Thin Crust Pizza - With Artisanal Baker's Dough

I am not sure what it is with pizza. It is easy to get anyone into good spirits just by mentioning it. I normally don't make pizza because it feels like a lot of work. I changed my opinion a tiny little bit when I tried this whole wheat pizza crust. While the crust is the hardest part of pizza making, getting the toppings ready and baking it is the fun part. Unlike store bought pizzas, in home made pizzas you are free to add the toppings you like and as much or as little as you want.

The crust when the dough is made at home is the best part of the whole equation. The same Washington Post Food Section which carried the blueberry cake also had the recipe for a pizza made with Artisanal Baker's Dough. Baking pizza has become something of a conquest for me in terms of challenge.

Take the flour in a bowl, add the yeast and salt.
Whisk the dry ingredients and then add the milk followed, .
by the oil. Use a fork or with the fingers mix the flour into the liquid.
Knead into a ball and transfer to a larger well oiled bowl. Place wax paper on top of the dough. Cover and let sit in a warm place ideally for 24 hours.
Get the vegetables ready by grilling or broiling them till almost cooked.
Place a desired size ball of dough on a floured board, I used a lemon sized ball and roll it out thin.
Dust the lined baking sheet with some corn meal, transferred the rolled pizza dough on it. Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 6 minutes till the underside starts getting brown spots.
Flip the pizza so the browned side comes on top. Get the pizza sauce ready.
Apply the pizza sauce, arrange the desired topping and bake for another 4-5 minutes till the cheese is melted and the other side is browned as well.

The recipe is pretty simple and though the recipe called for fermenting the dough for 24 hours mine had just about 8 hours and it came out just fine. The fermentation replaces the kneading in this recipe so the longer it ferments the better is I guess. I used homemade pizza sauce and grilled vegetables as topping for the pizza.

Thin Crust Pizza - With Artisanal Baker's Dough
Preparation Time:20 minutes + 8-24 hours fermentation
Cooking Time:30-40 minutes
Serves: 5
Ingredients

1. 3 cups unbleached bread flour
2. 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
3. 3/4 tsp kosher salt
4. 1 1/2 cups of 2% percent milk
5. 2 tbsp olive oil + 2 tsp more for the bowl
6. 1/4 cup of corn meal

Method

1. Whisk together the flour, salt and salt in a mixing bowl.
2. Add in the oil and then the milk to the flour and using a fork mix the liquid into the flour.
3. Knead the dough enough to make it into a ball.
4. Oil a larger bowl, place the dough, apply some oil over the dough, place a wax paper and cover the bowl with a wet towel.
5. Place the dough in a warm place for 24 hours. The fermenting that takes place replaces the kneading that is required. (I placed in the oven with the light on).
6. Once you are ready to use the dough, separate them into required size and roll them out.
Making the Pizza Sauce - Harissa flavored
7. 2-3 tomatoes pureed
8. 4 cloves of garlic minced
9. 1/4 of an onion minced
10. 1/2 - 1 tbsp olive
11. 1 tbsp harissa or salt and any spice of choice
12. In a saute pan, heat the olive oil and add in the garlic and onions and saute for a minute. Pour in the tomatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes or so.
13. Add in the harissa paste and cook for another 10-15 minutes till the tomatoes sauce has become thick and most of the water has evaporated.
Making the Pizza
14. Preheat oven to 350 F.
15. On a floured board, place the ball of dough and roll out the pizza into desired thickness.
16. On a Pizza stone or a grill pan, spread a little bit of corn flour and place the rolled out pizza.
17. Bake on one side for 6 minutes, by this the underside should have brown spots.
18. Flip the pizza, so that the browned side is on top. Place the toppings and cook for another 4-5 minutes till the pizza is done.
Arranging the Topping
19. Spray the vegetables with oil and broil in a toaster oven till they are partially cooked. (I used pobalano pepper, mushrooms, onions, jalepeno pickled pepper and smoked turkey slices.
20. Spread pizza sauce on the browned side of the pizza, place sliced mozzarella cheese mingled with the roasted vegetables and bake for another 4-5 minutes till done.

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Minced Turkey and Macaroni

Hope all of you are enjoying the summer! The days are longer but I hardly seem to have any time. On days like that all of us know that pasta comes quite handy for a quick dinner. The only problem being that pasta gets blah pretty soon. Ok anyway for me. So I need something that gives it an extra something.

Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

Saute the minced onions and garlic. Add in the red pepper sauce and saute for a few more minutes.
Add in the minced turkey and saute till turkey is cooked and is separate. Add in the chili powder, cumin and pepper powder.
Add in the tomatoes, mix it in and cook for a few minutes and add the corn and let cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Cook the pasta, drain and add it to the turkey mixture, cook for another 2-3 minutes, add shredded cheese mix it in and turn off the heat.

I saw this recipe for Hamburger and Macaroni and it seemed like a prefect recipe with the minced turkey I had on hand. Minced chicken, lamb or beef can all work for this recipe. We like this slightly spicy as is the case with all meat based dishes but the amount of heat is totally upto you.

Minced Turkey and Macaroni
Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time:25-30 minutes
Serves : 4-6
Ingredients

1. 1 lb minced turkey
2. 14 oz pack of whole wheat macaroni or elbow pasta
3. 1 cup of finely diced tomatoes, I used canned diced tomatoes
4. 1 tbsp of pepper garlic sauce (store bought, had garlic, red pepper and parsley in olive oil but was not spicy)-substitute with minced red pepper and parsley (or just leave it out)
5. 1 cup of finely diced onions
6. 2 tsp red chili powder
7. 2 tsp of black pepper
8. 1/4 tsp of cumin powder
9. 1 cup of corn kernels (i used frozen) (optional)
10. salt to taste
11. 1 tsp of olive oil (or more, the pepper garlic sauce had a lot of oil)
12. 1/4 cup of shredded cheese (any cheese of choice) (more for serving)

Method

1. In a wide mouthed pan heat oil and add the onion and saute till translucent.
2. Add in the garlic saute for a minute more and add in the pepper garlic sauce for about 2 minutes.
3. Now add the minced turkey and let it cook till for about 4-5 minutes.
   
4. Now add the chili powder,cumin and black pepper and mix it in. Let the turkey be completely cooked and the pieces are nice and separate.
5. Set the pasta to cook as per cooking directions. Do not drain just yet.
6. To the turkey add the tomatoes,salt and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Now add in the corn kernels and let them cook for another 4-5 minutes.
7. Add the drained pasta mix it in to the tomatoes and minced turkey. Add the shredded cheese give a good mix. About 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat.

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Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Crust - Vegetable Pizza with Homemade Pizza Sauce

"Gut Bacteria" is all the rage now! Just kidding guys. In the last couple of weeks I have read and heard 2 articles regarding gut bacteria. We all know that good bacteria are necessary for our intestinal health. The reason we are advised to eat yogurt(curd) after a course of antibiotics.

But wait that is not all, gut bacteria might explain why some people are depressed and the others not so much. The gut bacteria might be doing good work or not. Read/Listen to learn more - Gut Bacteria Might Guide The Workings Of Our Minds. Who knew that bacteria played such an important role. All of us know that bacteria cause nasty diseases to be banished with a heavy dose of antibiotics. Of course, Of course there is good bacteria and bad bacteria but we don't pay too much attention to the good kind. Don't forget to eat your yogurt and the good bacteria is made by good diet.

And then in a recent article in the Washington Post - Gut Check. I read that these very same microbes maybe the reason why someone is fat or thin. Interesting isn't?

Moreover how does one get the desired microbes rather than the ones that you don't want? Diet of course. Now that we have learned more than we ever want to know about bacteria in the gut let us move on to some tasty fare.

Who doesn't like pizza? Raise your hands! I knew it not that many. I do not go looking for pizza but if I come across one I don't have the self control to reject it. Eat it and feel bloated and miserable. The problem is the cheese and the oily nature of store bought pizzas. The kids behave like I never feed them any food at all once they look at a pizza gobbling them up like nobody's business.

(1) Flour along with the oil, salt and yogurt. (2) Yeast after 10 minutes of sitting in sugar and water solution.
(1)Prepared dough, apply oil and cover with a moist kitchen towel and place in a warm place. (2)After an hour in the oven.
Roll out the dough and arrange the desired toppings.

It was time to conquer my fear of yeast and make some pizza at home. On hindsight I should have done it much earlier. It was kind of too easy. The only problem when I made the pizza was to add the water recommended in the recipe and that was not such a great idea. It is good to use the liquids measurements as a guideline and go with what the texture of the dough is saying to your hands.

I followed this recipe for whole wheat pizza on a website called Tablespoon. I made one small change and added yogurt to the mix. I double the recipe and made naans with the leftover dough so make more than what you need and refrigerate the rest for some bonus treats the next day.

When you are making pizza it is also good to decide what toppings you are going to use and have those ready. We used mushrooms, pickled jalapenos, roasted red peppers and mozzarella cheese. I made a very simple pizza sauce at home since I forgot about that entirely. But as luck would have it I had a container of leftover Pomi tomatoes and that my dear friends is the best tomato for sauces. Period. If you only have fresh tomatoes on hand never you mind, puree them and use. But seriously you should have a few of those in your pantry. I am not a big fan of canned anything and rarely if ever buy canned stuff but these tomatoes they are something else altogether.


I doubled the recipe and made 3 pizzas and save the leftover dough. Recipe coming up next. These pizzas were one of the lightest, airy and crunchy pizzas we have ever tasted.

Whole Wheat Pizza
Preparation Time:1-2 hours
Cooking Time:45 minutes
For 2 Medium sized pizzas

Ingredients - For the Crust

1. 2 1/2 cups of Whole Wheat Flour - I used a combination of unbleached Whole Wheat Flour and White Whole Wheat Flour and some Chapati flour
2. 1 packets of pizza yeast or 2 1/4 tsp of active yeast
3. 1 heaped tbsp of yogurt (optional)
4. 1/2 tsp of salt
5. 1 tbsp of sugar
6. 1 tbsp of olive oil
7. 1/2 cup of warm water - this is only a guideline (use enough to make a slight loose but pliable dough good enough for rolling out)

Method

1. Combine the yeast, sugar and about 2 tbsp of water and let it sit for 5 minutes or so.
2. Heat the water and let it get warm (not hot) enough to the touch.
3. Combine the rest of the sugar, flour,salt, yogurt and the olive oil in a mixing bowl.
4. Add in the yeast and slowly add the water so the dough becomes soft and pliable. The dough should be slightly loose but pliable and ready to roll, so don't add too much water. If you do don't worry but you have to do some extra work. (see Note:)
5. Apply some oil over the ball of dough and set it in a warm place for an hour. The dough should rise with all the yeast action. Punch it down knead a bit and separate into 2 balls.
6. Roll them out using a roller into a thin crust or grease a pizza pan and pat them out with your fingers into a thin crust into any shape that emerges.Let sit for at least 10 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 500 F. While the oven is heating arrange the desired toppings(see below). Brush the sides of the crust with olive oil.
8. Bake for 15 minutes till the crust is golden on the sides. Let sit for 5-10 minutes and then slice and serve.
   
9. Note:If your dough is too loose after it rises you have to add more flour. On a clean surface add more flour(I used chapati flour for this but whole wheat flour is fine too) and knead the dough, bring the dough together with dry flour so it gets pliable and is not sticky and loose to the touch. I had to add about 1/2 cup extra flour because I added a bit too much water.



10. Refrigerate the extra dough after applying some oil on the surface. Cover it with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel.



11. I used the pizza pan with holes for the baking.

For the Pizza Sauce

1. 1 cup of thick tomato Puree (I used POMI brand chopped tomatoes)
2. 3 cloves of garlic chopped fine
3. 1 tbsp olive oil
4. salt to taste
5. 2-3 tsp of red chili powder (black pepper will work too, we wanted this on the spicy side)
6. In a pan heat the olive oil add the garlic saute for a minute and then add the tomato puree, along with salt and chili powder.
7. Let cook for about 15-20 minutes on medium low till the tomatoes are cooked and slightly thick and the oil leaves the sides. Set Aside.

Toppings - Making the Pizza

1. Bell Pepper, Mushrooms, Jalapenos, Mozarella Cheese
2. Cut the Bell Pepper into strips, drizzle with olive oil/grape seed oil and roast for about 10 minutes. Set aside
3. Slice the mushrooms into slices and set aside.
4. Cut the mozarella cheese into slices
5. On the rolled out pizza dough, spread the pizza sauce on top, I like only a meagre amount but feel free to add as much as you want.
6. Arrange the vegetables first, top with the mozarella cheese and slide into the oven for baking.

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Spicy Turkey Meat Sauce with Penne Pasta

I have looked at them with relish but unable to taste. The bright red color gives the appearance of heat and my mouth start to water. I have seen home made ones, restaurant ones and take out ones and they all look tasty and delicious. But I have never tasted them.

I figure you have guessed by now that I am talking about meat sauce. Meat sauce is usually made with beef and I don't eat them. I have watched it being cooked on TV so many times that I could do it in my sleep. So on my last visit to the Dutch (Amish) market I bought some minced turkey meat.

This is one recipe everybody should have in their repertoire for those nights when you want taste but don't want to work too hard. Substitute with any minced meat that suits you.

Spicy Turkey Meat Sauce with Penne Pasta
Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time:25 minutes
Ingredients

1. 14oz box of whole wheat penne pasta. (for 4 people dinner + 1 person lunch I used a little less than 3/4th of a box)
2. 3 medium sized tomatoes about 1 1/2 cups of finely diced tomatoes
3. 4 cloves of garlic crushed
4. 1 cup of finely chopped red onions
5. 2 chipotle in adobe sauce (remove seeds and chopped fine)
6. 2 tbsp of chopped jalapeno picked peppers or diced bell peppers - 1 cup
7. 1 lb of minced turkey
8. 1 tbsp of olive oil
9. 1/2 tbsp of paprika
10. Salt to taste
11. shredded cheese - (used shredded mozzarella cheese)

Method

1. In a dutch oven or a wide mouthed pan heat the olive oil and when hot add the garlic and onions and saute them till they become translucent.
2. Set the pasta to cook as per the package directions.
3. Now add the minced turkey and continue to saute till it is almost cooked and turning white and slightly browned - about 8-10 minutes
4. Add in the paprika, salt and saute for another minute. Now add in the tomatoes and let it become soft and mushed.
5. Add in the diced chipotle and jalapeno and let it cook for another 3-4 minutes.
6. Add in the drained pasta and mix it in gently into the sauce.
7. Sprinkle with shredded cheese before serving.

Fusilli with Zucchini and Onion (sans the red or white sauce)

Was there a reason for my tomato question? A tiny bit of curiosity combined with wanting to know of the thousands of varieties of tomatoes what most of us were buying. It seems just a few. Seriously don't those tomatoes readily available in the supermarkets feel like squishy blobs with absolutely no taste? Something happened recently, my local supermarket starting carrying those ugly looking shapeless but expensive tomatoes. I bought some and seriously those heirloom tomatoes are darn tasty compared to the ones I regularly buy.

Red - what we are buying
Green - what we want to buy

When we were kids, tomato juice was not a vegetable juice but in the same league as most fruit juices. Tangy and slightly sweet from the added sugar and with their beautiful color was a sought after drink. These days I rarely see anybody drinking tomato juice.

The informal survey confirmed that most of us are buying those very same tasteless roma, beefsteak, big boy and cherry tomatoes. They ooze red juice but that is just about the tomato characteristic they seem to have. But sadly they are the only ones that are healthy for our wallets. But our heart is in the right place, we'd all buy real tomatoes if only we could. Number one the availability, number two affordability. The most recent purchase of heirloom set me back by $6.00 for 2 tomatoes though for the taste it was worth it. Seriously though I cannot afford to buy them every time.

On to the pasta,
A friend made pasta with olive oil, pepper and lemon juice still tasted so very good and way better than the saucey pasta.

Apparently pasta by default did not need the mandatory red sauce to taste good and the food section in the Washington Post had a recipe for just such a pasta with zucchini and onions.
I was planning on using chopped up veg. burger pieces in place of the sausage in the recipe but I used chicken instead. For a vegetarian option use sauteed veg. burger pieces.

Fusilli pasta with zucchini and onions
Ingredients
1. 1 1/2 cup fusilli pasta
2. 6 baby zucchinis chopped
3. 1 cup onions sliced thin
4. 1 cup chicken, cubed and marinated in chili powder and salt (substitute with veg burger pieces)
5. 1/2 tbsp black pepper
6. 2 tbsp lemon juice
7. 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves or basil leaves
8. salt to taste
9. 1 cup of chopped (heirloom) tomatoes
10. 1 tbsp olive oil
11. freshly grated Parmesan cheese as required

Method
1. In a flat wide mouthed pan, heat the oil and saute the chicken pieces till they are cooked and set aside. Cook the pasta as per package directions.
2. In the same oil add the onions and cook till brown
3. Add the zucchini, salt and pepper and cook till soft.
4. Add the chicken pieces and give a good mix.
5. Add the coriander leaves or basil and the cooked pasta.
6. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add more salt and pepper if required.
7. Remove from heat add grated Parmesan cheese and top with tomatoes and serve hot.