Pizza Margherita

Behold! The mother of all Pizzas! Classic, thin, simple pizza that is strikingly similar to the "real" pizza they make in Italy (or Brooklyn). If this recipe sounds good you should also check out my Calzone post (Click Here) and also my Veggie Pizza post (Click Here).

 Since this is a very simple dish with a very short ingredient list, quality ingredients are paramount. Use San Marzano tomatoes, Fresh Whole Mozzarella, Fresh Basil and good quality Olive Oil along with your preferred Pizza Dough. 

All Purpose Pizza Sauce: In a food processor, process a few tomatoes with a pinch of salt, a small crushed clove of garlic and a tablespoon or so of olive oil.

Bellisimo!

Pizza Tips: 

• Rest your dough! Even if you're using fresh store bought dough it's always best to let it rise and relax in a warm area for as long as possible. The texture will be better and it will be easier to roll/stretch out. 
• Make/buy your dough ahead of time! You can freeze it!
• Make your sauce ahead of time! You can freeze it!
• Don't over sauce your dough or use too many toppings with a high moisture content, such as fresh veggies. The top of your crust will be doughy and underdone.
• When using pepperoni: place between layers of paper towel and microwave for a short time (30 secs to a minute). You'll be amazed how much grease comes out. Added bonus: your pepperoni will be nice and crisp when they come out of the oven.
• Use plenty of olive oil on your pizza pan. It tastes great and will keep your pizza from sticking. 
• Cook your pizza on a lower oven rack at a high temperature, 400-500 degrees.

Presto!

If this recipe sounds good you should also check out my Calzone post and also my Veggie Pizza post.

Turkey Burger Sliders

Trying out some new recipes from a new cookbook (a gift from my in-laws, Thanks!) This is the first time I've ever bothered making sliders instead of full sized burgers but It's always nice to try something different. Of course you could just make these into 4 full sized quarter pound patties if you want. A nice tasty, and healthier, alternative to cheeseburgers. The Wife and I enjoyed them a lot with a side of Italian Oven Fries.

This recipe is adapted from The Chew Cookbook from the show on ABC. Click here to see/watch the recipe http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Turkey-Sliders-Clinton-Kelly. In my adaptation I dropped the egg white, added some cheese for extra flavor, reduced the onion and toasted the buns and cooked the patties in BUTTER!!! 

Makes 8 Sliders or 4 Quarter Pounders

Ingredients:

1 Lb       Ground Turkey
1/2        Yellow Onion, Grated (about 1/2 Cup)
2 Tbs      Dijon Mustard
1            Egg Yolk
1/2 Cup  Panko Bread Crumbs
1/4 Cup  Romano Cheese, Grated (or Parmesan, Asiago or another hard, dry cheese)
1 tsp      Cumin
1/2 tsp   Salt  
1/4 tsp   Pepper 

8 Potato Buns, Slider Buns, Dinner Rolls etc

Directions:

• In a medium mixing bowl lightly beat the Yolk then add the Turkey, Mustard, Cumin, Romano, Onion, Salt & Pepper. 
• Add some of the Bread Crumbs and begin to mix until combined. Add more bread crumbs as necessary for the mixture to be cohesive. Don't over mix!
• While you let the mixture sit melt some Butter on medium heat in a skillet and toast your Buns. Once toasted remove buns and wipe out the skillet with paper towels.

Mmm... Toasty Buns!

• Heat oil on medium heat in the skillet while you shape the mixture into 8 equal patties. Once the oil is hot add a bit of butter to the skillet and swirl the oil and butter together. Put the patties in the pan and leave them alone for 4 minutes. Season the top with extra salt & pepper. Then, turn them over and give them (at least) 4 minutes on the other side. 
• Note: It's very important that the turkey gets fully cooked to 165 F. Use a meat thermometer or cut into one of the sliders. There should be NO pink and the juices should be clear. Don't worry about over cooking them, the grated onion and breadcrumbs will make sure they stay juicy. 

Before

After

• Spread the buns with Mayo, Ketchup and Dijon and top with tomato and lettuce. You may need to toothpick the sliders together.

Oven Fries Recipe Coming Soon!

YUM!

Quick Pic: Better BLTs

What's the difference between an OK sandwich and a GREAT sandwich? Doing that little bit extra. Get a loaf of good bread, slice it and toast it gently. Then step up the flavor with with a tasty spread. I'm not a big Mayonnaise fan but if you mix it with smokey Chipotle Tobasco and put it on a bacon sandwich the results are amazing. The smokey heat of the Chipotle with the salty & sweet smokiness of Applewood Smoked Bacon make this sandwich a cut above the rest. 

 Toasted French Bread, Roma Tomatoes, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Baby Spinach and Chipotle Mayo. The only thing missing is some nice avocado. Mine weren't quite ripe yet. 

Drooling? Make it! Like it? Got some sandwich secrets of your own? Let me know in the comments! 

Albondigas

Mexican Meatballs in a Chipotle Tomato Sauce over Rice. It's a little bit like Mexican Spaghetti and Meatballs. If you like Albondigas Soup you'll like this spicier, tomato-ier cousin. We make it a lot, it's one of our favorites. I picked this dish up from an episode of Everyday Food on PBS a few years back and have tweaked it over time.

Meatballs:

1 Medium     Zucchini (Grated, Liquid squeezed out)

1 Medium     Yellow Onion (Grated, Liquid Squeezed out)

1/2 tsp         Cumin

1/4 tsp         Coriander

1/4 cup        Bread Crumbs (plain)

1                 Egg

1-1 1/2 Lbs  Ground Pork

Salt & Pepper

• First, grate a Zucchini and an Onion on the big holes of a cheese grater. Using a clean towel, cheese cloth, or paper towels squeeze out as much liquid as you can. 
• Lightly beat an egg in a mixing bowl. Add pork, zucchini, onion, bread crumbs and all the seasonings and combine until mixed. 
• Form mixture into 16 equally sized meatballs. Place meatballs on a baking sheet as you go.
• Put the meat balls into the freezer for 15 minutes. This will help keep them from falling apart and will promote browning in the pan.

Once they're in the freezer it time to make the sauce. It's super simple.

Sauce: 

1 28oz Can   Whole Peeled Tomatoes 

1-2              Chipotle Peppers OR 1-2 Tbs  Chipotle Tabasco Sauce 

Salt & Pepper

Either of these work well. The peppers give more heat, the tabasco gives more flavor. 

• Add tomatoes (just the whole tomatoes, not the juice they're packed in) and the chipotle to a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Season with Salt & Pepper

 Start heating a small amount of oil in a large skillet on Med-High. After the 15 minutes remove the meatballs from the freezer and cook them until they are well browned all over. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and bring to a simmer. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and let simmer 5 more minutes. 

After simmering

Serve over White Rice and top with Cilantro. (Don't skip the cilantro!) 

Rojo, Blanco y Verde

Hecho en mi cocina!
Also check out my Enchiladas Verdes and Crunchy Beef Tacos! 

Quick Pic: Veggie Pizza

I'm trying out my mobile blogger app. Here's tonight's dinner.

Sauted mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, red onion, garlic, cheddar, monetary jack and homemade pizza sauce. Topped with Parmesan and garlic salt. 
I use Leonardi's pizza dough from WinCo.

Pizza Tips: 

• Rest your dough! Even if you're using fresh store bought dough it's always best to let it rise and relax in a warm area for as long as possible. The texture will be better and it will be easier to roll/stretch out. 
• Make/buy your dough ahead of time! You can freeze it!
• Make your sauce ahead of time! You can freeze it!
• Don't over sauce your dough or use too many toppings with a high moisture content, such as fresh veggies. The top of your crust will be doughy and underdone.
• When using pepperoni: place between layers of paper towel and microwave for a short time (30 secs to a minute). You'll be amazed how much grease comes out. Added bonus: your pepperoni will be nice and crisp when they come out of the oven.
• Use plenty of olive oil on your pizza pan. It tastes great and will keep your pizza from sticking. 
• Cook your pizza on a lower oven rack at a high temperature, 400-500 degrees.

Quick Pic: Bruschetta

Here's a quick post for a quick appetizer:

Salt & Pepper to taste

Good bread + good tomatoes + good mozzarella + fresh basil + olive oil = Great appetizer! 

Pesto alla Trapanese

Pesto alla Trapanese is a Sicilian variation on a regular basil pesto. It's quick, easy, fresh, delicious AND requires almost NO cooking skill. This one is SO simple. With the right quality ingredients ANYONE can make this impressive, restaurant quality pasta dish!

Here's what you'll need

1/2 Cup      Packed Fresh Basil
10-12oz     Cherry or Grape Tomatoes 
1oz            Grated Parmigiano Reggiano (spring for the good stuff, now is not the time for cheapo parmesan) 
1/4 Cup      Toasted Almonds (skinless, slivered)
1Clove       Garlic (crushed, mined or pressed)
1/3 Cup      Extra Virgin Olive Oil (again, spring for something good)
1                Pepperoncini (Stems and seeds removed)
Pinch         Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
1 Tsp         Salt
1 lb            Pasta (I recommend thin spaghetti or linguine) 

• Toast the almonds in a skillet on medium heat until fragrant, toasty smelling. About 2 mins. Put the garlic, red pepper flakes (if using) and toasted almonds in a food processor. Pulse until almonds start to form a paste, you don't want hunks of almond in your sauce. Add the Basil, Tomatoes, Pepperoncini and salt to the processor and pulse while drizzling in the 1/3 cup of olive oil.

• Meanwhile, have your salted pasta water boiling. As soon as the pasta is al dente drain it and return it to the pot. Pour on your pesto and the the ounce of grated Parmigiano. 

The smell is incredible when the pesto hits the steaming pasta!!! 

• Toss and serve with bread.

Presto!

Try this quick and easy recipe and let me know how it turns out! I'd love to see/hear about your results! 

This is yet another recipe I got from Americas Test Kitchen. I seriously love those guys! http://www.americastestkitchen.com/ You can find this recipe and more like it in this book: