Serious Pizza

Over a year ago now, I had the most delicious pizza of my life for the first time. During a Savor Seattle Gourmet Food Tour in Seattle we were introduced to 'Serious Pie." It's a small pizza place off Virginia Street in downtown Seattle owned by hometown Seattle chef Tom Douglas. I can't begin to explain this pizza. I can't even try. We've had it numerous times since and I will be forever attempting to replicate the delicousness.

So long Panago. Home-made pizza is the stuff.

(Use pizza dough recipe from "Throw Together Flatbread Post" 2 below.)

The key to this being awesome is to preheat your oven like crazy and get the dough really thin. It's not about cheese and crazy amounts of toppings, it's about simplicity and a few really great ingrediants.

Preheat oven to 490 degrees. (Preheat the pizza stone or baking tray as well.)

Roll out dough very thin. Sprinkle cornmeal on a baking tray or pizza stone. Stretch dough to desired size and thickness. Place stretched dough on baking tray. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt or dried oregano. Bake for 7 min (watch closly, it should buble up all pretty but not get too brown.)

Remove partially baked pizza from oven. Top with sliced tomatoes, caramelized red onions, procuitto and small torn pieces of fresh mozzarella (boccacini.) Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted and crust edges are turning brown.

Remove from oven and top with something fresh. My favorite is handful of arugala or fresh basil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Yum!

(You can switch the toppings as you like too. Bacon or sliced mushrooms are frequent at our place. If you've got some good Truffle Oil you've been saving, drizzle the cooked pizza and greens with the oil before serving for an unbelievablely amazing dinner)

Sriracha Sesame Meatballs

Those of you who know me well, know my aversion to things like "meatballs." Generally, I think they're gross. But these little guys are incredible. I've made them probably 30 times since I found the recipe several months ago. They're are also super healthy.

The meatballs are made with TURKEY! If you like it spicy stick with the 3 tbsp of Sriracha. If you don't like spice you can cut it down to a mere 1 tsp (but you need to keep at least 1 tsp for flavor.)

Everytime I make them I'm surprised at how good they are. Doesn't make sense. The sum is greater then the parts my friends. So much greater.

Sriracha Sesame Meatballs

1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger
3 green onions, sliced
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp thai fish sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 egg
2 tbsp sesame seeds
3 tbsp sriracha hot sauce
1.5 lbs ground turkey
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

Mix it all together in a big bowl. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Make into meatballs, place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 20min until brown.

Serve topped with more green onions and sesame seeds.

So yummy!

Mushroom Risotto

This Mushroom Risotto is delightful. You know what makes it more delightful?...the arborio rice came to me from Chuck Hughes (from "Chuck's Day Off" on Food Network.) I was working at EAT! Fraser Valley last September (the weekend we found out we were pregnant!) and Chuck was making loads of Risotto. At the end of the weekend there was a few boxes left and I was happy to one of them when it was offered to me. No big deal :)


Now, risotto is not difficult. You must try it. You must trust me. Take under a half hour and serves 4.

Mushroom Risotto

1 cup Arborio Rice
1 Shallot, minced
4.5 cups Chicken Broth, boiling
1/4 cup dry White Wine
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan, grated
16 oz Mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp fresh Thyme, chopped

For the mushrooms:
Saute sliced mushrooms in olive oil in a pan with chopped thyme, salt and pepper. Set aside.

For the Risotto:


1. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a large skillet until very hot. Add minced shallot and saute for 3 minutes until tender.
2. Add rice. Stir well and get it all coated in the deliciousness. Cook 3 minutes.
3. Add wine. Stir and keep stirring until it's absorbed.
4. Add stock, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring after each addition.
5. Continue to add stock until it no longer absorbs and the rice is cooked.
6. Stir in mushrooms, grated Parmesan, butter. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Plate and top with more fresh Parmesan.

Throw together flatbread

Thanks for coming! I've decided to restart my blog. It's been sometime, but I'm feeling like sharing some delicious things and this is just the place to do it. My intention is to tempt you with yummy looking photos and perhaps persuade you into trying a recipe or 2 yourself. I love the way I eat, I love sharing food with others.

Here's recipe for something I make all the time. Flatbread! It's the best through together meal there is. (Especially when you've got the dough ready to go in the freezer!) Think of some things that might taste good together and give it a shot.

Some of my favorite options are:

Procuitto, tomatos, basil and goat cheese
Balsamic onions, gruyere and thyme
Bacon, whilte chedder, rosemary and grainy mustard
Fried shallots, mushrooms, gruyere and thyme

I use a basic pizza dough recipe (adapted from the one and only 'Joy of Cooking')

Basic Pizza Dough (Flatbread dough)

1 1⁄3 cups warm water
1 tbsp honey
1 package (2 1⁄4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
3 1⁄2 to 3 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp salt

In a large bowl (or bowl of your mixer) combine water and honey. Sprinkle in yeast. Let sit for 5 min until frothy.

With mixer at low speed, mix in flour, olive oil and salt. (Start with 3 1/2 sups flour, add more until it comes together.)

If your mixer has a dough hook, throw it on and let it go for 10 min at med-high. Otherwise, knead the dough on a floured surface for 10 min.

Place dough in a large bowl greased with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel. Let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1/5 hrs (until double.)

Punch down. Divide into 2. Place one in the fridge or freezer for later use.

Let the dough you're using rest for 15 minutes before rolling out.

Assemble your flatbread:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Roll out the dough into any shape you like (the more rustic the better!)

Drizzle with olive oil and some garlic and/or herbs if you like. Bake for 5 min.

Take the bread out of the oven and top with the rest of your toppings. Bake another 10 minutes or so until everything is browned and ready to eat.

Finish with a sprinkling of whatever herb you're using, some balsamic glaze, or a dash or truffle oil (if you're lucky.)

Be creative and enjoy!

PS: The flatbread picture above has the following toppings:
Olive Oil, Garlic, red onions sauteed in balsamic, tomatos and goat cheese. Once it came out of the oven I through on some fresh basil and a drizzled on a balsamic glaze.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

>Cory and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary this past weekend. I can't believe it's been 2 years, crazy. That being said, it' s been wonderful and I'm so happy to be married to such a kind and wonderful man.

We began the weekend with a lunch at Domaine de Chaberton Winery. This place is about 20 minutes from home. They have an awesome bistro and serve incredible food. We've been here before and taken thier winery tour, which was great. They also make our favorite wine "Bacchus" so we picked up several extra bottles to bring home because they are about 6 bucks cheaper here than at the liquor store.

We had the French Onion Soup which was incredible. Tons of yummy crusty cheese covering the whole thing.

Cory had the beef (I think) in a a balsamic sauce. I went with the Ratatoille Parmesan Quiche. Both were awesome.

After our lunch we headed to a "River Run Cottages," a Bed and Breakfast in Ladner on the Fraser River. We stayed here last year for our anniversary (on recommendation from my Auntie Cheryl) and loved it so much we decided to go back. It's a lovely group of floating houses on the Fraser River. We stay in the Net Loft which has a little sitting room, small kitchen, bathroom and an upstairs loft bedroom. It also has a Japanese soaker tub on the private deck. The best part is, no TV. Lots of games and a great view and atmosphere.

We picked up some lobster tails and prawns and gooked them on the BBQ for dinner. It was great. I made some chocolate covered strawberries as well, and they turned out great.

If you're ever here and looking for a getaway close by, you should definitly check it out.

All in all, it was an incredible weekend.

Cheers to 2 great years and many more to come.

Mammmma Mia!

Have you ever made your own pizza dough? It's so easy and honestly one of the most satisfying things you can make. There is something wonderful about the smell of rising dough and punching down the dough is pure bliss.

This dough is super easy when you use the dough hook on the Kitchen Aid mixer. Alternatively, you can knead the dough by hand for 10 min.

Basic Pizza Dough

In a mixer combine the following. Let stand for 5 minutes until yeast foams.

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast)

1 tsp sugar

Add in

3 1/2 cups white flour (substitute up to 1 cup of whole wheat flour)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp salt

With the mixing arm, mix ingredients on low speed for 1 min. Switch to dough hook and mix on medium for about 10 min or until dough becomes smooth and elastic.

Place in a well oiled bowl (turning dough to coat), cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hrs in a warm place.

Punch down dough. Ahhhhh :)

Divide into 2 balls. Roll each ball loosely in plastic wrap and let rise for another 15 min.

Flour your counter and roll the dough into whatever shape you like. (If you like the crunch, spread some cornmeal on your baking sheet before placing the dough on the sheet.) Let rest for 10 min.

Top the pizza with whatever you want. Bake at 475 for 10 min or until it's done.

*My fav toppings are olive oil, sliced Roma tomatoes, whole basil leaves and baby boccocini mozzarella. Margarita style.

PS. Here's a pic of the salad I ended up making with those Heirloom Tomatoes!

Operation Beautiful

One of the girls who writes a blog I read all the time (Caitlyn from www.healthytippingpoint.com) has a book that just came out called Operation Beautiful. It looks inspiring, I'd really like to check it out.

Go and read this post. This girl has the right idea...

http://peasandthankyou.com/2010/08/03/lessons-in-beauty-a-giveaway/


It's wonderful.

Tomato Love

We had a great weekend! Adrian and Stacey came over from the island on Sunday and we spent the day with them. We went to Granville Island to visit the market and picked up a few special ingredients for our dinner that evening. They have a wonderful shop that sells a huge variety of fresh pasta and sauces, so we treated ourselves to that for dinner. I made a Peach Crisp for dessert. It was simple and a great way to showcase some incredible peaches.

I also picked up some BEAUTIFUL HEIRLOOM TOMATOES and I finally found some GARLIC SCAPES that I have been looking for forever.

Some random info for you.

Heirloom tomatoes are very different from the bland varieties we find in the supermarket. They are considered an 'antique' variety because they are produced from seeds that have been passed down from one generation to another, and have not been modified like the hybrid supermarket varieties. Furthermore, heirloom tomatoes are allowed to ripen naturally and are therefor only available "in season." Because of this, I plan to enjoy these tomatoes in their natural state. Uncooked and maybe drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Perfection.

Have you ever heard of garlic scapes? I hadn't either until earlier this summer. Garlic scapes are the stalk of the garlic plant and they resemble green onions. As the gralic bulbs are growing, the farmers snip off the curly garlic scapes so the the energy given to the plant goes into the bulb and is not wasted on the stalks. These garlic scapes are apparently full of garlicky flavor and are best used in salads, stirfrys or GARLIC SCAPE PESTO. I will be attempting the pesto today with walnuts and fresh parm as a topping for a wonderful Italian Loaf.

After visiting Granville we headed out to Deep Cove and went kayaking for a couple hours. It was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed the company and scenery.

Yesterday we spent the day at my parents place by the pool. Have I mentioned how much I love living 10 min away from Club Med?

Awesome movie

Saw the movie "Inception" tonight. Wow. What an incredible show. If you haven't seen it, you should. I think it's one of the best movies I've ever seen.


Pool day tomorrow. Lots of sun screen and magazines :)

Chutney and Artichoke Pasta

Hope every one's summer is going really well. We haven't really done too much exciting, but there have been a few nice days by the pool.

I thought I'd post a few new great recipes.

The Rebar Appetizer (Tomato and Ginger Chutney)

from 'rebar modern food cookbook '

This is a wonderful slightly Indian flavored chutney, so good on warm bread. Keeps in the fridge for about a week.

4 Roma tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (not oil packed)

1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp minced ginger

1 tsp cumin, roasted and ground

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1 cinnamon stick, broken in two

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 325. Arrange Roma tomato halves on baking sheet. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast in oven for 45 min. Let cool.

2. Rehydrate sundried tomatoes in boiling water. Soak for 10 min. Strain and reserve cooking water. Let cool.

3. Heat oil in a medium skillet. Saute onions for 5 min until soft. Add garlic, ginger, cumin, chili flakes and cinnamon sticks and saute for 5 min. Remove cinnamon sticks and let cool.

4. Place roasted tomatoes, onion mixture, honey and balsamic vinegar in a food processor. Pulse to combine, but leave some texture. Add a little of the reserved tomato water to thin the chutney if necessary.

5. Season with salt. Let sit for at least 30 min.

This next recipe is so simple and it tastes fantastic. As an added treat, I picked up some gourmet pasta to have with this. Also reheats really really well.

Linguine with Artichoke Hearts and Sundried Tomatoes

from ' rebar modern food cookbook '

1 lb fettuccine (or other pasta)

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, (not oil packed), rehydrated

1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

3 tbsp capers

3 cups marinated artichoke hearts

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2 tsp chili flakes

To garnish

fresh grated Parmesan

4 small tomatoes, diced

1. Combine all ingredients (not pasta, or garnish) in a medium boil. Stir to combine.

2. Cook pasta.

3. Heat a skillet and warm the sauce through.

4. Toss with pasta and top with fresh Parmesan cheese and chopped tomatoes.