Cooking A Cool Way

Salads, crusty bread and cold meat to serve for a hot day lunch or dinner is acceptable.   What about if you prefer to have hot dishes during a hot summer month.  It could be done quickly, cook on top of the stove.  A stovetop is very handy for cooking pizza or even cooking a whole chicken.

Stovetop Heavy Based Pot Pizza

How to make the Stovetop Heavy Based Pot Pizza.

You need a good heavy based enamelled iron pot
I use a large round La Creuset pot

225 g pizza dough

Simple topping

Time to cook for 12-16 minutes, but you should have all the topping ingredients at hands.

Isn't it so simple!

The Recipe   -  Top Stove Pizza.

The Cooking Utensil

The Hot Pot  with the Lid on to cook the Pizza

Susy Stovetop Heavy Based Pot Pizza

Heat the Pot to a very hot temperature.

225g pizza dough

Tomato sauce which has been prepared with two hours braising.

Topping: sauteed mushroom and sundried tomato with olive oil

Parmesan cheese about a tablespoon and 2 tablespoons Mozzarella

Method

Do what you would do of making pizza.

First roll the dough into a thin round, place on a baking sheet

Place it on a wooden pizza peel and arrange the topping

Put some tomato sauce on the dough, spread it around to cover the surface

Put the topping, and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese.

Add on more cheese-the Mozzarella cheese

Transfer to the prepared hot pot

Put the cover on, switch of the heat of  the stovetop, and let it cook for 4 minutes

Open to check, make sure the pizza base is not burnt.

Put the lid back and continue cooking for 8 minutes further

(Put the stove on again on very low heat during this second cooking just for a few  minutes), and continue cooking without the heat on.

You could have a look, in fact, you could see the topping is bubbling and cooking away.

Transfer to the cutting board, by holding the baking paper, make sure you don't get burnt.

 ( you have to be there during the cooking process to keep an eye on)

Cut the pizza into wedges and serve with a salad.

Pizza and a Salad

Another method is cooking the pizza base first, on both sides.  Place the topping and continue cooking until the cheese is melting, take a few minutes.  If you wish to have a browner cheese crust, you could place the pizza under the griller to brown for one minute.
You don’t need a hot oven to cook this pizza, what you need is only a heavy based pot, simply heat up the pot with the lid on until very hot.  Place the ready pizza in to cook it.  Quick-cooking and so good, keep the kitchen cool during the dot day.


Cooking Whole Chicken on a Hot Day. No, you don't need to roast the chicken, but cook on the Stovetop.  Cool and Candid.

Recipe

Susy Chicken with Preserved Lemon.

Preparation:

You need a large pot with a heavy based pot.

A whole free-range chicken no 18

1 preserved lemon

Herbs: mint, rosemary, bay leaf, sage.

Fresh lemon and flat parsley

The chicken is rubbed with
preserved lemon

Wash the chicken and pat it to dry

Butterfly the chicken, split through the backbone

Rub it with the preserved lemon all over

Add the herbs 

Rest it in a large bowl for 36 minutes or longer

Ready to cook:
Heat the pot with the lid, to a very hot

When it is hot enough, put the chicken in, skin side down and add any juices

Cook in high heat for 11 minutes, with the lid on.

Turn the heat down on a very low heat and keep on cooking for 25 minutes. (remember always to keep the lid on)

Add the herb and cook for 5 minutes and turn the chicken over

Cook for 5 minutes further over low heat, baste the chicken with the juices and add slices of fresh lemon, and the flat parsley, put the lid on.

Serving the Chicken

Bring to high heat for one minute.
Take it off the stove.

Let the chicken stay in the pot until serving time.

Good cooking, it is semi braised, and it cooks in its own juices no oil added.  Cooking with a pot and the lid on throughout.!

Excellent for spring or summertime.

Serve with baked potato, or rice or slices of sourdough bread and a salad.

Note:  I did not add any salt, as my homemade preserved lemon was so mature and very salty.  You could add extra salt if your preserved lemon is not salty enough.

Love the flavour of the preserved lemon through the chicken meat.  And with the mixed fresh herbs added at the end of the cooking, made them taste better, it's full of flavour!

Double Cooked Dish

The double-cooked chicken could be done with this chicken.  When the chicken is cold cut into pieces, and deep fry or pan fry in hot oil to crisp the skin up, it looks good and golden brown.   Add fresh herbs to fry for the garnish.

To serve:  Put all juices in a jug, and serve with rice and cooked vegetable as you like.

Double Cooked Chicken.  Based on the cooking of  'Ayam Goreng.'

The chicken is delicious to serve at room temperature, garnished with rice and sauteed vegetables with Javanese herbs.  Thinking of my parents, they were so proud to serve this type of cooking to their family.  Missing you both!



Two dishes I am sharing the recipes for cooking on a hot day to keep the house fresh.  Hope you like them, and If you did do try, I hope the recipes worked well for you.  Happy Cooking.



Until Next Post
Susy