Get Floured Up!

The weekend is a kingdom of possibility. Free time is precious, as is family time, and we want you to bring both together this week, along with a little food! We’ve been focussing on the family this month at Oregano and we thought it was high time you spent a little quality time with the kids.

For Italians, the only thing more important than food is family, and we want you to bring both together this weekend by making your own pizzas! They’re easy, they’re quick, they’re tasty, and they’re great fun to make!

Let’s start off with…

The Dough

Ingredients

• 300g strong bread flour
• 1 sachet quick action yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 200ml water
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Put all your dry ingredients in a bowl. OR – if you’re really brave – on a counter or kitchen surface.
2. Make a well in the centre of your flour, salt, and yeast, and pour in your water. (Yeh, a bowl is probably wiser if you have littlies about!)
3. Add your olive oil and mix together until you have a soft, wet dough.
4. This is the fun bit! Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it! (This is a perfect way to get out any tension for the week, and calm the stress of cooking with the children…)
5. Pre-heat your oven to 240◦c.
6. Pop the dough back in the bowl and cover with oiled cling-film then leave to rise for 10-15mins. (This is a bit the kids will love. Gather round the bowl and watch the dough do its thing!)
7. Once risen, roll your dough out to your preferred size – Teeny-weeny pizzette or one big family-sized pizza to share, it’s up to you – but make sure it’s very thin.
8. Place on a floured baking tray and it’s ready to top and then bake!

The Toppings

Ingredients

This is up to you really! Whatever floats your family boat! As a base you could have:

• Tomato Sauce
• White Sauce (Such as cream cheese with lemon and garlic)
• BBQ Sauce (If you want to get a bit Tex-Mex) 

And you could top it with any or all of these:

• Ham/Bacon/Prosciutto/Pepperoni/Chorizo (Meat from your country of choice!)
• Mushrooms
• Spinach
• Onions
• An egg! (find some inspiration for Egg Pizzas HERE)
• Pineapple (If you’re feeling Hawaiian)
• Peppers
• Cherry tomatoes
• Any number of herbs or spices

Basically any animal, vegetable, or mineral which you and your kids love (ok, perhaps not so much the minerals…) chuck it on there then cover it with your cheese of choice – which should, really, be mozzarella, and pop it in the oven! Your oven should have been pre-heated to 240◦c, bake it for 8-10 minutes until perfectly crisp.

This is the most delicious way to have fun with the family – make sure everyone gets involved, one person chopping, one person mixing, add your toppings with care and love and, if you aren’t all covered in flour by the end of it, you’re not doing it right! And if it all goes horribly wrong, just pootle on over to Pizzeria Oregano and we’ll give you the finished product for afabulous family price. 

Family Fettucine Fun

Whether it be for a grand-scale family Sunday lunch or a quick weekday dinner, this delicious pasta dish is always a family favourite. Simple, quick, and tasty – it’s bound to be popular with big and little kids alike.

Ingredients

Per person

• 125g - Porcini Mushrooms (OR to make it a bit more exciting, have a mix of lots of different mushrooms)
• 150g  - Fettucine
• Mint
• Parsley
• 10ml - Single Cream
• Garlic
• Salt and Pepper

Method

• Slice all your mushrooms roughly – you don’t want them to be too small or too even.
• Thinly slice your garlic then fry in olive oil until it turns golden-brown.
• Add your mushrooms to the pan along with finely-chopped parsley and mint.
• Fry until the mushrooms have softened.
• Bring a pan of water to the boil, add salt and your pasta. Cook according to packet instructions until pasta is al dente.
• While your pasta is boiling, add double cream, more garlic, salt and pepper (to taste) to your mushrooms and leave to simmer gently.
• Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the mushrooms.
• Take off the heat and stir until mixed, then serve.

Are you a fan of our fettucine? Get in touch on Facebook or Twitter and let us know! And if you don’t fancy cooking, assemble the family and head on over to Oregano and we shall feed youall handsomely ourselves… 

The Perfect Family Sunday - Italian-Style.

Family is “the only Italian institution” – Father Lydio Tomasi (Founder of the Center for Migration Studies)

This month, at Pizzeria Oregano, we are focussing on what matters the most - family. Until the beginning of September, we want you to assemble your favourite people and head over to Oregano where we will feed you handsomely for just £10 each! 

But we also want to encourage you to embrace Italian family life at home, so this week we are giving you all that you need to plan the perfect Italian Sunday family meal.

At the heart of Italian culture is family, and at the heart of the Italian family is the “gioie della tavola” or “the joys of the table”. Apparently, only 5% of Italians choose to eat out on a Sunday, so we can’t think of a better day to set your traditional Roast aside in favour of a more Mediterranean Sabbath. The key to a perfect Italian Sunday is food prepared with love and care, lots of people and lively conversation.

First step: assemble the relatives! If you live too far away, or simply do not have an arsenal of aunts and grandparents and cousins at your disposal, invite your neighbours, and your friends, and their kids and Bob’s your uncle!

The typical meal structure for a special Italian festa is something like this: aperitivo, antipasto, primo, secondo and contorno, dolce, caffe, digestivo. The primo is usually pasta or risotto, or something similar, and the secondo tends to be the meat or fish course. In any case – there’s a lot of courses there so we suggest assigning a course to each of your favourite guests, and just taking care of the secondo yourself.

Now, let’s get started. While everyone arrives, share an aperitivo – we suggest a glass of Prosecco and some olives. Then – a tavola! – Get yourselves seated, as many people as you can fit in your house. If you need a special table for the bambini, you know you’re doing it right.

The menu should be simple but delicious, using as much locally-sourced produce as possible.

1) Antipasto – Bruschetta (Grilled sourdough bread, rubbed with garlic, then topped with roasted veg, cannellini beans, and fresh tomatoes)

2) Primo – Fettucine ai Funghi Porcini (A delicious pasta dish which is both rich and fresh, as well as incredibly simple – nothing but mushrooms, parsley, mint, and garlic is needed)

3) Secondo – Stinco di agnello (Lamb shank, we suggest giving it a good roasting with red wine and herbs)

4) Contorno – Insalata Caprese (The famous red, white, and green salad with fresh tomatoes, fragrant basil, and delicious Mozarella di bufala)

5) Dolce – Tiramisu (Can’t beat it really, the Italian trifle equivalent, make a trough of it so people can come back for more)

Send the kids out to run amok, while you crack out the coffee (espresso – hot, strong, and in very small cups!) Round things up with a limoncello digestivo as you sit back and loosen your belt.

If you’re serious about doing things the Italian way, you’ll be taking this SLOW, enjoying every morsel of conversation as well as every morsel of food. Things should eventually wrap up around 8pm. And there you have it – the perfect Sunday, Italian-style. Get in touch on Facebook or Twitter and let us know how you got on!

Feed the Family for £40!

Feed the Family for £10 each! 2 large pizzas + 2 small pizzas + 1 bottle house wine + 2 soft drinks = just £40! OR add another £15 and get 4 large pizzas and 2 bottles of house wine, if you're dining with bigger kids... Book Now!

The Avellino "Tomato, Mozzarella, Provola, Rocket and Cherry Tomatoes" To trick the little 'uns into eating veg. The Emilia "Tomato, Mozzarella, Parma Ham and Rocket Salad" For the Teenager with refined tastes.

Pizza, wine, family time - key ingredients for a great day out. *Terms and Conditions - Please mention offer to your server. Subject to availability. Offer valid until 05/09/2015. Not valid in conjunction with any other offer. Service not included.

The Umbria  "Tomato and Mozzarella, Ham, and Mushrooms" Because Mums need a little decadence too. The Sardegna  "Tomato sauce with a selection of cheeses." A cheesy pizza to match cheesy Dad jokes.