Monthly Archives: June 2011

Grilled Pizza

  June 28, 2011 - 6:10 pm | , , , , ,
Leave a comment

When you need a meal on a hot summer day, then your grill is your best friend. I really believe that nothing is more of a culinary blank slate than a grilled pizza crust. You can easily please your whole family by splitting the pizza dough into separate pieces for each family member and letting them built a custom made creation. Generally when I do pizza I just pull everything I have out of the fridge, add a little cheese and pizza dough and that’s my topping bar. However, today the fridge was empty so I had to get creative. Little Guy helped me prep the toppings and then we built them with each family member’s preferences in mind. My son got Vegeriffic Veggie Sauce and a mix of cheeses. Hubby got a pizza of caramelized onion, fresh mushroom and sage with a Mascarpone-Chevre cream, and I went for a Caprese pizza with pesto, fresh mozzarella and tomatoes.

Below are recipes for the components used in these pizzas as well as recipes for the pizzas. You can use the grilling method for any toppings you want. The secret is to go easy on the toppings. Less is more with grilled pizza. Too many toppings make a heavy soggy mess out of the most carefully prepared ingredients. The recipes for the components all make either two individual pizzas or one large pizza.

Pizza Dough
Makes 2 large pizzas, or 4-6 individual pizzas

Like all my dough recipes this is written for a bread machine. For instructions on making this without a bread machine see this recipe on the King Arthur Bread website that I used as a basis for my recipe

1 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil
3 cups bread flour
2 tsp instant yeast

Add ingredients to your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Set the machine to the dough cycle and press start. Watch the dough as it mixes as add more water as needed, one tablespoon at a time until the dough is soft, but not too sticky. Let the dough cycle finish. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover and let double in size – about 60 minutes. Cut dough into either two large dough balls for large pizzas or four to six smaller pieces for individual pizzas. You can store this in the refrigerator for 24 hours. You can also freeze this dough for up to two months. Move dough from freezer to fridge at least 24 hours before use.

Caramelized Onions
If your onions are not very sweet you can add 1 tsp of sugar with the salt and onion.

1 tbs olive oil
1 large sweet onion such as Vidalia or Maui (about two cups sliced)
1/4 tsp salt

Cut across the grain of the onion; this helps you get even sized strips of onion which cook more evenly. I had other pictures to show you of the caramelized onions, but they although they looked super scrumptious and smelled heavenly in person, the pictures looked less appetizing.

Slice the onion into very thin half moons. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat until the oil starts to shimmer. Add the onion and salt and stir occasionally until onions start to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat and continue cook, stirring frequently, until all onions are equally dark brown but not burned about another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Mild Basil Pesto
makes about 2/3 cup

Using more cheese and oil makes for a lighter than normal basil which is the perfect base for a grilled pizza.

I love pesto, but I frequently find the basil flavor too overpowering for certain uses. To balance flavors, I’ve started reducing the ratio of basil to other ingredients. The result is clearly pesto flavored, but not quite as intense. I think it’s the perfect base for my Caprese Pizza.

1 large clove garlic, peeled
1 cup lightly packed basil leaves
2 tbsp pine nuts
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup high quality grated parmesan or romano cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Pulse the garlic clove in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the basil and pine nuts and pulse until finely chopped, but not smooth. Add the oil and blend until a smooth paste.

Little Guy is becoming a pretty good kitchen helper!

Add cheese and pulse once or twice until just combined. Remove to a bowl and season to taste. Serve immediately or cover the top with plastic wrap, pressing it to the top of the pesto to keep it from turning brown.

Mascarpone-Chevre Cream
makes 1/2 cup

3 tbsp mascarpone cheese
3 tbsp soft creamy style goat cheese
2 tbsp half & half
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper

In a small bowl whisk together all the ingredients until smooth.

Grilled Pizzas
These recipes are scaled for large individual pizzas. They realistically feed slightly more than one adult unless she’s really hungry. I like making the pizzas this way so there is plenty for sharing.

1 recipe pizza dough (recipe above)
3 tbs olive oil
toppings (see below for instructions on how to build the different pizzas)

Heat grill on highest setting until very hot. While grill is heating cut pizza into four pieces. Roll out each dough ball until about 12″ around and 1/4″ thick. I use a rolling pin, but if you’re feeling particularly talented, you can stretch it out with your hands. Brush one side of the dough lightly with olive oil.

Pizza crusts rolled out and ready for the grill.

Once the grill is hot, place dough on grill oiled side down and cook for about four minutes, or until bottom side starts to brown and has distinct grill marks.

The first side to be grilled becomes the top side of your pizza crust.

Remove the crusts from grill and place on your work surface. Using remaining oil brush the un-grilled side of the crusts and then turn so that the grilled side is facing up on your work surface. Top with your desired toppings (see below).

Turn grill down to medium-low and place pizzas back on the grill. Cook for about 8 minutes or until bottoms are very crispy and very slightly charred in spots and the tops are cooked. Any sauce on the pizzas should be bubbling. Using tongs, carefully remove pizzas. Slice pizzas and enjoy!

Caprese Pizza
Makes 1 individual pizza

The hotter you can eat this bad boy up the better. There isn’t much better than stringy melted mozz on a great pizza!

Partially grilled pizza crust (recipe above)
1/3 cup Mild Basil Pesto (recipe above)
4 oz sliced fresh mozzarella
1 tomato, sliced into rounds

Grill pizza crust on one side. Brush un-grilled side with olive oil and flip over so grilled side is up.(see instructions on grilling pizzas above).  Spread pesto on crust so that the pesto reaches all the way to edges. Arrange the cheese over pesto so that it is 1/2 inch from edge of crust with one single piece in the middle. Place sliced tomatoes between the slices of cheese. Grill according to instructions above and serve immediately.

Mushroom Sage Pizza with Mascarpone-Chevre Cream
Makes 1 individual pizza

As pretty as this pizza is, it tasted even better!

Partially grilled pizza crust
1/4 cup Mascarpone-Chevre Cream (recipe above)
4 Cremini mushrooms, sliced
4-6 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced or torn into small pieces
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on finished pizza

Grill pizza crust on one side. Brush ungrilled side with olive oil and flip over so grilled side is up.(see instructions on grilling pizzas above). Thinly spread Mascarpone-Chevre Cream evenly over the entire pizza crust spreading it all the way to the edges. Top with sliced mushrooms, and sage . Grill according to instructions above, sprinkle with parmesan cheese to taste and serve immediately.

Please Mister Postman…

  June 26, 2011 - 2:37 am | , , ,
Leave a comment

I’ve come up with double zeros when it comes to topics ideas tonight. I have a few recipes in the works, but they aren’t quite ready to share with you yet. So, while I’m off testing recipes, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite things that I buy mail order to keep you busy for a little while.

Cane Vinegar. I got a bottle of this in a gift package of Steen’s Cane Syrup. Steen’s in itself is pretty fantastic (see info on the cane syrup below). The flavor profile of this vinegar is mellow and slightly sweet. I use it anywhere that cider vinegar is called for. It’s not as stringent as cider vinegar, but that works for me because I’m not really a vinegar person. I love it in ketchup based sauces like sloppy joes and meatloaf, and it kills in coleslaw.

Cane Syrup. Okay, okay, my southern roots are showing, but cane syrup is really sublime. It’s sulfur-y flavor falls somewhere between dark corn syrup and molasses. I want nothing but this on waffles these days, and the pecan pie, oh the pecan pie!

Grub Rub. Here’s a recipe for you. Take one grass fed skirt or flank steak. Rub it very liberally with Gordon’s Grub Rub. Marinate overnight and throw on a good hot grill. The marinade has natural tenderizers (papain, a papaya enzyme) which does beautiful things to the slightly tougher than normal grass fed beef cuts. If you’re not trending toward sweeter rubs, then this might not be your cup of tea, but for the rest of us this will be your dream come true.

Roasted Garlic Pepper. I admit that I’ve actually never ordered this by mail. I’ve been lucky enough to pick this up the past few years at their really cute store located next to the ferry terminal in St. John. I love it on burgers and chicken.

Whole Black Peppercorns. I really dig the flavor of the Tellicherry black peppercorn. I don’t think I could possibly go back to preground pepper after tasting the slightly fruity and definitely spicy flavor of a good quality black peppercorn. I buy from Penzey’s, but good peppercorns can come from any quality spice shop.

Saporoso. This balsamic vinegar is the real deal. I discovered it when I visited Acetaia Malpigi in Modena, Italy. Next time you are at the grocery store or even the best gourmet store you know, look at the ingredients in the expensive vinegars. Real balsamic vinegar, the stuff that cost a month’s rent, has only one ingredient in it — grape must. I’m betting that you won’t be able to find a vinegar that hasn’t been cut with wine vinegar. If your super expensive vinegar lists any other ingredient in it then it’s not as good as it can get. The only thing separating this vinegar from the ultra expensive stuff is time; it’s not aged as long (six years instead of the minimum 12 years). While even this vinegar is too expensive to use on every salad and bruschetta you make, it’s affordable enough to actually use it at all. By the way, if you want to find out more about real balsamic vinegar, read this.

Porto Rico Coffee. I love their coffee for a few reasons. First, they roast their own coffee. Also, they carry a nice selection of fair trade organic coffees, but my favorite thing about Porto Rico Coffee Importers is that even with shipping they are still cheaper than most coffees available in stores near me. They also have sales that cut the low prices even lower.

Well, that’s it for now. I’m going to try some artisan grits next. I’ve heard loads about the grits from Anson Mills but haven’t tried them yet.

Have a good weekend y’all!

Cheater Cheater Enchilada Eater

  June 21, 2011 - 9:04 pm | , , , , , , , , ,
7 Comments

Frequently my dinner plans center around something in my fridge or cupboard that needs to be used for one reason or another. Today was a day like that. A few weeks ago I bought a container of green salsa verde with avocado from Trader Joe’s. I was looking for the great green salsas I used to get at taquerias in Houston. Well, I bought it and forgot about it in the fridge till I cleaned out the fridge yesterday and discovered it had a use-by date of today. So, I went to the internet in search of a good easy green chili enchilada recipe that I could bend to my ingredients and my Meatless Monday vegetarian requirement. The Simply Recipes blog had my starting point (which you can find here).

Enchiladas are almost always cooked in their sauce, but I choose not to do that with this recipe. I wanted the flavor of the salsa to stay fresh and the avocado to keep its texture and creaminess. So, I decided to cook the enchiladas with nothing except a little cheese on top, and I loved the result; a perfectly simple enchilada that tasted of cheese, corn and chili with just a hint of creamy avocado. The tortillas didn’t have any sauce to soak up, so they held their form instead of getting soggy. Also, not having any sauce to heat up sped up the cooking time considerably.

Because I was able to crank these bad boys out while he was napping, Little Guy and I spent all afternoon playing around in the backyard. I took the enchiladas out of the fridge when we came in and then popped them in the oven right before we ate. Since I was in hurry and short on ingredients I threw together a crazy simple imitation Mexican rice that turned out great. I shoved it full of peas and carrots to trick the little guy into eating his veg – and boom – dinner was done.

Important note from the science desk (yes there’s a science desk!): I mention that you can make these ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until time to cook them. Well, not all cooking vessels are created equal when it comes to going straight from the fridge to the oven. Some newer pans are not made from the same material that older pans were. Older glass baking dishes were made from borosilicate glass: a type that expands very little as it is heated. Nowadays dishes sold perhaps under the same tradename are made from common soda-lime glass. This glass expands much more as it is heated, so if it expands too rapidly or unevenly, it can break violently. For more on this issue, read the article that can be found here. So, if you plan to go from fridge to oven, make sure your pan is heat safe!

Super Fast and Easy Green Chili Enchiladas
makes 12 enchiladas
Any good quality green chili salsa will do for the top, but Trader Joe’s with avocado is really nice. It’s fresh and the avocados give the salsa a mellow creaminess that really makes the meal. I call for 10 oz of cheese because I really like cheese, but you could easily use an 8 oz. package and just go without the extra on top. You can stuff and roll these ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to start cooking.

1 mild green chili (like poblano or cubanelle)
1 package corn tortillas (12 – 6″ tortillas)
non-stick cooking spray
10 oz monterey jack cheese, shredded
6 oz green chili salsa with avocado (or any good quality green chili salsa)

Place the chili over the open flame and rotate until all sides are dark and the chili is bubbly all over. If you don’t have open gas burners, use the broiler for this step. Wrap in a towel and set aside for at least 10 minutes. Then remove it from the towel and use a knife to remove the skin from the pepper. Remove the top and seeds from the pepper and cut into twelve strips. Set aside.

Preheat an oven to 450 degrees and spray a 9×13″ pan with non-stick cooking spray. Heat an 8″ skillet over medium heat. Spray one side of a tortilla and place in the skillet; spray the other side. Let the tortilla cook for about 20-30 seconds per side, or until it is soft and starts to bubble. Remove the tortilla to your work surface. Place 1/2 ounce of cheese (about 2 tablespoons) along the bottom third of your tortilla and top with one strip of chili. Roll up and place in the greased pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas, 5 1/2 ounces of the cheese and the strips of chilis. Top with the remaining 4 ounces of shredded cheese and place in the preheated oven.

Cook for 10 minutes. Once the cheese has melted and starts to bubble turn the oven to broil and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. The enchiladas are done when the cheese on top is light golden brown. While the enchiladas are cooking, heat the salsa in the microwave. Top each enchilada with one tablespoons of salsa.

Play by Play…

This is the salsa that started the meal idea for tonight.

Roast the pepper over an open flame until all sides are evenly charred.

Wrap chili in a towel for 10 minutes to let the steam loosen the skin and make it easier to remove.

Use the blade of a knife to scrape the skin from the chili.

Place cheese and a strip of the chili on each tortilla before rolling the tortilla up.

The little guy’s first enchilada. He liked the first few bites then ate out the cheese and all the rice. Oh well, next time I’ll get him to eat them.

Cheater’s Mexican Rice

I call this cheater’s Mexican rice because it was just so easy to make that it seems like you must be cheating. The flavor is no cheat though. Try to resist the urge to use grocery store taco seasonings because they usually contain MSG. If you don’t have taco seasoning you can use 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin and 1 tsp oregano.

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs olive oil
1 cup long grain rice
1 tbs taco seasoning (I use Penzey’s)
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth (or chicken)

Saute garlic and oil over medium heat until garlic is fragrant. Add rice and continue to cook until rice grains turn opaque. Add taco seasoning, peas and carrots and broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Stir once, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Chicken and Chickpea Curry with Bread Machine Naan

  June 17, 2011 - 2:19 am | , , , , , , ,
4 Comments

Dinner is a minefield with my toddler. I try to make a meal that my husband and I will like and my son will also eat. When he first started eating normal food, I would make him a separate dinner from what my husband and I ate because I was concerned that my food would be too spicy, too crunchy, too anything. When we went out to eat, we immediately gravitated to the children’s menu.  Then, while watching last season’s Top Chef season wrap-up, I heard Antonia Lofaso comment that she thinks kids’ menus are insulting to kids. When I heard this a bell went off. I’ve been thinking about it ever since. She’s right, of course. Kids’ menus, like television and strollers, are a crutch for us to lean on instead of doing the hard parenting. It’s much easier to say, “Okay son, tonight you can have a hot dog,” than to order or make something that will challenge his palate and help him grow to enjoy healthier options.  I think that I’ll be a better parent if I abandon the kids menu at restaurants and in my own home and let my son eat from the regular menu or even my husband’s and my plate.

There are already a few meals that are home-runs for everyone in the house, and most of them are no surprise. I don’t think anyone would find it amazing that meatloaf is a hit, same with meatballs and chicken pot pie. But what about chana masala? This is my son’s favorite restaurant meal, hands down. My kid, the one that the restaurants think should be eating hot dogs and chicken fingers, loves the stuff. Pair it with the brown rice he loves, and he’s eating a good meal that I’m proud of.

Chana Masala is one of those dishes that just plain-and-simple doesn’t need meat. All by itself it’s rich, flavorful and satisfying, but when you add some chicken, it becomes a hybrid dish that really starts to sing to you. This recipe isn’t really a true chana masala because of the addition of chicken, so we’ll just call it Chicken and Chickpea Curry. There are so many reasons I love this dish; not only because my son will eat it, but also I love the simplicity of using all-in-one curry powder instead of a list of fifteen ingredients, I love that it is very low in fat, and I love that is dairy free. Most of all I love this dish because it is so luscious and savory without being overly spicy that I could eat it all night long. Believe me, this is one of those curry dishes that will make picky eaters into Indian-food converts, and it’s easy enough to make on a week night!

Chicken and Chickpea Curry

serves 4

This dish is very good as a vegetarian dish; just leave out the chicken and use veggie broth. Without the chicken it serves 3; with the chicken it serves 4.

2 tbs olive oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken pieces (I use chicken breast, but chicken thighs would be oh so delicious!)
1 lg onion, diced
1 tsp plus 1/2 tsp salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp grated ginger
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 15 oz cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
2 cups low sodium chicken broth or stock (or veggie broth)
1 tbs sweet curry (I use Penzeys – which you can get here)
1 tsp garam masala (I use Penzeys for this too)
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 tbs lemon juice

Heat olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add to pan. Brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside to cool. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt to remaining oil in pan. Turn heat down to medium low and cover pan, cook until very soft (about 10 minutes) stirring once or twice. It is okay for the onion to get lightly brown, but if it starts to get very dark, reduce the heat. When onion is soft add garlic and ginger; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes and cook for another five minutes.

Now, if you are cooking for a group of non-picky normal adults and not toddlers (or adults) in the “ew, yucky” stage then you can skip this next step. As for the rest of us, scrape the onion and tomato mixture into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is almost smooth. Return to pan.

Once the chicken has cooled, use a fork to shred the meat into bite size pieces. Add chicken, chickpeas, chicken broth, curry powder and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt to the pan and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low. You can simmer the curry for a little as 1/2 hour or as long as 2 hours. The longer you let the curry simmer, the more tender your chicken will get and the better the flavors will blend.

Right before serving, stir the garam masala, cilantro and lemon juice into the curry. Serve over rice or with Naan.

And here’s the play by play (scroll down below this for the naan recipe!)

Sautee onions with tomatoes, garlic and ginger

Size up your crowd and decide if you want to pull out the food processor. If you have a toddler, it is highly suggested!

You don’t need the chicken to make this curry scrummy, but it does send it over the top!

Add the garam masala (the spice in the middle of the picture) right before serving so you don’t mute the flavors.

Bread-Machine Naan

Makes 6 naan (but the picture only shows 4 because two didn’t last that long!)

For ten years now, I have used a Madhur Jaffrey recipe for Naan that I modified for a bread machine. The original recipe can be found in her book, Indian Cooking, which is about all you need if you want to learn how to cook Indian food. The original recipe is also here. This dough is very versatile, and can be used to make a million different things, but if you make it, why would you want anything other than Naan. You can add pretty much anything you want when you are forming it right before baking. Some people have told me they add carmelized onions, sauteed garlic, nigella seeds, and lots and lots of us just cook it plain and slather it with a little butter and sprinkle of salt when it comes out of the oven.

2/3 cup warm skim milk
2 tsp melted butter
2 tsp instant yeast
1 lb all-purpose flour (approx. 4 cups)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbs olive oil
2/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 large egg
2 teaspoons sugar

In the mixing bowl of your bread machine, add ingredients as suggested by your bread machine manufacturer. Set the bread machine to the dough setting and let it run through the cycle. Depending on humidity and air temperature, you may need to add extra flour, so about halfway through the mixing cycle check to dough to see if it is too sticky to work with. It should be sticky, but workable with floured hands. Add extra flour one tablespoon at a time if needed.

When the cycle has finished, transfer dough to a bowl and let double in size, about 30 minutes, and preheat oven to 500 F. I have a convection oven and like to use it when baking this bread, but I’ve made this in the past in a thirty year old electric oven in a dumpy apartment kitchen and it worked just as well. I will say that if you have a baking stone use it – it makes a huge difference, just be sure to preheat it.

Once the dough has risen, separate it into six equal sections. Using a rolling pin or your hands, flatten dough out to ovals about 1/3 inch thick.

When the oven has pre-heated, place ovals on pre-heated stone or heavy baking sheet. Bake on top shelf of the oven for two minutes; the naan should start to puff. If you want dark, crispy naan or do not have a convection oven, switch the oven from bake to broil for an additional minute or until the top starts to brown. When brown on top, remove from oven and cover with a towel while you finish baking the remaining loaves. Before serving, brush the naan with melted butter.

Gnocchi with Truffled Sweet Pea Puree

  June 14, 2011 - 1:47 am | , , , , , , , ,
5 Comments

It’s Monday again, so it’s time for me to send a meatless recipe your way. Today we’re are going upscale, easy upscale that is! Tonight’s dinner is Potato Gnocchi and Truffled Pea Puree. Gnocchi is one of those foods that everyone thinks are super hard to make, but between you and me they are super easy. These little pillows of goodness will get everyone talking; they simply melt in your mouth! Oh, and the pea puree is a snap to make; add a drizzle of truffle oil and you’ve elevated peas and potatoes into something that’s pretty spectacular!

Here’s what your going to need for the gnocchi (serves 4)

Basic Potato Gnocchi
I usually make this recipe as a half recipe. 1 1/2 pounds potatoes is the perfect amount for a hearty dinner for two. Don’t boil the potatoes, as some recipes call for, because it will add too much water and you will then need more flour which makes the gnocchi tough.

3 lb russet baking potatoes (buy organic if possible with potatoes — Read this if you doubt me!)
2 eggs
2 oz good quality Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)
2 tbs chives (fresh chives are essential. If you don’t have fresh, just leave them out entirely.)
2 tsp salt
1 cup flour

To start, preheat your oven to 400. Wash the potatoes thoroughly, pierce skins and bake for about 1 hour, or until cooked and a knife easily slices into the potatoes. Cool the potatoes slightly (about five minutes) and then slice in half. Scoop out all the the potato and discard the skins. Run the potatoes through a food mill or ricer. If you don’t have one, you can use a potato masher, but mash well — very well! While the potato is still warm (but not hot) add the egg, flour, cheese, salt and chives. Knead together until a sticky dough forms.
Cut your dough into three parts. Lightly flour your work surface and roll each part into a long rope about 3/4 inch wide. Using a pastry cutter or knife, slice the gnocchi into 3/4 inch segments. Place the gnocchi on a lightly floured pan lined with wax paper or parchment and refrigerate until you are ready to start cooking. Try not to let the pieces touch each other and lightly dust the tops with a little more flour.

Now, here’s what you’ll need for the pea puree (serves 4):
Basic Pea Puree
2 cups frozen green peas
1/4 cup water
1 clove garlic
1 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Half & Half
2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese

Bring water, peas, garlic and salt to boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes; do not drain off water. In a food processor or blender combine the pea mixture with the half & half and the cheese. Blend until moderately blended, but with some small chunks still in the puree (you don’t want it to be baby food). You can make this puree up to an hour or two ahead of time. When you reheat it for serving you may need to mix in another tablespoon or two of half & half to get a spreadable consistency.

To finish the dish you’ll need:
Truffle Oil (how much depends on how truffle-y you want your dinner)
More Parmesan Cheese for grating

Twenty minutes before serving, heat a large pot with salted water to a boil. While the water is boiling, reheat the pea puree. When the water has come to a rapid boil, drop the gnocchi into the water, being careful to make sure they stay individual not clumped together. Boil just until they float to the top of the water. With a skimmer or strainer, remove the gnocchi from the boiling water and divide between plates or pasta bowls.

Top the gnocchi with a large spoonful of the pea puree. Drizzle each plate with truffle oil (to taste) and grate Parmesan. Enjoy!

Now, here’s the play by play…

Scoop the potato into a food mill

The dough will be soft and sticky, but will hold together like bread dough.

Roll the dough out into a long rope before cutting into pillow shaped pieces.

Here are the gnocchi already cut and waiting to be boiled. Don’t get all frilly and try to put the silly scalloped shape on the gnocchi. It’s not necessary. Don’t believe me? Go to your local Italian restaurant and see if they are doing it to their house-made gnocchi — they aren’t!

I don’t bring home the bread, but I do make the bread (Whole Wheat Molasses Bread)

  June 10, 2011 - 2:42 am | , , , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

At this time last year I was working 50-60 hour weeks, working till 10:30 some nights and back in at 6:30 the following morning. My husband and I were at our wits ends trying to figure out how to take care of our child during times that our son was awake and not at day care. For three years, I never had time to meet up with friends, and weekends were too hectic for any rest. I had no time to enjoy the absolutely delightful child that I shared a house with. Nights would bring the dread and anxiety that this was the week that everything would come crashing down. Then week days would pass at break-neck speed. I had to-do lists miles long, and I never checked anything off them. I felt like I had two full time jobs and I was failing at both of them.

Four months ago, everything finally came crashing down in a horrible week of snow, illness and busy events at both my job and my husband’s. Two weeks later I quit my job, and in the span of one weekend, life screeched to a halt. I no longer had the stress of up coming events. There was no need to get up at 5:30 to ensure I was ready for the day before my son woke up. No rushing everyone out the door so that I wasn’t late. For the first week, I wandered around the house aimlessly not knowing what I was supposed to to. I joined the gym, cleaned the house and starting cooking for my family again. In particular, I started making all of our bread.

Since leaving my job, I have been continually amazed at the number of things I had never noticed before. From the massive patch of wild roses at the edge of my lawn to the exploding population of chipmunks living in the rock wall, I am discovering my home like never before. I had no idea I even liked rhododendrons. Of course there are so many things that I have missed that I will never get back. So many firsts with my son, moments with my husband and relationships with friends that will never be the same. But at the same time I realize how blessed I am. I have a chance to relish life in a way so few people do. I see the world through the eyes of a two year old, and through the eyes of someone who is grateful for every moment.

It’s not all roses and rhododendron though. Quitting has not made me any better at keeping house. My stress at getting the jobs done has been replaced by the stress of all the housework I still can’t seem to find time to do, and the constant stress that I am not a good-enough mother. As anyone who has ever done it before knows, taking care of a two year old takes a lot of creativity and even more patience. Everyday I do something and instantly realize it was the wrong parenting decision. For the life of me, I cannot master the time out (how do you make them stay put???? Damn you Super Nanny!). So for all the times I regret my decisions, I try to balance it with creative activities for us. Most of them revolve around finger paints and the kitchen (or finger paints and the kitchen on one unfortunate occasion). Now whenever I try to do anything in the kitchen, I hear the little feet come running down the hall and then his favorite words, “I help, I help!”  I try to let him help, but usually he just ends up trying to eat whatever is in my bowl instead of being particularly useful. Regardless, I usually have him help with the bread-making.

My sandwich bread is the basis of our bread-making routine. We make this loaf once or twice a week. It’s a versatile loaf — good for sandwiches, toast and even french toast. The recipes below are our favorites. Its easy to switch out the oil and sugar in the recipe to get a variety of different breads. Its wonderful with butter and plain sugar, but why miss an opportunity to use healthier options like iron loaded molasses and heart healthy olive oil. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Molasses Sandwich Bread
makes 1 loaf
I use a bread machine to make my bread dough. It is one of the time saving kitchen gadgets that I use which my son can help out with. If you make bread by hand, you could easily double this and get two loafs at a time. If you are using a bread machine, be sure to add the ingredients in the order suggested by your bread machine manufacturer.

1/2 – 2/3 cup warm water (depending on humidity)
1/2 cup milk (I use skim or 1%)
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 Tablespoons Molasses
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 cup Flax Seed Meal (optional)
1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 Teaspoons Instant Yeast

For a bread machine: Combine ingredients as directed by your bread machine. I add all the wet ingredients followed by the dry ingredients and then the yeast. Set your machine to the dough setting and start it. Once it has mixed thoroughly squeeze the dough and see if it needs more water. It should be moderately soft and slightly tacky, about like play-dough. If it is too firm, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. Let the dough cycle finish.

Turn dough out onto the counter and form into a flat circle about 10 inches around. Roll into a loaf shape and place in a greased loaf pan. Let rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 35 minutes or until a medium dark brown and has a light hollow sound when tapped. Let cool slightly and remove from loaf pan. Cool completely before slicing.

For directions making without a bread machine, follow these from the King Arthur website (its what my recipe was loosely based on).

Step by Step in Pictures:

Add all the ingredients as directed by your bread machine. Set machine to dough setting and let ‘er rip!

Flatten bread into round about 10 inches in diameter, but don’t make pizza!

I roll my dough up because I believe it makes a nicer dome on top.

If you want your bread to have a pretty top, use a knife to slice three diagonal cuts into the dough before the second rise.

Vegeriffic Veggie Sauce

  June 7, 2011 - 2:10 am | , , , , , , , , , ,
2 Comments

It’s Meatless Monday again and this time there were no mistakes! So far I’ve just made Monday pasta night, and tonight we again stuck to the safe Italian meatless theme and had calzones. I had some pizza dough that I made over the weekend in the freezer so I pulled that out and whipped together some sautéed spinach and artichoke hearts for my calzone and some sautéed mushrooms for hubby. Little guy got a killer mini pizza with my newest creation:Vegeriffic Veggie Sauce.  Earlier today I was inspired by this post at Folie a Deax to ramp up the hidden veggies in my food. I am hardly the first person to add extra veggies to tomato sauce and throw it in a blender, but even my hubby commented on how good it was. I made extra so we could dip our calzones in it, and we ended up eating about equal parts of sauce and calzone. And more importantly, Little guy ate a huge amount of his pizza which had a nice thick layer of the sauce on it.

Vegeriffic Veggie Sauce (Toddler Approved)

You can use almost any veggies in this sauce. I used what I had in the house. I would stay away from anything in the cabbage family (cabbage, broccoli, asparagus, etc).  I didn’t have fresh basil tonight so I made with pesto and it was very nice, but I think basil would give a cleaner flavor.

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 small onion, roughly chopped

3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tsp salt

3 cloves garlic, peeled and split

1 summer squash, seeded and roughly chopped

1 – 26 oz can or box crushed tomatoes (I use Pomi brand tomatoes because they are BPA Free. See more on this here.)

1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning or small handful fresh chopped herbs

2 Tablespoons pesto or 1/2 cup torn basil leaves
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, carrots and salt. Saute until vegetables start to turn slightly brown. Add garlic and squash and cook long enough for the garlic to lose its raw flavor, about three minutes. Add tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour or until all vegetables are very tender. Remove from heat and add basil. Season to taste and cool for about 1/2 hour.

Blend in a food processor or blender in three batches until completely smooth. Reheat if necessary or use immediately for pizzas, pastas or anything you want.

Tomato on FoodistaTomato

Read this article now!

  June 6, 2011 - 12:10 pm |
Leave a comment

This is an excerpt from an article on the dangers of antibiotics in our food. It is an absolute must read. OH-MY-G** is all I can say. The whole article is a must read and strengthens my resolve to buy only antibiotic free meat. How is it possible that this is still going on!!!

During the intervening 35 years, study after study has confirmed Levy’s findings and shown that the problem of antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” is even worse than anyone could have imagined. Each year, 70,000 Americans in U.S. hospitals die from bacterial infections that drugs are unable to kill. And even as the number of infectious diseases is on the rise, more antibiotics are administered to livestock than ever before, from 17.8 million pounds per year in 1999 according to the Animal Health Institute (a trade organization of companies, like Bayer, Novartis, and Pfizer, that manufacture livestock drugs) to 29.8 million pounds in 2009, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Fully 80 percent of the antibiotics used in the United States are given to livestock, and the vast majority are administered to promote growth and stave off potential infections, not to treat illness.

via E-I-E-I-Oh no: Decades of antibiotics in farm animals lead to deadly superbugs | Grist.


Field Trip: Food Truck Festival

  June 6, 2011 - 1:58 am |
1 Comment

So unless you live under a rock you know that food trucks are the hottest thing to hit the restaurant industry since molecular gastronomy, and other cities like Los Angeles have perfected the industry. Boston has been in the dark ages of the food truck scene until recently when the city council finally woke up and smelled the money. To catch up on the history of food trucks in the Boston area, I would read this article from Boston.com. Yesterday we took a field trip to a Food Truck festival in Plymouth. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the best event ever. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either. So instead of a long description, I’ll tell you all about it via the few pictures I took:

This picture is the line at the Grilled Cheese Nation truck. The lines were way too long (25 min plus per truck). By the time we left the lines were about 50% longer than this.

This is the In Gouda We Trust Sandwich from the Grilled Cheese Nation Food truck. It’s made with local ingredients and was a really lovely sandwich. I loved the caramelized onions; they were so soft you only tasted them.

The Eat Wagon was by far the slowest line. After waiting 20 minutes in line to place our order we had to wait another 15 to 20 to receive our food. However the taco (made with grass-fed beef and kim chi!) was one of the highlights of the day. The hot dogs and hamburgers were a little ordinary.

Bon Me had a very nice rice bowl and noodle salad. They’re food was also a good deal. $6 bought you full meal sized portions.

The disappointment of the day went to Jasper White’s Summer Shack. Not really a food truck at all, but a portable catering cart, their food was overpriced and over cooked. 5.50 bought you a 1/2 hot dog bun with about a 1/4 cup of lobster meat, and 6.00 bought you a nice amount of very overcooked shrimp with sausage, corn and potatoes. You would think an operation as polished as the Summer Shack would know not to hot hold shrimp in a chafer.

The cupcakes at Kickass Cupcake’s stand looked fantastic. We got one, but only the toddler got to try it. Apparently it was very good.

So, that’s about it. From talking to others I know that  by 4:00 pm it was a mad house and the Summer Shack had already closed down. I can only assume because they ran out of food. This was a great idea, and really should be tried again. I loved that this event really merged the easy life of the burbs and the family friendly atmosphere of a festival with the hip and trendy (and tasty) world of food trucks.  However, with the amount of publicity they did, they really should have had at least twice the number of food carts. Maybe they should try something a little smaller scale like bringing a few of the trucks to some of the better farmer’s markets around like Hingham or Plymouth.