Author Archive
Thin Crust Pizza and Sauce
This is my go to thin crust pizza dough recipe and my home made sauce that I have been making for several years. I am not going to break down the prices for this, as a cheese pizza is very reasonable, and when you start adding toppings, the cost per person per meal goes up as well. This is great to make when family is visiting as nearly all Thais enjoy pizza.
Equipment
- Pizza Pans (two 12 inch)
- Oven
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 2 cups flour
- ½ teaspoon instant yeast
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup water
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, optional, or herbs of your choice
Sauce
- 1 can tomato paste, (170 g / 6 oz can)
- ⅔ cup water
- ¼ cup olive oil, extra virgin
- salt, to taste
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ tablespoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
Basic Cheese and Tomato Pizzas
- 1 dough recipe
- 1 sauce recipe
- thinly sliced tomato, about 6-8 slices per pizza
- fresh basil leaves, coarsly chopped
- 1 package Mozzarella Cheese, 200 gram package, shredded
Instructions
Pizza Dough
- About 30 minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 250° C (480° F).
- Measure out the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and dried Italian seasoning/herbs of your choice (if using) and yeast, whisk to combine.
- Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the water. Use your fingers or a wooden spoon to combine everything together. When it comes together into a cohesive ball, turn it out onto the counter along with any extra flour in the bowl that hasn’t yet gotten worked in.
- Knead the dough until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth/elastic to the touch, about five minutes. The dough should still feel moist and just slightly tacky. If it’s sticking to your hands and counter top like bubble gum, work in more flour one tablespoon at a time until it’s smooth and silky. Then divide the dough into two parts.
- I use 12 inch pizza pans, sprinkle some corn meal around on the pan, the place one ball of dough in the center. Use the heels of your hands and working from the middle gently press the dough outward until it’s about ¼ of an inch thick or less, while rotating the pan.
- Spoon ONLY the sauce into the center of each pizza and use the back of a spoon to spread it out to the edges. Put into the preheated over for 5 minutes, then rotate it 180 degrees so it is evenly cooked for another 3 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Now add the toppings of your choice, return to oven for another 3-5 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack, repeat with second pizza. Each pizza should cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
Sauce
- Mix together the tomato paste, water, and olive oil. Mix well. Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste, oregano, basil, and rosemary. Mix well and let stand several hours in refrigerator to let flavors blend. No cooking necessary, just spread on dough.
Basic Cheese and Tomato Pizzas
- Shred your Mozzarella Cheese, slice tomatoes thinly, if only using the small plum tomatoes, slice a few more. Chop your fresh basil leaves.
- Using two prepared pizza crusts, top each with tomato slices, basil, and cheese. I like to use one 200 gram package of cheese, shredded per pizza, I like a lot of cheese.
- Bake for 3-5 minutes or until edge is brown and crispy, let cool for 5 minutes, and enjoy. Here is a few examples we have cooked here at the house, these are thicker than what they look like, we use generous toppings and 200 grams of cheese per pizza. All the Italian sausage is made from a shortcut here on this site.
- Italian sausage, ham, mushrooms, pineapple, lot of cheese.
- Italian sausage, mushrooms, chopped ham, onion, lot of cheese.
- Italian sausage, shrimp, imitation crab, bacon, mushrooms, yellow bell pepper, lot of cheese.
- Italian sausage, mushrooms, onion, red and yellow bell peppers, lot of cheese.
- Italian sausage, mushrooms, chopped ham, bacon, black olives, lot of cheese.
- This is the everything pizza; Italian sausage, bacon, ham, imitation crab, jumbo prawn, pineapple, mushrooms, black olives, and a load of cheese, about 1 pound.
- This is the Cheese Burger Pizza, it is Italian sausage, bacon, mushrooms, and shredded Cheddar cheese.
Notes
No need for prices here, the basic pizza is Best Value, when you start adding toppings, then the price goes up, and can go up a lot, but is so good, and is a good treat for Thai relatives and neighbors. We normally make very thick pizzas with loads of toppings, cost increases but the servings also increase.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
Easy Beef Pot Roast
This is cooked in a slow cooker with soup and one onion for a easy meal. The soup makes a great gravy for boiled or mashed potatoes. I make this from local raised beef right here in the village. A slow cooker is great because it can turn any cut of beef tender, it just may take a bit of time. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo beef, any large chunk or chunks will work
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, (Shortcut)
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 onion, quartered
- ground black pepper, to taste
- garlic powder, to taste
- potatoes, boiled or mashed, up to you
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Trim any large pieces of fat from the beef chunks and place in the slow cooker.
- Mix the soup and water in a bowl, add an ample shaking of ground black pepper and garlic powder, mix well. Pour this into the slow cooker. Place the quartered onion and bay leaf into the soup mixture. Put lid on the slow cooker.
- Turn on slow cooker to High for 1 hour then reduce to Low for 8 more hours. Leave the lid on, no need to look at it! At the 8 hour mark, try the tenderness, it should fall apart with a fork, if not, keep it on Low for several more hours until fork tender.
- Serve with a boiled potato or mashed potatoes with the soup mixture spooned on for gravy.
Notes
The beef cost me 150 baht, the soup was 42 baht and has lasted me 4 days, costing $1.42 per serving. Make the soup from the shortcut for more savings.
Shortcut: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.
My own recipe.
Peri Peri Chicken Livers with Bacon
Tasty chicken livers wrapped in bacon and BBQ'd. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Skewers
- Grill, Charcoal or Gas
Ingredients
- 1 kilo chicken livers, cleaned, cut in half, (2 lb)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon BBQ spice, Shortcut
- 1 teaspoon Peri Peri spice, Shortcut
- 4 tablespoons chutney
- 4 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 200 grams bacon, (7 oz)
Instructions
- Combine oil, barbecue spice, Peri Peri spice, chutney, tomato sauce and soy sauce in a large bowl.
- Marinate the livers in the mixture for about 30 minutes.
- Wrap a piece of bacon around each chicken liver and thread onto soaked wooden skewers, two per skewer.
- Barbecue over medium to hot coals turning frequently until the bacon is crispy and the bacon is cooked.
- Serve and enjoy with sides of your choice.
Notes
Chicken liver cost about 70 baht, bacon about 125 baht. We'll say 200 baht, comes out to about $1.50 per person per meal.
Shortcuts: BBQ Spice, Peri Peri Spice.
BBQ Spice Mix
Easy to make spice mix used either as an ingredient in other recipes or use as a rub for grilled meat.
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Mix everything well in a bowl and store in an airtight container.
Peri Peri Spice Mix
Also known as Piri Piri Spice Mix. A great spice mix used in various cuisines and extensively in South Africa. This is a rather expensive spice mix to purchase and I have not seen this in Thailand. This shortcut is very easy with items you have on hand.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamon
- ½ teaspoon powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground dried ginger
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ground oregano
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Just add all the powders to a mixing bowl, mix extremely well to form a smooth powder. Store in air tight jar.
North African Vegetable Stew
Nutritious and healthy vegetable stew served with rice. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 3 zucchini, sliced
- 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 can chickpeas, 410 gram can, drained
- 2 cups water
- 1 packet stew mix, Shortcut
- 2 tablespoons mint, chopped
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot and fry onion until soft then add the sugar and fry for about 5 minutes or until the onions start to turn golden brown.
- Stir in the garlic and paprika and cook for 30 seconds to release the flavour and aroma.
- Add all the vegetables and the water and allow to simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.
- Stir in the chickpeas and stew packet and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
- Before serving, garnish with mint and yogurt. Serve with rice or couscous.
Notes
Easily $1 or less per meal per person.
Shortcut: Stew Seasoning Mix.
Beef Stew Seasoning Mix
A combination of seasonings bring out the flavor of even the cheapest cuts of beef, stretching your food budget to the max. Can easily be made from items you have on hand.
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoons salt, plus 1 teaspoon
- 1½ teaspoons ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons paprika, plus 1 teaspoon
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder, plus 1 teaspoon
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon celery seed
- 2 tablespoons onion powder, plus 1 teaspoon
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
Instructions
- Measure all of the ingredients into a medium bowl, mixing very well. Pour into a jar, cover, and add a label with directions for use.
- To use, add 2-3 tablespoons of seasoning mix per pound of meat used.
Notes
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
Eggy Sausage Pie
Great for breakfast or dinner. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, coarsly chopped
- 6 thin beef sausages, sliced, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 carrot, coarsly grated
- 2 small zucchini, coarsly grated
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 packet dry chicken and mushroom soup
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160°C and grease a baking dish.
- Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add onion, cook stirring often for 2 minutes or until soft, remove and place in a bowl.
- Add sausages to frying pan and fry until cooked through, set aside to cool then slice.
- Spoon sausages, onion, carrot, zucchini, and cheese over bottom of baking dish.
- Whisk flour, dry soup, and milk in a bowl until smooth. Add eggs, and salt & pepper to taste, whisk until well combined. Pour over sausage and veggies in the baking dish.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until set. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Most expensive item would be the beef sausage, probably not over 200 baht, which is about $5.90 or about $1 per meal per person, plus minimal costs for other ingredients, still makes this a very affordable dish.
Shortcuts: Sausage, Breakfast Sausage.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Denise Georgiades.
South Africa.
South Africa.
Sriracha Honey Chicken Wings
Easy and delicious slow cooker spicy chicken wings, can also use legs and thighs.
Ingredients
- 2 kilo chicken wings, see note
- 3/4 cup Sriracha Chili Garlic sauce
- 3/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- juice from one lime, about a 1/4 cup
Instructions
- In a 5 quart slow cooker on low add Sriracha sauce, butter, honey and lime juice. Stir to combine. Add chicken wings. Stir until wings are well coated. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Check at minimum time, meat should be near falling off the bones tender.
- Remove wings from slow cooker and place on a baking sheet lined with foil. Drizzle sauce from slow cooker over wings. Set oven to broil. Place baking sheet in oven and bake for 2-3 minutes until the sauce starts to caramelize. Remove from oven, serve and enjoy. Broiling is optional, can serve as is. The sauce is thin but add some to a bowl for a great dipping sauce.
Notes
For chicken wings, you can get the whole wing which is 3 sections, remove the tip section and save for a snack for your dog, then separate the drumettes from the other section and use both. You can also buy just drumettes or even use thighs and legs.
Chicken wings run about 80 baht per kilo, 160 baht for the chicken, for 4 servings, this is about $1.17 per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Pasta with Alfredo Sauce
Homemade Alfredo sauce with chicken and pasta of your choice.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 packages Cream cheese, 250 grams per package
- 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 block of 227 gram block of butter
- 1 cup milk
- 3-4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cubed
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil
Instructions
- Cook the pasta of your choice, spaghetti would be good.
- Melt cream cheese and butter in a saucepan, stir in the milk and ground pepper, and salt if you like.
- In another saucepan, heat up 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, then garlic and cook for a minute or two then add the chicken cubes and cook until just before the chicken is cooked through then add the red bell pepper and cook for a few more minutes, chicken should be tender and bell pepper crunchy. Do not over cook the chicken.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and mix, simmer for just a few minutes, at this point, add a handful of chopped fresh mushrooms.
- Sauce will thicken, spoon over fresh pasta and top with grated Parmesan Cheese and ground black pepper.
Notes
All the ingredients makes this less than $1 per meal per person.
This is an easily adapted recipe, for the photo which I cooked on 6 Dec 2015, I omitted the chicken, and just added several large handfuls of fresh mushrooms, and then added fried bacon and ham.
Adapted from an internet recipe.