How to Make Pizza

Homemade pizza; it's easier than you think!

As usual, when the husband travels, kids put in orders for creative meals.  Dad was in San Diego all last week, and pizza was requested.  Given how rarely teens willingly spend time with parents, I was more than willing to bash together some dough and procure a variety of toppings for a homemade pizza night.

This recipe makes enough dough for 2 full-sized pies.  In our case, we made 4 half-sized pies to allow greater topping variety.

2 pkgs pizza yeast (regular yeast can be substituted)
2 cups warm water
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
5 cups flour
2 Tbps olive oil
2 Tbsp corn meal for coating pans (optional)

Pour dough into large mixing bowl.  Add water, sugar and salt.  Let yeast begin to bubble and stir.  Using dough hook attachment, add flour gradually until dough holds together.  Cover with kitchen towel for at least 30 minutes, or up to several hours.   Punch the dough down (my daughter looved this part!) and you're ready to go.

Heat oven to 500.

Grab a hunk of dough, and begin stretching it out.  My kids had a ball here:

I baked our pies on pizza stones coated with a dusting of corn meal, but you can also use oiled baking sheets.

Stretch dough to a thin roundish shape (or oval, square, amoebic, trapezoidal....up to you.)  Top as desired.  We enjoyed the following combos:

pesto with fresh mozzarella
marinara, grated mozzarella and pepperoni

marinara and mozzarella; marinara, olives, feta,  onions, and mozzarella.

When topped as desired, bake in lowest rack of oven for about 10 minutes.  Watch it carefully--it's done when edges are brown and crisp, cheese is completely melted and when you scrape the underside of the pie with a spatula it feels solid, not sticky and doughy.

 Ok, so it's a bit more work than dialing for delivery, but it really is a lot better.  Claire, who normally eschews pizza, enjoyed the leftovers during a phillyfoodlovers working lunch the following day. 

Assuming you have power, homemade pizza may be a good way to get through Hurricane Sandy. 

Indian Spiced Vegetables, Sabzi Masala

Masala Beans

Our friend Farah, she of the famous Masala Kale, which has garnered over 500 page views on this blog, is at it again.

"With so many of my friends and family eating vegetarian, I am motivated to make vegetable dishes that are interesting and delicious," says friend, neighbor, and locally renown cook Farah Kapoor.  She adds, "Even among non-vegetarians, there is a lot of interest in local produce.  I saw some fresh okra and some lovely long beans at the Farmers' Market last week and was inspired to create a Masala Sabzi,  (spicy vegetable) recipe." 

Both the beans and the okra were transformed into something wonderful.  This is not to say that fresh off the farm they aren't already pretty wonderful, but Farah's version makes them spectacular.

She starts with fresh okra, purchased from our favorite Sunday Farmers' Market.

Masala Okra

Ingredients

1 medium white onion finely diced
1 tomato
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 Clive of garlic finely chopped.
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 pound okra or long beans or green beans or haricot verts. Slice into rounds.
2 tbsp canola or olive oil
1/2 tsp red CHILLI powder (optional)
1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)

Method

1. Start by heating the oil in a skillet.
2. Add the onions and garlic and sautee for 2 minutes.
3. Next add the cumin seeds, coriander powder and the dry spices and saute until fragrant. This might take a minute or two.
4. Add the diced tomato and let it all come together for another couple of minutes. Add salt to taste.
5. Finally add the okra or green beans to the masala paste. Cook for a few minutes until vegetables are tender.
6. Garnish your vegetables with a handful of chopped cilantro.

Enjoy.

How To Make Quinoa Tabbouleh

Quinoa--cucumbers--tomatoes--red onions--mint--parsley--a few other basic ingredients, and voila, healthy, deliciousness in a bowl. 

The hostess made this for book group last week and it was a huge hit.  Remember my new year's resolution about eating a variety of grains?  Well, I haven't exactly adhered to it.  Ok, if I'm to be completely honest, I've been a dismal failure.  But this dish reminded me of my intention, so I am trying again.  With summer's arrival, cool, light, grain-based salads make a wonderful healthy meal--or a well-chosen, all-purpose side for a barbecue.

Here's my best guess at the quinoa tabbouleh recipe:

1 cup quinoa
1 large cucumber, seeded, peeled, and chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes (or 1 large tomato, or 3 plums), chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper (to taste)

Cook quinoa according to package directions.  (Do not over cook or it will be mushy).  Cool quinoa and mix with remaining ingredients.  Mix, and allow to set for at least 1 hr to blend flavors.  

Quinoa seems to be the new 'it' food--it kinds of eats like a carb but contains substantial amounts of protein.  Works for me.

How to Make Quinoa With Caramelized Tomatoes and Onions

We mentioned Quinoa as the new  "It" food in a previous post.  I've now begun a slight love affair with the stuff.

It served as a perfect side to the aforementioned grilled scallop dinner, but quinoa solo is kind of bland, so it needs some gussying up.  Here's what I did:

Leftover roasted cherry tomatoes(procedure follows) and caramelized onions sounded like a good complement to the neutral quinoa,  so I sliced up an onion, sauteed it slowly with some olive oil, salt and pepper.  When the quinoa was cooked, I mixed up the lot.  It still needed a bit of something, so I added 1/4 cup of feta cheese.  And if I'd had oil-cured kalamata olives, they would have been the perfect foil.  Next time.

Even my daughter, who avoids tomatoes unless they are pureed in a marinara sauce, liked the dish.  My son, who lives on burgers, (to my chagrin) ran the other way.

For the tomatoes:

Rinse a quart or so of cherry tomatoes--or cut plum tomatoes in half and use those.  Place them in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle w/ s&p and roast in a 350 oven for about an hour.  These are wonderful with grilled meat or fish, tossed on pasta, smeared on sandwiches, or, as I discovered, stirred into quinoa.

For the quinoa:

Soak 1 cup quinoa in cool water for a few minutes, and rinse thoroughly.  Place in saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water, 1/2 tsp salt, and bring to boil.  Cover, lower heat, and simmer 15 minutes.  Water should be absorbed; if not, taste for doneness and if done, drain.  It behaves more or less like rice.

Mix the caramelized onions, roasted tomatoes, salt and pepper, feta cheese, and olives if you have 'em.  Bet this would be great with chopped fresh parsley, too.

Have you done anything interesting with quinoa lately?
  

The BEST Macaroni and Cheese

Mac and Cheese, ready to bake.

Few dishes conjure up the universal rapture of mac and cheese, particularly for the minimal cost and effort it involves.   It's a sure fire crowd pleaser for kids, adults, vegetarians, and omnivores of all types.  It is economical, and is  great do-ahead option as it can sit in the fridge for a couple days before using or in the freezer for a couple of months.  I can be counted on most summer weekends to deliver a mammoth sized trough of this to the beach, and it is always a welcome addition to the inventory--kids often eat the leftovers (if there are any) for breakfast.  If you use  high protein noodles you have a pretty nutritious meal without meat, and even picky pasta palates won't recognize the subterfuge when the noodles are bathed in cheese.



Perfect Mac and Cheese

Serves 6


1 box pasta--Penne, rotelle, farfalle medium shells, elbows, or any short pasta shape.
1/2 lb Cooper Sharp cheese (available at the deli counter)
1/2 lb Super Sharp Cheddar cheese (also from deli counter)
1 1/3 cup milk
1/2 stick butter
Wondra flour as needed--approx 1/4 cup  (for thickening)
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs, panko, or crushed Cheese-it/goldfish crackers  (optional, for topping)
1/2 cup grated cheese (optional, for topping)
salt/pepper/garlic powder to taste

Cook shells according to package directions til al dente (usally one minute less than they recommend on the box.)

Meanwhile, in a separate pan, melt butter, milk and cheese together over low heat, stirring frequently. When totally melted, sprinkle Wondra flour into sauce, whisking constantly til creamy and slightly thickened.  Drain pasta, pour into greased 13x9 rectangular pan and pour sauce over pasta. Mix well. Top with bread crumbs and grated cheese if desired. Bake 30 minutes at 350 til top begins to crisp, or cover and place in fridge or freezer til needed.  Enjoy.

Earth Day Veggie Balls

 

Earth day has come and gone, but this recipe, developed in honor of this occasion by our friends at Marabella Meatball Company, is here to stay.  Tasked with finding a with a healthy way to celebrate Earth Day, Marabella's chefs came up with the Veggie Ball, which showcases a variety of ingredients that, well, come from the Earth.  This dovetailed nicely with our pasta theme, so we thought we'd share their recipe.

 

Marabella’s Veggie Balls – yield approx. 15 balls, 2 ½ oz. each

 

INGREDIENTS

Make a base consisting of:

1 egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic, chopped

Salt, pepper, parsley to taste

Mix and refrigerate base.

1/4 cup golden raisins, roughly chopped

1/8 cup toasted pine nuts, roughly chopped

4 oz. chick peas rinsed, roughly chopped

1 lb. of cauliflower cooked, cool then roughly chopped

1/2 lb. of broccoli cooked, cool then roughly chopped

DIRECTIONS

Add all ingredients to the refrigerated base. Mix well by hand. Add extra bread crumbs as needed to help form into a ball.

These are very delicate and cannot be rolled but must be ‘shaped’ into a ball.

Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Serve with marinara sauce, atop pasta if desired.

Do you have any variations on the traditional meatball that you'd be willing to share?  If so, send them our way!

Happy Belated Earth Day.

Farah's Indian Kale

Our previous post promised Kale, and being women of our word, we're here today to deliver...

How much do you love Modern Family?  Here's my fave foodie scene, from an episode last season:

Cam: Hey Daddy!  How was the Farmers Market?

Mitchell: Well it was great, but guess what the new spinach is?

Cam: Umm, radicchio?

Mitchell: Kale.

Cam: Nooooo!

Mitchell: I know, I was just as blown away as you are.  I see kale as more of a garnish or buffet decor; I don't see it anchoring a meal.

Sorry, Cam and Mitch, much as we love you, we disagree.  We are indebted to our dear friend, Farah Kapoor, pictured here with her handsome (and surprisingly trim, given the food that comes his way) husband.  She taught us new way to prepare kale, which we recently learned was bursting with Vitamin C.   Farah has graced these pages before.

She introduced us to Malaysian food, shared her recipes for saffron chicken, and jalapeno pakoras and has hosted us on numerous occasions.  So we are delighted to tap her again for her newly developed Indian Kale recipe.  Even my teenage daughter, who claims to loathe kale, gobbled this up, so it is definitely joining the rotation in our house.

14 ounces chopped up and washed kale
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 onion diced
2 shallots diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp Garlic finishing butter (optional)
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
Salt to taste

1. To the oil add the onions garlic and shallots and fry till translucent.

2. Add the dry spices and sauté until fragrant.

3. Add kale and stock and just keep turning the kale until all the spices are distributed and the kale has wilted. If more liquid is needed add a little more water.

4. The kale needs to be wilted and the stalks a little crunchy.  This takes 5-10 minutes tops

5.  Remove from heat and add some finishing butter if you like.

6.  Garnish with a handful of chopped cilantro and fried shallots.

A Seriously Surprising "Pizza"

Basil Butterflies optional!

Society Hill neighbor, Alex, offered up this exotic Zucchini "Pizza."  Alex, who is a mother of three young children, is passionate about good food and likes to entice her children to enjoy veggies when she can.  This creative recipe was originally from the Moosewood Cookbook - a vegetarian bible from the 1960s and one of the first of its kind to introduce the American public to exotica such as hummus and tabbouleh.  (The books are still going strong; Amazon offers about15 different Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks...)

Alex explains: "I switched it up a bit. I actually would not call this pizza - but rather a pizza frittata or a zucchini 'pasta'. I made this a few days ago and the comments at the dinner table ranged from Chloe who said "it's so cheesy, the sauce is awesome and the crust is perfect"; Charlie said "can I have some more..?" and Liam's contribution which was simply "-licious" ( Liam-ese for delicious). My recipe is as follows:"

Pizza/frittata

3.5 c coarsely-grated zucchini (about 2 large)
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella
1 T fresh basil, minced or 1/2 t dried
salt and pepper

1/2 box strained POMI tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

optional toppings -  let the kids customize their own!

mushrooms

leeks

roasted red peppers

broccoli

spinach

ANYTHING!

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350. Grate the zucchini, salt them lightly, let them sit, then strain out excess moisture. Don't skimp on this step as soggy crust is the result! Combine all the ingredients through the Parmesan cheese, and spread mixture onto oiled 9 x 13 pan. Bake 20-25 minutes (until the surface is dry and firm). Then brush the top with oil and broil it, under moderate heat for 5 minutes.

While cooking - drizzle olive oil into pan and heat. When heated add chopped garlic then the strained tomatoes. Season as desired with salt and pepper or the herbs of your choice. Top 'crust' with tomato sauce and the toppings of your choice, then put the pan back in the 350 oven for another 25 minutes. 

KISS Boring Veggies Goodbye

Remember the days when veggies were a mere afterthought?  Just something that you ate to remain regular, to keep your parents happy, or to set a good example for your kids?  How about those long ago days when restaurants served the same sides for every entree?   (And it was nearly always a plate of overcooked greens and a scoop of starch.) Thankfully, like big hair, pleated pants and men in platform boots, that trend is over.

Veggies have taken, well, if not center stage at least a strong supporting role.  

Imagine Jerry McGuire without Cuba Gooding.  My Cousin Vinny without Marisa Tomei.  Ghost without Whoopi.  "I'd like to thank the Academy...."  Sorry, movies on the brain....

With the addition of cumin seeds, cauliflower becomes rather sublime.  Ditto brussels sprouts when doused with fennel.  Never fear, we are not preaching vegetarianism.  We are tried and true omnivores.  No, we are here today to discuss ways to make vegetables taste really, really good.  Honest.

Even people who regularly eschew the green stuff freely admit to enjoying these dishes.  And with the reputation of spices--ahem--spicing things up, you may be glad you ate your health-giving veggies in case you need some extra energy later on. 

Here are two surefire veggie winners; you can secure all necessary ingredients at the Market, of course:

Cumin Cauliflower

Serves 4-6
Prep time:  5 minutes
Cooking time:  10 minutes










1 large head cauliflower, washed and cut into bite sized florets
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp salt

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat and add seeds and salt.  Wait until seeds begin to sizzle and add cauliflower.  Stir thoroughly, ensuring that all florets are dappled with cumin seeds.  Lower heat, and cook, stirring frequently, until cauliflower is cooked through, approx 10 minutes.  NOTE:  This recipe can be replicated with virtually any vegetable:  broccoli, peas, carrots, potatoes, or a combo of any or all is wonderful!  This is a traditional Indian preparation, but it is great with any cuisine.

Brussels Sprouts and Fennel
Nutty veggies like cauliflower and brussels become dazzling dishes once paired with fennel seed.  But fennel is one of those spices you either love, or loathe.  I love their aniseed crunch, whereas Keri wrinkles her nose in disdain at the idea...

Tasted this unforgettable combo at a friend's house last week, and went back 3 times for a top up

Prep time: 20 mins      
Cook time: 5 mins
Serves 4-6 as a side.

(Recipe from The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen, by Peter Berley)


Ingredients:
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 lb brussel sprouts, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
2-3 tbsp water
1 tsp coarse sea salt
Cider vinegar and black pepper to taste

1. Warm the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the fennel seeds and toast for 1 minute.
2. Add the brussel sprouts, water, and salt. Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Cover and remove from heat. After 5 minutes, uncover and toss with cider vinegar and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Voila.

Such a Dal!

According to Genesis, Esau traded his birthright to his tricky brother Jacob for a bowl of lentils.  We're not saying that this dish warrants such extreme recompense, but we do recommend it as a healthy, hearty, vegetarian dish that pleases even the most carnivorous of crowds.  And, it helps with New Year's Resolution #8  :  Eat vegetarian at least once a week.  Incidentally, this seems to be a growing trend; The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that  Meatless Mondays are being adopted by more and more households.  We here at  Philly Food Lovers always try to be on the front end of trends (boy bands and 80's fashion notwithstanding), so this is right up our alley.

Just because you forego meat does not mean you have to sacrifice taste and substance.  Dal--our favorite vegetarian Lentil Stew-- is delicious, healthy, and easy to make. We don't expect you to swear off steak eternally at first the spoonful, or relinquish your inheritance like the naive Esau, but we're pretty sure you'll enjoy it and feel sated, even without the animal protein. Dal is a traditional Indian side dish, usually served over basmati rice, but we love it solo as a soup, too. Power-packed lentils contain 13 grams of protein per serving and a whopping 16 grams of fiber; do your bod and the earth some good and try it for dinner one night. We promise, guys, you'll still have hair on your chest afterwards.

Dal (Vegetarian Indian Lentil Stew)


1 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp ground chipotle powder
1/4 tsp crushed chili flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp curry powder or your favorite Indian spice blend (Garam Masala, Tandoori Masala, etc.)
1 lb lentils, rinsed
7 cups water

In large stock pot heat oil on medium-high. Add spices, ginger and onions. Stir til spices are fragrant and onion begins to soften, 3-4 minutes. Add lentils and water, and bring to boil. Stir and lower heat to simmer. Simmer, covered, 1-2 hours or more til lentils are completely soft.  This dish keeps in fridge 3-4 days, and can be frozen for several months. NOTE: all spices may be adjusted for personal taste; increase amounts to make the dish more robust. You can also add a couple of whole dried chilis to ramp up the heat.

Not worth an entire estate, alas, poor Esau, but certainly worth the minimal effort it takes to toss this potage together for a warming winter bowl of goodness.