Breadsticks and/or Pizza Dough

Breadsticks and Pizza Margarita (Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil) 

I love bread.  Bread can make a bad day good and calm an upset stomache.  I also feel it gets a bit of a bad name in the "health food" scene.  While it is no kale, it tastes good, is filling, is so cheap when homemade, and wonderful for your soul (or at least mine...) in moderation. Making bread is an art form, parts of which I am far from mastering (especially at 7900 feet).  This recipe for either breadsticks or pizza dough is one of the easiest yeast doughs to master. It is also quick (90 minutes until you have hot breadsticks). So make your bread and eat it too.

note: I often halve this recipe when I am making breadsticks for 2-3 people.

Breadsticks

Adpated a little from Our Best Bites

• 1 1/2 c. warm (105-115 degrees) water
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. yeast
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3-4 1/2 c. flour (I use 2 1/2 cups all purpose and about 1 1/2 cups whole wheat)

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

2. Add salt and stir. 

3. Add 2 c. flour and mix well on medium low speed with the dough hook attachment of your stand mixer. If you are using whole wheat flour, add all purpose flour first then whole wheat.

4. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.  Make sure flour completely incorporates into the dough.

5. Pull the dough away from the hook. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk. 

6. Gently pull dough out of bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Prepare a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Dough ready for shaping

for breadsticks

7. Gently pat into a rectangle and cut into about 20 pieces.

8. Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. 

9. Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes.

10. When there’s about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks, sprinkle with seasoning, or dip in sauce and soup.

for pizza dough (makes 2 small/medium pizzas)

7. Pre-heat oven to 500 with your pizza stone in the oven if you use one.

8. Cut the dough into two pieces for smaller pans/ovens, or shape into one large pizza. 

9. Gently pull the dough to the edge of the pan working to create an even layer.  

10. Arrange your choice of toppings.  (Pictured: marinara, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, mozzerella, chevre, finely chopped swiss chard, sea salt, and finished with basil after being removed from the oven)

11. Slide onto stone, or bake on sheet about 10 minutes until crust darkens and cheese begins to brown.  

12. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes.  

Lemon Risotto and a Merry Christmas

Monty, our tree in Aspen

Happy New Year, and I apologize for the month-long break!  Hopefully you are all relishing in the quiet that comes with the turning of the calendar and having a much needed time to recuperate. We celebrated the turn of the year at my sister's home/work, Emerald City Trapeze Arts and their Gala Luna Blanca, then proceeded to regret certain decisions as we began 2013 with an evening of flying and driving that landed us in bed at 3:00 Wednesday morning.  The beginning of the trip home was spent first with friends and then at our separate families, where I baked and made candy until my feet hurt.  We reunited on Christmas Eve for an afternoon celebration with Steven's family.  After hopping a late-night ferry we awoke Christmas morning and spent lazy hours transitioning from coffee to mimosas and from gifts to a noonish brunch.  Then the real cooking began.  We celebrated Christmas dinner with my parents, sister, sister's boyfriend, 3 uncles, 2 aunts, grandma, and aunt's brother, as well as 3 dogs and many cats.  We cooked an adapted "feast of the seven fishes," a traditional Christmas Eve event in Southern Italy.


The Menu

7 Fishes
Fresh Oyster Shooters
Smoked Salmon
Mixed Seafood Risotto (squid, scallops, shrimp)
Calamari stuffed with Geoduck Clams
Poached Halibut

Vegetable Sides
Eggplant and Tomato Ragu
Sauteed Asparagus
Green Salad

Desert
Tiramisu

Lemon Risotto

I am positive this is not the "traditional" menu, but it was a very fun adaptation compared to the typical American Christmas dinner.  I slightly adapted my lemon risotto recipe by stirring in seafood in place of lemon and using fish stock, but I am giving you the original because I like it better than the adapted.  

Lemon Risotto

• 2 quarts chicken stock, low sodium
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 shallots, small dice
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary, minced
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese to garnish

1. Heat stock to a simmer in a large saucepan, and continue to simmer over medium-low heat
2. Heat a dutch oven or other large, heavy pot over medium heat.  Add olive oil and 1 tbs butter and allow to heat for about 30 seconds.
3. Add shallots and saute until soft, 5-6 minutes. 
4. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, 1 minute.
5. Stir in rice and cook until translucent, 2 minutes.
6. Pour wine over mixture and stir until evaporated.
7. Add 1 1/2 cups of stock and stir.  Simmer until absorbed.
8. Continue to add stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and adding more liquid when the previous is absorbed.  
9. While the rice is cooking whisk together egg yolk, cream, and lemon zest.
10. Continue until rice is al dente (soft with a little bit of a bite), you may not need all of the stock. 
11. Stir in egg/zest mixture, rosemary, remaining butter and lemon juice.  Cover and allow to sit 10 minutes.
12. Serve topped with freshly ground black pepper and Parmesan cheese.

Minestrone and Kitchen Meditation

I have often ordered minestrone in a restaurant, expecting a divine compilation of fresh ingredients, beans, and pasta.  Too frequently, I am disappointed by a salty, tasteless soup full of manufactured vegetables.  This fall I began perusing recipes to find that all the best sounding minestrone included pancetta.  I then began a 3 day search for the perfect vegetarian substitution (most common search result: vegan bacon. Really?).  The solution: olives. Kalamata olives are full of flavor, a little bit "meaty," and have a complex saltiness.  I worried that they would take over the soup, but they simply add dimension without distinct olive flavor.

The slow cooking method used here develops a rich flavor that does not need stock or broth, or excess salt to carry the dish.  It needs some time, but you can chop as you go, throwing in each ingredient as it is ready and allowing the flavors to become rich and full.  This dish is a cooking meditation.  Take your time, perfectly dice your vegetables, embrace imperfection, and cook just to cook. Nourish your  body with simple, delicious meal, and your soul with the peace of kitchen meditation.

Minestrone

Adapted from Love & Olive Oil

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 celery ribs, diced
• 3 medium carrots, diced
• 1 bunch Swiss chard
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in juice
• 1 qt hot water
• 5 cups coarsely chopped kale
• 1 piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind (about 3 by 1 1/2 inches)
• 1 (15-oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• Garnish: 1 cup dry ditalini pasta cooked to al dente; grated Parmigiano-Reggiano; drizzle of olive oil.

1. Heat oil in a heavy pot (Dutch oven is perfect) over medium heat and add onions, celery, and carrots, stirring occasionally, while preparing chard.

2. Cut out stems from chard and chop stems, reserving leaves. Stir chard stems into mixture with bay leaf, garlic, 1 tsp salt, and 3/4 tsp pepper, and olives and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender and begin to stick to bottom of pot, about 45 minutes total.

3. Push vegetables to one side of pot. Add tomato paste to cleared area and cook, stirring constantly, until it starts to caramelize, about 2 minutes. Stir paste into vegetables and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. (Paste may stick to pot, but don’t let it burn.)

4. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, breaking them up with a spoon, then add hot water, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pot.

5. Bring to a simmer. Stir in parmesan rind. Simmer, covered about 20 minutes.  

6. Stir in kale and simmer another 20 minutes, covered.

7. Coarsely chop chard leaves and stir into soup along with beans. Simmer, partially covered, 10 minutes. 

8. Discard rind. Season soup with salt and pepper.

9. If using ditalini, stir in just before serving.  Top with grated Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.

10.To freeze: only make enough ditalini for the amount you are serving immediately and stir into serving bowls.  Do not freeze with ditalini because it will turn into a sticky mess.

Classic Potato Gnocchi

Snow is falling on Aspen, and has been for the past 24 hours.  We had an overnight transformation from fall to winter.  With the snow came a need for comfort food and red wine (and salad of course), and gnocchi sounded perfect.

Ahhh gnocchi.  Finally, as promised, the recipe is here.  The delicate texture of these dumplings mixed with a perfect sauce makes brisk nights seem warm.  I first had gnocchi on a trip to Italy in 2005, and completely forgot about it for many years.  One night we visited a new restaurant in Denver, only to find gnocchi on the menu.  I have tried (and failed) to make gnocchi in the past, but over the past 2 months I have been perfecting this technique i found at the Italian Dish, and am ready to share it. The keys to this method are baking the potatoes (to achieve the dry potato flesh needed for gnocchi), making the dough while the potato is still warm, and using only the egg yolks for a richer flavor and improved texture.



Potato Gnocchi
serves 3-4
 Barely adapted from the Italian Dish Blog

Note: While not required, a potato ricer makes gnocchi so much easier.  If you choose to mash the potatoes by hand, use a fork and be very gentle.  Too much mashing can break down the cells and allow excess water to be released, which makes for a gummy dough.

• 2 medium baking potatoes, about 1.5 pounds total (doesn't have to be exact)
• 2 egg yolks
• almost 2 cups flour (you may not use all the flour)

1. Bake potatoes at 400 degrees until tender (about 30-45 minutes).

2. Lightly beat egg yolks, and set aside.

3. Allow potatoes to cool until you can just handle them, and scoop flesh into potato ricer and press into yolks while whisking to prevent scrambling of the eggs. The potato needs to be warm to allow binding with the egg and flour.

4. When the dough gets too thick, stop whisking and finish pressing the potatoes.

5. Add 1 1/2 cups flour and work into a cohesive dough with your hands.

6. Turn dough out onto lightly floured counter or board and kneed lightly until dough comes together, adding additional flour 2 tablespoons at a time.  The dough should not be too sticky or firm.  You want a cohesive dough, with minimal visible flecks of potato. See photo.

Finished dough

7. Slice off a small piece of dough with a scraper or large knife, and roll to 3/4 inch diameter.  Slice into 1/2 to 3/4 inch gnocchi.  Set aside on floured towel until finished cutting all. Remember the gnocchi will swell when they are boiled.

8. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add gnocchi in batches, and when they float to the top cook 1 more minute before removing with a slotted spoon.

9. Place gnocchi directly into the sauce of your choice, and allow to simmer gently for at least 3 minutes before serving. 

Home Alone: White Bean and Spinach Saute

White Bean and Spinach Saute.  Served with Kale Salad and
Roasted Cauliflower

Yep. Its true.  I have been home alone all weekend long.  After an early dinner at Matsuhisa Aspen on Friday to celebrate my final day of clinical, Steven packed up his rental car and headed to Denver to hop a flight to North Carolina. He spent the weekend celebrating his twin brother's graduation from Duke Divinity School, and is currently re-experiencing the wonders of Disney in Orlando, Florida.  While he has been away I have been relaxing and enjoying the peace of a few days off.  Besides crashing a rather hilarious party next door on Saturday night,* I have been happily cooking, exercising, cooking again, and watching movies.  Being too lazy to head to the store one evening, I cleaned out the pantry for this delightful dinner.  It was quick, easy, tasty, and healthy. What more can a girl with a chick flick ask for?

This dish can easily be made vegan by omitting the shrimp and goat cheese.

White Bean and Spinach Saute
Serves 2 (I saved my leftovers for an easy Sunday lunch)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 of an onion, cut into half moons
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup almonds, roughly chopped
• 8 ounces large shrimp, peeled and devined
• 1 (15 ounce) can of white beans or cannelloni beans
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 2 cups spinach, trimmed and roughly chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Crumbled goat cheese (optional for garnish)

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions and saute until soft and just beginning to brown, 5-10 minutes.  
2. Add garlic and almonds and cook until garlic is fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
3. Push pan contents to one side and add a little more oil in the empty space if necessary.  Allow the oil to come to temperature (10 seconds), then add the shrimp.  Sear on each side for 1 minute before combining into the vegetable mixture.  
4. Add beans and heat through. When the beans have warmed, add the red wine and cook until the wine has reduced to 1/2 its volume.  
5. Lower heat to medium-low and stir in spinach until just wilted, about 1 minute.
6. Add salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
7. Serve topped with soft goat cheese.

*Our landlord and his friend were experimenting with fried fish on the charcoal barbecue.  I went over to drop off some bread, and found them out back with two large pans of oil, beer batter, and about 5 pounds of fish.  I stayed for a lot of laughs and a few glasses of wine. 

Happy Leap Day: Spinach and Tomato Lasagna

2012 is a big year. Literally.  February 29th here in Aspen is full of powder snow and great skiing, so we are thankful for this extra day.  After a pathetically slow start to the season, snow is in the forecast for the next week on and off.  The hubby and I love Italian food.  There seem to be endless delightful concoctions focused on starch, cheese and tomato sauce.  Lasagna is a particular house favorite, and a great way to incorporate some healthier aspects into the starch/cheese/sauce combination.  I created this recipe by trial and error.  When i searched online, I found that most spinach lasagna is topped with a very rich cream sauce, so I created a much lighter version with great flavor.  The addition of tofu adds similar texture to ricotta cheese, but if it scares you, leave it out.  The sauce recipe included here can be used with many other pastas.  Buon appetito.

Spinach Lasagna with Tomato Sauce

For the Sauce
2 15oz cans diced tomatoes, preferably not seasoned
1 sprig basil
1 large clove garlic, peeled and smashed
2-3 sprigs parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup red wine
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Lasagna

1 bunch spinach
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 medium zucchini, grated
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 lb lasagna pasta, prepared according to package
1 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, or less if you are being healthy
4 oz chevere or other soft goat cheese
1/2 block firm tofu
2 tablespoons chopped basil

Sauce
1. Heat all ingredients except wine over medium heat until boiling, then reduce to simmer and cook 15-20 minutes.
2. Remove basil, garlic and parsley.
3. Transfer to blender and puree, or use an immersion blender.
4. Add wine and simmer 5 minutes more, then set aside.

Lasagna
1. Rinse spinach and remove stems, then blanch in boiling water 30 seconds to 1 minute until just wilted. Transfer immediately to a bowl of cold water.
2. Wring spinach in paper towel until much of the water is removed, and chop coarsely.  Set aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add onions, and saute until translucent (about 3 minutes).
4.  Add mushrooms and cook 1 minute longer before adding zucchini, garlic and oregano.  Saute until all ingredients are soft.  Set aside.
5.  Press the water out of the tofu with paper towels, then crumble.  Set aside.
6. Crumble goat cheese and slice mozzarella into thin slices.
7. Assemble the lasagna.  Begin with a thin layer of sauce and then your first layer of pasta. Alternate ingredients to form 3-4 layers.  Top with 1/2 cup reserved sauce, mozzarella slices, and basil.
8. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, then uncover and bake 10 minutes more until cheese begins to bubble and brown.