Cooking with Colm O'Gorman: Fresh pizza with pear, chorizo, blue cheese and walnut
Pear and walnut pizza
One of my favourite possessions is my Kenwood Chef mixer. I bought it second hand when I was sixteen years old, so it is at least forty years old. It is a phenomenal machine. It has never once broken down, never once failed me. I have never even had it serviced. I cannot begin to count the number of meals it has helped me produce over the years. A lot of love has been channelled via its now ancient motor; food created to show care, to celebrate or commiserate, or to simply nourish and nurture. Each time I use it is special, a reconnection with all that history and all those moments, with everything that matters most to me. That is what food means to me, it is why I love cooking, why feeding people is such a joy. It is never just stuff on a plate, it is an expression of love and connection, be it an everyday meal or a special occasion.
Throughout this past year, I have used it way more than usual. Like many others, I am cooking more often, three meals a day at home as opposed to eating out or grabbing lunch from the shops on a near-daily basis. Amid all the stresses and challenges of the pandemic, that part at least has been a joy. It too is now part of the story of my Kenwood Chef, part of what I will remember in years to come when I use it again and again.
I used it just yesterday to make the dough for this gorgeous pizza. Its dough hook makes quick work of kneading the dough perfectly. You can of course knead it by hand too.
I made this pizza for the first time several weeks ago and have been asked for the recipe many times since. So here it is: a lovely Friday feast for you. The combination of pear, chorizo, Cashel Blue cheese, walnut and basil is wonderful if a little unorthodox on a pizza. I like my dough a little on the charred side but cook it to your own preference. This technique creates amazing home-made pizza, as good as nay you will find from most good pizza restaurants. This recipe makes enough dough and sauce for three pizzas, so you can make a few with different toppings if you wish.
- 475g strong white flour
- 7g quick active yeast
- 25ml olive oil
- 50ml lukewarm milk
- 275ml lukewarm water
- 2tsp salt
- 1tsp sugar
- 300g cherry tomatoes
- 1tbsp tomato purée
- 1 shallot
- 1 clove garlic
- A little olive oil
- 1tbsp honey
- Salt & pepper
- ½ a pear, cored and thinly sliced
- 75g of chorizo, thinly sliced
- 125g buffalo mozzarella
- 30g Cashel Blue cheese
- Dried Chilli flakes
- A few leaves of fresh basil
To make the dough, mix the flour, yeast, sugar & salt together in a large bowl. I used my Kenwood for this, but you can mix and knead the dough by hand. Stir in the olive oil & milk. Gradually add water, mixing well to form a soft dough.
If using a dough hook, use medium speed for 4-5 mins. If kneading by hand, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 mins until you have a smooth dough. Pop into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film. Allow to proof until doubled in size, about an hour.
To make the sauce, cut tomatoes into quarters. Finely chop shallot and garlic. Cook in a pan with a splash of olive oil until soft. Add the chopped tomato, tomato purée and honey. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes break down and the sauce thickens to a soft paste-like consistency.
When the dough is proofed, turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knock it back just a little. You will have enough for 3 decent sized pizzas, so divide it into three balls of dough.
Heat a heavy-based frying pan on a high heat and turn on your grill to its highest temperature. Do not use any oil, a dry pan works best here.
Dust one of the dough balls with a little flour and then use your hands to press it into a disc. Now using your fingertips, starting in the middle and gradually working your way out, press the dough into the size and shape for your pan. Keep a nice thick crust of 2-3cm at the edges.
Pick up the dough and little shake off any excess flour. Pop it onto the hot pan and stretch it out a little if needed, carefully though as the pan will be very hot. Add the sauce, using a spoon to spread it across the pizza base, leaving the crust sauce free so it can rise and get crispy.
Tear and scatter the mozzarella evenly on top of the sauce. Next add the chorizo, the blue cheese and the pear. Let the pizza cook in the pan on a high heat until the base is crisp and brown, about 3-4mins. If you are using a thinner based pan, just keep an eye on the base to make sure it does not start to burn. When the base of crisp and brown, transfer the pan to the grill and cook for another 3mins or so until it is cooked on top. Your crust should rise and turn lovely and brown.
Keep an eye on the pizza under the grill, as it can cook faster than you might imagine. I cook mine under the grill on the middle shelf of my oven which works beautifully. When there is about a minute left to go, add the walnuts.
Take the pizza out of the oven and finish with the basil leaves roughly torn, some dried chilli flakes and a drizzle of honey.
