<div class="page traditional" style=" background-color: #fff; "> <article> <header> <h1 style=" font-family: 'Cookie'; color: #0000ff;">A 'pizza' the action for DubBelin at Pizza Jazz</h1> <p class="byline"> </p> </header> <div class="main"> <img src="/uploads/52ed57b9a36c5.jpg" class="title-pic" alt=""/> <p class="summary" style=" color: #0000ff;">The 1st of our 12 challenges for 2014</p> <p><p><em><strong>At the beginning of the year we decided that, rather than make pointless New Year resolutions which would probably last about a week, we were going to embark on a new challenge every month in 2014.</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>This week we got things underway with a day training as a pizza chef in recently opened Belfast restaurant Pizza Jazz. Under the watchful eye of Head Chef & Manager Audrius, DubBelin’s Louise got to grips with some dough rolling, pizza making and Stromboli creating in the Great Victoria Street based eatery. </strong></em></p><p><em><strong>And of course Graham was there too to capture the action and sample the pizza (despite his diet – tut, tut)!</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>Here’s how they got on….</strong></em></p><p>I have to say as far as challenges go, making delicious, hot pizzas didn’t sound too difficult and I was pretty pleased to get something so enjoyable up first.</p><p>The lovely Audrius explained their pizzas come in 3 different sizes – 12”, 18” and a belly-busting 24”.</p><p>Thankfully today we would be sticking to 12”!</p><p>We got to work at kneading out the dough, a slightly tricky task when you’ve got particularly long nails! </p><p><p><img src="/uploads/52ed57645a908.jpg" unselectable="on"></p></p><p>Base ready, it was time to spread on some tasty tomato sauce. Audrius explained that the key was to swirl the sauce out from the middle of the base to just before edge of the base, that way leaving space for a nice crispy crust.</p><p><p>Sauce on, it was now time for the fun part – toppings. Audrius believes the trick to this is meat, then veg, then any other topping choices followed by the cheese and finally herbs if desired.</p><p>Pizza fully prepared it was time for the hard part, moving it to the oven in one piece. Audrius scooped his up in one artful flourish, meanwhile I was struggling not to drop mine on the floor!</p><p>Finally it went into the oven and just 4 minutes later it was ready, who said ready meals where the way forward?!</p><p><p><img src="/uploads/52ed563a6d44a.jpg" unselectable="on"></p></p><p>According to “just one slice” Graham (3 slices later I might add) it was “very tasty indeed.” </p><p>A thumbs up from Audrius and myself (after a quick taste test) and I could tick pizza making off my to-do list.</p><p>Not one to let his students off so easily (Audrius hosts pizza making classes for kids every 2 Sundays in the month), he then challenged me to make some Stromboli – a folded pizza cut into 8 bits.</p><p><p><img src="/uploads/52ed55a753654.jpg" unselectable="on"></p></p></p><p><p>The initial process was similar to that of the pizza but then was folded and carefully cut into 8 equal sized parts. The filling was one of the restaurant’s most popular choices; spinach, goats cheese and red onion.</p><p>Now we may be slightly biased in our opinion here but we have to say, the finished article tasted fantastic!</p></p><p><p>So with a resounding thumbs up from Audrius, our pizza in the box to take home and some very floury clothes we bid Pizza Jazz farewell for now.</p><p>Pizza (& Stromboli) making ticked off the box, what will next month’s challenge entail? Watch this space!</p><p><em>Pizza Jazz offers a sit in restaurant and takeaway option just opposite Belfast’s Grand Opera House. For more information visit pizzajazz.co.uk</em></p></p></p> </div> </article> </div><!-- /page-->