Focaccia is a great place to start when making bread. It is hands-on but very quick and tasty. Adding oil to the white dough makes the finished loaf silky soft, and the semolina gives it a more rustic edge. You can finish your dough with anything from tomatoes, rosemary and roasted garlic to olives, or even salami. Some people like to push these into the dough, but I think that stops the aeration so I leave mine on top.

500g strong bread flour

1 heaped tbsp coarse semolina

2 × 7g sachets dried yeast

50ml olive oil, plus a little extra

75g pitted black olives, sliced

150g sunblush tomatoes

2–3 rosemary sprigs, leaves only

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1
. Thoroughly mix the flour, semolina and yeast with a couple of generous pinches of salt. Mix 320ml warm water with the olive oil. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and gradually add the liquid. (It’s easiest to mix this together with a fork to start with and then, when it is just coming together, use your hands to make it into a ball.) Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth, elastic and springy to touch.

2
. Place the dough in a large floured mixing bowl and leave to rise in a warm place for 30–60 minutes until doubled in size.

3
. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6.

4
. Place the risen dough in an oiled baking tray (about 28 × 20cm) and sprinkle with a little salt. Grease your fingers with a little olive oil and prod out the dough to the edges of the tray.

5
. Press the olives and sunblush tomatoes into the dough so that they are slightly poking above the surface. Season with salt and pepper and scatter over the rosemary leaves.

6
. Drizzle the bread with a little extra olive oil and place in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until golden and cooked through.

7
. Turn out of the tray, then transfer to a board, slice and serve.

SODA BREAD

MAKES 1 LOAF

This traditional Irish loaf uses bicarbonate of soda instead of yeast as its raising agent. The advantage is that you don’t have to wait for it to rise or prove, but the resulting loaf will not keep as long and is best eaten the same day. If you can’t buy buttermilk, use ordinary milk instead, but add a level teaspoon of cream of tartar.

350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

150g wholemeal flour

1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp table salt

1 tsp caster sugar

450ml buttermilk

1
. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6.

2
. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl and make a well in the middle. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk and add the rest to the bowl, mixing lightly with a fork as you add it. (Be careful not to overwork the dough but make sure all the dry ingredients are mixed in. Add the remaining buttermilk if necessary.)

3
. Tip the dough on to a floured work surface and knead gently for 30 seconds to combine. Do not overwork. Line a baking sheet with baking paper and dust with flour. Form the bread into a round, place on the tray and flatten slightly. Use a serrated knife to cut a deep cross in the top of the loaf.

4
. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 30–35 minutes until the soda bread is golden on the outside and cooked through. A good way to check is by tapping the base – it should sound hollow when cooked.

5
. Cool on a wire rack before enjoying warm or cold.

MOZZARELLA AND
ROSEMARY PIZZA

MAKES 4

Making your own pizza dough couldn’t be simpler, and is always so much nicer than buying a ready-made base. Most domestic ovens don’t get hot enough to achieve that really crisp crust flecked with scorch marks, so I tend to cook pizzas in a very hot frying pan and finish them under the grill.

2 × 7g sachets dried yeast

1 tbsp golden caster sugar

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

500g strong bread flour or Italian ‘00’ flour

1 tbsp fine sea salt

FOR THE MOZZARELLA AND ROSEMARY TOPPING

8 tbsp tomato passata

2 balls of mozzarella cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

2 rosemary sprigs

Olive oil

ALTERNATIVE GORGONZOLA AND RADICCHIO TOPPING

8 tbsp tomato passata

150g Gorgonzola cheese

2 small heads of radicchio, shredded

2 rosemary sprigs

Freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

ALTERNATIVE MEAT AND CHILLI TOPPING

8 tbsp tomato passata

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced

6 slices of salami

1 ball of mozzarella cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

1
. First make the pizza dough. Mix together the yeast and sugar with 325ml warm water and leave for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, sift the flour into a mixing bowl, add the salt and make a well in the middle. Pour the oil into the well, followed by the yeast mix. Using a spoon, bring the flour into the middle from the sides, mixing slowly, bit by bit, until a dough begins to form. Once you reach this stage, work the rest together with your hands.

2
. When combined, tip the dough onto a floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth. Clean out your mixing bowl, dust it with flour and put the dough back into the bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until doubled in size.

3
. When the dough is risen punch out the air and tip onto a floured work surface. Knead the dough for 1–2 minutes to push out any excess air, then wrap in cling film and chill if not using immediately.

4
. When you’re ready to make the pizzas, divide the dough into 4 equal balls and keep them covered. Put a large (26cm) grillproof frying pan on the heat (you can cook 2 bases at a time if you have 2 pans) and roll out one ball of dough on a floured work surface with a floured rolling pin until it’s the same size as your pan. Pour a little olive oil into the pan and add the pizza base, pressing it down. Cook over a medium heat for 5–8 minutes until the base crisps and the dough starts to cook through and bubble up.

5
. Spread 2 tablespoons of the passata over the pizza base. Tear the mozzarella balls in half, then tear one half into 4 pieces and dot them over the base. Season with pepper and scatter over a few rosemary leaves. Remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat with the remaining pizzas. (If you want to try the alternative toppings, build them up in a similar way.)

6
. Drizzle the pizzas with a little olive oil before placing under a preheated grill. Cook for about 4 minutes until the topping is golden and bubbling and the dough along the edges is nice and crisp.

7
. Serve warm, cut into slices, and drizzle with extra olive oil with a couple of extra rosemary sprigs sprinkled on top.

LEEK AND PANCETTA
QUICHE

SERVES 2

Quiche is a really versatile dish that you can take in any direction you like – just be generous with the filling: you want about two-thirds flavouring ingredients to one-third custard. Quiches are often better the next day, once the custard has had a chance to set properly and the flavours to mingle.

200g pancetta lardons

Olive oil, for frying

2 leeks, trimmed and finely chopped

4 eggs

4 tbsp double cream

100g Gruyère cheese, finely grated

2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE SHORTCRUST PASTRY

200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

Pinch of salt

100g butter, at room temperature, cubed

1
. First make the pastry. Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour, lifting the mixture up and dropping it back into the bowl – you want to keep the mixture light and airy. When it resembles fine breadcrumbs, mix in 2–3 tablespoons of cold water. Bring the pastry together, then knead lightly on a floured work surface to create a smooth, solid ball. Wrap in cling film and chill for 20 minutes.

2
. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Oil a 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin.

3
. Flour a work surface and roll out the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin (3mm). Use to line the prepared tin, pushing it into the corners and sides with a small ball of leftover pastry. Leave some excess pastry overhanging the edges, then prick the base with a fork. Chill for 10 minutes.

4
. Line the chilled pastry case with greaseproof paper and fill with ceramic baking beans or uncooked rice. Blind bake in the preheated oven for 10–15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans, then bake for a further 5–8 minutes until golden. Trim off the excess pastry with a sharp knife, then set the case aside.

5
. Meanwhile, fry the pancetta in a large oiled frying pan over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes until coloured and almost crisp. Add the leek and sauté for 3–4 minutes until soft and completely cooked through. Drain to remove excess oil if necessary.

6
. Mix the eggs and cream together in a bowl. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add three-quarters of the Gruyère and stir in the leek mixture. Mix well then add the parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Pour the mixture into the cooked pastry case, sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and cook in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes until golden and set.

7
. Remove the quiche and allow to cool slightly before serving.

HOW TO MAKE SHORTCRUST IN A FOOD PROCESSOR

Blend the flour, butter and salt together first, then add the cold water and pulse until combined. Tip the dough onto a floured surface and knead one or twice to bring it together in a smooth ball.

BEEF EMPANADAS

MAKES 18 EMPANADAS

The empanada resembles a pasty and probably started out in Spain but soon spread throughout Latin America and Asia. The piquant chimichurri sauce is a great accompaniment.

2 × 375g packets all-butter puff pastry

Olive oil, for frying

1 onion, peeled and finely diced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

Pinch of ground cumin

Pinch of ground cinnamon

½ tsp paprika

300g minced beef

4 tbsp pitted green olives, chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried chilli flakes

Pinch of sugar