Winter Mondays

Its not an ordinary mist out there today, its more of a sea-mist. Sharp, ozone smell and bitingly cold droplets from the ocean just over the downs make for red cheeks and cold hands. Indoors feels so much more welcoming when the sky is a uniform lid of steel, especially now that the Christmas trees are up and the fires are lit.  All our winter totems are up and out earlier this year of pandemic.

At this end of the year daylight hours are minimal, but we can count the days until we can say 'the nights are drawing out again' even though a good few weeks will pass until we can really see the light return.  So with these long evenings beginning at mid-afternoon, its good to get outside and feel the light on our faces along with the salty sting.  

The moon became full as we walked this morning, just a couple of hours earlier there was a lunar eclipse. Even if we hadn't been inside a raincloud the eclipse wouldn't have been visible to the naked eye, happening as it did whilst the moon herself was setting.  A syzygy, a straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies, kicked the week off.  What a wonderful word, pronounced 'scissor-gee'.

These celestial events may or may not have a bearing upon us all here on earth, but how wonderful it is to have the time to contemplate them. I was buzzing with extra energy last night and this morning, and several friends were either the same, or somewhat over-wrought. It would be remarkable if we couldn't feel the influence of the moon really, considering what she does to the tides. 

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White Sauce

 Use this as a base for cheese sauce, parsley sauce, or wherever a white sauce is called for.

It does take around 45 minutes in total, what with the half hour or so to flavour the hot milk but frankly you could have a coffee and a cheeky read of your book whilst that's happening, no? Or busy yourself with whatever, that time will fly.  As you get more proficient, the actual making of the sauce will happen in a trice.

I have given actual measurements for the ingredients here, because if I don't, and you're a complete novice, you won't thank me. The truth of the matter is, amounts here don't really matter. A knob, a glug, a slosh is how I approach my white sauces, but for starters it goes thus:

Ingredients

• 50g butter
• 50g plain flour
• 500ml milk
• 1 Bay leaf
• 10 peppercorns
• 1/2 an onion, skinned, studded with
• 3 cloves
• 1 clove of garlic, that you have peeled and leant on with the heal of your hand

Method

• Pour the milk into a pan
• Add the peppercorns, onion, bay leaf and garlic
• Bring the milk to the boil then remove from the heat
• Leave it for 20 minutes to infuse with all the flavours
• After 20 minutes, remove the flavourings from the milk with a slotted spoon and discard
• Add the butter to another saucepan and gently melt until it bubbles but doesn't turn brown
• Add the flour and stir until a paste forms
• Gradually add your infused milk, stirring as you go to form the smooth sauce.

For cheese sauce

• A handful of cheddar, grated.  Just stir it in whilst the sauce is still hot.
• You can season with white pepper and a pinch of salt.

Pizza Dough Base

 This is really simple, only requires one proving (where the dough rises) and although you can use Italian 00 flour, I don't always have it, but I always have plain flour, which works a treat.  This makes enough for  one big pizza.

Ingredients

• 250g Plain Flour
• Half a sachet of easy blend yeast (or 3 tablespoons of fresh)
• Half teaspoon of salt
• A couple of pinches of white pepper
• 150 ml warm water (not hot or you'll murder rather than rehydrate the yeast)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Method

• Combine the dry ingredients
• Add the olive oil and the water, and combine it all using a large knife 
• Once its all combined, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface
• knead the dough for 5 minutes.  You'll feel it change texture and become smooth and elastic
• Put the dough ball into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave for an hour in a warm place.
• Once the dough is risen to double its original size, put it onto a lightly floured surface
• knock it back (knock the air out of it) 
• Lightly knead it again just for a minute or two, don't want to overwork it 
• Roll it out
• Place on an oiled, lined baking sheet, ready for your pizza topping

Cooking the base with its topping will take around 25 minutes at 220 centigrade in a fan oven. Lift it up and tap the base, if there's a hollow sound, it is ready.