The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 3,900 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 3 trips to carry that many people.
I have been wanting to make a good bread at home for years but have always been afraid to give it a try. I worried that we would need a bread maker or that it wouldn’t come out as good as I expected.
I recently decided to add breads to my cooking repertoire. I remembered seeing a NY Times segment on the TV or on a plane about making bread in your Dutch Oven and searched the internet for the recipe.
I told Andy that if I can just figure out how to make an awesome loaf of bread it would ensure invitations to all the best summer parties!
Well we have the bread! Let the party invitations begin!
Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting. (I am planning to try whole wheat next time.)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
Preparation:
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water and stir until blended. The dough will be sticky and wet. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 12 – 18 hours (we did 24 hours), at room temperature (about 70 degrees).
2. 12 – 18 hours later, the dough will be dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle the dough with a little more flour and fold-over itself a couple of times. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
3. Using flour to keep the dough from sticking, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour. Cover with another dishtowel and let rise for 1 – 2 hours. (I used one dishtowel and just folded it over the dough.) When the dough is ready it will have doubled in size and will not spring back when poked with a finger.
4. 20 minutes before the dough will be ready, preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Put a heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it is preheating.
5. When dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough may lose its shape in the process. This is normal. You may want to shake the pan to distribute the dough evenly. It does not need to be perfect.
6. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes or until the loaf is browned.
7. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for 1 hour before slicing.
8. I find the best way to store the bread is wrapped in a clean dishtowel. But you aren’t likely to have any leftovers! Enjoy!
Here is a short YouTube video that will take you through the process:
This recipe was adapted from a Mother Earth News article titled Easy, No-knead Crusty Bread by Roger Doiron published in the December 2007/January 2008 issue. http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-12-01/Easy-No-Knead-Dutch-Oven-Crusty-Bread.aspx
On Saturday night we decided to make Naan to go with our Tuna Poke. Where exactly does one go to find a recipe for a flatbread that is popular in South and Central Asia? An Asian cookbook? The internet? Both likely sources but we checked our old standby, The Joy of Cooking!* The recipe was super easy and from what I can tell from Wikipedia, fairly authentic.
Ingredients:
2 cups bread flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup yogurt or buttermilk (at room temperature)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon water, as needed
olive oil
Preparation:
1. In larger mixer bowl combine dry ingredients (flour, salt, and yeast).
2. Add buttermilk, melted butter and water (as needed) and mix with dough hook at low speed until a soft ball of dough is formed.
3. Knead at low to medium speed for 10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
4. Coat bowl with oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 1/2 hours.
5. Set a rack at lowest level of the oven and place a baking or pizza stone on the rack. Preheat oven to 475F for 45 minutes. If you do not have a baking stone you can use an inverted baking sheet heated for 5 minutes. (WARNING – do not use baking sheets with silicone handles! They will burn!)
6. Punch down the dough and divide into four equal pieces. Roll into balls, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
7. On a floured surface, roll out each ball of dough into an oval 8-10 inches long and 1/4 inch thick. Brush the tops with melted butter.
8. Place as many pieces of dough that fit without touching on the baking stone or sheet and bake until puffy and just beginning to turn golden in color (about 6-7 minutes).
8a. You can also cook the Naan on the gas grill at medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes.**
9. Fold over or cut the Naan and place in a cloth-lined basket. Keep covered and serve warm.
*The above recipe was adapted from The Joy of Cooking, 75th Anniversary addition, page 608.
**Unfortunately, our inverted baking sheet had silicone handles that melted and caught on fire. After we set off the smoke alarm we decide to finish the Naan on the gas grill. It was also delicious grilled!
One of our fabulous winter friends from Maine Handicapped Skiing, Judi, shared her recipe for Rosemary Cheddar Bread with me. I tried it recently and it was delicious!
Ingredients:
2 packages of yeast
2/3 cup milk (I used 2%)
2 cups water
1/3 cup of sugar
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
approximately 7 cups flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon rosemary
Preparation:
1. Heat water and milk over very low heat. When temperature reaches 120-130F add the yeast.
2. In mixer bowl, combine yeast, 2 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt, and rosemary. With the mixer (dough hook) on low, slowly add water/milk mixture to the dry ingredients.
3. Next add the cheddar cheese and mix well. Keep adding the rest of the flour until you get a workable dough. Leave the dough to knead on a low speed for 15-20 minutes.
4. Grease the sides of the bowl and cover dough with plastic wrap for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
5. Punch down the down and let it rest for an additional 15 minutes.
6. Now split the dough in half and form two loaves. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise again for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
7. Place loaves on baking sheet and bake in preheated oven at 375F for 40 minutes on the bottom rack. If the bread is getting too brown, cover with aluminum foil to keep it from getting too dark.
8. Remove from oven onto a cooking rack. Rub the tops with butter.
9. Allow to cool and enjoy! Our guests ate this so fast I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of the sliced bread!
This week my daily recipe email from RealSimple.com included this recipe for Asparagus with Prosciutto Chips. I love asparagus and I love prosciutto so I had to try it! This asparagus was fantastic! Even our younger dinner guests ate some of the asparagus (although mostly they picked out and ate the prosciutto)! You will love how simple the recipe is with minimal ingredients.
Ingredients:
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a baking sheet place the prosciutto in a single layer and bake until crisp (about 10 minutes). Remove from oven and let cool.
2. Bring a large pan of water to a boil and add the asparagus. Cook 3-5 minutes or until tender. Drain asparagus and pat dry.
3. Cut asparagus into 2-inch pieces. In serving dish add olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Break the crispy prosciutto into pieces and sprinkle over asparagus.
4. Serve and enjoy!
We brought some kumquats home from the grocery store last week to try. They are very interesting and intense to taste. Kumquats look a lot like an orange but are about the size of an olive. Unlike a lot of other citrus fruit, you can eat the entire kumquat including the skin. Their juice is very sour and the pulp and skin are sweet making them very similar in taste to a sour patch kid!
I decided to attempt to use the juice to make a salad dressing and was pretty pleased with the results. I used the dressing on a spring mix of greens and topped the salad with goat cheese and sliced strawberries. The sour dressing went fantastic with the sweet strawberries.
Ingredients:
Preparation:
1. Cut 5-6 kumquats in half and squeeze the juice into small mixing bowl. Be sure to remove any seeds from the juice.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and some salt to taste. You may want to add more kumquat juice or olive oil here to achieve a desirable flavor.
3. Toss your greens in the dressing and top with sliced strawberries and crumpled goat cheese.
4. Enjoy!
Andy has been wanting to try pizza on the grill for a while now. I have been skeptical. Even after watching Alton Brown grill pizza on Good Eats a couple of years ago I wouldn’t allow it. To be honest, our grill was just too shiny and new; I didn’t want to ruin it!
Since last week was school vacation week, I finally relented and decided to give grilled pizza a try. My theory was that if it didn’t work out I would have all week to clean every nook and cranny of the grill.
Luckily, it worked and was delicious!!!
Here is the recipe for a whole wheat pizza crust that was surprisingly delicious!
Ingredients:
Preparation:
1. Place flour, yeast, salt and sugar in mixer with dough hook.
2. While mixer is running, gradually add water and knead on low speed until dough forms and is smooth (about ten minutes).
3. With mixer off, add olive oil. Turn the mixer on for 1-2 rotations to coat the dough and inside of bowl with olive oil.
4. Remove dough hook, cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size (about two hours).
5. After dough rises, punch it down and divide in half. There will be enough dough for pizzas. You can freeze half for future use.
Grilled Pizza:
1. Preheat the grill on high heat.
2. By hand, form your dough into a ball. On a floured work surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a large, very thin circle.
3. Use a floured pizza peel or cookie sheet to transfer the dough to the grill. Cook on the grill for 3-5 minutes.
4. Remove the dough from the grill and add sauce, toppings and cheese to the grilled side.
5. Return the pizza with toppings to the grill for another 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
6. Slice and enjoy! Yum!
The French word touiller means to toss food and that is exactly what Ratatouille is – some veggies tossed together. Typical ingredients in Ratatouille can include garlic, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, carrots, basil, thyme and other herbs. Some cooks like to sauté all the vegetables while others prefer to layer them in a casserole and then bake them in the oven.
Our preferred method of making Ratatouille involves the grill. It is simple and delicious. Grill the veggies, chop them up, and then toss them together and you have Ratatouille. You can serve it as a side dish alone or with some grilled bread, pita, or naan.
Ingredients:
Preparation:
1. Cut eggplant and zucchini lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick slices. Cut bell peppers in half and remove seeds. Cut red onions in half and remove outer layer. Coat all veggies with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Take 4-5 garlic cloves, remove outer skin, drizzle with olive oil and wrap in tin foil.
3. Place the veggies and garlic on the grill. Grill veggies for about 3-5 minutes on each side or until they begin to soften.
4. Remove all veggies from the grill and allow to cool slightly.
5. Dice all veggies and mix together in a large bowl. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. Enjoy your Ratatouille with a fork or serve with grilled bread, pita, or naan!
We have been on a bit of a hiatus from blogging. We have still been cooking but with skiing and Andy travelling for work there just hasn’t been much time for blogging. Well, we’re back!
Tonight I had Andy make me one of my favorites of the things that he cooks, a Tortilla Espanola. We first had Tortilla Espanola when we were visiting Barcelona a few years ago. I loved it so much I wanted to eat it for every meal!
When we were back in the States Andy learned how to make it. After a few mishaps, he has finally perfected the recipe. Like tonight, I often ask him to make it before he leaves for the work week. It makes a great dinner and I also really love to take it to school for lunch. It is meant to be served at room temperature so you don’t have to worry about refrigeration.
So without further delay, drop everything and make yourself a Tortilla Espanola! You won’t regret it!
Ingredients:
Preparation:
1. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1/2 – 3/4 cup of olive oil until hot. Add potatoes, onion, and 1/2 tablespoon of salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are very tender (20-25 minutes).
2. Drain vegetables into colander and set over bowl for 5 minutes to allow oil to drain off.
3. In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs. Gently stir in vegetables. Add salt and pepper.
4. In same skillet, add 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add egg and vegetable mixture to the skillet, pressing potatoes so that they are flattened into the egg mixture.
5. Cook over medium-low heat, covered for 12-15 minutes or until nearly set.
6. Turn off and let stand, covered for 15 minutes.
7. Shake skillet gently to make sure that the tortilla is not stuck to the skillet. Invert the skillet onto a large flat plate and slide back into skillet with the bottom side up.
8. Round the edge with a flexible spatula and and cook over low heat, covered for 15 more minutes.
9. Slide tortilla onto a plate and allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. It will cut better if you let it cool for a while before slicing.
10. Enjoy!!!
I love when I can use leftovers from one meal in a new and exciting way so you don’t feel like you are having leftovers AGAIN! I especially love making quesadillas as leftovers! I used leftover chicken from the Whole Roasted Chicken on a Bed of Root Vegetables that I made earlier in the week. I also used green peppers, onions, and zucchini from my farm share.
I first sautéed the zucchini with a little olive oil, salt and oregano and set it aside.
Then I sautéed the green peppers and onions in olive oil and set them aside.
Next I used my grill pan to make the quesadillas. I sprayed some cooking spray on the pan and added one flour tortilla which I covered with a thin layer of shredded cheese. Next I added chicken (I didn’t bother to reheat it, just pulled some pieces of the leftover breast to throw on the quesadilla). Next I added peppers, onions and zucchini. I added all the ingredients to one side of the quesadilla only to make it easiest to fold over.
When the cheese on the side without ingredients was starting to melt, I folded the quesadilla over and pressed it with the spatula for about 30 seconds. Next I fllipped it over and pressed it again for 30 seconds.
That’s it! Done! Chicken quesadillas ready in no time at all!
Enjoy!
