Weeknight Meals – Hello Victoria https://www.hellovictoriablog.com Lifestyle blog based in London, UK Fri, 22 Dec 2023 11:20:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 FRESH GARDEN PEA + KALE PESTO PASTA https://www.hellovictoriablog.com/2018/05/24/fresh-garden-pea-kale-pesto-pasta/ https://www.hellovictoriablog.com/2018/05/24/fresh-garden-pea-kale-pesto-pasta/#respond Thu, 24 May 2018 02:25:00 +0000 https://www.hellovictoriablog.com/?p=379 Read more]]> Now, I think it’s pretty safe to assume that everyone likes pasta. (I mean, unless you’re celiac that is.) It’s always so warm and delicious… but often leaves me feeling a bit guilty. It’s not exactly healthy food, is it?

So when I saw this recipe from Waitrose, it felt like the perfect marriage of guilty pasta and veggies! This pesto is so vibrant and fresh tasting, with the garden peas… while also still feeling like a traditional pesto, with garlic and basil. It’s delicious but also feels almost healthy.

The perfect recipe to enjoy after spending the day gardening in the allotment 🙂 Which is pretty much what we do every weekend!

So if you’re looking for a quick meal on a weeknight, this is the jam! And you can easily swap out the kale for spinach, or another similar green. In fact, I actually prefer the flavour of spinach as opposed to kale. It’s subtler, which allows the pea and basil to really shine.

If you’re the type to keep frozen peas on hand, it’s an easy fridge meal. That is if you’re the type who keeps spinach or kale on hand. 😉 Enjoy!

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Fresh Garden Pea + Kale Pesto Pasta

Ingredients

  • 320 g frozen peas
  • 150 g kale stems removed or spinach
  • large handful basil
  • 30 g toasted pine nuts
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 3 tbsp grated parmesan plus more to serve
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 300-500 g pasta
  • chilli flakes lemon juice salt, to taste

Instructions

  • Place the peas in a bowl, and cover with just boiled water. Let sit for 30 seconds, then drain and rinse in cold water.
  • Blanche the kale/spinach in boiling, salted water for 1 minute. Drain, and pat dry.
  • Transfer the peas, kale, garlic, nuts, parmesan cheese, and a healthy pinch of salt to a food processor. Mix until everything is chopped, and drizzle in just enough oil to keep it moving.
  • Add a splash of lemon juice and a sprinkle of chilli flakes, to taste. Add any more salt if desired.
  • Cook the pasta according to the package directions, and drain, reserving a ladle of the pasta water.
  • Add a splash of the pasta water into the pesto, and whizz to combine. Stir together the pasta, and pesto, adding more water to give it a silky texture. Taste, and serve with extra parmesan or chilli flakes.
]]> https://www.hellovictoriablog.com/2018/05/24/fresh-garden-pea-kale-pesto-pasta/feed/ 0 HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH https://www.hellovictoriablog.com/2017/05/17/homemade-pizza-dough/ https://www.hellovictoriablog.com/2017/05/17/homemade-pizza-dough/#respond Wed, 17 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.hellovictoriablog.com/?p=205 Read more]]>
Home made pizza dough recipe | Hello Victoria

Every pizza is a personal pizza if you believe in yourself

A couple of years ago I found myself working at a little cafe in Victoria. It was a great job, as there were only two of us in the kitchen, and we had plenty of freedom in terms of our hours, etc. One of the other great perks of this job was the lunch! Most restaurants etc. have free food as part of the job, but from my experience, it’s almost always unhealthy! Pasta, pasta, pasta… pretty much cheap carbs every day. But here we could make our own lunches with salads, sandwiches, and the occasional pizza!

They would make these individual pizzas for lunch each day, with different toppings. And boy, were they good! They would also sell the pizza dough for people to make their own at home.

Home made pizza dough recipe | Hello Victoria
Easy pizza dough recipe | Hello Victoria

As the baker, it was my job to make the pizza dough in large batches, and then we would defrost a few each day. These small balls made perfect thin-crust personal pizzas – so you can imagine I decided to make them at home! I adjusted the recipe a little bit for myself (I’m not super into whole wheat flour), and then would make a batch and freeze them. Then, all you need to do is pull a couple little pizza dough balls out and let them prove/defrost for a couple hours. You can even bring them out first thing in the morning, and let them defrost in the fridge.

Home made pizza dough recipe | Hello Victoria

All in all, it’s a super simple recipe that can make lots of pizza dough in advance. Which makes it pretty great for a weeknight meal. Just add some pizza sauce, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, mushrooms, or whatever you like to your pizza!

Easy pizza dough recipe | Hello Victoria

Yum!

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Homemade Pizza Dough

Prep Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 9 personal pizzas (or 3 full sized)

Ingredients

  • 8 g active dry yeast
  • 250 g warm water 110-115°F or 43-45°C
  • 15 g honey
  • 425 g all-purpose flour*
  • 23 g olive oil
  • 4 g salt

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, mix together the warm water, honey and active dry yeast. Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes until all the yeast has dissolved and the mixture begins to show bubbles.
  • Add the olive oil to the yeast mixture.
  • In a large bowl, or a stand mixer, pour in your liquid, then top with the flour(s) and salt. Mix together until it resembles a shaggy mass, and then turn out onto a clean table.
  • Knead the dough for approximately 8 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.
  • Divide the dough into 9 portions (about 80g each**). If using immediately, cover with cling film and allow to prove until doubled in size.
  • To freeze the dough, place the balls in plastic bags so that they are not touching. To use from frozen, allow to defrost and prove until doubled in size.
  • Roll the dough out until thin on a lightly floured surface. Once at the proper size, dust the bottom with cornmeal or semolina to keep from sticking. Top with sauce, cheese, and vegetables/,meat.
  • Bake in a preheated oven (400°F or 205°C) for about 10-12 minutes, until crust is golden and cheese is melted.

Notes

*If you want a slightly healthier crust, use 340g white and 85g whole wheat instead of all white flour ** Divide dough into only 3 portions to make full sized pizzas
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