Pizza Dough — Bon Appetit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3/4 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 cups (or more) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

Pour 3/4 cup warm water into small bowl; stir in yeast. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes.
Brush large bowl lightly with olive oil. Mix 2 cups flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add yeast mixture and 3 tablespoons oil; process until dough forms a sticky ball. Transfer to lightly floured surface. KNEAD dough until smooth, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is very sticky, about 1 minute. Transfer to prepared bowl; turn dough in bowl to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. PUNCH down dough. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Roll out dough according to recipe instructions. (Start in center of dough, working outward toward edges but not rolling over them.)

This dough is easy to handle and will give you a crispy crust that’s also tender.

farinata — margaret roach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

½ lb. kale or cabbage or mix
6 cups water or vegetable broth (if the broth is salted, or you like a lot of Parmesan, adjust salt below)
1 teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup polenta (cornmeal)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 cloves minced or grated garlic, or to taste
¼ to ½ cup olive oil (with extra for garnish)

steps:

Wash and chop the greens; I use a coarse chiffonade cut (above photo), removing the toughest stem bits first.

Meantime, bring salted water (see above note) or stock to a rolling boil.

Reduce heat, cover, and simmer the greens until barely tender, just a few minutes, in the water or stock.

Gradually whisk in the cornmeal.

Cook on simmer until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Fold in the garlic, cheese and the oil; remove from heat.

Serve immediately in bowls garnished with more oil and pepper. Serves three (or two with seconds).
from a way to garden blog

Baked Rice recipe–Good Eats

1 1/2 cup brown rice — medium or short grain
2 1/2 cup water
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoons kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the rice into an 8-inch square glass baking dish.
Bring the water, butter, and salt just to a boil in a kettle or covered
saucepan. Once the water boils, pour it over the rice, stir to combine,
and cover the dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake on the
middle rack of the oven for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, remove cover and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve
immediately.

Recipe Notes from Terry
It’s also super easy to do a lot of rice and then freeze it. I like to have four or five serving frozen into a couple of packets in the freezer. Then I just microwave the packet to get it thawed and hot for a dinner. Only takes a few minutes in the microwave.
terry

ONION TART BY: JOSH AND BRENT

Even when I was a little boy I was a champion of diversity.   I didn’t care if the onion was white, yellow or red.  I liked them all.

My favorite meal at grandma’s house was the onion sandwich… thin slices of onion, two slices of bread, and a generous layer of Duke’s mayonnaise.

Fortunately for all of you, my tastes are a little more sophisticated now, but sophisticated and simple are not mutually exclusive when it comes to good recipes.

Have you ever thought about combining savory caramelized onions, tangy bleu cheese and sweet, juicy slices of apple?   I hadn’t either until Sandy Gluck made the suggestion.

The result was a delicious and decadent onion tart that will impress every single person at your table.

6 tablespoons  olive oil

21/2 pounds yellow  onions, halved and thinly sliced

1 large sweet apple, peeled and cut into thin wedges

Coarse salt

All-purpose flour

3/4 pound storebought or homemade pizza dough

8 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

1/3  cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of  the oil over low heat. Add the onions, cover the skillet and cook,  stirring occasionally until the onions are tender, about 25 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring frequently until the onions are golden brown, about 20 minutes more. Stir in the apple, season with salt and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes longer.

Preheat the oven to 500. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to a 14 inch round. Transfer the dough to a large baking sheet and brush the top with the remaining  2 tablespoons oil. Scatter the caramelized onion-apple mixture over the top, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Scatter the cheese and nuts on top. Bake on the lowest rack in the oven until the crust is crisp and the cheese has melted, 12 to  15 minutes.

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

not a great photo but wonderful soup!!

Adapted from Mollie Katzen’s New Moosewood Cookbook

1 medium-large potato , peeled and diced (about 2 to 3 cups diced)
1 large cauliflower, cut or broken into florets
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
3 medium cloves of garlic, peeled
1 1/2 cups chopped onion–used less
1 1/2 tsp. salt–used less
4 cups water
2 cups grated cheese (plus extra for garnishing each serving)–used less
3/4 cup milk (lowfat OK)
1 tsp. dill (or thyme)
black pepper, to taste

1. Place olive oil in dutch oven add onions and carrots sauté for a few minutes, add garlic and cook for a min or two.  Add potatoes and cauliflower, salt, pepper and dill cook for about 5 minutes.

2.  Add water to the veggies,  bring to a boil, then simmer until all the vegetables are very tender. Puree in a blender or food processor or immersion blender .

3.  Add grated cheese and milk then heat gently,  served topped with a little extra cheese.

Tomato and Smoked Salmon Pasta

Top Tomato 2012 finalist Mehan Dossani says this dish reminds her of a bagel with lox and tomato. It comes together in less than 20 minutes, and it’s her go-to recipe when she has leftover smoked salmon in the fridge. For the pasta, she is partial to perciatelli (long, hollow tubes), but you can use your preferred variety.

  • 8 ounces dried pasta, such as perciatelli
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, preferably a fruity variety
  • 1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, put through a garlic press or very finely chopped and pressed with the side of a knife blade
  • 2 medium to large ripe tomatoes (12 to 16 ounces), coarsely chopped, with their juices
  • 1 ounce cream cheese
  • 8 ounces smoked salmon, coarsely chopped
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup torn or chopped basil leaves, packed
  • Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta, cook according to the package directions and drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook for about 10 seconds, then add the tomatoes and their juices. Increase the heat to medium-high; cook the tomatoes for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they soften, then use a wooden spoon to break up the pieces and mash them down a little. When the tomatoes and their liquid begin to bubble gently around the edges of the skillet, cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cream cheese, stirring until it has melted. Add the smoked salmon, season with pepper to taste and stir to combine. Remove from the heat.

Add the drained pasta to the sauce, toss to coat and let the pasta soak in the sauce for a moment. Stir in the basil, sprinkle with Parmesan to taste and serve.

2 to 4 servings

Dad’s Creamy Marinated Cucumbers

  • 2 large cucumbers (about 2 pounds), peeled (if desired) and sliced
  • 1 large red (or other sweet) onion (about ½ pound), peeled, halved vertically, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup top quality mayonnaise
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper

Mix everything in a large bowl and allow to sit in the refrigerator for several hours.

Bonus tip: There will be extra dressing, as the cucumbers release a lot of their water. This dressing can be saved and refrigerated for use as a dressing for salad greens.

Serves 6.

Fresh Corn Salad (4-6 servings)

The fresh corn salad is from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.

5 ears of corn, shucked
1/2 cup small diced red onion
3 tbsp cider vinegar
3 tbs good olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup julienned basil leaves or use chopped chives

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn for 3 minutes until the starchiness is just gone. Drain and immerse it in ice water to stop the cooking and to set the color. When the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob, cutting close to the cob.

Toss the kernels in a large bowl with the red onions, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Just before serving, toss in the fresh basil. Taste for seasonings and serve cold or at room temperature.

Beatrice’s notes: The first time I made the salad, I cut the kernels off the cob and then sauted in a pan.  The second time I grilled the corn instead of boiling, then cut the kernels off the cob.  Both were good but I liked the grilled flavour better.  The second time I made the salad I added diced red pepper and substituted chives for the basil.  I liked this better than basil.  I think thyme would also be good.

DMV notes: I used two ears of corn, cooked for 3-4 min, cooled kernels removed. Divided other ingredients by 1/3. Used chives. Very quick, easy and TASTY.

Enjoy!

Fresh Corn Salsa With Tomato — Cook’s Illustrated

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 ears corn — kernels cut from cobs (2 1/4 cups)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
salt and pepper
2 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 Tomato — cored and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 shallot — minced (substitue red onion 1/4c.)
1 jalapeno chile — stemmed, seeded and minced
1/4 cup cilantro — chopped

Bring 2 cups water to boil in small saucepan over high heat. Stir in corn, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; remove pan from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain corn and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

Whisk lime juice, oil, honey, and 1/4 teaspoon salt together in bowl. Add corn, tomato, shallot, jalapeno and cilantro to lime juice mixture and toss to combine. Let stand for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve.

Recipe Notes

This recipe gives you a really bright fresh uncooked corn flavor while the baking soda will softening the hulls of the kernels.

 

Green Bean and Potato Salad

1 1/2 pounds potatoes red or russet
3/4 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 small red onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Place the potatoes in a large pot, and fill with about 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Throw in the green beans to steam after the first 10 minutes. Drain, cool, and cut potatoes into quarters. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with fresh basil, red onion, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and olive oil. Pour over the salad, and stir to coat. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.