pizza: it's what's for dinner

Every now and then, I run into a bit of a rut. A cooking rut.
I don’t know what to make, I don’t know what to do with anything I’ve got on hand, and worst of all - I have no idea what I’m in the mood to eat.
So I grabbed hold of my recipe folder that is still in tact after all these years, but just exploding with possibilities. (Or really, just exploding).
And the first thing to slide out was a photocopied recipe my brother had given me. A recipe for pizza dough.
It clicked.

My brother makes the best pizza.
A friend of mine once mentioned "I think the more toppings on a pizza, the better". I couldn’t agree. I’m such a pizza purist at heart. I love the simplicity of a little bit of sauce and a good handful of cheese.
My brother’s pizza is so far from that.
For my pizza, I took inspiration from my brother’s delicious pizza and an old pizza we used to make at my job years ago. The underlying sweetness of the tomatoes and onions goes so wonderfully with the briny quality of the olives and the soft spinach. Turkey adds a little meaty element, but this could easily be vegetarian.
Working with yeast dough has always resulted in a bit of tragedy for me, but this is such a simple recipe - you can’t screw the thing up. The dough is fluffy and soft, not thin and crisp. So if you’re a thin-and-crisp fan, this recipe may not be for you. But give it a shot anyway. It’s such a light dough and it’s just so, so good.
This is a good pizza. This is a great pizza. A bit of work, yes. But worth it? Oh, you have no idea.

Pizza á L’homage
how witty and clever, no? this is essentially my version of my brother’s pizza, with the volume turned up a bit. Dough recipe adapted from Basic Italian. Serve this up with a nice little salad (perhaps some lettuces growing in the backyard, some orange segments and juice, some olive oil, and a good grind of black pepper). What a fabulous dinner.

2-3 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½ c olive oil
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
salt, pepper, oregano

pizza dough:
2 c all-purpose flour (plus more for shaping)
salt
1/4 c olive oil
1 (1/4oz) packet yeast
2/3 c lukewarm water

1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cups shredded mozzarella or Italian-blend cheese
8-10 slices deli turkey
a good handful of spinach
1 (3 oz) jar manzanilla olives, halved

1. In a small saucepan, heat up olive oil and garlic gently on low. Let simmer for about 30 minutes, constantly stirring not to burn the garlic. Let cool.
2. Lay the tomato slices in a single layer and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and oregano. Spoon some of the garlic oil (with garlic slices) onto the tomatoes and let marinate.
3. For the dough: Add flour, a good pinch of salt, and oil to a mixing bowl. Separately, stir yeast into water and mix until fairly smooth.
4. Turn mixer on and slowly add in yeast-water to flour mixture. (If you don’t have a mixer, get right in there with your hands). If dough is a little too sticky, add in some more flour. Mix on medium speed with dough hook until it pulls away from the sides and looks smooth - about 5-7 minutes. (Or knead vigorously for a good bit).
5. Grease a bowl and place dough inside. Cover with a cloth and let rise in a fairly warm place for 30-45 minutes until doubled in size.
6. Meanwhile: Preheat the oven to 450º F. Heat up some of the garlic oil in a saute pan and saute the onions until caramelized. Be careful not to burn them. Set aside.
7. Once the dough is ready, punch it down and roll out on a floured surface. This recipe works for a half-sheet pan or 2 pizza pans.
8. Grease your pan of choice with the garlic oil and press the dough onto the pan. Prick the dough with a fork and brush some more garlic oil on the dough. Begin with the tomatoes then the caramelized onions. Sprinkle 3/4 of the cheese and throw on the turkey slices and spinach. Sprinkle on the olives and the remaining cheese and stick in the oven for about 10-15 minutes - or until the edges are a light brown and the crust is nice and crisp.

Slice up and enjoy. You won’t have any leftovers.

well, that was fast

Alright, friends. The search is over.
And the only person to thank here is my boyfriend -
who sent a 9:17pm text message on Thursday night stating: "got blue bell vanilla and got peanut butter brownies in the oven for the movie."
Is he quite a catch or what?? Warm brownies, Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla (!) , and The Boondock Saints.
Oh, I am a lucky gal.
And I do bet you're dying to know: "how was the ice cream??"
Oh my friends, it was good. Yes indeed it was good. This was not "wow this kind of sucks. so much for the hype".
This was "wow. this is really good ice cream."
Even the boyfriend said so! Who went out to publix and got the ice cream just for lil' ol' me.
swoon.
And I wish I could pinpoint it. Remember that little tidbit about good vanilla ice cream and how it's so simple, yet so hard to come by?
Well, yeah. This is the good vanilla ice cream. It's that perfect, sweet spoonful of vanilla custard goodness. It's not sickeningly sweet. Nor is it so pumped up with that odd "artificial flavor" mouthfeel.
It's just so good.
And with a warm chocolate-peanut butter brownie, it's even better.
And hell, with Boondock Saints on the tv, it's heaven.
So my boyfriend approved of the Blue Bell. As for the movie: "eh, it was ok".
And you'd think he'd like a movie about guys and guns and a hilarious (and gay) Willem Dafoe.
But. That's ok. I still love him.
And I do believe I love Blue Bell, too.

the arrival of blue bell

I love ice cream.
I loooooove ice cream.
So when the papers reported that -finally- Blue Bell ice cream would be hitting South Florida stores, I thought: "what’s Blue Bell?".


Hailing from Texas, it’s only sold in 18 states and still manages to be the third best selling ice cream in the country. They pioneered the cookies and cream flavor. People have traveled hours to get their fix, people have ordered it online.
And I had never heard of this?
And I am missing out?
So when it hit stores yesterday, I figured I had to make a trip out to the grocery store. I firmly believe in "ice cream cures everything". (Sort of like a "everything is better with bacon". Cause, well, it is.)
I made my way to the freezer section and searched and searched and there was none left.
Goodness, you people work fast.
Looks like I’ll have to gather a search party for this one.
Of course, once I finish my half-gallon of Publix Premium Bear Tracks Brownie ice cream.
I couldn’t resist! I was among so much delicious, ice-creamy goodness, I had to get a fix.
Yes, I have a problem.
But the first step is admitting...
I’ll keep you posted on the Blue Bell Search because it is not over yet, my friends!

sunday lunch

I had the most wonderful lunch today.
And while my lunch almost always consists of a turkey and spinach sandwich (my favorite), this was just as simple but twice as good.
Realizing there were one too many potatoes and one too many dozen-eggs, I opted for a childhood favorite that I hadn’t had in ages - tortilla de papa.
Now, don’t let the name fool you cause it’s not what you think. And for years I wondered why we called it a tortilla, too. Turns out it’s a traditional Spanish tapas dish, sort of between a frittata and an omelette.
The idea is to slice the potatoes very thin. There’s no need to pull out your mandoline, though. A sharp knife will do the trick just fine. You also need a fair amount of oil. You want the potatoes to almost shallow fry and get really golden and crispy.
Cut into wedges and served up with a really simple salad - we got lettuces growing in the backyard that we picked and plated (my gardening endeavors excite me!) - tossed with lemon juice and olive oil, this makes for a delicious and delightful lunch any day of the week.

Tortilla de Papa
Open the door and let the sun shine in for this one. Or perhaps just take it outside.

2 large russet potatoes, peeled
oil
salt
8 large eggs
1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1. Heat up a large skillet with a good amount of vegetable oil, around ½ cup, on high heat.
2. Thinly slice the potatoes and throw into the hot pan. Let brown.
3. Meanwhile, crack the eggs and whisk together with the parsley and a good pinch of salt.
4. Once the potatoes start to brown, salt them and dump in the egg mixture. Let cook for a couple of minutes until you see the sides start to cook.
5. Grab a large plate and place on top of the tortilla. Flip the pan over and slide the tortilla back into the pan so the other side can cook.
6. Let cook a couple of minutes more.
7. Cut into wedges and serve.

julie/julia

I just finished a book. A good book, a funny book, a book that - as all books tend to do to me - threw me into another world and made me feel good. And this feel-good feeling is lingering. Which I like. Which I really, really like. Because life should always be about feel-good...whether you get it or whether it takes you a year of Julia Child to get it.
Julie & Julia. Fabulous.
I remember when Julia Child passed away. Everybody had something wonderful to say and part of me really shrugged at it while the other part of me was a little jealous that I wasn’t particularly old enough to get it. Cause let’s face it - I’m not.
And so in this modern age of technology and me being in with the times (kinda sorta not really...), I looked up plenty on Youtube. And I think I’m starting to get it.
Yes, ok. A couple of videos on Youtube aren’t going to give me some goddamn epiphany on Julia Child and aren’t going to open up a big window and aren’t going to completely make me realize the wonder of the woman. Not yet, anyway. But it’s a start.
This woman had passion and love and knowledge. She was a klutz and she was funny and she was odd and unusual and that’s what made her human. And perhaps what made her so damn appealing. And people decided to embrace French food for once. As they fucking should.
Classical Cuisine. One of the best classes I have ever taken. I would walk out of there a pound heavier from all the butter consumed, but satisfied and happy and walking on clouds.
This is what French food does to me.
And it’s what French food did to her. And she fell into it and fell into teaching people about it and somewhere down the line one woman in 2002 decided to fall into it, too, discovering French food and the pure joy of Julia Child which changed her life around.
And so.
Yes, it was a good book. It was like a little bit of hope tucked away on a bookshelf.
(Or the clearance section of TJ Maxx where I was wandering around aimlessly and managed to find this book turned over for $2.)
And yes, I feel like Julia Child really is something.
And this makes me happy, while at the same time makes me crave something good and French and full of butter.
When I decided to head to culinary school, one of my mom’s friends gave me a ridiculous amount of cookbooks that she had lying around the house that she never used. Perhaps she was thrilled that she could give them to someone who would truly find some use in them. I can’t say I’ve really used them since. But in that bunch was a Julia Child & Company cookbook that I shrugged at and put aside. (I’ll confess part of me was hoping it would be the classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking....just like I hoped for the pile to really contain something of history or real depth - like the hell-of-a-book Larousse Gastronomique that hung around the bookshelf all on its own and I stared at with eager eyes every single day of Food Production class in high school. There was none of it. Except for the cool cocktail food book which I will say I liked. But I really do digress...). The point is, perhaps there is some real desire to peer inside the book now. To say "ok, fine. I’ll read what you have to say about holiday entertaining or whatever the hell else". Because well, I kind of care.
And I envy Julie Powell who went mad and made the best decision of her life.
But still, really. I’m at feel-good. And that’s just wonderful.

"Julia Child wants you.....to know how to make good pastry, and also how to make those canned green beans taste all right. She wants you to remember that you are human, and as such are entitled to that most basic of human rights, the right to eat well and enjoy life."

"Julia taught me what it takes to find your way in the world. It’s not what I thought it was. I thought it was all about - I don’t know, confidence or will or luck. Those are all some good things to have, no question. But there’s something else, something that these things grow out of. It’s joy."

-Julie & Julia

anytime pasta

From the past entries you are now aware of the way the grocery store spoils me these days with those boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I keep them on hand all the time. Usually along with ground turkey as well.
So when it comes time to make a quick and simple, no-brainer kind of dinner, I pull out a box of pasta, pull out the poultry and get cookin’.
This is the everyday, anytime, whenever/whatever pasta dish that is so completely satisfying and nourishing, you couldn’t expect anything more.
The mix of the potatoes and the pasta together may come off as a bit odd. Carb-fest, anyone? But maybe you could just think of it as a leftover-Thanksgiving kind of meal.
And who doesn’t love turkey day leftovers?
Oh, yes. You know you do.
This really is just nice. A pasta dish should be nice and comforting. And spaghetti dishes specifically should be that perfect bite that I twirl around my fork and pop into my mouth, getting that juicy burst of buttery sauce. And not literally butter here, but that rich, creamy mouthfeel. I don’t know. It’s how I feel about pasta sauces and how I feel about this pasta dish.
Of course any pasta shape will do here, but I just love a good bowl of spaghetti every now and then.

How could you not?

Spaghetti with Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

we're pretty big pasta eaters around here so a 1/2 lb of spaghetti works pretty well for us two gals. but of course, four can easily be fed with this amount just the same.

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or ground poultry, if you prefer)
oil
salt, pepper
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery, diced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
1 bay leaf
pinch dried oregano

½ lb spaghetti

Parmesan, for sprinkling

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cube chicken breasts and drop into hot oil. Season with salt and pepper and brown. Remove from pot.
2. Add in onion, garlic, carrots, and celery and saute for about 2 minutes. Add in sweet potatoes and saute 2 more minutes.
3. Add in tomatoes, stock, bay leaf, oregano, and browned chicken. Bring heat down and let simmer for 20 - 30 minutes.
4. In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, salt the water and drop in the pasta. Cook until al dente (oooh, fancy), around 7 - 8 minutes.
5. Drain and drop into the sauce. Mix all together and serve up with a good sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

new year's eve: north meets south

Don’t even ask me how it happened cause I have no idea myself.
All I know is that one day my mom said "I want to make matambre and empanadas for New Year’s Eve"
and I said "ok".
I was (extremely, ridiculously, super-duper) lucky to get new year’s eve off this year. I didn’t know how I felt about the partying, but the food? That’s always a good time with me.
And while I do love my greasy, gooey cheeseburgers and my soda and my whatever-else-that’s-"American", a good Argentinian meal is a great thing. It’s the food I grew up on and the food I still love to eat. And hell, I always will.
So, matambre. The rolled up meat thing I couldn’t stand when I was younger. It had eggs and olives and all sorts of things poking out of it that I just did not approve of.
The empanadas on the other hand, well, my mom is practically famous for those.
But I figured, I have to give this a try.
We bought a nice piece of flank stank and butterflied it open. Some sprinkles of Parmesan cheese and parsley, some sprinkling of breadcrumbs. A couple of hard-boiled eggs, some olives, and a handful of grated carrots. Rolled up into a big fat log, thrown into a pot of water and boiled for a good 1 ½ hours.
You make it the day ahead and let it cool completely overnight. And then, you slice it. And you serve it up with the best side dish ever: ensalada russa. Which is, you know, potato salad with peas. Duh.
And it was good. Much better than I remember it being when I was around 7, of course. It was a good slice of meat with all sorts of fixin’s just thrown in. And - even better - it makes a pretty yummy sandwich slathered with some mayo. Mmm mmm.

I’m a total mayo freak, I can’t help it.

(And yes, that means I have standards. And yes, that means I choose Helmann’s.)

But what about the famous empanadas? Oh, those were a hit, too. They always are even if things have changed a bit. The original recipe is with ground beef. And she would always fry them. Always.
These days, she's a health-conscious lady (and who isn't?) who enjoys her whole grains and soy milk and bee pollen and raw honey. So you can say that beef and deep-frying aren't part of the agenda much anymore. Instead, chicken. Or turkey. And baking, not frying.
And they're still irresistable.

Filled with white and green onions ("they both give a little something"), hard-boiled eggs and olives (yes, again), and white pepper (it makes a distinctive difference..), they are just as good as I remember them being when I was 7. The empanadas just don't change.

It was a dinner I couldn’t wait to sit down to enjoy. And enjoy it I did.
So ending one year with a good meal and starting a new one with a good meal...that’s gotta be a good thing, right?
Happy 2009 to everyone.