There are two really good reasons to kook your own food. First, when it saves you a load of money; or second, when it's far superior to anything you can buy. DIY pizzas work out cheaper (and tastier) than those you can buy. The recipe for venison stew (which you can alternatively make with braising steak) is a meal that will simply knock your taste buds for six.
Makes at least two bases
Put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into the mixer and mix for a few seconds. Add the margerine and mix for a further minute. Carefully add the water a little at a time, mixing between each addition. Mix for 1 minute. If you are doing this by hand it will take about 8 or 10 minutes to kneed it until the dough is smooth. Put the mixture into a bowl and cover with a tea towel and stand the bowl over a pan of hot water. When it is twice its size turn it onto a floured board and knead it for 2 minutes.
Roll out to the size you want - this depends on the size and shape of the tray you are going to cook it on, but you should get two 15" pizzas or 4 12" pizzas.
The base can be frozen and will keep for 2 to 3 weeks. To do this put the rolled out base into a lightly greased freezer bag, seal and freeze.
Generally the first topping that is put on is a tomato paste or similar. I use jars of bruchetta sauce (this is the best choice) or pasta sauce (the 'Dolmio' type of thing - 'Classico' are best). Sprinkle this with oregano, then grated cheese. Decorate with thin slices of any (or all) of the following: mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, garlic, onions, anchovies, sweet or chilli peppers, salami, pepperoni, Mozzarella cheese, capers, sultanas or anything else that takes your fancy. I usually put a little more grated cheese on top at this stage so it browns nicely. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 175°C or until the topping has browned and the bread feels firm to the touch.
Is it worth it? Cost of the base will be about 65p. Cost of the tomato topping is between 30p and 60p. The rest of the toppings I use are the leftovers that I can find in the kitchen, so they don't really cost anything - but let's say about 75p max. So, the total cost of a generous pizza for 4 is between 95p and £2.
If you want to be adventurous try the following.
Banana and honey pizza
Spread the pizza base with honey, cover with chopped banana, decorate with blobs of blackcurrant jelly. Bake as before.
Chinese pizza
Use Black bean sauce or Yellow bean sauce instead of thebrushetta - simple!
Pizza sandwich (calzone)
For this you need to bake the pizza base for 5 minutes first. Put one base into a baking tray, add filling of your choice. Put the second base on top. Bake for a further 15 minutes.
Enough for six: serve with those little new potatoes - such as 'Charlotte'. This recipe takes three days from start to table - yes, three! However it only takes about ½ hour to prepare - and then ages to slow cook. It's well worth the wait.
For the Marinade
For the braise
Cut the meat into 5cm pieces - discard any sinew. Put the meat into a bowl and add the marinade ingredients. Stir, cover and put in the fridge overnight or longer. The next day drain the meat, but keep the marinade.
Dice the onions, garlic and carrot. Warm a little oil in a large heavy bottomed frying pan and fry the meat and onions (in batches if necessary) until they are richly brown all over. Put them into a warm bowl. In a separate pan fry the button onions in a little butter and sugar until a nicely browned. Fry the button mushrooms in a little butter - again until nicely browned.
In the original frying pan fry the rest of the vegetables and the bacon in the remaining butter until they are soft and a rich brown colour. Stir in the flour, reduce the heat and continue frying until it is again a deep brown colour.
Add the marinade a little at a time, stirring after each addition and scraping up any residue in the bottom of the pan.
Transfer to a large, lidded casserole dish, then add everything else. If the ingredients are not completely covered add a bit more red wine or venison stock (I added some more brandy!). Season with a little salt, and cook in oven at 150°C for a little over 2 hours until the meat is really tender. Turn the oven off and leave to cool overnight (it'll be alright).
The next day check that the liquid hasn't dried out too much - you know what to add if it has - a slurp more wine, or brandy. Heat the oven to 150°C and cook for a further 1 hour. Serve with potatoes and sprouts - and a glass or two of red wine if there's any still left.