This year, P and I enjoyed a quiet, low-budget Halloween at home with homemade dinner and a movie. I tackled the "Gastronomicon", a ghastly but tasty homage to H.P. Lovecraft's "Necronomicon", originally crafted by Elizabeth Ellis on her own Blog of the Fed! H.P. Lovecraft was a horror fiction writer of the 1920s, and is well-known for his stories encircling the "Necronomicon" (or "Book of the Dead") and "Cthulu". His stories are one of my guilty pleasures that I enjoy time after time. You can learn more about H.P. Lovecraft and his other creations on The H.P. Lovecraft Archive.
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| My 9 x 13" monstrous masterpiece! I am happy to report that we succeeded in consuming the entire thing on Halloween night. :) |
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp granulated white sugar
1 tsp table salt
1 cup warm water
1 packet of quick-rising yeast
1 Tbsp olive oil
Pizza sauce or tomato-based pasta sauce
2 cloves of garlic (for the eyes)
2 black olives (for the nostrils)
Onion (for the teeth)
Shredded cheese
Your other desired toppings
1. In a small bowl, combine the water, quick-rising yeast, sugar, and salt. Stir gently until dissolved.
2. Add the flour to a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the yeast mixture into the flour, and mix until combined.
4. Knead the dough, then form it into a ball. It'll be quite sticky at first, but keep kneading until it no longer sticks to your hands.
5. Smear oil on the inside of the mixing bowl, and place the ball of dough in the center. If you use an herb-infused olive oil, it makes the dough smell really good, and you can save on buying fresh herbs! I used the oregano-infused extra virgin olive oil from Oliv!
6. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap, leave it in a warm place, and allow it to rise for at least 1 hour. The air can be dry and cool in Alberta, so I like to put the covered bowl into the microwave *turned off* along with a mug full of hot water. While the dough is rising, you can use some time to prepare your toppings.
7. Once the dough has doubled in size, prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick spray, and preheat your oven to 400 F.
8. Remove the dough from the bowl, and knead it a couple of times to incorporate the olive oil.
9. Gently press and spread it until it evenly fills the pan's surface, and sculpt the face of the Necronomicon on the surface of your pizza dough. It works well to create ridges that stick out a bit to pronounce the facial features.
10. Coat the surface of the dough with sauce, right to the edges so that no piece lacks it. I tend to use pasta sauce more often than purchasing actual pizza sauce, because it's what I have on hand. Still super delicious!
11. Add toppings to your heart's content! Aside from the garlic, olives, and onion, I opted for diced tomatoes, spicy genoa salami, sauteed mushrooms and onions (prepared by P), and of course, shredded cheese (We got the pre-shredded "Pizza" one by Kraft that has mozzarella, cheddar, and provolone). I forgot to get baby shrimp that I could use for maggots. The Necronomicon didn't have maggots as far as I know, but it would have looked pretty awesome!
12. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese is super melty and kind of bubbly.
13. Enjoy with a bloody-coloured beverage, and hope that your Gastronomicon doesn't attempt to devour your soul from inside your stomach! >:)
I hope you all had a Happy Halloween! :D
1. In a small bowl, combine the water, quick-rising yeast, sugar, and salt. Stir gently until dissolved.
2. Add the flour to a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the yeast mixture into the flour, and mix until combined.
4. Knead the dough, then form it into a ball. It'll be quite sticky at first, but keep kneading until it no longer sticks to your hands.
5. Smear oil on the inside of the mixing bowl, and place the ball of dough in the center. If you use an herb-infused olive oil, it makes the dough smell really good, and you can save on buying fresh herbs! I used the oregano-infused extra virgin olive oil from Oliv!
6. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap, leave it in a warm place, and allow it to rise for at least 1 hour. The air can be dry and cool in Alberta, so I like to put the covered bowl into the microwave *turned off* along with a mug full of hot water. While the dough is rising, you can use some time to prepare your toppings.
7. Once the dough has doubled in size, prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick spray, and preheat your oven to 400 F.
8. Remove the dough from the bowl, and knead it a couple of times to incorporate the olive oil.
9. Gently press and spread it until it evenly fills the pan's surface, and sculpt the face of the Necronomicon on the surface of your pizza dough. It works well to create ridges that stick out a bit to pronounce the facial features.
10. Coat the surface of the dough with sauce, right to the edges so that no piece lacks it. I tend to use pasta sauce more often than purchasing actual pizza sauce, because it's what I have on hand. Still super delicious!
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| Saucy and evil, just the way I like it :P |
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| Toppings galore! |
13. Enjoy with a bloody-coloured beverage, and hope that your Gastronomicon doesn't attempt to devour your soul from inside your stomach! >:)
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| If making sparkling cranberry juice like I did, be sure to use at least 2 thirds cranberry juice to 1 third 7-Up/Sprite, or it'll just taste like cranberry-flavoured 7-Up, unless that's what you like. To each their own... |
-M
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