At my birthday parties when I was younger, my mother always made a huge batch of pizza dough and everyone could choose their toppings to make their own personal pizzas. This was very special. I always loaded my 6-inch pizza with toppings three inches high because I wanted a little bit of everything (and more!) on mine.
Making homemade pizza gives me a nostalgic sort of feeling; I take great joy in it and hope to spread the tradition on to... well, my sister's children in the future.
Usually, I make a yeast-less dough because I do not have a lot of experience with yeast. However, I tried a yeast-dough this time for practice and also because I think it adds a lot to the crust. You decide. Personally, my crust preference is just a little doughy, but my boyfriend likes it crisp. The crust on this pizza was a happy medium: crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy (though not doughy) on the inside. I dipped my pizza in marinara sauce and vinaigrette.
Also, note to self: curry pizza? We'll have to try it.
Homemade Veggie Pizza
Dough:
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 c. warm water (about 110 degrees)
2 1/4 c. flour (a mixture of whole wheat and all purpose would be best)
2 T olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning (basil, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano, etc.)
Toppings:*
1 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. sliced peppers (I used yellow peppers)
1 tsp olive oil
1 c. marinara sauce
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 sliced tomato
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/8 c. vinaigrette**
In a large mixer bowl, dissolve yeast, sugar, and salt in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. It should have that pleasant, yeasty smell.
Add bread flour and olive oil to the yeast mixture; stir well with a fork to combine. Now beat well with a dough hook in an electric mixer (or knead with your hands) until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Saute onions and peppers until golden.
Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round ball and roll out into a pizza crust shape. Lay dough out onto a baking stone or other baking sheet. I always rub olive oil on the pan and sprinkle it with cornmeal before putting the dough on it to prevent sticking. Cut excess dough off and form a crust around the edges. Put in heated oven for about 5 minutes.
Remove the dough from oven. Cover with red sauce, cheese, tomatoes, then sauteed veggies. Sprinkle with garlic salt and perhaps some more herbs, then drizzle with vinaigrette. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
--
You'll have to forgive me for my lack of visual aids. I made the mistake of waiting until the last slice to take a picture; I heated it up, went to get my camera (maybe I got sidetracked taking pictures of my woof), and lo' and behold'! No more pizza. Whoops. Lesson learned. Sorry!
*Pizza is versatile; Put anything you could imagine on top! I've tried things like plums, zucchini, eggplant, pineapple and more--You can't go wrong.
**Vinaigrette is fairly simple to make; I use a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, water, and herbs.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Roasted Hazelnuts Two Ways
Something about carefully roasting nuts on a rainy fall morning just warms my insides. Their earthy fragrance mingles in the air with the sweet aroma of the apples I just happen to be drying. It really is quite pleasant.
Last year some friends and I picked pounds and pounds of hazelnuts from a local farm (for about 79 cents/pound!) and I still had a box of them hidden under my bed. Perfect day to roast them? I think so. Last night I spent about an hour and a half cracking the nuts on my bed (cue coffee cup for smashing, cutting board for base, and towel to prevent flyaways) while watching an episode of two or Star Trek.
I love Star Trek. I love Data and I love Picard. I love the whole crew.
Anyways, I made a gargantuan mess--nut casings all over my bedspread, pillows, and floor--but I enjoyed the smashing. No, I do not own a nutcracker. Yes, that may have been easier. But not so fun!
In the wee hours of the morning (well, 9 o'clock) I arose bright-eyed and ready. I had thought of two ideas the night before: curried hazelnuts and chocolate hazelnuts. Savory and sweet.
Let me tell you, I cannot get enough curry. Which is rather strange as I ate curry for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for about a week straight after the last batch I made. You'd think I'd be tired of it, but that is not so. I've been putting curry powder on my eggs in the morning, on my veggies, sprinkled on my cereal.
Well, maybe not my cereal... But anywhere I can. The curry hazelnuts had a nice, full flavor, but next time I'll add more curry powder and cayenne pepper and less salt.
Spiced Curry Hazelnuts
2 c. hazelnuts
2 T. butter
3/4 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. ground red cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 275 degrees and prepare a 9x12 pan covering it with parchment paper. Melt butter in sauce pan; stir in spices and hazelnuts. Turn into shallow baking pan. Bake in heated oven for 20 minutes, stirring nuts at the 10 minute interval.
I've borrowed another recipe from joythebaker.com! I slightly tweaked it though, using half the sugar and less butter. This recipe is actually very simple and satisfying. However, next time I will either lower the oven temperature to 275 degrees and/or lower the roasting time. Also, I might reduce the amount of butter by a tablespoon or two as well.
Salted Cocoa Roasted Hazelnuts
(Recipe adapted from Miss Joy)
3 cups nuts ( a mixture of hazelnuts, pecan halves and walnut halves would be best)
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place a rack in the center. Spread nuts out on a half sheet pan (17×12x1-inch) or a 9×13-inch baking pan works in a pinch. Toast nuts for 10 minutes. Remove from the sheet pan and set aside.
Scatter the butter pieces over sheet pan and place in the oven to melt. This should only take a few minutes. Remove the pan as soon as the butter is melted.
Now, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites. When the whites just start to hold their shape, gradually add the sugar and continue to whisk on medium-high for two minutes. The mixture will be sticky and shiny, but may be a bit thinner than meringue.
Sift the cocoa over the top of the beaten eggs and fold in. Pour the chocolate mixture over the toasted nuts and fold in.
Spoon the coated nuts on top of the butter on the baking sheet. Spread out into an even layer. Not all of the butter may be covered by nuts, that’s ok!
Bake nuts for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and quickly stir a bit. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, remove and stir once again. The meringue will look like it’s drying out a bit. This is when you add the salt. Sprinkle it on top of the meringue and nuts. Return to the oven for a final 10 minutes, remove and give it one final stir, breaking the nuts up a bit as you stir them.
When done, the butter should be absorbed and the nuts and coating crisp. Let cool completely before handling. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Last year some friends and I picked pounds and pounds of hazelnuts from a local farm (for about 79 cents/pound!) and I still had a box of them hidden under my bed. Perfect day to roast them? I think so. Last night I spent about an hour and a half cracking the nuts on my bed (cue coffee cup for smashing, cutting board for base, and towel to prevent flyaways) while watching an episode of two or Star Trek.
I love Star Trek. I love Data and I love Picard. I love the whole crew.
Anyways, I made a gargantuan mess--nut casings all over my bedspread, pillows, and floor--but I enjoyed the smashing. No, I do not own a nutcracker. Yes, that may have been easier. But not so fun!
In the wee hours of the morning (well, 9 o'clock) I arose bright-eyed and ready. I had thought of two ideas the night before: curried hazelnuts and chocolate hazelnuts. Savory and sweet.
Let me tell you, I cannot get enough curry. Which is rather strange as I ate curry for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for about a week straight after the last batch I made. You'd think I'd be tired of it, but that is not so. I've been putting curry powder on my eggs in the morning, on my veggies, sprinkled on my cereal.
Well, maybe not my cereal... But anywhere I can. The curry hazelnuts had a nice, full flavor, but next time I'll add more curry powder and cayenne pepper and less salt.
Spiced Curry Hazelnuts
2 c. hazelnuts
2 T. butter
3/4 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. ground red cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 275 degrees and prepare a 9x12 pan covering it with parchment paper. Melt butter in sauce pan; stir in spices and hazelnuts. Turn into shallow baking pan. Bake in heated oven for 20 minutes, stirring nuts at the 10 minute interval.
I've borrowed another recipe from joythebaker.com! I slightly tweaked it though, using half the sugar and less butter. This recipe is actually very simple and satisfying. However, next time I will either lower the oven temperature to 275 degrees and/or lower the roasting time. Also, I might reduce the amount of butter by a tablespoon or two as well.
Salted Cocoa Roasted Hazelnuts
(Recipe adapted from Miss Joy)
3 cups nuts ( a mixture of hazelnuts, pecan halves and walnut halves would be best)
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place a rack in the center. Spread nuts out on a half sheet pan (17×12x1-inch) or a 9×13-inch baking pan works in a pinch. Toast nuts for 10 minutes. Remove from the sheet pan and set aside.
Scatter the butter pieces over sheet pan and place in the oven to melt. This should only take a few minutes. Remove the pan as soon as the butter is melted.
Now, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites. When the whites just start to hold their shape, gradually add the sugar and continue to whisk on medium-high for two minutes. The mixture will be sticky and shiny, but may be a bit thinner than meringue.
Sift the cocoa over the top of the beaten eggs and fold in. Pour the chocolate mixture over the toasted nuts and fold in.
Spoon the coated nuts on top of the butter on the baking sheet. Spread out into an even layer. Not all of the butter may be covered by nuts, that’s ok!
Bake nuts for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and quickly stir a bit. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, remove and stir once again. The meringue will look like it’s drying out a bit. This is when you add the salt. Sprinkle it on top of the meringue and nuts. Return to the oven for a final 10 minutes, remove and give it one final stir, breaking the nuts up a bit as you stir them.
When done, the butter should be absorbed and the nuts and coating crisp. Let cool completely before handling. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
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