Kate & Jeremy visited the day after Chrstmas(with their 4 kids in tow). I had made a meat sauce 2 days earlier( recipe stolen from Amie) with the idea of making lasagna sometime after christmas eve. This seemed like the perfect time to use it until I remembered their family are vegetarians. This turned into the perfect opportunity for a Frank & Ora collaboration. To follow is their creation, which all agreed ( except the kids) was fabulous. Grandma liked it better than the "regular" stuff. We all gathered at a long table in the kitchen, drank wine, ate bread and enjoyed the 2 lasagna choices. Meaghan and 3 of her friends joined us just as we were sitting down. Time for yet another Christmas gathering...bring it on.
The recipe seems complicated, but its really not- easier than regular lasgna where you have to make a meat sauce and cook it for a couple of hours.
Christmas Veggie Lasagna
(Created by Frank & Ora 12-26-09
Cauliflower Layer
I head cauliflower
Olive oil
Salt/pepper to taste
¼ - ½ teas of curry
Cut the cauliflower into slices ¾ inches thick and brush with salt/pepper/olive oil , spread on cookie sheet and sprinkle with the curry powder. Roast at 375 degrees until ALMOST tender- 15-30 minutes?
While cauliflower is roasting, prepare the other layers, chop parsley and grate parmesan cheese. Cauliflower can be roasted ahead and set to cool on counter.
Cheese Layer
12 oz of ricotta cheese
1 egg
½ teaspoon of basil
½ teaspoon of oregano
Mix recotta cheese, egg,oregano and basil together in bowl and set it aside.
Misc . ingredients
½ cup of finely chopped parsley
12 oz of grated mozzarella cheese
½ cup of grated parmesan cheese
1 pkg of lasagna noodles
Onion Layer
2 medium onions
1 tb olive oil
1tb of butter
1 ½ teas of paprika
Salt/pepper to taste
On high heat sauté onions in butter and olive oil, season with paprika/salt/pepper. Sauté until they are tender and set aside
Béchamel Sauce
8TB of butter
3 cloves of garlic (pressed)
6 TB flour
1 cup of milk
½ -1 cup of heavy whipping cream
½-1 teas of curry powder
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Salt/pepper
Melt butter in saucepan over medium high heat and then sauté pressed garlic until tender. While maintaining heat sprinkle flour over garlic/butter mixture and whisk to blend until the mixture browns. Turn heat to low and slowly add the milk and whisk, then add enough cream to create a creamy consistency( make sure it is not too thick). Keep warm until you are ready to put lasagna together
Prepare lasagna in a 9 x13 pan in the following layers:
1st : 1/3 of Béchamel sauce
2nd :1/3 of the mozzarella cheese
3rd: Lasagna noodles
4th: ½ of cheese mixture with ¼ cup of parmesan cheese sprinkled on top
5th: ½ of roasted cauliflower
6th: 1/3 of Béchamel sauce
7th: ½ of parsley
8th: 1/3 of Mozzarella cheese
9th: Lasagna noodles
10th: ½ of cheese mixture with ¼ cup of parmesan cheese sprinkled on top
11th: ½ of roasted cauliflower
12th: 1/3 of Béchamel sauce
13th: ½ of parsley
14th: remaining Mozzarella cheese
Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes with foil covering pan. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes until top is golden.
Remove from oven and let it set for 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Apple Kiwi Juice
For Christmas my parents gave Matt and I a wonderful juicer which has been key in kicking the "winter lasts too long" feeling. There is a market every Friday and Saturday in downtown Boston where vendors sell fruits and veggies that local grocery stores were unable to sell before getting their new shipment in. Anyways, the prices are ridiculously cheap (think 4 lbs of carrots for $1, box of strawberries for $1 in December!, etc) and the fruit/veggies are perfect for juicing because you have to consume them or freeze them pretty quickly. We tend to do a lot of orange/carrot juice, but this weekend I tried a few different batches and wanted to pass on one of my favorites: apply and kiwi. I used 2 granny smiths and 6 kiwis for about 2 servings of juice. The juice was a gorgeous green color and had quite a tang, plus it's loaded with vitamin C - perfect to fight off the spring colds that Matt seems to bring home from the kids (he's an elementary school teacher) this time of year. I might try macintoshes next time to see if it takes a bit of the kick out - it was a bit much for Matt - but I have to say that I really enjoyed the tanginess of the mix. If anyone has any good juicing ideas, please share, I'd love to keep experimenting.
PS. The pic is of an apple-picking trip we took this October: Jackie, Matt, Me, Jenn
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Banana Oat Bundles
I've been craving these little bundles (cross between a cookie and a muffin) for about two weeks and finally got around to making them tonight so I thought I'd share the recipe while I'm waiting for the last batch to come out of the oven. They're wheat and dairy free for those with allergies and very easy to make for those who need a little sweet and salty fix. The recipe is from Vive Le Vegan by Dreena Burton.
1 c. quick oats
1 c. ground quick oats (in a blender or food processor)
1/4 c. unrefined sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon or ground cardamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1 c. overripe bananas (about 2 large ones), pureed (blender or food processor)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-3 1/2 tbsp canola oil
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In large bowl, combine the oats, ground oats, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, and sift in the baking powder. Stir through until well combined.
3. In another bowl, combine the pureed banana, vanilla and canola oil, stirring through.
4. Add the wet mixture to the dry, stir through until just well combined.
5. Drop large spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden.
7. Remove from oven and let cool on pan for 1 minute, then transfer to cooling rack.
1 c. quick oats
1 c. ground quick oats (in a blender or food processor)
1/4 c. unrefined sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon or ground cardamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1 c. overripe bananas (about 2 large ones), pureed (blender or food processor)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-3 1/2 tbsp canola oil
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In large bowl, combine the oats, ground oats, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, and sift in the baking powder. Stir through until well combined.
3. In another bowl, combine the pureed banana, vanilla and canola oil, stirring through.
4. Add the wet mixture to the dry, stir through until just well combined.
5. Drop large spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden.
7. Remove from oven and let cool on pan for 1 minute, then transfer to cooling rack.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Sopapilla Cheesecake Pie
This past Thursday a few friends and I got together with the plan to practice some Spanish. In true Spanish-style, we all showed up late at Jenn's house and enjoyed music and sangria while we helped put the finishing touches on the wonderful spread that Jenn had put together. While not much Spanish was practiced, we had a wonderful evening sharing stories about our experiences abroad, nicknames and language slip-ups. We topped the evening off with a sopapilla cheesecake pie that Jenn had whipped up earlier in the day. It was so delicious that I asked her to pass on the recipe for me to share. She got it from AllRecipes.com and it can be found at http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sopapilla-Cheesecake-Pie/Detail.aspx. I've copied it directly below, though, so you don't have to go searching!
Espero que puedan disfrutarlo como nosostros con amigos y risas! Buen Provecho!
Ingredients:
Espero que puedan disfrutarlo como nosostros con amigos y risas! Buen Provecho!
Ingredients:
- 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract
- 2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup honey
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Beat the cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth.
- Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough, and use a rolling pin to shape each piece into 9x13 inch rectangles. Press one piece into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough. Stir together 3/4 cup of sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Dot the mixture over the top of the cheesecake.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 squares.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Sourdough Bread
Rye & Wheat Starter
From "Bakewise" by Shirley O. Corriher
I bought "Bakewise" for myself as a Christmas present and I am totally smitten. She looks at baking (or cooking for that matter in “Cookwise”) thru the eyes of a scientist. That might not sound very interesting, but it is. She helps you understand how the ingredients and the process create different effects.
I found 2 challenges to this recipe: first keeping the starter at the right temperature during the creation process and ,second, throwing out the extra starter along the way.
On keeping the starter at the right temperature: The starter needs to be kept at a temperature between 80-86degrees F. She suggests buying an inexpensive plant propagating mat(maybe a heating pad would also work), which I did, but the cool temperatures in the house did not allow the mat to keep the starter within this range. The starter never bubbled, but it did ”sour” and when I used in the bread recipe on day 4 of the process the loaves were beautiful, had a sour flavor, but were too chewy- not like rubber, but enough so that it wouldn’t make a good sandwich. Fabulous toast though. In my second attempt, I thought maybe I would put a towel over the starter and heating pad. That worked great at night, but during the day with the sun shining in it became too hot- I tested it at one point and it was near 100 degrees. I baked the bread and though it was beautiful, the excessive heat had destroyed all flavor- it was literally flavorless. On attempt 3 I used the towel and kept it out of the sunshine – every time I tested the temperature it was around 82 degrees-Magic!- the bread was beautiful, had a gorgeous crust and beautiful crewy crumb and the taste is to die for- not super soury like San Francisco sour dough, but more like a European “country” bread
On throwing out the “extra starter” along the way: I am not sure why, but Ms Corriher’s recipe makes approx 2 ½ cups of starter at each step and you use only 1 ¼ of it in the next step. She says to either throw the excess out or freeze it. I hated the idea of throwing it out, but I also hated the idea of having all sorts of dough at different stages in my freezer, so this is what I did. I did the first step and second step just like she said( meaning I threw out 1 ¼ cup of starter from the first step and mixed the remaining 1 ¼ into the 2nd step starter) . When I got to the 3rd step, instead of throwing it out I split it into two bowls and created two separate sourdoughs. In the 4th stage I just doubled the recipe in each bowl. At the 5th stage I put the excess of both bowls in the freezer (and marked them 5th stage) and used the remaining 1 ¼ cups for the 6th and final stage-( each bowl of starter in the end produced 2 loaves of bread- so I had a few extra to give away- no complaints from the recipients)
Other notes: 1) If you don’t have one, buy yourself a thermometer- its really valuable during this process and in bread making in general- to determine dough temp. I bought one this winter and I’m really happy to have it. 2) She says to use a plastic container- I don’t, I just use a ceramic bowl with saran wrap and a plate over that- the starter stays moist enough for me. 3) I don’t use spring water, but I do use my reverse osmosis filtered water. 4) Do what she says with the rocks to create steam- Frank & I stole some rocks from under the overpass to Park Point, took them home and sterilized them( pigeons do like that spot). It has really made a difference in the crust as well as the bread’s ability to help rise further during the baking process. 5) I put the loaves on a pan to rise and then place the pan on a heated baking stone which is above the steaming rocks. I do have a paddle, but I don’t use it for this recipe.
From Shirley Corriher in “Bakewise”:
This is my adaptation of a recipe by Calvel. Again, I used an electric plant propagator that I purchased from a nursery. Mine has no settings, so I put a cup of water on it and plugged it in to find
out what temperature it maintained. It is supposed to be 10 to 20°F/6 to 11°C higher than ambient
temperature. You can go up as high as 86°F/30°C, but you absolutely need to stay in the 80 to
86 range.
I like to use a plastic container with a snap-on lid like the plastic storage containers that you can
my in packages of three to five in the grocery store. The snap-on lid works well because it is tight
enough to prevent the starter from drying out and yet, if the starter gets vigorous, it will simply pop
off rather than explode.
Calvel calls for a small amount of malt extract. Fortunately, both King Arthur Unbleached All
Purpose and Gold Medal Harvest King Unbleached flour already have a small amount of malted
Barley flour added. I find this really convenient. I can forget about malt extract.
These hours to tend the starter are tough-like feeding a new baby. But this is an outstanding
starter and will give you great flavored breads.
MIX AT 9 A.M.
2 1/3 cups (10.5 oz/298 g) spooned and leveled King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose or
Gold Medal Harvest King flour
1 2/3 cups (393 ml, 13.4 oz/379 g) spring water
1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
2 1/3 cups (10.5 oz/298 g) spooned and leveled whole-grain dark rye flour
2 teaspoons (3 g) malt extract (only if you are not using either Gold Medal Harvest
King or King Arthur Unbleached flour)
In large (8-cup, 1.9-L) plastic container with a snap-on lid, stir together both flours, the spring
water, salt, and malt extract, if using. Snap on the lid. Place in a warm spot-80°F/27°C. Stir the
starter frequently, at least four times during the next 22 hours.
(AT 7 A.M: THE NEXT DAY (AFTER 22 HOURS)
About 1 1/4 cups (10.6 oz/300 g) starter from above
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon spring water
2 1/3 cups (10.5 oz/298 g) spooned and leveled King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose or
Gold Medal Harvest King flour
1/8teaspoon (pinch) salt
Stir your starter and remove the amount you need for this step. Discard or freeze the rest. Stir
together the starter, flour, water, and salt, and replace the lid. Place back in the warm spot 80°
F/27°C. Stir the starter frequently, at least three times during the next 7 hours.
AT 2 P;M. (AFTER 7 HOURS)
About 1 1/4 cups (10.6 oz/300 g) starter from above
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon spring water
2 1/3 cups (10.5 oz/298 g) spooned and leveled King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose or
Gold Medal Harvest King flour
1/8teaspoon (pinch) salt
Stir your starter and remove the amount you need for this step. Discard or freeze the rest. Stir
together the starter, flour, water, and salt, and replace the lid. Place back in the warm spot80°
F/27°C. Stir the starter frequently, at least three times during the next 7 hours.
AT 9 P.M. (AFTER ANOTHER 7 HOURS)
About 1 1/4 cups (10.6 oz/300 g) starter from above
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon spring water
2 1/3 cups (10.5 oz/298 g) spooned and leveled King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose or
Gold Medal Harvest King flour
1/8 teaspoon (pinch) salt
Stir your starter and remove the amount you need for this step. Discard or freeze the rest. Stir
together the starter, flour, water, and salt, and replace the lid. Place back in the warm spot80oP/
27°C. Stir the starter frequently, at least three times during the next 6 hours.
AT 3 A.M. THE THIRD DAY (AFTER ANOTHER 6 HOURS)
About 1 1/4 cups (10.6 oz/300 g) starter from above
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon spring water
2 1/3 cups (10.5 oz/298 g) spooned and leveled King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose or
Gold Medal Harvest King flour
1/8 teaspoon (pinch) salt
Stir together the starter, flour, water, and salt, and replace the lid. Place back in the warm spot80F/27°C. Stir the starter frequently, at least once during the next 6 hours.
AT 9 A.M. (AFTER ANOTHER 6 HOURS)
About 1 1/4 cups (10.6 oz/300 g) starter from above
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon spring water
2 1/3 cups (10.5 oz/298 g) spooned and leveled King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose or
Gold Medal Harvest King flour
1/8teaspoon (pinch) salt
Stir together the starter, flour, water, and salt, and replace the lid. Place back in the warm spot 80oF/27°C. Stir the starter frequently, at least once during the next 6 hours.
AT 3 P.M. (AFTER 6 HOURS)
The starter is ready to use.
BUILDING A STARTER
To use a sourdough starter, you need to build it up to good activity. This is done by taking a small portion of the starter and combining it with flour and water and allowing it to stand at 700P/21°C for 12 to 16 hours. You can see exactly how this is done in the following recipe.
Sourdough Rustic Boules -Make 2 large loaves
From "Bakewise" by Shirley O. Corriher
I bought "Bakewise" for myself as a Christmas present and I am totally smitten. She looks at baking (or cooking for that matter in “Cookwise”) thru the eyes of a scientist. That might not sound very interesting, but it is. She helps you understand how the ingredients and the process create different effects.
I found 2 challenges to this recipe: first keeping the starter at the right temperature during the creation process and ,second, throwing out the extra starter along the way.
On keeping the starter at the right temperature: The starter needs to be kept at a temperature between 80-86degrees F. She suggests buying an inexpensive plant propagating mat(maybe a heating pad would also work), which I did, but the cool temperatures in the house did not allow the mat to keep the starter within this range. The starter never bubbled, but it did ”sour” and when I used in the bread recipe on day 4 of the process the loaves were beautiful, had a sour flavor, but were too chewy- not like rubber, but enough so that it wouldn’t make a good sandwich. Fabulous toast though. In my second attempt, I thought maybe I would put a towel over the starter and heating pad. That worked great at night, but during the day with the sun shining in it became too hot- I tested it at one point and it was near 100 degrees. I baked the bread and though it was beautiful, the excessive heat had destroyed all flavor- it was literally flavorless. On attempt 3 I used the towel and kept it out of the sunshine – every time I tested the temperature it was around 82 degrees-Magic!- the bread was beautiful, had a gorgeous crust and beautiful crewy crumb and the taste is to die for- not super soury like San Francisco sour dough, but more like a European “country” bread
On throwing out the “extra starter” along the way: I am not sure why, but Ms Corriher’s recipe makes approx 2 ½ cups of starter at each step and you use only 1 ¼ of it in the next step. She says to either throw the excess out or freeze it. I hated the idea of throwing it out, but I also hated the idea of having all sorts of dough at different stages in my freezer, so this is what I did. I did the first step and second step just like she said( meaning I threw out 1 ¼ cup of starter from the first step and mixed the remaining 1 ¼ into the 2nd step starter) . When I got to the 3rd step, instead of throwing it out I split it into two bowls and created two separate sourdoughs. In the 4th stage I just doubled the recipe in each bowl. At the 5th stage I put the excess of both bowls in the freezer (and marked them 5th stage) and used the remaining 1 ¼ cups for the 6th and final stage-( each bowl of starter in the end produced 2 loaves of bread- so I had a few extra to give away- no complaints from the recipients)
Other notes: 1) If you don’t have one, buy yourself a thermometer- its really valuable during this process and in bread making in general- to determine dough temp. I bought one this winter and I’m really happy to have it. 2) She says to use a plastic container- I don’t, I just use a ceramic bowl with saran wrap and a plate over that- the starter stays moist enough for me. 3) I don’t use spring water, but I do use my reverse osmosis filtered water. 4) Do what she says with the rocks to create steam- Frank & I stole some rocks from under the overpass to Park Point, took them home and sterilized them( pigeons do like that spot). It has really made a difference in the crust as well as the bread’s ability to help rise further during the baking process. 5) I put the loaves on a pan to rise and then place the pan on a heated baking stone which is above the steaming rocks. I do have a paddle, but I don’t use it for this recipe.
From Shirley Corriher in “Bakewise”:
This is my adaptation of a recipe by Calvel. Again, I used an electric plant propagator that I purchased from a nursery. Mine has no settings, so I put a cup of water on it and plugged it in to find
out what temperature it maintained. It is supposed to be 10 to 20°F/6 to 11°C higher than ambient
temperature. You can go up as high as 86°F/30°C, but you absolutely need to stay in the 80 to
86 range.
I like to use a plastic container with a snap-on lid like the plastic storage containers that you can
my in packages of three to five in the grocery store. The snap-on lid works well because it is tight
enough to prevent the starter from drying out and yet, if the starter gets vigorous, it will simply pop
off rather than explode.
Calvel calls for a small amount of malt extract. Fortunately, both King Arthur Unbleached All
Purpose and Gold Medal Harvest King Unbleached flour already have a small amount of malted
Barley flour added. I find this really convenient. I can forget about malt extract.
These hours to tend the starter are tough-like feeding a new baby. But this is an outstanding
starter and will give you great flavored breads.
MIX AT 9 A.M.
2 1/3 cups (10.5 oz/298 g) spooned and leveled King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose or
Gold Medal Harvest King flour
1 2/3 cups (393 ml, 13.4 oz/379 g) spring water
1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
2 1/3 cups (10.5 oz/298 g) spooned and leveled whole-grain dark rye flour
2 teaspoons (3 g) malt extract (only if you are not using either Gold Medal Harvest
King or King Arthur Unbleached flour)
In large (8-cup, 1.9-L) plastic container with a snap-on lid, stir together both flours, the spring
water, salt, and malt extract, if using. Snap on the lid. Place in a warm spot-80°F/27°C. Stir the
starter frequently, at least four times during the next 22 hours.
(AT 7 A.M: THE NEXT DAY (AFTER 22 HOURS)
About 1 1/4 cups (10.6 oz/300 g) starter from above
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon spring water
2 1/3 cups (10.5 oz/298 g) spooned and leveled King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose or
Gold Medal Harvest King flour
1/8teaspoon (pinch) salt
Stir your starter and remove the amount you need for this step. Discard or freeze the rest. Stir
together the starter, flour, water, and salt, and replace the lid. Place back in the warm spot 80°
F/27°C. Stir the starter frequently, at least three times during the next 7 hours.
AT 2 P;M. (AFTER 7 HOURS)
About 1 1/4 cups (10.6 oz/300 g) starter from above
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon spring water
2 1/3 cups (10.5 oz/298 g) spooned and leveled King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose or
Gold Medal Harvest King flour
1/8teaspoon (pinch) salt
Stir your starter and remove the amount you need for this step. Discard or freeze the rest. Stir
together the starter, flour, water, and salt, and replace the lid. Place back in the warm spot80°
F/27°C. Stir the starter frequently, at least three times during the next 7 hours.
AT 9 P.M. (AFTER ANOTHER 7 HOURS)
About 1 1/4 cups (10.6 oz/300 g) starter from above
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon spring water
2 1/3 cups (10.5 oz/298 g) spooned and leveled King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose or
Gold Medal Harvest King flour
1/8 teaspoon (pinch) salt
Stir your starter and remove the amount you need for this step. Discard or freeze the rest. Stir
together the starter, flour, water, and salt, and replace the lid. Place back in the warm spot80oP/
27°C. Stir the starter frequently, at least three times during the next 6 hours.
AT 3 A.M. THE THIRD DAY (AFTER ANOTHER 6 HOURS)
About 1 1/4 cups (10.6 oz/300 g) starter from above
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon spring water
2 1/3 cups (10.5 oz/298 g) spooned and leveled King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose or
Gold Medal Harvest King flour
1/8 teaspoon (pinch) salt
Stir together the starter, flour, water, and salt, and replace the lid. Place back in the warm spot80F/27°C. Stir the starter frequently, at least once during the next 6 hours.
AT 9 A.M. (AFTER ANOTHER 6 HOURS)
About 1 1/4 cups (10.6 oz/300 g) starter from above
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon spring water
2 1/3 cups (10.5 oz/298 g) spooned and leveled King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose or
Gold Medal Harvest King flour
1/8teaspoon (pinch) salt
Stir together the starter, flour, water, and salt, and replace the lid. Place back in the warm spot 80oF/27°C. Stir the starter frequently, at least once during the next 6 hours.
AT 3 P.M. (AFTER 6 HOURS)
The starter is ready to use.
BUILDING A STARTER
To use a sourdough starter, you need to build it up to good activity. This is done by taking a small portion of the starter and combining it with flour and water and allowing it to stand at 700P/21°C for 12 to 16 hours. You can see exactly how this is done in the following recipe.
Sourdough Rustic Boules -Make 2 large loaves
STARTER BUILD
1/4 cup (59 ml) Rye and Wheat Starter
2 cups (9 oz/255 g) spooned and leveled Gold Medal Harvest King or King Arthur
1 1/2 cups (355 ml) spring water ( 68 degrees)
Make this 12 to 16 hours before making the final dough. Stir the starter well, spoon it into a bowl, and stir in the water and the flour. Cover and allow to stand at about 70oF/21°C.
FINAL DOUGH
3/4cup (177 ml, 6.1 oz/173 g) water
3 1/2 cups (15.8 oz/447 g) spooned and leveled Gold Medal Harvest King or King Arthur 2 tablespoons (21 g) semolina flour
1 teaspoon (4 g) instant yeast, such as RapidRise or Quick-Rise
1tablespoon (19 g) fine sea salt
1 tablespoon (15 ml) canola oil, divided
1. In a mixer with the dough hook, beat together the water, both flours, and 2 cups (473 ml) of the built starter on low speed for about 1 minute. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to stand for about 40 minutes.
2. Sprinkle the yeast over the dough and mix for about 30 seconds. Sprinkle the salt over the dough and mix on the second speed about 1Y2 minutes until the dough has come together. The dough should not be firm, but not totally soft-a medium consistency. Add water or flour and mix as needed. Cover the dough with plastic wrap lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and allow to ferment, ideally at about 76°F/24°C.
3. After 25 minutes, with an oiled paper towel, lightly oil an area on a clean countertop. Dump out the dough onto the counter. Lift one-third of the dough on the right and pull across to the other side. Lift one-third of the dough on the left and pull across to the other side. Lift bottom one-third of the dough up and across the dough. Lift top one-third of the dough and pull it down across the dough. Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough in the bowl with the side that was on the counter turned up. After 25 minutes, dump the dough on the lightly oiled counter with the top of the dough on the counter. Fold the dough again as before. Place the dough back in the bowl, counter side up. Cover with plastic wrap lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and allow to stand 20 minutes more.
4. Place the dough on the counter and gently divide into two equal pieces. With both hands in a cupping motion, tuck the sides slightly under each piece, creating a smooth top. By tucking the dough into a tight smooth round you create a covering to better hold gases. Cover each oval with plastic wrap sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and leave on the counter for about 20 minutes. The relaxed dough is now much easier to shape.
5. Arrange a shelf in the lower third of the oven, place a baking stone on it, and preheat the oven to 460°F/238°C.
6. Put about 11/4 cups (296 ml) of water in a saucepan and heat to a very low boil for a steam bath.
7. Using your left hand as a backstop, with your right hand, press gently against the dough round and "massage" with a stroke away from you, massaging the side of the round. Rotate the round and again gently "knead" the side of the dough. Repeat with the other round. Place the rounds on a piece of Release foil, nonstick side up, or a ·piece of parchment sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Allow to rise about 25 minutes at about 76°F/24°c.
8. Place a few clean small rocks (about 1 to 2 inches/2.5 to 5 cm each) in a pan with 2-inch (5-cm) sides and place the pan on the floor of the oven. You are going to pour about 1 cup (237 m!) of boiling water over the rocks before you put the bread in the oven. You want a good steam-filled oven for the bread to go in. This steam will condense on the dough to keep it moist and allow a good oven rise. When the bread has risen, turn the heat up under the water and bring to a boil. Very carefully, with oven mitts on, making sure your arms and face are out of the way of the steam that will burst up, pour the boiling water into the pan of hot rocks. Close the oven door to allow it to fill with steam.
9. Slash the rounds at an angle, using several quick slashes only about 1;s inch (3 cm) deep. Place the loaves side by side on the foil. I do not have a baker's peel, so I slide a thin, flat baking sheet with no raised edges on three sides under the foil and then slide the foil with the dough on top onto the hot stone. Bake for 34 to 38 minutes, until well browned. Remove the loaves to a rack to cool.
1/4 cup (59 ml) Rye and Wheat Starter
2 cups (9 oz/255 g) spooned and leveled Gold Medal Harvest King or King Arthur
1 1/2 cups (355 ml) spring water ( 68 degrees)
Make this 12 to 16 hours before making the final dough. Stir the starter well, spoon it into a bowl, and stir in the water and the flour. Cover and allow to stand at about 70oF/21°C.
FINAL DOUGH
3/4cup (177 ml, 6.1 oz/173 g) water
3 1/2 cups (15.8 oz/447 g) spooned and leveled Gold Medal Harvest King or King Arthur 2 tablespoons (21 g) semolina flour
1 teaspoon (4 g) instant yeast, such as RapidRise or Quick-Rise
1tablespoon (19 g) fine sea salt
1 tablespoon (15 ml) canola oil, divided
1. In a mixer with the dough hook, beat together the water, both flours, and 2 cups (473 ml) of the built starter on low speed for about 1 minute. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to stand for about 40 minutes.
2. Sprinkle the yeast over the dough and mix for about 30 seconds. Sprinkle the salt over the dough and mix on the second speed about 1Y2 minutes until the dough has come together. The dough should not be firm, but not totally soft-a medium consistency. Add water or flour and mix as needed. Cover the dough with plastic wrap lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and allow to ferment, ideally at about 76°F/24°C.
3. After 25 minutes, with an oiled paper towel, lightly oil an area on a clean countertop. Dump out the dough onto the counter. Lift one-third of the dough on the right and pull across to the other side. Lift one-third of the dough on the left and pull across to the other side. Lift bottom one-third of the dough up and across the dough. Lift top one-third of the dough and pull it down across the dough. Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough in the bowl with the side that was on the counter turned up. After 25 minutes, dump the dough on the lightly oiled counter with the top of the dough on the counter. Fold the dough again as before. Place the dough back in the bowl, counter side up. Cover with plastic wrap lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and allow to stand 20 minutes more.
4. Place the dough on the counter and gently divide into two equal pieces. With both hands in a cupping motion, tuck the sides slightly under each piece, creating a smooth top. By tucking the dough into a tight smooth round you create a covering to better hold gases. Cover each oval with plastic wrap sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and leave on the counter for about 20 minutes. The relaxed dough is now much easier to shape.
5. Arrange a shelf in the lower third of the oven, place a baking stone on it, and preheat the oven to 460°F/238°C.
6. Put about 11/4 cups (296 ml) of water in a saucepan and heat to a very low boil for a steam bath.
7. Using your left hand as a backstop, with your right hand, press gently against the dough round and "massage" with a stroke away from you, massaging the side of the round. Rotate the round and again gently "knead" the side of the dough. Repeat with the other round. Place the rounds on a piece of Release foil, nonstick side up, or a ·piece of parchment sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Allow to rise about 25 minutes at about 76°F/24°c.
8. Place a few clean small rocks (about 1 to 2 inches/2.5 to 5 cm each) in a pan with 2-inch (5-cm) sides and place the pan on the floor of the oven. You are going to pour about 1 cup (237 m!) of boiling water over the rocks before you put the bread in the oven. You want a good steam-filled oven for the bread to go in. This steam will condense on the dough to keep it moist and allow a good oven rise. When the bread has risen, turn the heat up under the water and bring to a boil. Very carefully, with oven mitts on, making sure your arms and face are out of the way of the steam that will burst up, pour the boiling water into the pan of hot rocks. Close the oven door to allow it to fill with steam.
9. Slash the rounds at an angle, using several quick slashes only about 1;s inch (3 cm) deep. Place the loaves side by side on the foil. I do not have a baker's peel, so I slide a thin, flat baking sheet with no raised edges on three sides under the foil and then slide the foil with the dough on top onto the hot stone. Bake for 34 to 38 minutes, until well browned. Remove the loaves to a rack to cool.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Spicy Tomato Sauce with Capers, Anchovies and Olives
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
6 or 7 garlic cloves
1 cup basic tomato sauce (I combine tomato paste and canned tomato chunks)
3 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup juliened kalamata olives (or whatever you prefer)
1/4 tsp. dried chile flakes
1/4 cup dried or fresh parsley
3 or 4 anchovy filets
1-2 tablespoons cream
This recipe is my version of a recipe from Alice Water's cookbook "The Art of Simple Food". I love this recipe because it literally takes less than 15 minutes to make and I usually make a double recipe so that we have leftovers for lunch the next day!
I start the recipe by getting out a cuttingboard and a couple of small bowls and mincing the garlic, draining washing and chopping the capers, draining and mincing the anchovies and juliening the kalamata olives and then bringing all the ingredients to the stovetop. This makes the cooking process a breeze.
In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and then add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Then add the tomato sauce, capers, olives, chile flakes and parsley and stew for about 5 minutes. When the sauce is done add the splash of cream and anchovies and stew for another minute or so.
Toss with your favorite pasta and enjoy!
1/4 cup olive oil
6 or 7 garlic cloves
1 cup basic tomato sauce (I combine tomato paste and canned tomato chunks)
3 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup juliened kalamata olives (or whatever you prefer)
1/4 tsp. dried chile flakes
1/4 cup dried or fresh parsley
3 or 4 anchovy filets
1-2 tablespoons cream
This recipe is my version of a recipe from Alice Water's cookbook "The Art of Simple Food". I love this recipe because it literally takes less than 15 minutes to make and I usually make a double recipe so that we have leftovers for lunch the next day!
I start the recipe by getting out a cuttingboard and a couple of small bowls and mincing the garlic, draining washing and chopping the capers, draining and mincing the anchovies and juliening the kalamata olives and then bringing all the ingredients to the stovetop. This makes the cooking process a breeze.
In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and then add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Then add the tomato sauce, capers, olives, chile flakes and parsley and stew for about 5 minutes. When the sauce is done add the splash of cream and anchovies and stew for another minute or so.
Toss with your favorite pasta and enjoy!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Ginger Snap Chicken
Just a quick note for spicing up chicken. One of our go-to chicken dinners is ginger snap chicken. I got the recipe out of a magazine in a doctor's office a few years ago and we've been enjoying it since. Simply get a box of ginger snap cookies, grind them in a food processor or blender, dip the chicken breasts in egg and then use the ground ginger snaps for breading. Bake as you would any breaded chicken. We usually like the cookie pieces to have a few pebble-sized chunks in the mix because it adds some crunch. We've also found that the tastier the cookie, the tastier the chicken. So, while the cheap cookies work, you can definitely taste the difference (our favorite brand is Midel ginger snaps). It's excellent paired with a spinach and goat cheese salad!
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