pasta + anchovied breadcrumbs

its hard to fight stinky fish stereo-types. but fight them i must. i bought a tin and had it on the table next to a pound of spaghetti in preparation for cooking when my italian from italy friend rosa came over and said “i'm making the same thing for dinner”. this is good news. great news. i feel so authentic. and the results? outstanding. look out stereo-types, here i come.

the breadcrumbs add a really cool texture to the pasta, even reheated over the next few days, and coming from a leftover snob, that’s saying something. when i make this again, i will go heavier on the anchovies – i think i will use the whole tin. (btw, these breadcrumbs are courtesy of last week’s french bread, and they smell amazing.)

spaghetti w/ anchovied breadcrumbs (adapted from bon appétit)

1lb spaghetti

3 Tbsp olive oil

6 anchovy fillets, mashed to paste w/ 1 tsp oil from the can

3 garlic cloves, pressed

1 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs

1lb cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup thinly sliced basil

½ cup freshly grated parmesan

cook spaghetti to al dente. drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. heat 1½ Tbsp olive oil in skillet over med heat. add anchovies and half of the garlic, then breadcrumbs. cook breadcrumbs until golden, tossing to distribute evenly, about 5min. scrape crumbs onto plate and cool. heat remaining 1½ Tbsp olive oil in same skillet over med heat. add tomatoes and remaining garlic. cook until tomatoes begin to break down, 3 to 4min. add pasta, basil, cheese and reserved cooking liquid. toss, mix in half of breadcrumbs. season with salt and pepper. transfer to pasta bowl. top with remaining breadcrumbs. serve.

move over potatoes, there's a new side in town

(it seems i neglected to photograph these guys on their own)

nathan goes so far as to say that these could easily replace potatoes as a side. bold talk. but he might be right. the crunchy breadcrumb topping makes these a little more substantial than your average vegetable, and my mom says that artichokes are higher in starch than many other veggies. a brief wikipedia read tells me that there is such a thing as artichoke tea and artichoke liqueur. i had no idea these guys had such a wide range.

artichoke heart gratinata (adapted from giada, food network)

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1lb frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

½ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp red pepper flakes

½ cup dry white wine

2 Tbsp butter, melted

½ cup plain bread crumbs

½ cup grated parmesan

preheat oven to 450F. warm olive oil in skillet over med-high heat. add garlic, cook 1min. add artichoke hearts, parsley, salt, and peppers. cook until artichoke hearts start to brown, about 3min. add wine, simmer about 3min. transfer to 2qt baking dish. combine melted butter, bread crumbs and parmesan. sprinkle on top of artichokes. bake until golden, about 10min.

h.n.l. rib-eyes

in reviewing my stand on steak, i’m pretty sure i feel strongly that naked is best. well, not completely, there can be salt and pepper. a decent cut of cow is pretty good without a lot of hoopla. at least that’s what i thought last week. this week is a whole new beef ballgame. the tang of the vinegar, the bite of the capers, the creamy goodness of the gorgonzola all work together to take these steaks to the h.n.l.

formal rib-eyes (adapted from bon appétit)

vinaigrette

½ cup balsamic vinegar

½ cup minced shallots

¼ cup olive oil

¼ tsp dried crushed red pepper

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 Tbsp drained capers

¼ cup crumbled gorgonzola

simmer vinegar in small pan over med heat until reduced to ¼ cups, about 6min. add shallots, olive oil, and crushed red pepper. return to simmer. remove from heat. whisk in parsley and capers. season with salt and pepper.

steaks

olive oil

3 garlic cloves, pressed

2 boneless rib-eyes

4 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp coarse sea salt

2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

rub both sides of steaks with oil and garlic. mix paprika, salt and pepper. sprinkle on both sides of steaks. let stand 1hr. grill over med-high heat to desired doneness. plate: bed of mache, steak, vinaigrette, cheese. enjoy!

Back to Bread: Pizza Crust

Unfortunately, the under-microwave above stove light casts an unflattering hue. I should learn from this, and stop taking pictures at that location. I should, but will I?

The KitchenAid and it's trusty recipes have done it again. Two successful pizzas under my belt, I am encouraged to reach for greatness. I baked the crusts for 10 minutes without any toppings, then 20 minutes with toppings. As we weren't ready to eat yet, I let them repose in the turned off oven to keep them warm. That might have been too much - the crusts were a little crispier than I would have liked. But no matter, they were still pretty good, especially since there was no middle of the pizza sogginess. And there was much rejoicing.

Speaking of toppings...

Pizza #1: your basic tomato-mozz combo. I halved grape tomatoes & briefly sauteed them with garlicky olive oil. Sprinkled over pizza along w/ sauteed crushed garlic, chopped fresh mozzarella, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, dried oregano, and shaved parmesan.

Pizza #2: zucchini-ricotta. Spread a little ricotta around the crust in lieu of sauce. Top with sauteed zucchini slices & garlic. Same spices as above and a dusting of parmesan.

To accompany the pizzas, we had a little beet & blue cheese salad. Enhanced with just a pinch of pink salt - if you look closely you can see the flecks. Next time add pepper, and maybe some balsamic, but a good combination of flavours. And the beets held their texture well - I boiled them last week. Overall - success! :)

(From the KitchenAid manual)

Crusty Pizza Dough

1 pkg active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp olive oil

2 1/2+ cups all-purpose flour

1 tbs cornmeal

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add salt, olive oil, and 2 1/2 cups flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute.

Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix about 1 1/2 minutes, or until dough starts to clean sides of bowl. Knead on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer.

Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down.

Brush 14" pizza pan with oil. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Press dough across bottom of pan, forming a collar around edge to hold toppings. Add toppings, as desired. Bake at 450F for 15-20 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings (1/4 pizza per serving).

Per serving: About 373 cal, 11 g protein, 74 g carb, 3 g fat, 0 mg chol, 271 mg sodium.

Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

The biscotti are crunchy, and these are melt-in-your mouth smooth. I didn't have instant espresso powder, so just made some really strong espresso and used that. There is a hint of coffee to these cookies, which goes really well with the shards of chocolate. Also, I used Plugra butter - I don't know if I can taste it, but my heart wants to believe. :)

http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/12/espresso-chocolate-shortbread-cookies/

Anise Biscotti

I started out making the Chocolate-Orange recipe from the link below. I didn't have any orange liqueur, but I had orange bitters, and thought those might pass. The sniff test rejected them as an option though. Next to the bitters was a bottle of Pernod, and having replaced the orange peel with crushed anise seed, I ended up with a whole different cookie. To make them roommate-friendly, I also forewent the chocolate. Beware coffee & tea cups, you're about to get dunked!

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2003/08/chocolate_orange_biscotti

Zucchini-Sweet Potato Bread

I'm still on the hunt for the perfect zucchini bread recipe, but definitely getting warmer. This recipe produced a delicious loaf, but I think I'm going to try it again with less oil and less sugar. The flavour was good - I'm loving the allspice. And that crispy top is a wonderful combination of flavour and texture. (I used a combination of shredded sweet potato and zucchini.)

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2004/06/spiced_zucchini-walnut_bread

the glory fades

I dream of Crescenza Luisi's focaccia bread.

I dream of making Crescenza Luisi's focaccia bread.

Today's attempt was a nightmare.

Moving on...

The sign advertising kumquats said "eat them whole." How could I resist?

I cannot at this moment recall a more exciting product of the ground. It is like a tiny orange. Only you eat the rind. The rind is slightly bitter and kind of sweet. The flesh is juicy and sour. The mini-orange explodes in your mouth. It's a sweet/sour/tangy/juicy explosion!

And now, in order to preserve the remainder of the package, they are candied and in the fridge. I plan to add them to a cake (perhaps of the coffee persuasion) and I think they are screaming to be part of a cocktail. Results to follow.

French Bread!

Yes, that's right, courtesy of my favourite mom & dad (thank you thank you thank you), I am now the proud owner of this most holy grail of kitchen appliances. (As far as I know, drinking from it's stainless steel bowl will not guarantee eternal life, but a lifetime of perfectly mixed ingredients is guaranteed.)

To inaugurate this new addition to my life, I made bread. French bread, to be specific. The mixer came with a manual that includes several recipes, French bread among them. In 3 minutes (3 minutes!), my dough was kneaded and ready to rise. C'est magnifique!

FRENCH BREAD

2 pkgs (4.5tsp) active dry yeast

2.5c warm water

1T salt

1T butter, melted

7c all-purpose flour

2tsp cornmeal

1 egg white

1T cold water

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add salt, butter, and flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute, or until well blended. Knead on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer. Dough will be sticky.

Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down and divide in half. Roll each half into 12" x 15" rectangle. Roll dough tightly, from longest side, tapering ends if desired. Place loaves on greased baking sheets that have been dusted with cornmeal. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

With sharp knife, make 4 diagonal cuts on top of each loaf. Bake at 450F for 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Beat egg white and water together with a fork. Brush each loaf with egg mixture. Return to oven and bake 5 to 10 minutes longer. Remove from baking sheets immediately and cool on wire racks.

Yield: 30 servings (15 slices per loaf)

Per serving: About 114cal, 3g protein, 23g carb, 1g fat, 0mg chol, 221mg sodium

Personal Notes: Kind of cool today, 1st rising in 170F oven, 2nd rising in 170F oven turned off. King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour ($4.49/5lbs). Rolled out on pastry marble - so much better than formica countertop. Loaves bigger than I expected - next time use 2 pans. Post egg wash, baked for full 10 minutes.