rest it. Don't forgo the resting. About 5-10 mins will do.

All that's left to do is the eating...

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS

Steak

• 2 sirloin steaks
• butter
• salt & pepper

Roast Veg

• 1 baking potato
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 red onion
• shit-ton of oil
• Maldon sea salt (Invest. Once you have maldon-ed you will never look back)
• Any dried herbs that take your fancy: oregano, sage, rosemary, parsley, thyme etc.

Chimichurri Sauce

• parsley
• coriander
• 1 shallot
• 3 cloves of garlic
• chilli flakes
• dried oregano
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar 
• 3 tbsp of oil

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