Author: Robert Andrews

Pots and Co – Little Pot of…

We just finished our trip back to the US from Spain on British Airways and were served the most marvelous dessert. A Chocolate and Orange “Little Pot.”

It is labeled as “an indulgent blend of milk and dark chocolate infused with fresh orange zest.”

Here is a link for researching items to serve with at our pizza restaurants.

http://usa.potsandco.com/

http://www.grandepizza.com

http://www.uncletonysnypizza.com

http://www.tonysoncentral.com

http://www.cheesenstuffdeli.com

 

Stuffed Mozzarella Burger

  1. Use a high-quality 80/20 ground chuck hamburger
  2. Pull off a tennis-ball sized chunk of hamburger, somewhat flatten, and season with salt and pepper
  3. Put hamburger patty in a 3.5 inch muffin baking ring
  4. Create a hole in the middle and stuff it with mozzarella cheese
  5. Cover cheese with some of the meat, then remove muffin ring
  6. Put over very high heat – preferably one with ridges to give good grill marks
  7. Prepare spread:  1 TBL mayonnaise, 1 TBL Dijon mustard and 1 TBL basil pesto
  8. Put on a hearty bun and serve with pickles, onion and lettuce on the side.
  9. Serve with your spread

Cookies – COLLECTION INDEX

Cookie Information – Search on COOKIE

Cookies for One or Two

Misc Cookies

Chocolate and Chocolate Chip

Sugar Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies

Molasses Cookies

Oatmeal Cookies

Rainbow Ice Pops

RED

  • Blend frozen strawberries, raspberries and banana
  • Add yogurt and a splash of water

YELLOW

  • Blend frozen mangos and banana
  • Add orange segments and yogurt

GREEN

  • Blend spinach with frozen banana
  • Add yogurt and a splash of honey

BLUE

  • Blend frozen blueberries, pineapple and banana
  • Add yogurt and a splash of water

VIOLET

  • Blend frozen raspberries and banana
  • Add yogurt and some beet juice

Freeze in Otter Pop tubes or Popsicle forms

Optionally, for more vibrant colors you can add a drop or two of food coloring

Asparagus – COLLECTION

  • Pencil thin asparagus has an intense flavor.
  • Older thicker asparagus has a milder flavor.
  • Dry cooking activates the amino acids, giving a meaty flavor
  • Moist cooking gives the asparagus more of a grassy flavor
  • Quick method:  Microwave in a wet paper towel 3-4 minutes
  • When buying, examine that stalks in the center
  • Stalks will dry from the bottom, and rot from the tips
  • Tips should be tightly packed
  • Store upright in a glass of water – like flowers

 

Twice Baked Mini-Potatoes

Based on a recipe by Barb Fenzel of Les Petites Gourmets

  1. Miniature potatoes
  2. Poke holes with a fork in miniature potatoes
  3. Halve a russet potato
  4. Combine 1 TBL Thunder Powder, 1 TBL sugar, 1 tsp CinnaSugar in a mixing bowl
  5. Coat mini potatoes with EVOO
  6. Coat mini potatoes with seasoning
  7. Bake all potatoes at 400º for 40 minutes
  8. Let all potatoes cool
  9. Cut the tips off the mini potatoes, so they sit flat, and then halve them.
  10. Scoop out the “meat” of the potatoes, being careful to not break the skin.
  11. Scoop out the russet meat as well.
  12. Combine the russet meat, half of the mini potato meat, and 1 TBL butter per 3 potatoes plus sour cream, chives and perhaps horseradish
  13. Crush the potatoes up and mix in just a bit of shredded cheese
  14. Put the filling back in the emptied shell of the mini potatoes
  15. Put on a sheet pan and bake at 350º for 8-10 minutes
  16. Garnish with chives or Thunder Powder

Edible Worms

  • Mix jello with HALF the liquid called for in the recipe
  • Alternate colors if you want, or if you want brown worms, use
    • blueberry and orange
    • raspberry and lime
    • lemon and grape
  • Close one end of straw (by folding) and tape in place
  • Put straws vertically into a tall glass
  • Pour slightly cooled jello into straws
  • Let cool for ½ hour in refrigerator
  • Using a pencil or pen, extrude the worm out onto a plate

Skillet Pizza with Stuffed Crust

I have two recipes for Skillet Pizzas here.  One is a Stuffed Crust, the other is a cast iron Sourdough Skillet Pizza.

Stuffed Crust

    1. Heat cast iron skillet to 425º in oven
    2. Flatten prepared pizza dough on counter top so that it is about 4 inches wider than the diameter of the skillet; then roll dough around a rolling pin for transportation to the skillet
    3. Add 1 TBL EVOO and 1 TBL butter to bottom of hot skillet
    4. Lay flattened dough carefully into hot skillet, 1-2” up the side – even spilling out over the edge
    5. Lay small sticks of mozzarella around the base of the pan, and fold the dough down over the cheese creating a “stuffed crust”
    6. Put a layer of sauce and shredded mozzarella on the bottom of the pizza
    7. Add cooked sausage, sauteed mushrooms, sauteed onion, olives, etc onto the cheese layer
      • NOTE:  If you use fresh onions, they should be on the top exposed to the direct heat
    8. Pour tomato sauce over toppings
    9. Sprinkle a bit more mozzarella on top
    10. Add pepperoni on the top if desired
    11. Bake at 450º for 20 minutes
    12. Top with fresh basil and grated Parmesan, and drizzle with EVOO

Sourdough Skillet Pizza

Start with making your Sourdough Starter.

Find it online: https://www.theperfectloaf.com/cornmeal-skillet-sourdough-pizza/

Cornmeal Skillet Sourdough Pizza

  • Author: Jennifer Latham
  • Prep Time: 5 hours
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 hours 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2 pizzas
  • Category: Lunch, Dinner
  • Cuisine: Italian, American

Description

This cornmeal skillet sourdough pizza recipe makes for an easy, hearty meal. The choose-your-own-adventure of topping your pizza is always fun, and the convenience of cooking it in a skillet eliminates the headache of shaping the rounds and trying to shimmy them off of a peel. The dough borrows some of the principles from sourdough country bread, such as a high-hydration and adding a porridge. This means the substantial crust is packed with flavor and has a pleasing, tender texture.

Ingredients

 

Cornmeal Porridge

  • 51g Cornmeal or Polenta
  • 202g Water

Main Dough

  • 337g Type 85 Bread Flour or High-Protein White Bread Flour
  • 127g Water
  • 8g Fine Sea Salt
  • 84g Ripe Sourdough Starter (100% Hydration)
  • All of the Porridge

Instructions

    1. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the cornmeal and 202g soaker water. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring often, until the cornmeal has thickened and is tender. Remove from the heat and let cool.
    2. In a medium mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment), combine the remaining 129g water, sourdough starter, cooled porridge, salt, and flour. Mix until everything is combined. Cover with a clean dish towel and let rest in a warm, draft-free spot for 20 minutes.
    3. Knead the dough in the bowl. To do so, lift up one side, fold it over the middle and press down. Rotate the bowl a quarter-turn and repeat. Continue lifting and folding for about 5 minutes. The dough should be pretty wet and sticky but cohesive. If the dough seems very stiff, you can add another tablespoon or two of water. 
    4. Let the dough rest for three hours in a warm spot—the dough temperature should remain about 82°F (28°C). Turn the dough in the bowl twice at regular intervals during bulk fermentation by lifting and folding (as you did for kneading) a few times.  
    5. After three hours, the dough should have increased noticeably and have bubbles on top and throughout. 
    6. Scoop the dough from the bowl onto a clean work surface. Divide in half and round gently into balls. Let rest on the worksurface for 5 minutes.
    7. Prepare two 10-inch cast iron skillets (or the shallow end of a Dutch oven/combo cooker) by coating them very well with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle a tablespoon of cornmeal over the bottom of each pan. (Alternatively, save one dough ball for later, see Notes.)
    8. Coat the dough balls with olive oil, either using your hands or a pastry brush. Set one ball in the middle of each skillet. Gently spread the dough flat in each pan, pressing and stretching with your fingertips. Don’t worry if it doesn’t quite stretch all the way; you can stretch it more just before cooking.
    9. Let the dough proof for about an hour (you don’t need to cover them, as the olive oil coating will keep them from drying out). During this time, preheat an empty oven with a rack in the middle to 500°F (260°C).
    10. After an hour, if the dough hasn’t spread all the way to the edges, you can gently press it out a little more.
    11. Top as desired, using a generous amount of toppings. (I usually start with a big spoonful of Bianco crushed tomatoes straight out of the can.)
    12. Cook the pizzas for about 20 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Check the pizzas after 10 minutes. If the toppings seem to be getting dark too quickly, turn the oven down to 450°F (230°C) and finish cooking.
    13. Remove the pans from the oven and let cool briefly. Carefully use a spatula to loosen the edges and remove the pizzas from the pans. If they stick, just take your time and use the spatula to loosen any stuck bits.
    14. Serve immediately.

Notes

One dough ball can be saved for the next day or up to two days later. After dividing the dough and balling each piece, place one in a small, oiled container with an airtight lid. Place the container into the refrigerator. To use, remove the dough from the refrigerator an hour before you want to use it, following Step 8 onward, above, with the dough.

 

Marshmallows

SUGAR TEMPERATURE CHART

Making your own is pretty easy

  • 3/4 oz gelatin
  • 1/2 C COLD Water
  • 1/2 C warm water
  • 1.5 C granulated sugar
  • 1 C Light corn syrup
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  1. Dissolve gelatin in cold water
  2. Let rest while you prepare hot mixture
  3. Heat water and sugar on medium high for 3-5 minutes
  4. Heat until 240º
  5. Add Light corn syrup to the pan
  6. Continue to heat until it goes up to 245º
  7. Take to your mixer and add to the gelatin in your mixer – POUR SLOWLY
  8. Beat as much air in as possible, so crank the speed up to high
  9. Beat about 12 minutes – longer for a stiff marshmaallow
  10. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract
  11. Spray a baking tray with oil, then pour in confectioner sugar and shake to dust
    ALTERNATELY PIPE INTO LONG STRIPS THEN SNIP INTO PIECES
  12. Pour into a flat baking tray using a greased spatula
  13. Smooth it out
  14. Paint with simple syrup
  15. Sprinkle with more confectioner sugar or dip into sparkles
  16. Turn out and cut with a pizza cutter
  17. Dust with a mixture of sugar and corn starch
  18. Store for up to three weeks

Science Corner

Here is some good information for you to remember in your cooking adventure.

How does elevation affect cooking?

  • Water boils at 212º at sea level
  • At 3,000 feet, the boiling point is 208º
  • A mile above (5,000 feet) it boils at 203º
  • A pressure cooker raises the boiling point to about 250º
  • This decreased pressure affects food preparation in two ways:
    • Water and other liquids evaporate faster and boil at lower temperatures.
    • Leavening gases in breads and cakes expand more quickly.
As altitude increases and atmospheric pressure decreases, the boiling point of water decreases. To compensate for the lower boiling point of water, the cooking time must be increased. Turning up the heat will not help cook food faster.  No matter how high the cooking temperature, water cannot exceed its own boiling point – unless if using a pressure cooker. Even if the heat is turned up, the water will simply boil away faster and whatever is being cooked will dry out faster.

Pressure Cooker Chicken

  1. Buy, trim, tie and season a whole 4-5 LB chicken.
    Be sure to remove bag of giblets
  2. Remove lid of pressure cooker and set aside
  3. Heat 3 TBL butter in the bottom of pressure cooker
  4. As soon as melted, add 1 sliced onion
  5. When onion starts to brown, add 4 cloves of garlic
  6. When fragrant add 3 chopped carrots, 2 stalks chopped celery and 1/4 tsp baking soda
  7. Stir to coat, then add 8 C distilled water
  8. Add 1 tsp thyme, 2 Bay leaves and 2 TBL soy sauce or fish sauce
  9. Place meat on top of veggies – breast side up
  10. Lock lid in place and put to high heat
  11. As soon as pressure starts to register, reduce heat to medium high
  12. At Level 1 (medium pressure) reduce heat to medium
  13. At Level 2 (high pressure) reduce heat to medium low and start timing 60 minutes
  14. Reduce or raise heat to keep pressure varying between medium to high pressure
    Do not let it raise too high that you get an excess of steam coming from the pan
    Do not let it reduce too low that it falls below Level 1 pressure
  15. At the end of 20 minutes, remove it from the burner and set on a trivet
  16. During this time, put foil on top of a cutting board.  You will be wrapping the meat after it has been removed
  17. Finish with a quick release and set the meat on the foil
  18. Tent (or otherwise cover) the meat with foil for 10 minutes
  19. While the meat rests, strain the juice from the pressure cooker – reserving the liquid
  20. Let liquid cool a bit while you shred the chicken.  Do not add back to the liquid yet.
  21. Strain off whatever grease has risen to the top, the put back on medium heat.
  22. When back to a high simmer, add 4-5 oz of egg noodles.
  23. Simmer egg noodles for 5 minutes
  24. Add your shredded chicken back to the liquid
  25. Serve in a soup bowl and top with parsley, salt and pepper

Rajas

Rajas simply means STRIPS in Spanish, so you can actually use any pepper – but I prefer to use prepared Poblano peppers. For MY recipe, the peppers are always prepared the same way. The difference is what you do with them. Read on…

Preparing your Poblanos

  1. If you have a gas stove, blister/blacken 8 poblano chiles over a medium-high flame.  If you have an electric stove, put them under the broiler until mostly blackened.
  2. Wrap them immediately in a paper towel and put into a zip-lock baggie for 8-10 minutes.
  3. The skin will peel off easily.  Discard the skin.  Some people (the crazy ones) will rinse their peppers.  I recommend that you do not wash away the wonderful smoky flavor.  Just peel them.
  4. Split the peppers open and scrape out the seeds, and discard the seeds.  Leave the peppers as whole and intact as possible.
  5. You are now ready to create your Rajas.

Rajas en Escabeche (in Vinegar)

  1. Slice a sweet onion in thin slices
  2. Saute over low heat in 2 TBL olive oil and 2 TBL butter
  3. Add 3 cloves thinly sliced garlic
  4. Add 3 bay leaves, 10 black peppercorns, 5 cloves, 1 tsp crushed oregano and 1 tsp thyme
  5. Add 1 tsp brown sugar and 2 tsp salt
  6. Add 1/2 C rice wine vinegar and 1/2 C white distilled vinegar
  7. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 10-15 minutes
  8. Meanwhile peel your poblanos and cut into strips – removing seeds (SEE ABOVE)
  9. When reduced to about half gently toss in your poblano strips
  10. Move the mixture to a jar using a slotted spoon, and pour hot liquid over the top
  11. Refrigerate for 2-3 weeks

Rajas de Queso aka Rajas con Crema

Prepare as above, but after Step 5, proceed as follows:

  1. Mix in strips of poblano chilies and toss gently
  2. Optionally add 1 can of whole kernel corn
  3. Remove from heat and add in 1/2 C crema Mexicana or sour cream
  4. Mix well, then add 1/2 C shredded Asadero cheese or Oaxaca cheese
    Alternately you can use Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese
  5. Serve immediately with corn tortillas or taco shells
    Can keep for up to a week, but it is much better fresh

 

 

Onion Tart

  • 3-4 sweet onions – sliced medium pieces
  • 1/2 C balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1 C water
  1. Simmer sliced onion and other ingredients for 20-30 minutes
  2. Spread pizza dough on flat baking pan
  3. Using slotted spoon to place onions on dough – discard liquid
  4. Sprinkle lightly with shred mozzarella and cheddar
  5. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350º
  6. Top with goat cheese
  7. Put back into oven for three minutes

Optional toppings:  Garlic, Kalamata olives, proscuitto, bacon, ham, tomatoes, etc.

 

Soboro Don

Basically chicken, rice and eggs.  Also served with chicken, veggie and eggs.

RECIPE ONE

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp neutral flavor oil (vegetable, canola, etc)
  • ½ lb ground chicken (you can also mince chicken breasts/thighs)
  • 1 tsp ginger (grated, with juice)
  • 1 Tbsp sake
  • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp mirin
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 large eggs (beaten)
  • 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp neutral flavor oil (vegetable, canola, etc)
  • 2-3 servings cooked Japanese short grain rice
  • ¼ cup green peas, French cut green beans or edamame (defrosted)
  • Pickled red ginger (kizami shoga)

Step by Step

  1. Cook the chicken in oil on medium low heat stirring continually
  2. While the chicken is still slightly undercooked pour in the sake, mirin and soy
  3. When the chicken is done (but not dry) add 2 TBL sugar and grated ginger
  4. Cook until most of the liquid is gone
  5. Transfer to a bowl and set aside
  6. Beat the egg well and add 1 TBL sugar
  7. Cook/beat the egg until it is in small pieces
  8. Plate in thirds – rice, chicken and egg
  9. Top with edamame and pickled ginger

RECIPE TWO (brief)

  1. Marinate 1 lb ground or minced chicken in 2 TBL each sake, mirin, soy, ginger and sugar.
  2. Scramble 3-4 eggs and chop into small pieces
  3. Finish rice according to appropriate instructions
  4. Alternately you can serve green beans as a fourth item, or in place of rice.
  5. Garnish with chives or peas, then ginger.

Here is a link to other Soboro Don recipes.

Lamb Meatballs in Lemon Sauce

Meatballs

  • ground lamb
  • salt
  • egg
  • bread crumbs
  • yogurt
  • toasted pine nuts
  • parsley
  • lemon rind
  • grated Parmesan cheese
    1.  Mix ingredients, make 1.5 inch balls
    2.  Bake 20 minutes at 400º

Sauce

  • egg
  • lemon juice
  • stock
  • salt pepper
    1.  Whisk together and heat over VERY low heat until thickened
    2.  Strain to remove the inevitable lumps

Serve with FETTUNTA

  • Toast plain bread
  • Brush with garlic and EVOO

 

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