White Pizza Night

 Last night was White Pizza Night.  Starting with my pizza dough made with King Arthur Unbleached and a little Whole Wheat.  Started with a couple of coffee mugs of warm water, a package of yeast, olive oil and salt.  After an hour and a half to two hours: Isn't that beautiful?

Getting the fillings and toppings ready:  Ricotta and spinach with some parmesan cheese, salt, pepper.

Eggplant drizzled with garlic infused olive oil, salt pepper and oregano, then oven roasted.

Onion and mushrooms oven roasted with olive oil.

I divided the dough into four pieces:

I flatten them out on the counter top with enough flour to keep them from sticking.  I don't twirl.  (Well, maybe some years ago, at the disco.)

Two of the pizzas got stuffed with the ricotta mixture and some fresh mozzarella.

The folded pizza or calzone was sealed using the Florentine Tapestry method (I made that up).  See the sealed edge of my calzone.

See the edge on the Florentine Tapestry

Put steam holes on top, then bake in a preheated HOT oven - 450 to 500 degrees

This pizza has eggplant and drizzled with more olive oil.

I recently acquired some nice asiago cheese, so grated some and put it on top.

The other pizza has the roasted onion and mushroom mixture and the asiago too.  I really shouldn't bake all of these at once, because my little 11 year old, $245 "Sears dent-and-scratch oven"* is not meant for such tasks, but I am not known for my patience.  So in they went.  If I could crank the oven to more than 500 degrees, I would have.

Here they are, waiting for everyone to dig in.  The calzone oozed out some of the filling.

Taste test:  Everyone thought they were tasty.  The onion and mushroom was a good combo.  I thought the eggplant needed something - a little more salt maybe;  I had a piece with some of the ricotta filling that had oozed out of the calzone and that was exactly what it needed: eggplant and ricotta pizza, yum.

*bring out the red robe, the crown and the bouquet of roses now

Spinach and Gorgonzola Frittata/Omelette

Spinach was on sale this week at Discount Food Outlet. Had the eggs and gorgonzola. A little salt and pepper and served up with a toasted Portuguese roll. A light and delicious meal.

The fold-over for an omelette is always a challenge for us "impatient" types; so mine always looks more like a frittata.

(Dom DeLuise explained the difference: an omelette coddles gently over low heat in melted butter, slowly cooking, then filled and delicately folded over;  a frittata, by contrast, starts by pouring half-beaten eggs into scalding hot olive oil in a frying pan over a flame as high as you can make it and it sizzles and dances among the peppers and onions and potatoes that were already in there and just this side of burnt.)

Buon Appetito.

Amateur Chili

I did not grow up eating chili.  I don't remember when I first had it, but it was probably at a picnic or pot luck.  And I must admit that I am not partial to those Southwest spices like cumin and cilantro and coriander. So when I make chili, it is usually very light on the pungent spice.  I'm also not very adventurous with things like coffee or chocolate.  I'll have my coffee with a chocolate biscotto.

The discount food market had London Broil for $1.99.  That's less than ground chuck, so I bought a slab and sliced and cut it into smaller than bite-size pieces.

Olive oil and garlic in the pot, added some chopped onion and the last of the hot lemon peppers from last year's garden that were in the freezer.  Some green pepper and the meat.  Let the meat saute with the veggies and some salt and pepper.  Then added a good spoon of chili powder and a couple table spoons of brown sugar.  There was a half can of tomato puree left from making pizza the other day, so that went in along with one large can of red beans.  It sat over a low flame for a about four hours.

The meat was tender and the chili seasoning was not overpowering.  It could have used a little more hotness but had a mild bite tempered by the sweetness of the brown sugar.

That Lettuce Leaf  and the Splash of Sauce
is What Ruined This Photo Op

Spooned it out with some grated cheddar on top, along with a nice salad and a Portuguese roll, it made for a good dinner on a hot day.  I was so hungry, I forgot to have a beer.

First Greens

The only thing that makes this a bit special is that we picked the first arugula from the garden tonight for our salad to accompany the pizza.  One pepperoni pizza for Leon, a sausage one for me; both with mushrooms.  Naturally we have a half of each leftover.

The pizza recipe has already been posted.

First Arugula From the Garden

Sausage and Mushroom

Pepperoni and Mushroom

Burgers on the Grill

This is the quintessential American meal - burgers and fries with accoutrements.

Grilled Lean Beef Burgers with Cheese
(Leon's Burger has Cheese Chunks)
The Third Smaller Burger is For Benni, of Course

Shallow Fried Potatoes

Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion

Red Cabbage Slaw*

Cukes With a Pre-mix Salad Dressing

The Table is Set

And Plated Up

*Red cabbage slaw: 1/2 head of red cabbage shredded; soak in a bowl just big enough to contain the cabbage with 1/2 cup of vinegar and enough water to cover and a little salt and 2 teaspoons of sugar.  After 20 - 30 minutes, drain off the vinegar-water.  Add 1 cup chopped carrots, a half cup of raisins and/or dried cranberries, a half of chopped onion, 2 teaspoons of horseradish, 1/4 to 1/3 cup of mayonnaise and refrigerate overnight if you plan ahead.  Otherwise serve today.

Linguini con Gamberi e Pancetta in Bianco- End of the World Party

Had a couple of friends over for the end of the world.  Eddie likes my linguini with clam sauce and the local market was having a special on littlenecks.  Unfortunately they ran out early and wouldn't be getting any more in until tomorrow.  As there was to be no tomorrow, this would not do.

But I was not to be discouraged.  Went over to the frozen food isle and picked up a bag of raw EZ Peel shrimp.  It was a good thing too, because it turned out that Janice doesn't like clams and Leon is not too crazy about them either.  But all of us like shrimp.

This is easy and has garlic, so you know it will be delicious.  Linguini with shrimp and pancetta in white wine sauce.

Ingredients include: one pound of linguini, about one pound or more of shrimp, about six or so slices of pancetta (Italian, not-smoked, bacon) three or four cloves of garlic diced, extra virgin olive oil, about a cup of dry white wine, black pepper, lemon, chopped parsley, a small bunch of scallions and butter, the regular salted variety will do.

Get a pot of salted water boiling. 

Peel the shrimp.

Chop the pancetta and saute it with the garlic in a skillet with enough olive oil to cover the bottom of  the pan.  Add some black pepper.

Put the linguini in to boil and time it according to the "al dente" instructions on  the box, about 8-9 minutes. 

Add the shrimp to the skillet and saute for a few minutes until the color turns from translucent to opaque. Add the wine, the parsley, the juice of half a lemon and let simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors.  Add some chopped scallions to finish.

Drain the pasta and transfer to a serving bowl.  Add about three tablespoons of butter and toss to coat the pasta.  Add the Shrimp, pancetta and garlic white sauce and toss again.  

Serve with steamed broccoli and grated parmigiano or romano.  Dinner's ready.

Linguini with shrimp and pancetta in white wine

This was so good it became the main course instead of a prima or side dish - the grilled chicken and grilled sausages were hardly touched.  We did save room for dessert and coffee, however.

And we are still here, on the earth, along with everyone else.  With more good food to look forward to.

Been Eating Re-runs

I haven't posted anything in a while because either I haven't made anything interesting/new or I just plain forgot to take photos and keep track of what I'm doing.  Have been eating chicken: roasted, stir-fried and pot-pied; roast pork, baked eggplant parmigiano, mac and cheese; (all of which I've done here before) and lots of left-overs.

Tonight I thought I was making "bubble and squeak" when I put the left-overs from the roast into the cast iron skillet, but I was apparently off by the absence of cabbage and the addition of some non-traditional veggies and there was too little potato, and it didn't brown.  So what we ended up with was left-over roast, potato and zucchini.  Oh, well, live and learn and eat.

Pasta alla Normina

I've done Pasta alla Norma before at Rebel and this is my variation on the theme.  Fairly simple, meatless  and good.  Instead of Norma's Ricotta Salata - a dry, salty ricotta cheese,  I am using fresh ricotta in this recipe.

Actually, I'm using a fresh, homemade faux ricotta - curds made with heated whole milk, vinegar and salt.  True ricotta is made from heated whey left from making mozzarella or other rennet based cheese.  The whey is heated again (ri-cotta or re-cooked) with salt and vinegar to release more curds which are the ricotta cheese.  This was my first attempt at making this cheese, also called paneer.  It is very mild and creamy and is very similar to ricotta.

For this dish you will need olive oil, fresh garlic, an onion, an eggplant (diced in large pieces), some fresh mushrooms (sliced), fresh or frozen basil, a can of peeled plum tomatoes, salt and pepper, one pound of pasta (something large like  rigatoni or festinate), ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan or romano.

You will need substantial olive oil - a third to a half cup - because both eggplant and mushrooms are oil sponges.  (It's OK - we know olive oil is good for you)

Saute the garlic and onion in olive oil

Add the diced eggplant

Add the sliced mushrooms

Crush the tomatoes into the mix
along with some of the juice

Cook the pasta, drain and toss
with the eggplant-mushroom sauce

Top with ricotta, mozzarella and grated Romano

La cena e pronta! - Dinner's Ready!

Un può di vino e Buon' appetito!

Pizza Rustica di Pasqua (Easter Pizza) and Braided Egg Bread (Easter Bread)

Pizza Rustica

There are almost as many recipes for Pizza Rustica di Pasqua as there are Italian families in America.  Some are more a rich cheese bread which look absolutely delicious on google and others, the "rustica" or rustic are savory pies.  None that I viewed on the internet are quite the same as what my grandmother and my aunts used to make and that I've made for many years myself.  As it is quite "heavy" and not cheap to make, I suggest cutting the recipe down to 2/3 or less. Exact proportions of the filling are not that important. One of my cousins said her mom's pie weighed 30 pounds, but I think that was an exaggeration.

Aunt Stella's recipe for the pie filling called for the following (but you can use less for a smaller pie)
  ~ 3 dozen boiled eggs, quartered (I used 2 dozen)
  ~ 2 pounds of capocollo, (a deli ham with hot pepper) (I used 1 pound),
  ~ 2 pounds of formaggio fresco, a fresh "basket cheese" somewhat like farmers cheese that you can likely only get at an Italian market around the Easter holiday. (I used 1 pound)
  ~ 6 beaten eggs. (5 for a smaller pie)

  

Crust:
Every crust recipe I found on-line called for butter as well.  For a large pie use:
3 1/2 cups flour (plus 1/2 cup for kneading and rolling)
6 beaten eggs
1 stick of soft butter (not melted) plus a little salt.  (tsp)

If making a smaller recipe use:
2 1/2 cups flour (plus 1/2 cup for kneading and rolling)
5 beaten eggs,
1/2 stick of soft butter plus a little salt

I use the 21 inch rolling pin (actually a 1 1/4 inch diameter dowel) which allows you to roll out a thin crust large enough to cover the bottom of the roasting pan.

Combine the flour, beaten eggs and butter and salt in the proportions that you choose. Mix, then knead until a dough comes together; knead for 5 or 10 minutes till smooth and evenly mixed, then wrap the ball of dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 or 15 minutes.

Divide the dough slightly unequally and roll out the larger portion in a rectangular shape thin enough to line the bottom and sides of a large or medium size roasting pan (depending on the flour proportions you chose) for the bottom crust.  Lay it into the pan.

Put one layer of sliced capocollo on the bottom, (some recipes use a combination of Italian meats like salami, mortadella, prosciutto, etc. but our family recipe uses only capocollo).
Then one layer of boiled eggs quartered and placed closely together in rows down the length of the pan.

Cut slices of fresh basket cheese and place them on top of the boiled eggs . Continue to layer more capocollo, more boiled egg quarters, more formaggio fresco (basket cheese) and end with a layer of capocollo.

Pour the beaten eggs on top (the egg will drizzle into the pie) and then roll out the remaining dough into a rectangular shape large enough to cover the pie with a top crust.
Trim any excess around the edges and use this to make a cross or design on the top (optional)
Pinch the edges, brush the crust with egg wash (egg beaten with a little water) and bake at 350 for an hour and a quarter - to an hour and a half.
The crust should get golden brown.
Let it cool before cutting into it.

This is the original "breakfast sandwich" but it comes with a warning: Distribute generous portions to all your friends and relatives because after three days you will be sick of this version of ham and eggs, guaranteed.

Sweet Egg Bread - Pane di Pasqua

Well, there is no recipe for my bread so I'll wing it like I do when I make it.  This non-recipe will make two large (pizza pan size) or four medium size breads on two sheet pans (see photo).

I started with 1/2 cup warm water and 1 or 2 packets of yeast (or 2to 4 tsp), and a little  flour to get them started. (Adjust amount of yeast depending on quality and ambient temperature. Add up to 1/4 cup honey or sugar and this will feed the yeast in a big way)

Meanwhile I warmed up 3 cups of milk in the microwave - (NOT HOT) (you can use 2 cups milk and 1 cup water) and softened (NOT MELTED) a stick and a half of butter

I added 3/4 cup of sugar (sometimes I use less, especially if I use honey in the yeast mixture) and 4 eggs to the milk and beat them in, added this to the yeast mixture along with the butter and then added some flour, 2 generous teaspoons of salt.

I beat the mixture with a wooden spoon and I kept adding flour until a dough began to form.  Lose the spoon and use hands to knead while adding a little flour at a time, until the dough is no longer sticky but can be kneaded into a smooth ball.  This is a soft dough.

Brush with oil, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours in a large bowl or pot, till doubled in volume.

Depending on how many and how large you want your loaves, divide the dough into that many pieces. Divide each of those into three and roll into "ropes".  Braid the three ropes for each loaf and form into a ring, a half circle, or whatever shape you like.

Place one or more raw eggs or raw colored eggs into the braid (I used only one because a) we will get tired of eating hard cooked eggs real soon and b) it is easier to slice the bread without the eggs int the way). Let rise for 1 hours or so and brush with egg wash.  Bake in a pre-heated oven at 425 for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 375. If using 2 racks, move the top breads down and the lower ones to the top for more even browning. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or so - depending on your oven, the number of breads in the oven, etc. until the top crust is golden and it taps "hollow" and the edges and peaks are nice and brown.

As you can see, I got distracted and forgot to set the timer to lower the oven.  A little powdered sugar helps cover up the burn.

We get to keep the burnt one, the rest will go to friends or family - maybe.

UK Trip Nostalgia - Scones for Breakfast

No-Recipe Scones

Crawled out of bed this morning to make the coffee and thought how nice a scone would be to go with.

Couldn't be bothered looking up a recipe on the net, so gave it my best shot on the fly, so to speak.

Let's see, about 2 cups of flour, some baking powder, a couple spoons of sugar, a little salt, oh, three quarters of a stick of butter, just barely melted, enough milk to make a stiff biscuit dough and some dried cranberries and raisins.  Mix, form into a round and cut into wedges.  Bake at 375 to 400 (with my oven, I never really know for sure). 25 minutes later:

They were quite good.  Now at a cafe in London you get ONE scone with your coffee.  You're not likely to order another at a pound, fifty or more (over  $3).  Here at home we can sit and eat them like potato chips.

And we wonder why we can't loose weight!