Homemade Pizza

I know it's a cliche to say this, but I'm going to stick to my guns: you haven't had pizza until you've had pizza in Italy.  Hole in the wall, made from scratch, with love and Italian hands, pizza.  A couple of my favorite bloggers just got back or are currently in Italy and I couldn't be more green with envy.  It's one of the many countries I can't wait to go back to, especially for the food.  This Italian Dish is one of my favorite sites to visit, she combines great Italian cooking, with a love of travel.  Plus she lives in Michigan!!  I adapted this pizza recipe from her, she made a potato pizza, I used the same crust but added different toppings.  Either way, this dish is delicious.

For the dough, add salt, olive oil and yeast to 1/2 cup of warm water and stir together. 

Mix in 1 cup of flour.  Gradually add in 1/8 cup of more flour until the dough comes together enough to start kneading it.  You want the dough to be sticky but not enough that it sticks to your hands, without being too dry. 

Knead for a couple minutes with your hands.

Put the dough in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for a couple hours.  I made this the night before and kept it in the fridge overnight, taking it out a couple hours before use to let it rise.

Instead of using a tomato based sauce, I decided to try garlic and olive oil.  Mince 6-7 garlic cloves, mix with 6 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Stir and mash together until you have a sort of paste.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  After you let the dough rise for a couple hours, sprinkle your counter top with flour so the dough doesn't stick.  Roll out the pizza dough using a rolling pin.  Roll out until it's the size and thickness you would like.  Place on a pizza pan and spread the garlic paste on top of the dough.

Chop whatever veggies you like on your pizza as toppings.  I used onion, tomato, red pepper, mushroom and some cooked chicken.

Layer the toppings on the pizza and finish off with a layer of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and pepper to taste.  Bake for 10-14 minutes until the crust is crisp and golden brown.

This pizza was delicious!  The crust was crunchy and thick and tasted dramatically different because it's homemade.  Although it can be a timely process, when you sit down to eat it's completely worth it!  The great thing about this pizza too is how filling it is.  After one slice I was full, and we had leftovers to last us for a few days.  Enjoy!

Homemade Pizza

Serving Size 1 large pizza

Adapted from The Italian Dish

Dough:

1/2 cup warm water

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon instant fast acting yeast

1 1/4 cup bread flour

1/4 cup olive oil

Topping:

8 garlic cloves minced

6 tablespoons olive oil

red pepper diced

mushrooms diced

chicken breast cooked and cut into bite size pieces

onion chopped

tomato chopped

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Dough:

Add salt, olive oil and yeast to the 1/2 cup water water and stir.

Mix in 1 cup flour, then gradually add in 1/8 cup more until the dough comes together.

Add enough flour so it's not too sticky, but not too dry.

Knead for a couple minutes on a floured surface.

Put the dough in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil.

Turn the dough to coat in the olive oil.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for a couple hours.

You can stick it in the fridge if you made it a night before, and take out to let rise for 2 hours before making.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

Roll out the pizza dough, using flour so it doesn't stick. 

Roll it out until it's the thickness and size you like and place on a pizza pan. 

Topping:

Combine the minced garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Mix for form a paste and spread on the dough. 

Layer all the toppings on the dough. 

Finish with Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. 

Bake for 10-14 minutes until crust is crisp and golden.

Steak w/ Mushroom and Red Wine Sauce

I recently subscribed to Bon Appetit magazine, and have fallen in love.  I love getting mail, but I especially love getting mail that's full of recipes and food pictures.  This steak  recipe came from the October magazine, and it was delicious. 

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl, set aside.

Season 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of hanger steak with salt and pepper.

Add rosemary and garlic to the skillet.

Add the steak and cook for around three minutes on each side, for medium rare.  Cook longer if you like your steak cooked medium or higher.  Transfer to a cutting board and let rest while preparing the sauce.

Disguard the garlic and rosemary from the killey, and pour off all but one tablepsoon of the fat.  Add wine, and cook until reduced fo 3/4 of a cup.  Strain and return liquid to the skillet.

Stir in the stock and bring to a boil. Simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, about five minutes, and remove from heat.

Whisk in 3 tablespoons of butter. 

Stir in the mushrooms and one tablespoon of tarragon.  Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon mushroom mixture onto plates.  Thinly slice the steak and serve over mushrooms.  Garnish with additional tarragon if you like.  I served this with spaghetti squash that I posed earlier this week and it was amazing.  The steak was very tender, and I was happy I picked some random mushrooms to serve with the steak because they added a lot of flavor.  Thank you Bon Appetit!

Hanger Steak w/ Mushroom and Red Wine Sauce

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 4

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

12 oz assorted mushrooms, torn or cut into large pieces

salt and ground pepper to taste

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

3 garlic cloves

1 6 inch sprig rosemary

1 cup dry red wine

3/4 cup low salt chicken stock

2 tablespoon chopped tarragon

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large skillet.

Add mushrooms and cook until soft and golden.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a bowl, and set aside.

Melt one tablespoon of butter with the remaining oil in the same skillet.

Season steak with salt and pepper.

Add the garlic, rosemary, and steak to skillet.

Cook for around 3 minutes on each side, for medium rare.

Transfer to a cutting board, and let rest while you make the sauce.

Discard garlic and rosemary from the skillet.

Pour off all but one tablespoon of fat.

Add wine, and cook until reduced to 3/4 cup.

Strain and return liquid to the skillet.

Stir in the stock and bring to a boil.

Simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, around 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in 3 tablespoons of butter.

Stir in the mushrooms and one tablespoon of tarragon

Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon mushroom mixture onto plates.

Thinly slice steak and serve over mushroom mixture.

Garnish with remaining tarragon.

Mushroom Quinoa

I’m not sure if it’s just the blogs I’ve been reading lately, or if it’s a trend.. but it seems everyone is going vegetarian.  I respect your decision, but politely can’t see this lifestyle for myself.  I like me some meat.  In my eyes a meal isn’t complete without some kind of meat; be it chicken, steak, pork, turkey.  I need some of it to be fulfilled.  I give vegetarians a lot of credit however, because of their ability to be creative in their meals due to not having meat as an ingredient.  I found this recipe and thought it sounded tasty, even without meat.  I found myself staring at a chicken breast in my fridge just as I was about to start cooking though and gave in.  Sorry vegetarians, I had to.  It was organic chicken breast, that counts for something right?

Begin by washing the quinoa.  Drain well and set aside.  In a medium skillet add olive oil and soften onion until beginning to look transparent.

Add garlic and saffron and cook for a few minutes.

I bought a mix of mushrooms for this dish from Whole Foods.  I grabbed things I had never heard of because I thought it might add more flavor, and I was right.  Pick up whatever you’re comfortable with, but I would try something new if you’re up for it, it’s a great dish to try some new flavors with.

Add mushrooms and cook over high heat.  Cook until the liquid evaporates. 

Incorporate the white wine, then mix in the quinoa.  Reduce heat to medium and let the wine evaporate.

Heat the chicken stock.  When the quinoa has absorbed the wine, add the stock one cup at a time.  Move the quinoa around with a wooden spoon several times after adding the stock.

Here is where I made the cardinal sin and added the chicken.  I simply cooked one chicken breast in water on the stove until cooked through.  Cut up into bite size pieces and added it to the quinoa mixture.

When you enter the last cup of stock, don’t let it absorb completely and add the Parmesan cheese and butter.  Mix well, stirring constantly.  Cover the pan and turn off the heat.  Let stand for around five minutes, and then serve.

This is a great meal, with or without chicken.  The mushrooms and saffron add a bunch of flavor, and the crunch of quinoa makes it kind of fun to eat!  I’m again surprised by how fast quinoa fills you up, not only is it good for you, but you don’t have to eat a ton to be full.  Two birds, one stone.. works for me!

Mushroom Quinoa

1 cup quinoa

3 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon saffron

¼ cup white wine

1 cup quartered mushrooms

1 cup chopped shitaques

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cooked chicken breast *optional

Wash quinoa several times until clean.

Drain well and set aside.

In a skillet over medium heat add olive oil and onions and cook until they’re soft.

Add garlic and saffron and cook for a few minutes.

Add the mushrooms and cook over high heat until the liquid evaporates.

Pour in the white wine and quinoa and mix well.

Reduce heat to medium low and let the wine evaporate.

Heat the chicken stock.

When the quinoa has absorbed all the wine, add the stock one cup at a time.

Stir with a wooden spoon after adding the stock.

When you enter the last cup of stock, don’t let it absorb completely and add the Parmesan cheese and butter.

Mix well, stirring constantly.

Cover the pan, turn off the heat and let stand for around five minutes before serving.