Cooking- Caprese Pizza with Oven Dried Tomatoes

Here's what I'm making for family dinner tomorrow night - a delicious, really not difficult to pull together and definitely full of the taste of Summer pizza. I've copied the pizza dough recipe and process from an earlier blog - print it and stick it in your favorite cookbook - I guarantee once you make this you'll get requests for an encore performance.

18" Caprese Pizza.
For the topping

• About 2 cups of oven dried tomatoes. If you are using store bought sundried tomatoes buy ones packed in oil. Check for flavor - if they are bland use fresh garden grown or heirloom tomatoes instead. You're after flavor here.

• A generous handful of fresh basil leaves

• 8 oz of fresh mozzarella (this means the kind that comes packed in water and is white and soft.)

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Maldon sea salt

• Olive oil

Pop half the tomatoes into a food processor, drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and pulse until a thick paste is formed. If using fresh tomatoes add about 2 cups of roughly chopped and seeded tomatoes to the processor, add a little oil and salt and pepper. Pulse about 5 second.

Spread the pizza dough lightly with the paste or chopped fresh tomatoes

Slice the mozzarella into 1/2" thick slices and scatter over the sauce. Arrange fresh tomatoes or the oven dried tomatoes around and on the cheese.

Tear the basil into large pieces and scatter over the toppings. Hold your thumb over the mouth of the olive oil bottle and drizzle a little oil over the toppings. Sprinkle with about 1/4 teaspoon of the sea salt and as much pepper as your taste likes.

Following the cooking directions below. Enjoy!




Notes on cooking pizza. I have two secret weapons! The first is a perforated pizza tray made by Cuisinart. It's wonderful. The second is a square pizza stone - also good but I have to say, no offense old stone, that I get a crisper crust bottom with the new kid on the block - the Cuisinart tray. Honestly, it's not worth making homemade pizza without either a stone or specialized tray. Pizza paddle - mine broke a few months ago , long story but it involved a Standard Poodle helping with the dishes -'nuff said- and I have yet to replace it - I will because I miss it.

Dough*
Step 1.
Mix in a small bowl.
1 packet dried yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
2/3 Cups water warm to the touch (but not hot)
Let it proof - that is form a crusty, bubbly top. Will take a minimum of 5 minutes. If there is no bubble action you can conclude that you have either killed the yeast with too hot water or not used water hot enough to activate the yeast. Start over! The sugar is a necessary ingredient to activate the yeast - don't want to use sugar, substitute flour.

Step 2
Put the following in the bowl of a food processor
and pulse a couple of times.
2 Cups unbleached flour
~ 1 TBS olive oil
Big pinch of Maldon sea salt (no I don't have shares in the company to to my mind, it's the only salt worth using.)


Step 3
With the motor running add the yeast/water mixture to the flour. Pulse a few times to incorporate the water. It varies with humidity levels but chances are you will have to add more warm water to arrive at a soft, shiny ball of dough. Start by adding a couple of tablespoons of water and see if you need more. When the dough forms a ball it should be soft but not sticky - i.e. should not have to scrape it out of the processor bowl and off your hands. Put a little olive oil in a proofing bowl, pop the ball of dough in, turning it to coat with oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for around one hour. Rising time will vary given ambient temperature.

* Dough recipe comes from my friend Rocco - best pizza maker I know! Do not double up this recipe; make it in separate batches if you want more than one pizza - it only takes a few minutes.

Step 4
Pre-heat oven to 450F. If you are using a stone, put it in the oven now.
Building the pizza - simple is better.

If you are a pizza whiz, crank up the 'Three Tenors' , clear the kitchen and start twirling dough. If, like me, you are a more timid creature with dough, liberally flour a smooth working surface. Push down the risen dough and form into a ball. Using the heel of your hand work it into a circle. if it gets too difficult, flour a rolling pin or better yet, ice cold bottle, and roll out your dough. This recipe makes a generous 18" circle. If you have a pizza paddle, sprinkle it generously with coarse corn meal and ease your dough onto it. No paddle? Improvise. Cover a cutting board or a cookie sheet turned upside down with foil, sprinkle with cornmeal and continue as follows.
If you are using the Cuisinart tray put the dough on the tray and proceed.

Work quickly and spread a thin layer of the homemade tomato sauce over the dough. Top with a couple of hand fulls of grated cheese (I used Fontina - great flavour and melts beautifully) scatter a handful of torn basil leaves over the cheese along with a good grind of coarse black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Slide the dough onto the stone (cornmeal from the paddle will adhere loosely to the bottom of the dough and prevent it from sticking to the stone) or put the tray in the oven. Check at 15 minutes. Twenty minutes should be maximum cooking time if your oven is true to temperature.

The Girl Fennel Has Hips

Finocchi Gratinati - Gratinated Fennel-

A summer side vegetable dish that's a cut above ordinary and takes advantage of the subtle flavor of fennel. Fennel come in male and female varieties, the male is considered more flavorful and the female is said to have a better texture for recipes that call for parboiling. A combination of the two 'sexes' is said to promote the perfect "marriage" in a dish! In selecting your fennel, confound the young man in the produce section of your local market....the female is more bulbous, sort of has hips, whereas the male has a more slender tapered bulb.

Ingredients:
8 bulbs fennel, preferably 4 of each sex (see note below), trimmed and with tough outer leaves and tough base removed. Look for younger fennel and make sure that the top fronds are fresh and bright green.
4 tablespoons of good quality extra-virgin olive oil
Salt (preferably Maldon coarse sea salt)
1 cup or more of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 TBS. Fresh thyme, leaves pulled from the stalk and lightly crushed in your hand
1 tsp. Fresh Rosemary, leaves only (use a culinary variety for the most tender leaves)
Additional salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Instructions:
1. Cut each fennel bulb in half and then into thin lengthwise slices . Parboil in salted water until softened ( 10 minutes maximum, check after 8 minutes. You do not want soggy.)

2. Drain into a deep bowl.

3. Toss with oil, thyme and cheese , salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a baking pan.

4. Scatter the rosemary leaves and additional freshly ground black pepper on top.

5. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the top is delicately browned.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish.
Delicious with crusty bread as a vegetarian meal option or served with lemon roasted chicken. Not too shabby cold either. My six year old grandson knows his fennel and is not adverse to speaking very loudly and complaining in the market..."they've got no girl fennels"!

Smokey Paprika Stew with Orange Gremolata

This aromatic take on a beef stew is easy on the cook and the pocket book with the dish costing $4.00 per person (serving for 8) when shopping at Safeway here in Tucson. It is absolutely delicious. Impress the one you love with a meal to remember.

Ingredients in order of use
Slow Cooker or heavy duty casserole. Skillet, mesh sieve.

1. 3 slices of thick cut applewood smoked bacon cut into 1" pieces
2. 1/2 lb parsnips peeled and cut into small dice - about 1/4 inch
3. 2 medium sweet onions cut into small dice
4. 1 cup flour in either a large bowl or plastic bag, seasoned with sea salt and coarsely cracked black pepper
5. 3 lbs boneless chuck cut into 2" chunks
6. 1 TBS sweet smoked Spanish paprika
7. 1 bottle red wine (I used a Beringer Merlot $4.89)
8. 1 16 oz can crushed plum tomatoes with juice
9. 1/2 lb baby carrots
10. 2 Cups diced butternut squash (bought it already cut)
11. 2 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes peeled and quartered
12. 2 yams (about 1/2 llb.) peeled and cut into chunks
13. Butter, additional sea salt and pepper for the mash.

For the Gremolata

1. A handful of Italian parsley, off the stem
2. 1 scallion
3. 2 cloves garlic
4. zest of an orange

Note: If you are using a casserole instead of a slow cooker and it is stove top proof, use it for the slow 'frying'. Same goes if your slow cooker insert can go on the stove top. Mine can't so I use the skillet.

1. Place the bacon in the skillet on medium heat and fry slowly letting it release fat. meanwhile prep the parsnips and add them to the skillet. As the parsnips cook, prep the onion and add it to the mix. Continue cooking on low heat, stirring occasionally. The parsnips will take on a lovely golden color and brown little on the edges. You do NOT want the onion to brown. This stage will take about 20 minutes total cooking time.
2. As the base ingredients cook, dredge the meat in the seasoned flour, shaking off excess and put the seasoned, floured meat in the slow cooker. You are NOT going to brown the meat.
3. Once the parsnips have taken on color, add the paprika to the skillet, mix thoroughly, turn up the heat until the entire mix is deep red in color and you can smell the paprika cooking.
4. Add 1/2 cup of wine to the skillet and let it absorb into the mix.
5. Scrape the parsnip, bacon, onion mix into the slow cooker with the meat. Return the skillet to the stove top, pour in about a cup of wine and swirl to gather up any remaining vegetables. Pour into the slow cooker. Add the rest of the wine and tomatoes. Cook on high for 1 hour. Turn to low and set the timer for 6 hours. Alternately, cook on low for 8 hours. *
6. 5 hours into cooking, or one hour before serving, add the carrots to the slow cooker.
7. 30 minutes before serving add the butternut squash to the slow cooker.
8. Meanwhile prep, cook and mash the potato yam mix.

To Prep the gremolata

1. Use a zester or sharp knife to pare thin zest strips from the orange - you don't want any white pith.
2. Coarsely chop the scallion.
3. Peel garlic
4. Pull leaves from parsley.
5. Pulse all of the above in a mini processor or chop by hand to a fine mince. Do NOT over pulse. You want to identify leaves and zest.

Serve with the mashed root vegetables and sprinkle with gremolata.


*If using an oven and casserole. Cook at 325 for an hour and then turn down to 300 for 4 hours.

Cooking for one - there's more to life than take out chicken

I'm in a long distance relationship and it's likely to stay long distance for several more months. Cooking is a passion and I bet I'm not alone in having difficulty cooking for one. It's so easy for me to cook for two or even 20 - it's an act of love; it's a chance to connect; it's energizing and exhilarating to share kitchen space and chop with partner. I love the whole prelude to a meal cooked with someone I love - the menu discussion, the shopping, the opening a bottle of wine as we stake out counter space, the sharing of the really good knife- it's all foreplay. Translating that love and enjoyment to cooking for myself is a lost cause. I've grappled with this issue for five years now. For me, cooking is inherently a social act and it's subtleties are lost when I go solo in the kitchen.

For a while, a few years ago, I simply forgot to cook. I'd realize I was hungry, stare into the fridge and more often than not grab a hunk of cheese, tear off an even bigger hunk of bread and eat standing in the kitchen. I shopped as though I was still shopping for two or more; I threw out obscene amounts of food. I only got back my kitchen groove if the family or friends were coming over for dinner. I gave that self who was pining, yearning to cook with someone, a severe dressing down two years or more ago and made a promise that I would cook for myself. I began the conscious act of making lists and shopping with dishes in mind and I'm pretty good at it now. It helps that the fellow calls or emails to ask 'what are you having for dinner' and we talk food, encouraging one another to try something new or share recipes for old favorites.

It's all well and good to have that motivation but there are still days when I just don't feel like cooking for myself. I've taken to dealing with that situation by browsing the ready-cooked aisle of my favorite supermarket and bringing home something already cooked or oven ready and throw together a balanced meal by adding vegetables or a salad. This afternoon my choices were close to overwhelming - there was ready-cooked wild salmon with a fusion inspired sauce; chicken breasts stuffed with spinach and mushrooms ready to slice thinly; shrimp and crab stuffed mushrooms that required a quick warm through in the oven; dressed crab; ceviche; marinated jumbo shrimp; bbq pork, beef and chicken - and that's just the protein aisle. I could choose from three different pasta salads; couscous; pilaf; twice baked potatoes; rice salad or a sublime looking scalloped potato. Moving on it was up to me whether I built my own salad or selected one pre-assembled. Oh, and the appetizers or 'nibblies' as they are called in my family were equally tempting - great displays of oil-bathed olives; marinated artichoke hearts.

I moved on to the counters where the choice required some work on my part - something to create the illusion of cooking! I finally chose a coconut crusted mahi mahi fillet oven- ready. I could have chosen already seasoned salmon, halibut or cod from the fish case or chicken cordon bleu, stuffed pork chops, chicken, beef or pork kebabs.

I guess my point is that take-out is not a sin! Oh, it used to be that no self-respecting cook would take any short cuts. (I once watched a friend take frozen scalloped potatoes from the container, arrange them in a baking dish and present them as home made. Now I have no shame in picking up a ready made appetizer from the deli and taking it to a friend's house). Julia Child inspired us to be wonder women in the kitchen and that's great - but in moderation. Current life-styles are often not conducive to de-boning the duck after first pressing it. I've finally given myself permission to not only eat well but to do so by raiding the 'take-out' aisles guilt free . Try it. Set the table for one but use the good china, pour a glass of wine into the best crystal, turn up the music that puts you in the mood to like yourself, and in my case, tell the dog that dinner is ready. He'll come, sit by my feet and think my conversation both witty and urbane! Between that and loving left-overs he's a great dinner companion.


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Cooking -Tomatoes Ripe and Juicy - Save the Taste of Summer

I remember when sun-dried tomatoes first hit the shelves here and they became the 'in' addition to dishes - so chic and definitely "gourmet". Funny thing, they didn't taste anything like the sun-dried tomatoes I'd had in Italy. These newcomers were rubbery, dry and well, somewhat flavorless. Why was everyone raving? Then one day I was in San Francisco and popped into a little Italian cafe for lunch. The waiter placed a couple of dishes on the table along with a loaf of crusty bread an olive oil. One of the dishes held sun-dried tomatoes that were sublime - moist, tender and oozing flavor. I told the waiter they were wonderful. The owner appeared at my table and sat down. "My mother makes them" he said. "In Italy" I asked, "No, Eureka". We laughed. "But not with the sunshine, you have to have Italian sun to make them sing". I don't remember the name of the cafe but I do remember his mother's recipe and whenever I get lucky with a bountiful basket of sun ripened tomatoes, I re-live that taste and make "oven-dried tomatoes".

Oven Dried Tomatoes

To make this worth the effort use around 5 lbs of sun-ripened , field or home grown tomatoes. Your end product will only be as good as the tomatoes you start with. Mix and match varieties if you like but keep like-sized ones on the same tray. My last batch I used a mixture of Campari and Roma.

You'll need two cookie sheets, olive oil, fresh thyme, Maldon sea salt, coarse ground black pepper, four 8 oz canning jars or plastic containers with snap on lids.

Wash and dry tomatoes. Slice them horizontally and place skin side down on a cookie tray , 2 plus pounds of tomatoes per tray. Drizzle around 3/4 Cup ( oil, salt, pepper & thyme amounts for each tray) of good quality olive oil over the tomatoes . Grind a generous amount of coarse black pepper over he tomatoes followed by around 1/2 tablespoon of Maldon sea salt. (OK, I'm a salt snob! - regular salt simply won't work - sea salt has a wonderful flavor and is not what we recognize as "salty". Maldon happens to be my favorite - it comes in lovely, irregular sized flakes and has an incredible flavor. I buy mine at Williams Sonoma; it's also available on line from high end grocery stores - try it, you'll never go back to salt in a blue cylinder again!)

Ideally you have a herb pot outside the kitchen door but if not pick up a pack of fresh thyme from your supermarket veggie section - I prefer to use lemon thyme in this recipe but regular will work, dried thyme just doesn't do it. Remember , you are packing tastes of fresh and Summer into a jar in this recipe. Run your fingers down against the growth pattern of the leaves on the sprigs of thyme to release the leaves over the tomatoes, toss the stems and any remaining sprigs onto the tray. Very gently use your hands to move the tomatoes around making sure all are seasoned.

Put the trays in the oven. Set the oven to 200F and walk away. Leave for 10 hours! I usually leave this overnight. If using very small tomatoes 8 hours will be long enough.

You can let the tomatoes cool or pack them hot. Scoop tomatoes into jars, poke in a sprig of fresh thyme (washed and dried). Once jars are filled pour off oil from the baking trays to cover the tomatoes in the jars. Seal and refrigerate. Save some tomatoes - about a cup full for a bonus - tomato paste like you've never tasted before! Use a blender or hand held mini blender - mine is made by Oster. Put in the tomatoes and a little of the oil - puree to paste consistancy. Store in a small jar or ramekin. Another bonus is to pour off a little of the oil to use for cooking - the flavor is great.

OK so you've done all of the above. What to do with your bounty.

For the paste
Spread on sandwhich bread instead of mayo
Use as a dip with fresh veggies
Stir a little into scrambled eggs
Spread on bruschetta
Use as a 'ketchup' with tiny boiled new potatoes
And for out right hedonistic luxury - spread a thin layer on pizza dough, top with fresh mozzarella and basil for a sumptuous pizza.

For the preserved tomatoes
Use in any recipe that calls for sun-dried tomatoes
Chop into salads
Add to an omelette
Top a bruschetta
Top a pizza
Top a piece of grilled white fish
Serve in a small bowl with crusty bread as a cocktail nibbly
Chop and add to an egg salad sandwich

Now I'm hungry! Bon appetit.
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Fudge in a Pinch

You will not believe how easy and quick this recipe is to do. REALLY! The reward is over the top, homemade fudge.

Ingredients:

2 cups of sugar
2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate (Baker’s Unsweetened Chocolate comes in individually wrapped 1 ounce squares)
2/3 cup evaporated milk ( Carnation has a small can that measures this exactly)
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Add all the ingredients, in no particular order, into a medium to large frying pan. Get a glass of cold water and set next to the frying pan. Lightly butter a plate for the fudge to go on when finished cooking. Turn heat under the pan to medium high. Begin stirring. Continue stirring, about 10 minutes, until you get firm balls when dropping a small amount of the ingredients into the glass of water. Take off the heat and continue stirring allowing air to help cool down your fudge. This will take about 5 minutes. Pour onto your prepared plate, allow to cool and enjoy!

I did not originate this recipe. Mom gave it to me and I have no idea where she got it from. I just know that my family begins circling the plate minutes after I pour the fudge on.

Now That's Take-out - an Ode to Pizza and Tomatoes

'Tis the season for the tomato lover to rejoice! August edition of Connectionsforwomen.com has three tomato related stories; the health benefits, how to select them and what to do with them. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to add my own two cents worth to the chorus singing the praises of my favorite summer vegetable - well, really it's a fruit.

A tomato is often abused; picked green, ripened by chemical process, it doesn't stand a chance - but home grown or farm stand bought it is one of nature's wonders. That said any recipe using tomatoes is only as good as the tomatoes you start out with. I steer clear of supermarket tomatoes out of season - tasteless and scentless they look pretty but believe me, there is no substance. Give me a mis-shapen field or home grown ugly duckling tomato any day. I take flavor over looks in all aspects of life. So head to your garden patch , the farm stand or farmers' market, squeeze, sniff and feel and load your basket with tomatoes.

I picked up some "Campari" variety locally grown tomatoes when up north last week. They were close to being over ripe so as soon as I got home I tossed them in the food processor, added a couple of cloves of peeled garlic and rough chopped them. That all went into the skillet along with a slug of olive oil, healthy grind of coarse black pepper and a good pinch of Maldon sea salt. I cooked it for about 3 minutes, popped it into a container and into the fridge. Homemade tomato sauce in under five minutes.

Neighbors across my pond had to go into town for a couple of nights and alerted everyone in the valley that they were leaving their 14 year old twin boys alone! Those poor kids didn't stand a chance of mischief - everyone was looking out for them. They chugged across the pond in their small boat to ask me if I needed anything doing -in reality to check if I'd made brownies. They scored and in return they fixed a cupboard door for me. Eying the tomato splattered cook top they asked what I was making. Inspiration hit - "would you like to come over around six for pizza" I asked.

Pizza
Notes on cooking pizza. I have two secret weapons! The first is a perforated pizza tray (back pizza in above photo) made by Cuisinart. It's wonderful. The second is a square pizza stone - also good but I have to say, no offense old stone, that I get a crisper crust bottom with the new kid on the block - the Cuisinart tray. Honestly, it's not worth making homemade pizza without either a stone or specialized tray. Pizza paddle - mine broke a few months ago , long story but it involved a Standard Poodle helping with the dishes -'nuff said- and I have yet to replace it - I will because I miss it.

Dough*
Step 1.
Mix in a small bowl.
1 packet dried yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
2/3 Cups water warm to the touch (but not hot)
Let it proof - that is form a crusty, bubbly top. Will take a minimum of 5 minutes. If there is no bubble action you can conclude that you have either killed the yeast with too hot water or not used water hot enough to activate the yeast. Start over! The sugar is a necessary ingredient to activate the yeast - don't want to use sugar, substitute flour.

Step 2
Put the following in the bowl of a food processor
and pulse a couple of times.
2 Cups unbleached flour
~ 1 TBS olive oil
Big pinch of Maldon sea salt (no I don't have shares in the company to to my mind, it's the only salt worth using.)


Step 3
With the motor running add the yeast/water mixture to the flour. Pulse a few times to incorporate the water. It varies with humidity levels but chances are you will have to add more warm water to arrive at a soft, shiny ball of dough. Start by adding a couple of tablespoons of water and see if you need more. When the dough forms a ball it should be soft but not sticky - i.e. should not have to scrape it out of the processor bowl and off your hands. Put a little olive oil in a proofing bowl, pop the ball of dough in, turning it to coat with oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for around one hour. Rising time will vary given ambient temperature.

* Dough recipe comes from my friend Rocco - best pizza maker I know! Do not double up this recipe; make it in separate batches if you want more than one pizza - it only takes a few minutes.

Step 4
Pre-heat oven to 450F. If you are using a stone, put it in the oven now.
Building the pizza - simple is better.

If you are a pizza whiz, crank up the 'Three Tenors' , clear the kitchen and start twirling dough. If, like me, you are a more timid creature with dough, liberally flour a smooth working surface. Push down the risen dough and form into a ball. Using the heel of your hand work it into a circle. if it gets too difficult, flour a rolling pin or better yet, ice cold bottle, and roll out your dough. This recipe makes a generous 18" circle. If you have a pizza paddle, sprinkle it generously with coarse corn meal and ease your dough onto it. No paddle? Improvise. Cover a cutting board or a cookie sheet turned upside down with foil, sprinkle with cornmeal and continue as follows.
If you are using the Cuisinart tray put the dough on the tray and proceed.

Work quickly and spread a thin layer of the homemade tomato sauce over the dough. Top with a couple of handfulls of grated cheese (I used Fontina - great flavour and melts beautifully) scatter a handful of torn basil leaves over the cheese along with a good grind of coarse black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Slide the dough onto the stone (cornmeal from the paddle will adhere loosely to the bottom of the dough and prevent it from sticking to the stone) or put the tray in the oven. Check at 15 minutes. Twenty minutes should be maximum cooking time if your oven is true to temperature.

Visiting twins pronounced it "awesome", assisted in making a second that they sailed home with. Now that's take out food.

Check back in a day or so. I've been experimenting with "sun drying" tomatoes (using the oven!) and the results are promising.

If you are enjoying following this blog and our primary website, http://www.connectionsforwomen.com/, please help us continue by supporting our affiliates and advertisers. Click through the ads to see what they have to offer.