Weekly Recipe: Pizza

It is that time again. This one looks, and tastes beautiful, but it is amazingly simple. As always, exact measurements are not to be expected. More important, in my opinion, is to know the ratios. This way you can make any amount required and not have to deal with a great deal of leftovers. Of course, left over pizza dough rarely lasts long in this household. The basic dough is really very easy.

Start with about a cup of warm water (80-100 degrees F) Into this will go one packet of dry yeast. Add a bit of sugars. Any will do though I usually use either brown or honey. Just a bit for the yeast to feed on. It likes sugars and warm water. Let that mix sit while you measure out four cups of flour and a pinch of salt. After the yeast has had about five minutes, mix in about another 3/4 cup water and two tablespoons OO. I never actually measure the oil, just add a decent amount. Mix the wet into the dry. I usually use a wisk but if you are one of those assholes with a kitchen aid then use that, by all means.

For you jerks with kitchen aids, this is even easier. It only takes about five minutes to make perfect dough. For the rest of us, it will take a bit of kneeding after the wets are mixed in. Kneed with a good amount of flour until the dough is just tacky. Form into a ball and oil. Let is sit for 90-120 minutes in a warm place until doubled in size. A trick that I use is to, after removing the dough from the mixing bowl, before kneeding, fill the bowl with hot water to soak. You'll need to do this to clean it anyway. Once the dough has come together on the board, rinse the bowl to remove those bits of flour and dry. This will create a warm place to leave the dough to rise and you don't have to dirty another bowl.

At this point, it is really a matter of taste. This one shown is one of our favorites, bbq chicken. Unfortunately, since it is winter in LA, stores no longer carry coals so the chicken had to be baked. Still turns out quite nice. A mix of bbq and tomato sauce forms the base and on top goes red onion, the chicken, mozzarella, cilantro, green onions, bacon, garlic, etc. etc. Really though, this is the place to be creative. Just put on whatever you like. Or use it as an excuse to clean out the fridge. Herbs and cheese, salami and artichoke hearts, or just fresh tomato, basil and mozzarella. Go nuts.

It's not a quiche!

Time for another installment of our weekly recipe feature. I even surprise myself. (I know it is only two weeks in a row now but you have to take pride in the little things too.)

This is another, rather simple one. My perception of simple is a bit off however. I tend to stay away from any prepackaged or half 'home-made' crap and prepare everything from scratch. But there is nothing about this which is complicated or requires any special equipment. (you will notice that it has been cooked in a small sauce pan. This is by no means a requirement but as I don't bake much I simply do not have a pie pan. Yes it is on the list.)

This is a great breakfast idea however as it can be prepared ahead of time and travels well, for those who like to eat on the road. Start with a simple dough, just a single egg and about 3/4 to 1 cup of flour. Using the well method, combine the two. As they come together, add more flour until ingredients are loosely combined. It took me at least another 1/2 c of flour for the rolling process. Not rocket science though. If it is sticking, add more flour. Roll the dough to appropriate thickness, 1/4 inch? I don't know. Just until it looks right.

The filling consists of mostly Ricotta. In fact, this whole thing was just an excuse to use up some left over Ricotta from a failed lamb experiment last week, combined with some inspiration from Mario. Chop a couple of garlic cloves, a bit of white onion (red would certainly work as well) some parsley and whatever else makes you happy. I put some chili flakes and fresh thyme in there as well, mostly because it was there. Then I added some salami and bacon. I didn't cook the bacon first, and it was uncurred. I am still alive so it seems that cooking beforehand is unecessary. Salt and pepper to taste. Not too much salt as there is plenty in the meats. Oh yeah, add some parm reg as well. Mix these together. Then one egg and a handful of flour to bind. Once mixed, pour into the pastry shell which should by now be in a pie pan (or sauce pan if you like.) Top with a bit of Mozzarella and bake for 25-30 minutes at 400.

Garnish with a bit of freshly chopped parsley and serve warm or cold, as you like.

Quiche [keesh]
–noun
a pielike dish consisting of an unsweetened pastry shell filled with a custard and usually containing cheese and other ingredients, as vegetables, seafood, or ham: spinach quiche.
(thanks dictionary.com)

See, no custard, no veggies, not a quiche! Does sound good with some spinach though.

Cheers

Weekly recipe

This title may turn out to be rather misleading. I have been going back and forth with the idea of posting recipes regularly. You see, I am somewhat secretive with my cooking. I won't even give them up to my wife. This secracy is further enforced by the fact that I never really use recipes and can't actually recall what goes into the fare I produce until I am actually in the act. As a result, I don't really have exact measurements and often forget to include items when I try to remember and write them down.
However, this is one that I pinched from a cooking show anyhow, so I figured, what's the harm. Fortunately, my wife was able to get a picture before it was devoured hastily. (A rare occurance in our household.) So here it is. It is amizingly simple and very delicious. I hope you enjoy.


To start, get a large pot going on meduim heat as you chop one, large yellow onion. One of those grapefruit sized ones. Rough chop and, by this time the pan should be hot, add a healthy amount of olive oil (for this site and for all of my cooking, I use extra virgin olive oil. That is a lot to type over and over again though so I will just type olive oil, or sometimes even just OO and you should assume extra virgin.) Enough to cover the entire bottom of the pot. Throw in the onions and chop a good amount of garlic. This can be adjusted to your own taste for garlic. We both love garlic and consume quite a bit of it. I usually add three to five large cloves. Throw in the garlic and wash six to eight roma tomatoes. (If you can't find fresh romas, where do you live?? You should move.) Slice tomatoes in half and add to the pot. You need to move all the other stuff, onions and garlic, to the sides of the pot and place the tomatoes, cut side down, directly on the bottom of the pan. Damn! You see, I've done it already. When adding the onions and garlic, be sure to add some salt. Probably about a teaspoon or so. This will cause all of those lovely juices to exude and comingle. Fresh ground pepper also goes into just about everything I make, even the breakfast cereal. Getting back to it. Once the tomatoes are in there, wash some parsley and remove the stems, probably about a good handful will do it. Add the parsley whole to the top of what should now be a wonderfully sweet smelling pot. Add one whole cinnamon stick as well and let all of this just hang out together. At this time, you can prepare the fish. The recipe from the show suggests Monk fish, and typically I would dutifully oblige. However, the WF by our house does not stock it as the fishmonger has some aversion to it. We have been using Black Cod and it works fine. It is a little flakier than Monk but that is ok. Really any good whitefish will work. Anyway, approximately .75 lbs per person seems to work out well. Of course, we both have a fairly healthy apetite so you might be able to get away with .5 lbs per person. Begin heating a large sauce pan. Trim the fish if necessary and slice into medallions. The size is not really important. Just something that will allow for ease in cooking. Add a bit of OO to the pan. (I told you I would do it. Don't act so surprised.) Season the fish (more shorthand. That means salt and pepper.) and add to the pan. Cook until done on one side, approximately four to six minutes. Flip and go back to the pot, which should by now have filled your kitchen with the wonderful smell of cinnamon. Stir this mess thoroughly and try to break up as much of the tomato skins as possible and otherwise incorporate all of the ingredients. Once done, add this mix to the pan with the now finished fish. Done! If you like, and we usually do, prepare some pasta in the mean time and serve the fish over it, as represented in the picture. I have no suggestions on which pasta you should use. This is not, as you have probably guessed, a step by step, explain every detail type of recipe, nor will any future recipes be as much. I tend not to cook that way. Just do what makes you happy. It would probably work well with any pasta, though I would cation agains any long noddles. This is just my personal taste however. Cooking should be about fun and experimentation and doing what make sense to your own taste. Hope you enjoy. That is all for now.