Spinoccoli Pizza

Girl Pizza!!!  Pizza topped with a garlic parmesan cream sauce, broccoli, spinach and two types of cheeses.  Pretty girly, huh?

This is the kind of pizza my roommates in college would order for pizza night.  This is a pizza I know my mom would love.  For some reason, broccoli is woman food.  And when combined with a cream sauce and cheese, it is even better.  

I spent most of my life being a cream-sauce-on-pizza hater.  It was a combination of it being unhealthy and me thinking cream sauce just did not belong on pizza.  Since then, I have embraced all things cream.  And while it is still true, I would never order something like this if I could choose a good red sauce or a California style pizza or even deep dish...it is a simple and delicious combination of flavors and I am not so much of a hater.  

May I also note that I have tried the recipe for the pizza dough from Baking Illustrated a few times now (the one Annie posted a tutorial on).  It calls for bread flour, which I have always ignored and just used regular AP flour (lazy)...always liked the results.  This time, I tried it with bread flour and it makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.  Gives it a good chew.  The dough itself is beautiful and perfectly elastic.  Very easy to work with.  I felt like I was a pizzeria man, rolling out my dough with such ease.  And the bottom is so crispy.  If I were rating the dough recipe, it would definitely be a 10/10 for at home pizza crust.  Below are the ratings for this particular combination of toppings!

Spinoccoli Pizza

by Annie’s Eats

For the white sauce:

1 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. flour

3/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

1 clove garlic, smashed

Salt and pepper, to taste

6 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

For the pizza:

Pizza dough (1/2 this recipe) 

Olive oil, for brushing

1/2 cup packed baby spinach leaves, torn

1 cup very small broccoli florets

2 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

2 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Grated Parmesan

To make the white sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until bubbling and light golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in the heavy cream and garlic, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from the heat and whisk in the grated Parmesan until completely melted and smooth. Discard the garlic clove. (Note: This will make a bit more sauce than you need for the pizza, but with a little extra cheese it makes a great dipping sauce for crust.)

To make the pizza, preheat the oven and a pizza stone at 500° F for at least 30 minutes. Roll out the pizza dough into a 12-14 inch round. Lightly brush the perimeter of the dough with olive oil. Spread a thin layer of the white sauce over the crust, leaving a border clear around the edge for the crust. Sprinkle the torn spinach leaves over the white sauce. Evenly distribute the broccoli florets over the dough. Layer evenly with the shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Finish with additional grated Parmesan, if desired. Transfer the pizza to the preheated pizza stone and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

(Servings: 3, Prep time: 2.5 hours, Cook time: 12 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  7/10

Scot (taste):  8/10

Effort:  3/5

Dishwashing Effort:  3/5

Crème Brûlée

Sometimes I make dessert.  And sometimes I choose desserts that have 10 egg yolks and 1 quart of heavy cream in them.  

Scot gets kind of annoyed that I will only eat the fattiest ice cream on the planet.  He wants a less guilty ice cream.  So he can eat more than a tablespoon.  So, I kept the ingredients list of this creme brulee on the DL.  Actually, for real, I told him.  And told him I saved him all the egg whites so he can enjoy egg white omelets.  That helped.  

These were real good.  And I have a secret.  So, I only have 4 of the dishes pictured above (totally should have halved the recipe btw).   After filling my four regular creme brulee dishes, I put the rest in three deeper, not as ideal ramekins.  These deeper dishes had more in them, but also weren't as submerged in the water and basically seemed to break all the rules.  I didn't worry about it because I figured four was more than enough and if those three were ruined, it might be for the better. Anyways, they weren't set when I took the regular four out of the oven...but I took them all out anyways.  Then, I had to turn  the oven down to 275 for the beef tacos I was making.  I just threw the three big ones in the oven with the beef, no water bath, no nothing.  And I kept them in there for about an hour (!!!).  They turned out just as creamy and delicious (don't worry, we didn't eat them all).  So, even though creme brulee seems intimidating, I think it isn't as straight laced as you might think.  

Crème Brûlée

from Pioneer Woman Cooks

1 quart heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

10 egg yolks

3/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons superfine sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

First, pour the cream into a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the vanilla bean or vanilla extract. Bring almost to a boil, then turn off the heat.

Place egg yolks in a large bowl and add the 3/4 cup sugar. With a whisk, mix the eggs and sugar together. Now, break out your elbow grease and take a deep breath. You’re going to need to whisk the mixture like crazy for a good 3 or 4 minutes, until it’s very light yellow in color. This kills my arm every time, and I usually have to stop and take a few breathers along the way. Consider this your exercise for the day.

Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl. Pour the hot cream into the bowl through the strainer. This will filter out the tiny bits of vanilla bean. To temper the egg mixture, very slowly drizzle 1 cup of the hot cream into the egg/sugar mixture, whisking constantly and vigorously to prevent the eggs from cooking. Continue adding the rest of the hot cream to the bowl very slowly, whisking constantly. You can add the cream a little more rapidly as the mixture warms.

Place 6 ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and ladle in the custard until the ramekins are three-quarters full. Place the pan inside the oven, then pour water into the baking sheet until it reaches halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custard is set but not brown. Watch carefully to avoid browning.

Remove the ramekins from the pan and allow to cool. Refrigerate the custards, covered, for at least 2 hours or overnight. When you are ready to serve dessert, sprinkle the top of each custard generously with 1 tablespoon superfine sugar. Use a kitchen torch to burn the sugar to a crisp, working quickly to avoid cooking the custard below. Serve immediately with spoons. Prepare yourself for moans and groans.

(Servings: 6, Prep time: 30 min., Cook time: 40 min., Difficulty: Intermediate)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  9/10

Scot (taste):  8/10

Effort:  4/5

Dishwashing Effort:  3/5

Potato Leek Soup

Remember back when I posted a recipe for Baked Potato Soup?  It was delicious.  And I love the warm feeling potato soup leaves in your stomach.  As I said before, it actually warms your soul.  You can feel it in your heart's center.  

I loved it but I hated it.  I hated it because it had some ridiculous amount of sour cream in it and I couldn't eat it again without feeling guilty.  It is a party soup.  But how will I warm my soul?  

This potato and leek soup has all the warming qualities without the additional fat.  And it is equally as delicious.  I topped mine with some goat cheese, chives and plenty of black pepper (instead of parsley).  We ate this up before our game of broomball tonight, which was played outdoors in 3 degree weather.  And don't worry, my soul stayed plenty warm.  

Namaste.

Potato Leek Soup

from use real butter

2 tbsps (1 oz.) butter or vegetable oil

4 leeks, trimmed of the roots and dark green parts, split, washed, and diced

salt to taste

pepper to taste

2 lbs. yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

2 tbsps fresh parsley, minced

Heat the oil or butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté until they wilt. This takes about 6 minutes or so. Season the leeks with salt and pepper to your liking. Add the potatoes, broth, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender. When the potatoes are soft, use an immersion blender or a regular blender to purée the soup. You can leave chunks if you like by blendering only half of the soup. It’s a matter of preference. Stir in the parsley and serve hot.

(Servings: 4-6, Prep time: 20 min., Cook time: 25 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  8/10

Scot (taste):  7/10

Effort:  2/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Tacos de Barbacoa

I am FREEZING!  I just had to tell you.  It is very cold here/right now and it feels like death.

Actually, the truth is that Mr. MN (Scot) has been whining about 45% more than ME about being cold.  I confronted him about this...his response:  "I know...Boulder is making me lose my thick skin".  His response was much less concise in reality, but that is the general idea.  

I am actually the master of dressing for cold weather.  It is the one situation in life where I truly know what I am doing.  We spent New Year's ice skating on a lake in the mountains and the windchill was like negative three thousand.  And I was very comfortable.  Plus, I don't whine.  I am perfect.  

Also, right now, my dog believes that the only possible place for him to sit is on my lap, under a blanket because he is so cold. If we are talking about babies, this guy can seriously not handle cold.  Anything below 10 is a struggle.  So, here is me, holding the fort and being the sole rock, keeping this family strong as we face these frigid days.  

I think I need to move on.  And I think it is obvious that I love tacos.  And as I have said before, I have a thing for tacos without cheese.  This is delicious beef barbacoa.  The meat is the star so the taco is simply topped with some chopped white onion, fresh cilantro and a generous squeeze of lime juice.  It was definitely my favorite combination of toppings because it was so fresh and flavorful, however, we also had some other options like avocado, salsa, and cheese.  

Tacos de Barbacoa

from Food.People.Want

1/3 cup cider vinegar

3 tablespoons lime juice

3-4 canned chipotle chiles

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

3 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons table salt or 3 teaspoons Kosher

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 pounds boneless chuck roast, excess fat removed

3/4 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed

3 bay leaves

20 warm corn tortillas

Diced white onion, chopped cilantro and lime wedges for garnish

Preheat the oven to 275°.

Combine the cider vinegar, lime juice, chipotle chiles, garlic cloves, cumin, oregano, clove, black pepper and salt in the bowl of a food processor or blender and puree until completely smooth — about a minute or so. Transfer the spice paste to a bowl and set aside.

Dry the roast all over with paper towels, cut away any excess fat and slice the meat into 4 evenly sized pieces. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a very large pot set over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Working in batches if necessary, sear the beef on all sides until deeply browned, about 10 minutes.

Add the chile puree to the pot and stir until the beef is well-coated. Add the chicken stock and bay leaves and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the lid with tin foil and add the lid to create a very tight seal. Place the pot in the oven and braise the meat for 5-6 hours, removing the lid during the last hour or so to allow the simmering liquid to reduce slightly. Allow the beef to cool slightly, spoon off any easily removable fat from the braising liquid and then use two forks to pull/shred the beef into bite size pieces.

Taste and adjust as necessary for seasonings. Serve spooned onto warm corn tortillas topped with diced white onion, chopped cilantro and lime wedges for garnish.

(Servings: 20 tacos, Prep time: 30 min., Cook time: 6 hrs., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  9/10

Scot (taste):  8/10

Effort:  4/5

Dishwashing Effort:  3/5

Goat Cheese and Chorizo Rolls

We brought this appetizer to some friends' house recently.  It is a phyllo dough roll filled with goat cheese, chorizo and chives with a chimichurri rojo dipping sauce.  I love this appetizer for lots of reasons.  First, these were delicious with very few ingredients.  Second, everything can be prepped in advance and just baked up right before they are served.  Third, yeah, probably the goat cheese did it for me.  

The recipe calls for a dry cured Spanish chorizo.  Something you would find at the deli or by the salami.  I couldn't find it so I just bought fresh Mexican chorizo and cooked it up and chopped it into tiny pieces.  I was careful to drain all the fat and make sure it wasn't too oily.  I thought it tasted great.  

I was kind of rushed when I made these because I had to make them in the morning.  Frozen phyllo dough needs to be defrosted in the fridge for at least 8 hours and then sit out for 2 hours before you can use it.  If you rush it, you will regret it.  It ended up working well for me, but I didn't use enough butter to seal all the rolls so some of them kind of exploded when I baked them.  But they still tasted delicious.  Lastly, the dipping sauce was great (Scot and I agreed that we liked them better with the sauce) but they had plenty of flavor without it too.  

Goat Cheese and Chorizo Rolls

by Food.People.Want

8 ounces fresh goat cheese

1 cup chopped dry chorizo

1 1/2 tablespoons minced chives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Nine 12-by-16-inch sheets of thawed phyllo dough

Melted butter, for brushing

Chimichurri rojo dipping sauce (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 400° and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine the goat cheese, chorizo and chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Lay a sheet of phyllo on a clean, dry work surface and brush it with melted butter. Top with two more sheets, lightly buttering each as you go. Cut the layered phyllo into six long rectangles. Place one tablespoon of the goat cheese filling at the base of each rectangle and roll up the phyllo, folding in the sides as you go. Repeat twice more to make 18 rolls total.

Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheets and brush the rolls with butter; bake for 10 minutes, or until golden. Serve hot with chimichurri rojo for dipping.

(Servings: 18 rolls, Prep time: 20 min., Cook time: 15 min., Difficulty: Intermediate)

Chimichurri Rojo

1/2 cup sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons hot paprika

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon toasted and ground cumin seeds

1 bay leaf broken in half

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to incorporate.

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  8/10

Scot (taste):  8/10

Effort:  3/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Salmon Tacos with Beet-Citrus Salsa

I haven't been posting a lot lately.  You know why?  Because we had SO much food to eat.  Since I made all these huge meals like lasagna, enchiladas, and the African stew...we have been eating leftovers for every meal.  Kind of nice actually.  But also...I can't eat another ounce of cheese for the rest of my life.  I am all cheesed out.  

I am just talking like regular cheese like mozzarella and cheddar.  I can still do goat cheese.  

And feta...that ain't even cheese.

That is what is so great about these tacos.  So fresh!  These tacos start with a sweet, flaked salmon topped with arugula, a beet and citrus salad (mine is kind of a slaw) and crumbled feta cheese.  I think it would also be great with some goat cheese instead of feta.  But I think that about everything.  :)  Actually, I think the creaminess would be great.    

If you want to know more about the nutritional information with this dish, check out Cara's breakdown.  She also crisps up her corn tortillas in the oven.  I just grilled mine in a little light oil to loosen them up.  She also includes directions to roast the beets.  I found some shredded at the salad bar at Whole Foods.  And it was already 8 pm.  And I still needed to check out, put away groceries and make dinner.  So, I figured I would try out the raw shredded beets.  Which, are delicious.  I do think it takes away some of the moisture from the tacos, but we still enjoyed them.  

Also, I loved the orange in the beet citrus salad.  I might even like two whole oranges in it.  I am crazy though.  Do whatever you like.  And like I say every time I cook fish in the oven, I'd rather pan fry it.  But, it is easier and healthier using the broiler method, so I am not hatin'.  

Salmon Tacos with Beet-Citrus Salsa

slightly adapted from Cara’s Cravings

1 recipe Beet-Citrus Salsa (see below)

8 oz of salmon

2 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp each cumin and chili powder

6 6" corn tortillas

2 cups arugula

crumbled feta cheese

Preheat the broiler. Mix together the brown sugar, chili powder and cumin. Place the salmon, skin side down, on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Rub the spice mixture onto the fish, then season with salt and pepper. Broil for 10-15 minutes, until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Flake the fish away from the skin (the skin will stick to the foil to be disposed of.) Divide the arugula, fish, and salsa among the taco shells, and sprinkle with feta before serving.

(Servings: 2, Prep time: 15 min., Cook time: 15 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Beet-Citrus Salsa

1 cup of shredded raw beet

1 small orange, segmented

2 tsp freshly grated ginger

1 small shallot, minced

1 small jalapeno pepper, minced

2 tbsp minced cilantro

juice of 1 lime

salt, to taste

Cut a small slice from the orange so that it can sit on a flat surface. With a paring knife, go around the orange, cutting away the skin and white flesh. Then, slice in between the "skins" of each segment to remove clean orange segments. Cut each segment into three pieces.

Combine the shredded beets and orange segments (and juice leftover) with remaining ingredients; adjust salt to taste.

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  8/10

Scot (taste):  7/10

Effort:  2/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

African Chicken Peanut Stew

I've been blogging here for almost a year.  A lot has changed since I began last January.  

First, I learned how to spell "vinaigrette".  Who knew?

Second, I stopped shopping at large supermarkets.  My life has improved by about 350% bc of that decision.  

Third, our grocery budget increased by that much too.  Jk.  We don't actually budget.  That is a good idea, tho.  NY Res!

Fourth, I discovered food blogging.  And Pioneer Woman.  And how much of a creep I am when I talk about her.

Fifth, I have tried well over 250 new recipes.  And found some real gems.  

Sixth, I love food way too much.

And my gift for you for the new year?  I have just now updated my recipe index.  I know, I am too kind.  It had been lacking any updating because I was having problems with the editor and didn't have time to figure it out.  Now all the recipes are there and organized.  

Anyways, who watches Top Chef?  I love it.  I love the Top Chef All-Stars even more.  All my favorites are there.  Scot and I especially love Carla.  She is hilarious and the sweetest competitor ever.  She recently won a elimination challenge by making an African Stew mildly similar to this one.  It was vegetarian and I just couldn't believe that a soup could beat out all the other dishes that seemed much more fancy schmancy (I love fancy schmancy).

Well, I found the recipe for her version.  Possibly the most complicated stew ever.  Even just the final layering of all the components to plate is ridiculous.  Although, I would love to someday try out a real deal Top Chef recipe...today is not the day.  

This version of an African Peanut Stew is much easier and much, much quicker.  Still not quick.  Takes over 2 hours to make.  But, it is delicious!  The main flavors are the peanuts, peanut butter, sweet potatoes, ginger, and coriander/cilantro.  I knew Scot would love this.  Those flavors are some of his favorites.  And he was raving.  I also loved the combination of the sweet flavors with coriander and the kick of spice from the cayenne.  The smell of it stewing brought me back to my trip to Mali.  

African Chicken Peanut Stew

from Simply Recipes

2-3 pounds chicken legs, thighs and/or wings

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 large yellow or white onion, sliced

A 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

6-8 garlic cloves, chopped roughly

2-3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes

1 quart chicken stock

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup roasted peanuts

1 Tbsp ground coriander

1 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

Salt and black pepper

1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

Heat the vegetable oil in a large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Salt the chicken pieces well, pat them dry and brown them in the oil. Don't crowd the pot, so do this in batches. Set the chicken pieces aside as they brown.

Sauté the onions in the oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes, then add the sweet potatoes and stir well to combine.

Add the chicken, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander and cayenne and stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer and taste for salt, adding more if needed. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 90 minutes (check after an hour), or until the chicken meat easily falls off the bone and the sweet potatoes are tender.

Remove the chicken pieces and set them in a bowl to cool, until cool enough to touch. Remove and discard the skin if you want, or chop it and put it back into the pot. Shred the meat off the bones and put the meat back in the pot.

Adjust the seasonings for salt and cayenne, then add as much black pepper as you think you can stand—the stew should be peppery. Stir in the cilantro and serve by itself, or with simple steamed rice.

(Servings: 6-8, Prep time: 30 min., Cook time: 2 hrs., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  8/10

Scot (taste):  10/10

Effort:  3/5

Dishwashing Effort:  3/5