fri five fave food finds & calzone

The only thing that beats leftover pizza for breakfast; leftover calzone.

Jeff has become quite the master of these fun pockets of goodness. He is in charge of assembly, and takes it very seriously. However, sometimes he is overzealous, and creates monstrous calzones. So, we are often fortunate enough to enjoy some the next day.

There are two secrets: 1. The dough. 2. A hot oven.  

The dough: (start pre-heating the oven, see below) 1 1/4 cups of warm water 1 1/2 tsp traditional yeast 1 tbsp honey 2 3/4 cups flour 1 tsp salt 2 tsp olive oil Make sure the water is warm, but not too warm (read yeast package directions). Dissolve the honey, and then stir in the yeast. Leave it 10-15 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and olive oil.

Once the yeast is activated, combine everything together in the bowl. Knead it, if you feel like it. If you're not grumpy or stressed, just do it a little. (a hardly noticeable difference, unbelievable, I know) Cover the bowl with a towel, and let the dough rise 45min to 1 hour. Knead again. Divide the dough into 3 sections. Use a lot of flour, and shape the dough into a circle. Leaving the edge clean, smother your favourite sauce over the dough.

On half of the dough, place your favourite toppings (capicollo, genoa salami, mortadella, buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil, etc.). Fold over the other half, and crimp the edges together. The dough makes gorgeous pizzas too. Plain pizzas are irresistible snacks when dipped into olive oil and sea salt.
 
The heat: Place a pizza stone in the oven. Heat the oven as hot as it will go, and continue to pre-heat for one hour before baking any calzone's or pizza's.
 
Convection is better; pre-heat on 550 fahrenheit on convection. Turn the convection off before placing the pizza or calzone in the oven. Pizza's take 6-8 minutes. Calzone's take 10-12 minutes. Mangia!
 
Onto the food finds, with a seasonal twist:

1. Pomegranate jam: Cafe Fernando has absolutely stunning photos of this jewel-toned jam, but do check out the recipe.

2. Flagrante Delicia: Forget dessert, I want the Chocolate tagliatelle with chocolate sauce for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A very sweet blog, literally and figuratively.

3. Gourmet's Favorite Cookie Recipes: Gourmet Magazine's favourite cookie recipes from every year from 1941-2008. Holiday baking here I come!

4. Decadent Pumpkin Torte: I am a pumpkin addict, so I can't think of anything much better than this creamy dessert. If you haven't visited Canary Girl's site yet, do check it out. Her recipe's are fabulous, and her humorous writing style is fun too.

5. Roasted Butternut Squash Farro Salad: A delicious combination of everything the season has to offer, in a healthful, and flavourful dish. Delightful! More hot chocolate to come soon.
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why kitchen gadgets are overrated this holiday season

or what to get your cooking guru as a gift. Gadgets sit in a drawer or distant cupboard, and never get used - don't go there. If you really want a stocking stuffer, give a reasonably priced serrated knife. They do wear out eventually, so you can't go wrong. Leave other doodads at the store. Good basic tools in the kitchen will last for decades, and will save you time and money in the long run. Your cook will thank you, and so will your tummy. Things to get a food-lover for Christmas: Slowfood Membership Great knives Bamboo cutting board Cast-iron skillet Cast-iron Dutch oven Gift-certificates (maybe not this year) Tongs & wooden spoons The best extra-virgin olive oil Inspiring cookbooks A moleskine What do you plan to give or receive this holiday? Disclaimer: Don't get me wrong, gadgets can be fun to experiment with. Sometimes gadgets provide new inspiration, but don't get suckered for toys that are excessively whimsical. This article is not against gadgets orgadget-ist, but start with good basics first. Happy Holidays!
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chickpea, corn and crunch salad - some salads don't need any vinegar

There are moments of my time which are completely calculated, and premeditated. Usually silly things like ensuring there is enough cream and eggs in the fridge for the makings of ice cream, or endlessly searching recipes to find the right one to use the special vanilla in. How ridiculous, I know. But, what could be better, and why wouldn't I plan that? Especially since the rest of the time, I am often completely succumbed to following the pangs of hunger - that is if Jeff doesn't beat me to it and start cooking first. So planning lunches, to-go, can seem a little bit mundane, as I am just not hungry for lunch at 5:30 in the morning. Imagine my shock when I come to the realization, as an over-zealous vegetable shopper, that really there are no vegetables in the house. How can this be? Is this some kind of bizarre joke? The fridge was bursting at the seams with aromatic garden scents just days ago. Now, there is just nothing to eat, I swear it. My mother used to hate these moments, when I stand and blankly stare into the fridge, "What do you think is going to fall out of there? If you want something you have to look for it. STOP, holding the fridge door open for so long!" Sheeesh. I find it hard to open the fridge door to this day. Well sure, there's lots to eat, but all of it requires significant cooking, and I'm in a hurry to get to work. Immediately, I begin to hard boil eggs. Maybe that will solve the problem of no lunch for the soon to be hungry girl, yes? Well, no, the novelty wore off (maybe tomorrow). I continue to scrounge, and discover that really there are vegetables hidden in the depths of the fridge, just under used, misjudged vegetables lurking in there. Take corn on the cob for instance. Except that, immediately, butter comes to mind, or the feeling of little corn holders sliding within greasy fingertips. But, even though I use it in many dishes, I sometimes don't think about using it as much as I should. And it is really so lovely, especially raw, so sweet, so crispy, so perfect with red onion, which also lurks in the crisper, only to have a slice sheared off here and there. For many reasons, I eat a lot of chickpeas in salads for lunch, and these I always have on hand, always. They are inexpensive, a good source of protein and fibre, and they are just about as nutty as I tend to be. But really, I just like them. I cook chickpeas in the slow cooker, just rinsing them first, then I cover them with water and give it a whirl. I just check that they are always covered with water, sometimes adding a bit more. I taste them to decide when a texture I like is achieved, and then I season with a bit of salt. Sometimes I toss a clove of garlic in the works, if I'm feeling adventurous - yes I do realize this is a pathetic sense of adventure, but it is a noble cause nonetheless. The best thing is that I always have the makings for hummus, as I keep bags of chickpeas frozen, specifically for my sometimes mundane salads with chickpeas. Chickpeas are my lunch when there is nothing else to be had. No leftovers, nada. Today's salad was different. First of all, there was no lettuce. And there was no acid for a vinaigrette, just olive oil. There was also finely chopped celery, and nearly minced red onion; things I hate to do early in the morning, even though I love my knives. It just doesn't feel like the right time of day to inhale a pungent onion smell, as much as I love to eat it's spicy fruit when paired with a rich chickpea. It is worth the effort, and a fairly small effort at that. This salad didn't even require a separate container to store a dressing, so I guess that was one less thing to do, no? Chickpea, corn, and crunch salad (Serves 1) 1 cup cooked chickpeas 1 stalk celery, diced 1 corn on the cob 1/2 tbsp finely chopped red onion extra virgin olive oil, to taste 1. Remove the husk from the corn. Using a medium-sized bowl, place the end of the corn into the bowl, so the corn is upright. Cut the kernels in the bowl with a sharp knife. 2. Combine the corn with the chickpeas, celery, and red onion. Lightly dress with olive oil.
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braised pork with cherries

As you might know by now, or might be frightened to know, that I can easily become obsessed with a specific food and let it completely overtake my life until I have mastered it. Sadly, I am a master of none, but I willingly continue to try regardless. Currently, the rage is pork. We've had an ongoing relationship for years, but this affair isn't exclusive. It includes any meat that can be cooked until fork tender and requires virtually no utensils, maybe just a straw, or a good swack of bread. Cheap cuts of meat cooked right, are not the easiest feat, so I consider it a noble challenge, of which I have failed quite miserably too many times. The secret? Time. It is almost sickening how often recipes are deemed as easy or simple or fast, but ultimately, there is a lot to be said for just taking the time to cook something which isn't a lot of work, it just takes a very, very long time. In fact, I almost feel lazy with this recipe, as I watch Jeff dash around the kitchen, hastening, to roast potatoes, since, of course, I had already worked so very hard creating braised pork. Being able to cook simple foods well is an ongoing rage; cooking things like a pork shoulder. FYI, this is also sometimes, called pork butt, or even pork butt shoulder. At the butcher, they will ask are you making pulled pork? Say yes. This is the stuff you want. Then cook it for what seems like even longer than forever, and in the process, discover that the best things are not only worth waiting for, but are also worth attempting to perfect. A little bizarre to obsess about these things, sure. If it weren't for a deep yearning for flavour, and my own personal desire for food which requires some labour (of love), then perhaps everything would be easier. Fortunately, I think all of this experimenting and extensive research is starting to pay off. The technique might almost be right. And how easy, right, is to achieve, just as I was starting to doubt its existence. And then? Eureka. Try it - fortunately, good things are achievable, and tasty too. Braised Pork with Cherries Serves 4-6 5-7 hours cooking time 4-6 lb pork shoulder (butt) roast, bone-in 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil 2 medium white onions, sliced 1 cup full-bodied red wine 2 cups chicken stock 2-3 cups of fresh pitted cherries 3 tsp coarse sea salt 1. Using the stove-top and a deep sauté pan or dutch-oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat, nearly until it starts to smoke. Carefully, using tongs, add the pork, and brown all sides resulting in a golden caramel colour. Just before browning the last side, add the onions, and cook in the oil which has formed. Add salt evenly throughout the pan. Do be sure to leave all of the rendered fat in place, as this is the main flavour of the dish. This process will take approximately 30 minutes. 2. Turn the temperature down to medium-low, and pour in the wine and chicken stock. Cover the pan and wait, approximately 4-6 hours, or until the meat is literally falling off the bone. Check with a fork. Be patient. Occasionally, turn the meat. If you need to leave the house, turn the oven to 300F, and continue the braising process in the oven. 3. Pit the cherries. 4. When the meat is fork tender, heat the oven to 375 degrees F, and place the pitted cherries on top of the roast. Spoon some of the broth that has formed on top of the meat and cherries. Place the pan, uncovered, into the pre-heated oven for another 30 minutes. 5. Turn on the broiler, and slightly carmelize the cherries. Remove from the oven and serve, spooning over the broth over the top. Serve with good crusty bread.
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radish & orange salad

A radish is a beautiful thing. It is an underused root vegetable (besides the potato, aren't all root vegetables lonely?), which was first cultivated during pre-Roman times -- who knew? I love it for it's spicy, peppery flavour. While it can be a little shocking if eaten in a large crunchy chunk on it's own, a thinly sliced radish simply enhances the sweetness of everything that surrounds it. Lately, I've succumbed to thinly sliced radishes and organic butter on crostini, often sprinkled with fleur de sel. This works well as a sandwich too, but I prefer to enjoy as much of these two complementary flavours as possible; the sweet cream of the butter and a fire-kick from the radish. And sometimes, I just leave the bread out of the equation entirely. I was so entranced by this beautiful bunch of radishes, that something had to be done. I picked up a navel orange at the market. When it is as fiercely hot outside as it is, I just can't be chained to the stove, and I've become obsessively fond of oranges, with balsamic, and something licorice. This resulted in paper thin sliced radishes and oranges, basil with a splash of balsamic and olive oil. Just in case I needed an excuse to perfect my knife technique, this recipe is at least a hopeful start. Like I said, as you can see, it's a start. Radish & Orange Salad (serves 2) Ingredients: 4 large radishes 1 navel orange 3-4 basil leaves balsamico tradizionale (or your favourite balsamic) extra virgin olive oil fleur de sel, to taste 1. Slice the radishes and orange as thinly as possible, without losing a fingertip would be preferable. The radishes bleed enough of their own pretty pink colour on the cutting board. Just think of it as your "inner-chef" in training... OK, OK, not too thinly. 2. Immediately before serving, to avoid excessive bruising of the basil, finely chop the basil and combine with the sliced radishes and oranges. I found that chopsticks helped to maintain the delicate shapely predicament of the oranges. 3. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic. Sprinkle with fleur de sel.
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Le Grand Sandwich

Sometimes, I just can't help myself. I love salt. It enlivens our tastes buds, and literally piques our interest. Vegetables, even roasted ones, can taste a little bit bland. But add a little salt, and the flavour goes through the roof! Fortunately, this sandwich "rests" (you deserve it too!) before eating, so all that flavour gets to meld together into each delicious bite. It no longer tastes like zucchini, eggplant, or salt... These things can be boring on their own, but combine them in this sandwich, and you will be surprised. This is a recipe in which it is fun to experiment. Why not? It is often impossible to have all the ingredients a recipe calls for anyways. Change a few things, and make it your own. You can use a spinach pesto, a basil pesto, or a sundried tomato pesto. No pesto? No problem. I do try to make too much pesto...a great predicament to be in...so I can freeze the extras. You can also grill too many vegetables.....oooops.... and save them for salads, or soups. I generally dislike the messiness of roasting bell peppers, as it can feel unnecessarily tedious to remove the skins...so do so at your own discretion. Do cut the pieces a little smaller so you can chew through the skin without noticing. I do find that peeling roasted peppers works best when you char the things to near death, and then cover the poor dears up in a bowl with plastic wrap and wait about fifteen minutes. I can't say the same for your fingertip's when trying to peel off the skins! There are many similar recipes out there, but I love adding portobello mushrooms, for their meatiness...and of course for their ability to improve with salt! Sandwich (Serves 4 large appetites, or 8 smaller ones): 1 large ciabatta loaf (1/2) - (3/4) cup prepared pesto 2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise, about 1/8 of an inch 1 medium eggplant, sliced lengthwise, about 1/4 of an inch 2 red peppers 2 portobello mushrooms, stems removed, and lightly cleaned olive oil kosher salt pepper Pre-heat the BBQ. Start with the peppers, as it will take awhile to get them nicely blackened. Toss the zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms in a bowl with some olive oil, a couple tablespoons will do, and a few good pinches of salt. Grill about 2-3 minutes per side, adding a bit more salt to the mushrooms. Be patient, and wait until the grill marks have formed before trying to move the items, or they will get stuck. The vegetables will soften slightly after cooking as well. Remove the blackened peppers to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Wait, about fifteen minutes, and then the skin should come off fairly easily. Slice into strips. Slice the mushroom as well. To assemble the sandwich, slice the loaf of bread in half. Pick out some of the extra bread, which you can freeze in a zip bag for breadcrumbs..very handy. Use a grapefruit spoon to help your humble cause, but don't get too concerned. Spread the bottom half with pesto, and layer the cooled vegetables on top. Does the pesto contain a decent amount of salt? How about the veggies? Taste them, and don't worry if there are enough. Sprinkle a little more salt, if necessary. Okay, and some pepper too. Keep in mind that there are not any pre-fabricated, nearly plastic like sauces or deli meats...there isn't much sodium other than what you add...so go ahead and don't worry about it. Drizzle a litte olive oil over the inner top half of the loaf. The only really tricky part: Securely wrap the entire sandwich in plastic wrap. Place it on a cookie sheet (preferably small enough to fit in the fridge), and cover with something heavy (cutting board with a cast-iron skillet on top). Wait at least one hour (go for a nap!), but no more than three. Unwrap your glorious goodie and slice it up. It is pretty isn't it? Devour.
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