Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Pizza, Two Ways

Our beloved Italian importers in Kelowna has just launched this amazing pizza crust - whole wheat, 16", the thickness of a communion wafer! Praise Him, my pizza prayers have been answered.

The first one, I roasted off a bunch of vine ripened tomatoes (which aren't so tasty this time of year), peeled and coursely chopped same, added a bunch of fresh chopped herbage, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, s & p. This sat overnight in fridge. Spread same on pizza crust, add a dusting of shredded Italian cheeses, and some grated Regiano. Holy mother, pray for us sinners.

Second one, I sliced a bunch of brown mushrooms, sauteed with some garlic, chopped fresh sage, thyme and parsley, added a splash of madeira. Brush crust with porcini oil (poor man's truffle oil!), add mushroom topping, a dusting of shredded Italian cheeses, and some grated Regiano. Sprinkle a bit more porcini oil after cooking. Ave Maria.

Pasta Puttanesca

From The Silver Palate.

Right from the author's mouths "this racy pasta sauce is named for Italian ladies of the night (the puttone). It's quick and cheap and we hope it offends no one to say so." As the Stranglers would say, 'its nice in Nice'.

After recently purchasing some jarred anchovies, I'm so absolutely hooked on their culinary allure, I can't stop consuming them! I've been meaning to try this dish for ages, and it recently came back on my radar - so glad it did - this is a total keeper. Scottie loved it, and it will be on heavy rotation. In the fall, I'd use roasted tomatoes from the garden, tonight it was tomato passata, crushed Italian tomatoes and salt - the only sauce that matters. I also changed the method of prep a bit, as well as some of the proportions of ingredients - I don't think it matters.

1 lb linguine
1 jar passata
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chopped black olives
1/4 cup drained capers, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley, plus extra for garnish
s & p to taste

Cook pasta until tender but still firm. While cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet - add garlic, dried chilis and anchovies - cook for a bit. Add the passata. Continue cooking. Stir in oregano, olives and capers - stirring frequently. Reduce the heat slightly and continue to cook, until the sauce has thickened to your liking, add the parsley. Taste and add s & p, if desired. Toss pasta with sauce - serve immediately, garnish with the additional chopped parsley. Delizioso!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Dan Dan Noodles

(from ‘food 4 wibowo’)

Lady-boy food, just a goofy name or good times? All of the above! So freaking fantastic - a total surprise. Think Asian spaghetti with meat sauce. Leftovers (2 days in a row) were wonderful - the pasta didn't dry out, the flavours were more developed, it was the best thing I'd made in ages - seriously, its just that good. Highly recommended for coolish grey days, dreaming of spring.

I made the meat portion one day ahead, so didn't have the 'crispy' end result, but rather I reheated it with the sauce, giving it a bolognese texture, which I think was preferable, but that's just me. Plus I kept chopping more and more green onions to top, as the leftovers kept on coming. Also I used gailan in lieu of the choy sum, as that's what I could find - plus, loves gailan. Oh, and a big handful of bean sprouts I think would add another flavour/texture element - next time! Oh, and pass the Asian chili sauce please - a must.

1 lb ground pork
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey
3 tbsp peanut (or vegetable) oil
4 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp ginger, peeled and finely chopped
5 tbsp onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp peanut butter
3 tbsp chili oil
1½ tsp sesame oil
½ tsp dry red chili pepper
8 oz chicken stock
1 pkg spaghetti
½ lb of Choy Sum
a bunch of green onions, chopped
1 cup roasted peanuts, finely chopped (I used roasted slivered almonds - yum)

Marinate the ground pork with 1 tbsp of soy sauce of 1 teaspoon of salt for 30 minutes.

In a large skillet, stir fry the pork with 2 tbsp of oil until it's golden. Pour away any excess fat, then add honey and toss until all the ground pork is nicely coated. Cook for another minute and then set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil (to be used to cook the pasta and blanch the greens).

Reheat the skillet and add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil and stir fry the garlic, ginger and onions until fragrant for about 2 mins.

Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, chili oil, sesame oil, dry red chili pepper, salt and chicken stock and simmer for 5-7 mins.

Cook the noodles. Add the greens in the last minute to quickly boil them. Drain well.

Return the noodles, vegetable, cooked meat and the peanut sauce into the pot, stir in roasted nuts.

Serve in massive bowls, with a handful of chopped green onions.

'Memories of Kelowna' Paninis

Yeah, I know, how lame! We recently discovered this amazing Italian importer shop in Kelowna (who supplied the US Olympic team at the 2010 winter games), that not only rivals Bosa in Vancouver, but serves up the most delectable to-go items, including said sannie (and baked goods, chocolate explosion thingees, roasted veggies, etc etc). So, I’ve varied my sannies to include a whole grain panini (Save-On Foods in Penticton has a bakery to die for, for reals), and turkey Italian snossies in lieu of the heavy fat pork ones. My culinary mind, blow it!

Pesto – I made this ahead
6 whole grain paninis
3 onions, carmelized
6 hot turkey Italian sausages, ‘steamed’, cooled, icky casings removed, then sliced
Sundried tomatoes, not in oil, thinly sliced
Sprinkling of mixed grated Italian cheeses

Assemble your sannies to your liking with the above ingredients – wrap well, and freeze. Defrost, tuck in some fresh basil leaves, wrap in foil, and heat in 350 degree oven for approx 25 mins. Bellissimo!

Monday, May 3, 2010

Speedyish Moussaka

(from ‘Sara Moulton’)

Her recipe is called Speedy Moussaka, and while I wouldn't exactly call it speedy, it was absolutely wonderful, and much lighter, than most - and it will be on heavy rotation when we're craving comfort food. I went with ground turkey thighs for this, in lieu of extra lean ground beef (or god forbid, lamb - ew(e), and it was perfect! I also substituted dry curd cottage cheese for the ricotta as that's what I had on hand, but because I had half the amount, I upped the yogurt content, and also added some grated Regiano for flavour and to assist the top in browning. 4 extra large servings!

1 large eggplant
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1 lb ground beef or turkey (or lamb, yuck!)
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp fresh oregano
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 cup dry red wine
¼ cup tomato paste
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
Freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces feta cheese
One (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta
¼ cup plain low-fat or full-fat Greek yogurt

375 oven. Lightly oil a large rimmed baking sheet + a 9” square baking pan or 10” oval casserole dish.

Peel eggplant and cut crosswise into ½” slices. Combine olive oil w/ ¼ tsp salt & brush on both sides of eggplant slices. Arrange in one layer on baking sheet & bake until tender, 12-15 mins. (I needed to repeat this process!) Remove eggplant from oven & and set it aside until coolish.

Meanwhile, cook meat in large skillet until no longer pink. Transfer to a bowl using a slotted spatula, and discard all but 1 tbsp fat from the skillet. (You won’t have any fat from the turkey!)

While the meat is cooking, coarsely chop onion. Heat remaining 1 tbsp fat in the skillet, and cook onion, about 5 mins, add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add chopped oregano (1 tbsp) & parsley (1/4 cup).

Return the meat to the skillet and stir in red wine, tomato paste, oregano & cinnamon. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 mins, or until wine has almost evaporated. Add s & pepper to taste and set aside.

Crumble feta cheese into a medium bowl. Stir in ricotta and parsley. Set aside 1/2 cup of the mixture.

I actually made this in 3 layers, like lasagna –arrange 1/3 of the eggplant in the oiled pan or casserole dish. Top it with ½ the meat mixture; Add another 1/3 of the eggplant, and ½ ricotta mixture in the bowl, and then the final 1/3 of the eggplant & remaining sauce. Stir yogurt into reserved ricotta mixture and spread it over the eggplant. Bake for about 35 mins, or until moussaka is heated through and the top cheese layer has set. Spoon onto plates and serve immediately.

Salt & Vinegar Kale Chips

(from ‘simply gluten-free’)

Yeah, I know right? Your eyes are not deceiving you - they are chips. Made with kale. Seriously delish, we ate them all while I was prepping dinner last Saturday. A healthy alternative to a huge fave of ours - enjoy!

1 bunch kale, washed and dried well (I used a salad spinner)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Kosher or sea salt to taste

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove the stem from each leaf of kale and tear into large bite sized pieces. Toss in a large bowl with oil, vinegar and salt. Lay kale on prepared baking sheets in a single layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp. Let cool before devouring.