Big Day Out

It started with a tweet and ended up with us going to Kate Humble's Big Day Out on her farm in Monmouthshire, alongside Dallas Campbell and his "Science of Pizza" demonstration.

Kate had asked Dallas to do a demonstration at the Big Day Out on the theme of pizza, to show off the Esse wood fired pizza oven, so with his usual enthusiasm and hands on approach, he duly did his research and rocked up to the event with some great facts, figures and anecdotes. Daniel Blewitt from Esse was on hand to lend his considerable expertise to the proceedings
But before that, his research led him to investigate the best surface on which  to cook the perfect pizza and he turned to us, figuring we'd be able to help.

Of course, we love a challenge, so the quest for the perfect pizza plate was joined and we started our own experimentation. We came up with a 15" diameter, ¼" thick black iron plate. Out of which was born our brand new griddle and bake plates - not only good for pizzas, but a whole host of other goodies too.
So now you can choose from 2 sizes - 12" and 15".
UPDATE: we have now added the long handle and short handle pizza peels to the raqnge
Please take note, more recipes will be coming this way soon.................

Our joint experiments concluded that this plate is fantastic in a wood fired oven like the Esse featured in this post, a domestic oven - see photos below - and Dallas's own experiments which proved that you can create a great Napoli pizza by cooking first on the hob and then finishing off under the grill.

Using the following recipe and flour from a 25kg bag  that he bought for less than £20, Dallas made pizza bases for around 4p each.

Mix 3g fresh yeast (or 1½g dried yeast) into 600ml water.
Put 1kg of 00 flour into a bowl and add 35g salt
You do not need anything else!!!

Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the water.  Draw the flour into the water and bring together until thoroughly combined.
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough feels "elastic".

Cut into portions weighing approx 250 - 280g and shape into balls with a smooth upper surface.
Place on a floured tray and cover with a damp tea towel or oiled clingfilm
Leave to prove for 8 hours.

Heat the oven to the highest it will go, or the wood fired oven to 350º or heat the hob and grill.
Place the pizza plate on the hob or in the oven to preheat.

Press out the dough to your preferred thickness - a true Neapolitan pizza has a THIN crust.

The sauce was made from a 40p tin of tomatoes, simply blitzed with a stick mixer.

Spread a thin layer of sauce on to the pizza - too much will give you a soggy bottom, to quote a well known baking personality.

Finish off with a dusting of grated Parmesan and some Mozzarella.  A few leaves of basil will turn this into the classic Margharita.

Carefully transfer the pizza onto the pizza plate, using a pizza peel - more news of these coming soon - and transfer to the hob or oven.
Alternatively, you can build your pizza directly onto the pizza plate.

It should be ready in a matter of minutes - depending on the cooking method.

And there you are, Dallas's genuine Neapolitan pizza - delicious, simple and incredibly cheap.

Of course, we were lucky enough to hear his anecdotes and yarns...... but you never know, he may be back again next year or may even find an opportunity to share the adventure on TV.

But this was not the only cookery demonstration of the day............

At a varied and fun event we also got to see Tom Herbert - one of the Fabulous Baker Brothers making bread and butter -  delicious soda bread with home made butter.
We are lucky enough to have met Tom before and he and his brother Henry have been using some of our cookware around the country for their outdoor cooking escapades.

And let it not be said that the barbecue is the sole domain of the suburban, Neanderthal male.

You may have seen recent press coverage of the rise of women in the hitherto macho domain of outdoor cooking and here to show off their altogether more appetising alternatives to charcoaled sausage were Genevieve Taylor, launching her fascinating and appetite stimulating book "How to Eat Outside"

and the utterly lovely Shauna and Samantha, who together are the HangFire Smokehouse gals.

The gals

Neil and Dallas inching towards the HangFire stall

And there was not just food, we were lucky enough to chat with Oliver from The Noses and got a wave from Gareth Malone, who naturally enough led the children in a fantastic rendition of Old MacDonald and other great favourites.

We would like to extend our personal thanks to Emily, the Farm Shop Manager and all her staff for the warm welcome and the terrific way in which the have displayed their stock of Netherton Foundry wares.

  

 

And we mustn't leave out Josh, Guyrope Gourmet with his camper van and Pioneer stove

and Alexis from Embers in Bristol with his Kamodo Joe

© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2015

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk