Pizza | onedadskitchen

It’s a Snack Attack, Part 2 – Buttery Garlic Knots

Here is the second of the snacks I decided to try out this past weekend. This one is really easy and comes from Kelsey Nixon on the Cooking Channel. It is for a batch of very easy to make buttery garlic knots. This is one that you can use with some quick made pizza dough in the food processor or you can just as easily use some store-bought pizza dough and whip these up in no time at all. The actual preparation of the garlic knots and the cooking takes no time at all, so this is a great quick snack you can make just about anytime you want.

Buttery Garlic Knots

1 recipe Food Processor Pizza Dough, or 1 package of store-bought pizza dough

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, minced

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, minced

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

8 cloves garlic, grated

All-purpose flour, for dusting

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Prepare the recipe for the food processor pizza dough or take the store-bought pizza dough and let it come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the softened butter with the thyme, rosemary, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese and the grated garlic. Set the mixture aside.

Turn the pizza dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Stretch the pizza dough into a rectangle. Spread half of the butter mixture on half of the dough. Fold the dough in half, covering the butter with the pizza dough. Using a pizza wheel, divide the dough into 18 strips. First cut through the middle of the dough and then you can cut each half into 9 separate pieces to get your 18 strips. Stretch each strip of dough and then tie it into a knot and tuck the ends underneath the center of the knot. Place the knots on a baking sheet.

Sprinkle the knots with some of the Parmesan cheese and bake until they are a golden brown color, about 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, melt the remaining herb butter. Once the knots come out of the oven, baste them with the melted butter and sprinkle them with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Serve warm.

I actually basted the knots with some of the butter after they had been baking for about 10 minutes and then again at the end of the baking so they had a really nice baked in garlic flavor. They came out perfectly and has a nice crunch on the outside with a soft and buttery inside. These would go great with any Italian dinner you might be having like spaghetti and meatballs, baked ziti, lasagna, pizza, sausage and peppers or really just about any meal. They also make a great snack or appetizer and you could even put some together as a great afterschool snack for something a little different. You could certainly do a lot of different things with it and even use different herbs if there are some you would prefer instead, like basil or oregano.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I have one more good snack I tried recently to come for tomorrow so check back for that one. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

2 Comments

Posted by MikeG on February 11, 2014 in Appetizers, Breads, Cooking, Pizza, Snacks

Tags: buttery garlic knots, Cooking Channel, garlic knots, garlic knots recipe, Kelsey Nixon, pizza dough

Bend Over Backwards for Some Brussels Sprout Pizza

16 Jan

Admittedly, this seems like an out of the ordinary pizza, and I guess it is, but once you try it you will see just how delicious it can be. Making your own pizza at home is a pretty easy thing to do and costs a lot less than going to your local pizza place or getting delivery pizza, and you get to control the ingredients that go into it. You can make your own pizza dough, as I do often, or you can buy pre-made dough at most grocery stores and it is pretty inexpensive. This recipe is from Bon Appetit and is perfect for those who want a vegetarian pizza or those who like a pizza without any tomato sauce.

Brussels Sprouts Pizza

2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for brushing and drizzling

1 large onion, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed, leaves removed

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

All-purpose flour, for dusting

1 store-bought pizza dough or Food Processor Pizza Dough

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened and turned golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts, chopped garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes and cook until the Brussels sprouts are wilted, about 5 minutes. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, remove the skillet from the heat and set it aside.

Lightly flour a rimmed baking sheet and stretch the pizza dough to the edges of the baking sheet. Lightly brush the dough with some olive oil and season the dough with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Top the dough with 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, then the Brussels sprouts mixture followed by the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.

Bake the pizza until the dough is crisp and the cheese is melted, about 8 to 12 minutes. Allow the pizza to cool for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve the pizza drizzled with some more olive oil.

I think this pizza had great flavor to it. The Brussels sprouts and onions went together perfectly and the red pepper flakes just gave the whole pizza a hint of heat. You could always leave the crushed red pepper flakes out of the dish completely if you did not want any heat to it. I personally enjoyed it, but Michelle and Sean both said they would just as soon leave it out. I also made a plain cheese pizza to go along with this one and I am glad I did since there was none left of this particular pie. I was surprised Sean liked it so much since Brussels sprouts aren’t always high on everyone’s list, let alone a 13-year old, but he really liked it. I’ll definitely have to keep this one on hand because it is great to make if you need a vegetarian meal or just a pizza with no sauce.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

4 Comments

Posted by MikeG on January 16, 2014 in Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Pizza, Vegetarian

Tags: bon appetit, Brussels sprouts, Brussels sprouts pizza, food processor pizza dough, homemade pizza dough, pizza dough, vegetarian pizza

A Great Game Day (or Any Day) Snack – Homemade Pizza Rolls

07 Jan

Okay, Sean has been asking me to make these for almost a year now and I was finally able to get around to making them not that long ago. I had gotten the recipe from America’s Test Kitchen a long time ago and have wanted to give it a try but it does take a little bit of work. Lots of people love to snack on pizza rolls at a party or while watching a football game. They make a great easy snack that you can pop in the oven quickly, but why not try to make some at home without all the added preservatives and ingredients that are in the ones you buy at the store? This recipe covers all of that. I did change one thing along the way. I opted not to fry these and simply baked them in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes and I think they turned out just fine. I have included the frying instructions with the recipe, so the choice is yours as to how you want to make them.

Homemade Crispy Pizza Rolls

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons tomato paste

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground fennel

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained well, chopped fine, juice reserved

2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese

3 tablespoons minced fresh basil

Salt and pepper

2 (12-ounce) packages wonton wraps

3 quarts vegetable oil for frying

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a fine sieve to dust evenly with about half of the cornstarch. Set a wire rack inside a second baking sheet. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until it is shimmering. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste is a deep rust color, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, fennel and red pepper flakes and cook until the mixture is fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the tomatoes and the reserved juice, bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to 1 cup, about 9 to 11 minutes. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and refrigerate until it is cold, about 30 minutes. The mixture can be made, refrigerated until cold and covered for up to 2 days at this point.

Stir the cheese and basil into the tomato mixture to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Working with 4 to 6 wonton wrappers at a time, place 1 level teaspoon of filling in the center of each wrapper and press down to flatten. Lightly brush all sides of one wonton wrapper with water to moisten the edges. Fold the bottom half of the wrapper over the filling, then fold the wrapper again and roll it so the seam is down. Press the wonton around the filling to squeeze out the air, then press the edges firmly to seal the wonton.

Transfer the wonton seam side down to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat the process with more wonton wrappers and filling until all of the filling is used. Continue to fill the baking sheet and place another piece of parchment paper dusted with cornstarch over those already done to create a second layer. Freeze the pizza rolls until they are firm, about 30 to 60 minutes. The pizza rolls can be wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and frozen for up to 1 month at this point.

Add the vegetable oil to a large Dutch oven until it measures 2 inches and heat the oil over medium-high heat until it registers 375 degrees on a candy thermometer. Transfer 14 to 16 pizza rolls to the oil and cook, stirring and flipping occasionally, until they are golden brown, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain the oil temperature between 350 and 375 degrees, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the pizza rolls to a wire rack. Return the oil to 375 degrees and repeat with the remaining pizza rolls. Alternatively, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the pizza rolls on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake until they are golden brown, about 20 to 30 minutes. Let the pizza rolls cool for 5 minutes and serve with warm marinara sauce, if desired.

If you have had pizza rolls before, you know they are lava hot right out of the oven so make sure you resist the temptation and let them cool for a few minutes before eating. These did have a little bit of a bite to them because of the red pepper flakes, so you may want to cut back or eliminate them if you don’t want the heat. You could also mix things up and add things like some sautéed diced onions, peppers, bits of cooked Italian sausage, pepperoni or just about anything else. They were pretty tasty and I think they came out fine with baking instead of frying. You can avoid using all that oil and get good results this way.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. until then, enjoy the rest of your day, stay warm and enjoy your meal!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on January 7, 2014 in Appetizers, Cooking, Pizza, Snacks

Tags: America's test Kitchen pizza rolls, americas test kitchen, football snacks, homemade crispy pizza rolls, pizza rolls

More Fun With Homemade Pizza Dough – Stromboli and Breadsticks

29 Oct

I still had some pizza dough leftover from what I made recently and decided to put it to use last night. I had made a pot of turkey chili, one of Michelle’s favorites but one of Sean’s least favorites. Michelle and I both like it but Sean is not a big fan and was looking for something else to eat. I decided to make use of some leftover items such as the pizza dough and sausage and make a stromboli. I have made one before using Scott Conant’s recipe and it was very good, but I decided to try something a little different this time and gave this one from Emeril Lagasse a shot.

Stromboli

1 pizza dough portion from the Food Processor Pizza Dough recipe

1/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, removed from casings and crumbled

1/2 cup sliced onions

1/4 cup thinly sliced red bell peppers

1/4 cup thinly sliced yellow bell peppers

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 pound sliced ham

1/4 pound thinly sliced pepperoni

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a large baking sheet or place a baking stone in the oven to heat.

In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until browned and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and drain well on paper towels. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook, stirring, until very soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.

Punch down the dough and on a lightly floured surface roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 10 inches by 14 inches. Spread the cooled sausage mixture across the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on the edges. Overlapping slightly, layer the ham, pepperoni, mozzarella and half of the Parmesan cheese over the top of the sausage mixture. Using a pastry brush, paint the border of 1 long edge with the egg wash. Starting at the opposite long end without the egg wash, roll up the dough into a cylinder, pinching the edges to seal. Place on the prepared baking sheet and allow the dough to rise for 20 minutes.

Brush the top of the stromboli with the egg wash. Bake until nearly golden brown and starting to crisp, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle the top of the stromboli with the remaining Parmesan cheese and return it to the oven until the cheese is melted and the dough is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the stromboli to stand for 10 minutes. Slice thickly and serve.

The great thing about stromboli is that you can really put anything inside it. Sean is not a big fan of the peppers, so I left them out and put some extra ham and cheese inside instead. You could just as easily put leftover chicken in there or any other vegetables you may like and have on hand. You can even just do vegetables and cheese if that is what you prefer. I am guessing Sean liked it since he devoured it.

Since I still had a little bit of pizza dough left, I decided to make some small breadsticks with what I had leftover. This is a very simple way to make use of some leftover pizza dough if you happen to have some around.

Homemade Breadsticks

1 portion pizza dough from the Food Processor Pizza Dough recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Roll the dough into a rectangle and cut the dough into 12 to 15 thin strips. Place the strips on the baking sheet and cover the dough with a towel and allow it to rise for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle the olive oil over the dough to coat the breadsticks. Sprinkle the breadsticks with the Italian seasoning and the Parmesan cheese and bake in the oven until they are golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.

You can use the breadsticks to go along with any type of meal, like spaghetti and meatballs or any other dish that you like. Michelle and I used them with our chili and they were quite tasty. They came out perfectly with just the right amount of seasoning.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes to try. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on October 29, 2013 in Breads, Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Pizza, Side Dishes

Tags: breadsticks, breadsticks from pizza dough, Emeril Lagasse, food processor pizza dough, pizza dough recipe, Scott Conant, stromboli

Better Than Delivery: Food Processor Pizza Dough and a Couple of Pizzas

25 Oct

Very often when I make pizza at home I use a store-bought dough to make life a little bit easier for me. I have bought the dough and sometimes a pre-made pizza crust so we can have a quick meal. Recently I came upon recipes both from Williams-Sonoma and America’s Test Kitchen that made pizza dough right in the food processor with minimal ingredients and no real kneading at all, making it very easy to make your own dough at home. I actually ended up combining the two recipes somewhat to make my own pizza dough for this one. The America’s Test Kitchen recipe used bread dough, which I liked, but made too many pizza crusts for me, so I combined it with the Williams-Sonoma recipe to get what I wanted.

Food Processor Pizza Dough

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water (105° to 115°F)
3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade, combine the flour and salt and process with 3 or 4 pulses. With the motor running, slowly add the yeast mixture, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding more. Continue processing until the dough forms a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl, about 1 minute, then process for 1 minute more.

Coat the inside of a large bowl with the olive oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1⁄2 hours. Divide the dough in half and roll out as directed in the pizza recipe.

This recipe makes two 12-inch pizzas, which was perfect for my needs. It was very simple and didn’t take long at all. I was then able to move on to the pizzas. The first pizza I made was a simple cheese pizza, since that is all Sean really likes anyway.

Classic Cheese Pizza

1 Food processor pizza dough

Flour for the counter

1 recipe Pizza Sauce (to follow)

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position, place a baking stone on the rack and heat the oven to 500 degrees. Let the baking stone heat for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and shape it into a smooth, round ball and cover it with plastic wrap. Allow it to rest at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.

Uncover the ball of dough and stretch and shape the dough into a 12-inch round on a piece of parchment paper. Spread 1 cup of pizza sauce over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch edge of dough uncovered. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan across the pizza to cover it. Lightly brush the edges of the pizza dough with some olive oil.

Slide the parchment paper and pizza onto a rimless or inverted baking sheet, then slide it onto the hot baking stone. Bake until the crust edges brown and the cheese is golden in spots, about 8 to 13 minutes.

Transfer the pizza to a cutting board, discarding the parchment paper. Cut the pizza into 6 or 8 wedges and serve.

I rolled out he pizza dough with a rolling pin instead of working it by hand. I just seem to have better luck working with the dough this way so I went with it, but do what you are most comfortable with. The crust came out great, though I probably kept the cheese pizza in for a minute or two too long as it browned a bit more than I would have liked, but Sean didn’t seem to care since he devoured all of the pizza. The pizza sauce recipe itself is quite simple:

Basic Pizza Sauce

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

Salt and pepper

Heat the oil and garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the garlic is sizzling, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I made a second pizza, but decided to try things a little bit differently and went for a sausage and pepper pan pizza instead of using the baking stone.

Sausage and Pepper Pan Pizza

1 Food processor pizza dough

2 links Italian sausage, cooked and sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cored, sliced thin

1 cup Basic tomato sauce

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a 9-inch cake pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil or coat the bottom of an ovensafe skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Lightly roll the dough into a smooth ball. Roll and shape the dough into a 9-inch round and press it into the oiled pan or skillet. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and set it in a warm spot (not in the oven) until puffy and slightly risen, about 20 minutes.

Remove the plastic wrap from the dough and ladle the tomato sauce on the pizza dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Sprinkle the pizza with the mozzarella cheese and then top it with the sliced Italian sausage and the bell pepper. Sprinkle the top with the dried oregano. Bake the pizza in the oven until the cheese is melted and the sausage is browning around the edges, about 20 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven and allow it to rest for 1 minute in the pan. Using a spatula, transfer the pizza to a cutting board and slice into the desired amount of wedges.

I really liked the thick crust that came out with the pan pizza and I love the sausage and peppers on a pie, so it worked out well for me. I actually used red, yellow and orange pepper on my pizza since I had some small sweet peppers on hand. Since Sean was full from eating the other pizza, There was plenty leftover so I can have some for lunch today.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. There is still plenty to come – a classic Chinese chicken takeout recipe, some oven barbecued ribs, cinnamon buns, and more. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

6 Comments

Posted by MikeG on October 25, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, Pizza

Tags: americas test kitchen, classic cheese pizza, food processor pizza dough, pan pizza, pizza dough, pizza dough recipe, pizza sauce, sausage and peppers pan pizza, Willams-Sonoma

Feeling For French Bread Pizza

18 Jul

It continues to be ridiculously hot here in New York. The temperature has been in the high 90’s all week with high humidity, making things quite unbearable and making me feel miserable and not much like cooking. We ate late night the last 2 nights just so it would be a little bit cooler when I cooked and I did turn the oven on. Here is one of the recipes I decided to try, just using leftovers and things we had in the pantry as my energy level was low. We had some leftover baguettes from dinner earlier in the week and I found this great recipe at Serious Eats for some French Bread Pizza.

French Bread Pizza

3 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

Pinch red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley or basil leaves, or a mix

Kosher salt

1 large loaf French or Italian bread, split in half lengthwise

1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

8 ounces grated mozzarella cheese

2 ounces Parmigiano-reggiano

Adjust the oven rack to the upper position and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat the butter and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until the butter is melted. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in half of the parsley/basil and a big pinch of salt. Remove from the heat.

Place the bread cut-side up on a clean work surface. Using a rimmed baking sheet, press down on the bread evenly until it is compressed to about 2/3 of its original height. Place the bread on top of the rimmed baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, brush half of the garlic mixture evenly over the cut surfaces of the bread, making sure to get plenty of bits of garlic and aromatics on the bread. Set aside.

Add the tomatoes to the remaining garlic mixture in the saucepan, stir to combine, increase the heat to medium. bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to maintain a bare simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is rich and reduced, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

While the sauce cooks, spread 1/4 of the mozzarella evenly over the surface of the bread and transfer the bread to the oven. Cook until the cheese is barely melted, about 8 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and set it aside until the sauce is cooked.

Spread the cooked sauce evenly over the bread, then spread the remaining mozzarella on top of the sauce.Transfer the bread to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and is just starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and immediately sprinkle it with the Parmigiano-reggiano, the remaining parsley/basil and the remaining tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil. Allow the pizza to cool slightly before serving.

These pizzas are better than anything you will remember having as a kid out of your freezer. You do want to make sure you let them cool slightly before you eat them so as not to burn the rook of your mouth off on the hot cheese. I loved the taste of what is basically garlic bread serving as the base for your pizza. I used some sautéed shallots along with some leftover Italian sausage we had on most of the pizzas and then I used some leftover diced chicken with some Buffalo wing sauce to make a couple of buffalo chicken varieties. Of course, you can top the pizzas with whatever you would like. The nice things is that they do not take long to cook so you won’t have a lot of heat in the kitchen. You can serve this with a simple side salad and you are all set for dinner.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time to see what else comes along. I do still have a few new recipes to post that you will want to check out. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day, stay cool and enjoy your meal!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on July 18, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, Pizza

Tags: French bread pizza, French bread pizza recipe, pizza recipe

Pull Out a Popular Polenta Pizza

01 Jul

I have had some cornmeal around the house and I was looking for something a little different to do with it besides just make some cornbread or polenta as a side dish. I had done some looking around and came across this recipe at The New York Times’ website for a polenta pizza and it sounded like a pretty good thing to try to was certainly going to be something different. It’s a very easy recipe to make and like any other type of pizza, you can use your imagination and top it with whatever you think might taste great. While this particular recipe calls for pancetta, I actually had some Italian sausage on hand as a leftover and just sliced that up and used it instead.

Polenta Pizza with Pancetta and Spinach

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan

1/2 cup milk

Salt

1 cup coarse cornmeal

Freshly ground black pepper

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) chopped pancetta

1 pound spinach, washed, trimmed and dried

1 to 1 1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Brush a layer of olive oil on a pizza pan or cookie sheet. In a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, combine the milk with 2 1/2 cups of water and a large pinch of salt. Bring it just about to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and add the cornmeal in a steady stream, whisking all the while to prevent lumps from forming. Turn the heat to low and simmer, whisking frequently, until it is thick, about 10 to 15 minutes. If the mixture becomes to thick, whisk in a bit more water. Ideally, you want the consistency to be approaching thick oatmeal.

Stir 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the cooked cornmeal (polenta). Spoon the polenta onto a prepared pan, working quickly so the polenta does not stiffen. Spread the polenta evenly to a thickness of about 1/2-inch all over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap, and put it into the refrigerator until it is firm, about an hour or more, or refrigerate overnight.

Put the polenta in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it begins to brown and crisp on the edges. Meanwhile, put 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and the pancetta is nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to take the onion and pancetta out of the pan; set aside. Add the spinach to the skillet and saute until it releases its water and the pan becomes dry; sprinkle the spinach with salt and lots of pepper.

Take the polenta out of the oven, sprinkle with Gorgonzola, then spread the onion-pancetta mixture and the spinach evenly on top of the cheese; drizzle the pizza with another tablespoon of olive oil. Put the pizza back in the oven for 2 minutes, or until the cheese begins to melt and the pancetta and vegetables are warmed through. Cut the pizza into slices and serve hot or at room temperature.

You can try many variations of this. I did not use the Gorgonzola as I did not have any on hand and simply used mozzarella instead. The recipe recommends using slices of mozzarella with some slices of tomato and some basil to make a margherita pizza. I think you could really put anything on top of it that you like and you can make the whole pizza vegetarian and just use vegetables for toppings. The longer the polenta sits in the refrigerator, the firmer it will get and give you a better base. I would certainly try this one again as it can make a great party alternative for many.

That’s all I have for today. Check back this week as I have several recipes I have tried recently to post, including a new chicken recipe, some braised short ribs, blueberry lemon cakes, blueberry hand pies, some watermelon agua fresca and more. There are lots of good recipes to come so keep checking to see what’s next. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on July 1, 2013 in Cooking, Pizza

Tags: new york times, pizza, polenta pizza, polenta pizza with pancetta and spinach

Simple Margherita Pizza

15 Apr

We were all feeling kind of lazy yesterday. I normally cook a big meal on Sunday for dinner but I just didn’t feel up to it yesterday so we were looking for something simple. Sean actually suggested Margherita pizza, which I had not made before but it sounded like a good idea so I decided to go for it. I looked around for a good recipe and I found this simple one online at Food.com so I decided to go with this one.

Margherita Pizza

1 12-inch thin pizza crust

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3-4 large basil leaves,cut into strips

2 small tomatoes, cut thinly

4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle the olive oil over the pizza crust. Use a brush to spread it around evenly to make sure it covers all of the crust. Disperse the finely chopped garlic evenly over the crust. Spread the mozzarella cheese throughout the top of the crust, trying to keep the layers of cheese as thin as possible. Place the thinly sliced tomatoes across the entire pizza. Lightly salt and pepper the tomatoes. Spread the fresh basil leaves over the pizza crust, making sure to cover some of the tomatoes and some on just the cheese itself. Cook the pizza in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until crispy and the cheese is melted to your specific liking. Add the Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper, if using. Slice and serve.

Just a few things about this recipe. I used Boboli crust since one, I had some on hand, and two, I don’t usually make my own pizza dough. You could easily substitute your own pizza dough or any store-bought dough in this recipe if that is what you prefer. I also put mine on a pizza stone in the oven and I really think it makes a big difference. The crust comes out much crisper, which I personally prefer. We also made a sausage pizza to go along with this one and had a side salad to round out the meal.

You can’t get much simpler than that and it does taste great. The fresh tomatoes, the olive oil, the garlic and fresh basil really made it for me. I just love the smell of fresh basil and the kitchen smelled great while it was cooking. Using a really good olive oil seemed to make a good difference too, so if you have a good one, this is a good recipe to use it on.

I do have a few recipes planned out for this week, including the one I am making tonight of indoor grilled steaks with tomato and basil and some sweet pea risotto. Check back tomorrow to see the recipes and how they came out. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

4 Comments

Posted by MikeG on April 15, 2013 in Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dinner, Pizza

Tags: Food.com, margherita pizza, margherita pizza recipe

Super Simple Stromboli for Sunday

02 Feb

With the big game coming on Sunday, many people are having different types of parties. I have posted different snacks that are good for football parties in previous posts, but this is something I just made this week for dinner but would also be great not just for football parties, but for any party. The basis of the recipe is from Scott Conant of Scarpetta restaurants and Food Network’s Chopped. I found this stromboli recipe on Food Network’s site and altered it a bit to fit what I had on hand. In his recipe, he makes the pizza dough himself. I don’t have the time or space to make dough, so I used store-bought pizza dough and I think it turned out fine, so do what you like best. You could use any pizza dough recipe you have I think and get good results.

Stromboli

1 pound store-bought or homemade pizza dough

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1/2 bunch fresh basil, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Freshly ground black pepper

4 meatballs, pre-cooked and sliced

2 Italian sausage links, cooked through and sliced

1 small onion, sliced and sautéed until soft

Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

1/4 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Tomato sauce, warmed, for dipping

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. Lightly brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Lightly flour your countertop and the pizza dough and roll the dough to a rectangle.

Place half the cheese, the basil, garlic powder, pepper, meatballs, sausage and onion in the middle of the surface of the dough. Fill two-thirds of the surface, leaving the bottom third and a little of the sides empty. Top with the remaining cheese and salt to taste. Roll the sides of the dough over the filling and then seal the ends and edges with your palms to make a loaf. Transfer to the oiled tray. Rub a little olive oil over the top of the dough. Place the tomatoes, salt and pepper on the top. Cover the tray with plastic and let it sit for 15 minutes to rest.

Place the tray in the oven and bake for a total of 45 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the pan 180 degrees. Bake another 20 minutes, then turn the pan again and bake the remaining 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board to allow the loaf to cool. Slice and serve with tomato sauce on the side for dipping.

There are dozens of different ways you can go with this recipe. You can fill the stromboli with anything you like really. You can use different meats, vegetables or cheeses depending on what is to your liking. I saw many recipes that use salami, provolone, eggplant, peppers and more, so use whatever you like best.

It can make a nice dinner with a simple salad or will be great for any party that you may have. It is even better as something to bring to party you are going to.

That’s it for today. As I have said, I do have a stockpile of recipes of things I have made recently that I have not had a chance to post, so I hope to get to some of them over the coming days. until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on February 2, 2013 in Appetizers, Breads, Cooking, Dinner, Pizza, Snacks

Tags: Chopped, food network, homemade pizza dough, Scarpetta, Scott Conant, stromboli

Thin-Crust Pizza – Cooks Illustrated

02 Oct

Thin-Crust Pizza – Cooks Illustrated.

I don’t often make my own dough for anything because we have such a small kitchen and no counter space to do it, but this one sounds like it is worth giving a try. If I am going to eat pizza, I would choose a thin crust every time and it looks like this one will come out perfectly. I haven’t tried it yet, but I plan to give it a shot and you should too! If you have tried this one, let me know how it has worked out for you so we can see it.