White Pizza

Back in the ’80′s and ’90′s I was the General Manager of Geppetto Restaurant in Bethesda MD. I was young at the time, in my 20’s when I took on that role. It was a formative experience. Yes, that’s cliché to say, but I learned more about people, leadership, management and myself in those years than I probably did anywhere else. I didn’t know that at the time. I figured it out later.

Another thing I didn’t know at the time: I absorbed a lot of knowledge about cooking and food. I guess you can’t stand next to a sauté cook day after day without picking something up.

We were known for our pizza. It reigns in my mind as some of the best pizza I’ve ever had. Ever. There is nothing like a Sm Neo roni on mush – all my old Geppetto chums know that’s a small thin crust with pepperoni, onion and mushroom. It remains the pizza of my dreams.

But a rival to that Sm Neo was our Pizza Bianca. We had the best imported (and aromatic) Fontina cheese. It stunk in a good way.

While I was working at Geppetto our white pizza recipe was published in Gourmet’s “I had a delicious dish, can you get the recipe” column. Since I was a longtime Gourmet subscriber, I still have the clipping from the magazine.

The crust isn’t nearly as good as the Geppetto crust, but we had advantages at Geppetto: a guy whose full-time job was making the pasta and pizza dough, semolina in the flour mix, and a long rise for the the dough. Even though it’s not the same crust, it turned out better than I expected. Some of the center pieces could be a bit crispier but my choice of pan could have caused that. The topping (sauce and cheese) tasted just like my memories. I’m very pleased and can’t believe it took me this long to make.

Geppetto White Pizza

You’ll need a heavy duty mixer (or you can knead for a longer time by hand), mixer bowl and dough hook, clean dish towel, food processor (or blender, or you can finely mince and mix ingredients by hand), spatula, rolling pin and two pans. The recipe says to use a cake rack or flat perforated pan. I used what I had: a cookie sheet and a sheet pan.

Dough:

• 1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)
• 1-1/2 packages dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2-1/2 cups (plus) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Sauce:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 large shallot
• 4 large garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley – I didn’t have dried, so I used about 1-1/2 teaspoons of fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound Fontina cheese, grated — Imported is best, the stinkier the better, but use what you can find.

Sprinkle yeast and sugar over warm water in mixer bowl. Stir to dissolve. (I like to let it sit for a few minutes before adding anything else.) Add salt, mix to blend. Add 2-1/2 cups flour and oil. Put bowl on mixer and mix with hook at low to medium speed about 5 minutes until dough forms ball and cleans sides of bowl, adding more flour, one tablespoon at a time, if necessary. Continue mixing until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Note: This is the part of the recipe where you’re on your own. The amount of additional flour you’ll need will depend on the humidity level in the house and the dryness of your flour. The time it will take to arrive at the desired “smooth and elastic” stage varies as well. Here’s some advice from Alton Brown about what that stage looks like: “Tear off a small piece of dough and flatten into a disc. Stretch the dough until thin. Hold it up to the light and look to see if the baker’s windowpane, or taut membrane, has formed. If the dough tears before it forms, continue to knead the dough.”

Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let it rise in a warm draft-free area for 1 hour. I usually heat the oven to 150 and then turn it off and let it cool down a bit. Then I put the bowl in and shut the door or leave it ajar if it still feels too warm.

Mix all the sauce ingredients (not the cheese) in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides every now and then.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Pat each half into a round. Let stand 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 475. On a lightly floured surface, roll each round into a 1/8” thick circle (or rectangle depending on your pan shape). Transfer to your pans. Spread with sauce. Sprinkle with Fontina cheese. Back until edges of pizza are lightly browned. The recipe said 10 minutes; mine took about 14 minutes, so keep an eye on them. Cut into squares and serve immediately.

We usually served these plain, but I had a couple of regulars who always asked for prosciutto on theirs. Many of us topped the slices with chopped pepperoncini. I’m happy to just eat it plain. Swoon.

Brazilian Fish Stew

This certainly isn’t an authentic moqueca, but it’s good enough. Better than good enough, it’s delicious. This could be a 30 minute meal if not for the 3 hours of marination. I suppose you could skip that step if you don’t have time, maybe I will some day to see if I will love this stew any less.

The original recipe on Leite’s Culinaria calls for dendê oil – a reddish/orange Brazilian palm oil. You can probably find it in a Latin American market, but I didn’t bother looking. I used olive oil instead. I added hot pepper and sweet potato (instead of hearts of palm) and paprika to the mix, and used canned tomatoes instead of plum tomatoes. I thought sweet potato would work well with the rest of the flavors and I was right. I can’t even remember what hearts of palm taste like but I wasn’t going to spend nearly $4 for a can of them.

I ignored the instructions in the original recipe to bake the fish first in its marinade with lemon juice — why dirty another dish – and just cooked the fish in the stew. I didn’t care if the fish broke apart while cooking. Watch your fish so you don’t overcook it to the point of mushiness.

If you like cod but this moqueca recipe doesn’t rock your world, try this one – Baked Cod with Andouille and White Beans. I made it again on Thursday night and boy oh boy it is good.

Brazilian Fish Stew – Moqueca

You’ll need a small bowl, resealable plastic bag for marinating, shallow bowl, and a Dutch oven or large deep pan with a lid.

• 1 scallion (white and green parts), chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1-1/2” piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or dendê oil, if you can find it)
• 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1-1/4 pounds of any meaty white fish, cut into 2” chunks (I used cod. You could also use swordfish, striped bass, halibut, tilapia, grouper, red snapper or shrimp.)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or dendê oil, if you can find it)
• 1/2 cup freshly chopped green bell pepper
• 1/3 cup freshly chopped orange, yellow or red bell pepper
• 1 jalapeno or Serrano pepper, minced
• 1 sweet potato, boiled until just tender, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups fish stock (you can substitute clam juice, low-sodium chicken broth, or equal amounts of both – that’s what I did)
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 can diced tomatoes

In a bowl, mix together half the scallion, half the onion, half the ginger, and half the garlic. Add 4 tablespoons of oil and half the cilantro. Place the chunks of fish in a resealable plastic bag and add the marinade, pressing the bag to evenly coat the fish. Remove the air from the bag and seal it. Place the bag in a shallow bowl, making sure the fish pieces are completely covered by the marinade, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Take the fish out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 350. Place the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the remaining scallion and onion along with the green and orange bell peppers, and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.

Add the hot pepper and the remaining ginger and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring to combine, for another minute. Add the sweet potatoes and fish stock and let it come to a full boil. Add the coconut milk and tomato paste and return to a boil. Immediately lower the heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce.

Add the fish, marinade and lemon juice to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook just until the fish is soft and tender, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your fish.

Uncover the pan, add the paprika and tomatoes, and let them heat for a minute or two. Taste the stew, if needed, season it with additional salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the remaining fresh cilantro. Serve it plain or over rice.

Original recipe: Brazilian Fish Stew, Leite’s Culinaria

Turkey Pesto Meatloaf with Balsamic Tomato Sauce

I tried two meatloaf recipes recently. One was a traditional meatloaf made with all beef and a balsamic glaze on top. It wasn’t all that great. You won’t see it here. The other is a healthier version made with turkey and pesto with a balsamic (and tomato sauce) glaze. This one is blog-worthy. It’s been a hit both times I made it. The leftovers are fantastic whether they’re cold in a sandwich or reheated for another dinner.

Oh yes, I do have a third meatloaf recipe. It was a sensation when I made it for Halloween a few years ago. Have you seen my Meatloaf Hand?

Wait! I have a fourth meatloaf recipe, deep in the archives. I remember it now. It’s also a tasty one using both beef and turkey. And beer.

Like all meatloaf recipes, this turkey pesto meatloaf is pretty straightforward. Taking the turkey out of the refrigerator ahead of time will prevent your hands from freezing when you combine the ingredients. Also, don’t keep mixing the ingredients beyond the point of just being combined. I don’t have any experience (that I’m aware of) doing this but I’ve read that over-handling will compress the meat and toughen the meatloaf.

Turkey Pesto Meatloaf with Tomato Sauce

You’ll need a roasting or broiler pan, small skillet, large bowl, small bowl or ramekin for sauce, pastry brush and meat thermometer.

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1-1/2 pounds lean ground turkey – This is a pain when ground turkey at your market only comes in 1# packages. I used 2# and increased the garlic, pesto, cheese and breadcrumbs.
• 1/4 cup basil pesto
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs – Make in the food processor from whole wheat bread, 1 or 2 slices will do it.
• 1/4 cup marinara sauce, preferably low-sugar like Classico (per Kalyn) — I used Barilla, I have no idea of its sugar content.
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Let the ground turkey come to room temperature while you prep the other ingredients, so you don’t freeze your hands. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a roasting pan with olive oil or nonstick spray. I like to use the broiler pan so the fat drips into the moat along the edges.

Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion over medium-high heat until it’s starting to slightly brown, about 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic, lower heat slightly, and sauté about 2 minutes more.

Using a bowl that’s large enough to get both hands into it, combine the ground turkey, sautéed onion and garlic, pesto, Parmesan cheese, salt and breadcrumbs. Mix the ingredients just until they’re combined.

Form the mixture into a loaf shape and place on the roasting pan. Bake meatloaf for 40 minutes. While it bakes, stir together the marinara sauce and balsamic vinegar.

After 40 minutes, brush the sauce onto the meatloaf, until it’s completely covered with sauce. Continue to bake, and if you have any sauce left over, brush the meatloaf a few more times. Bake until a meat thermometer shows a temperature of 160F. I cooked my meatloaf for a total time of one hour before it got to that temperature. Kalyn’s took one hour and 20 minutes.

Original recipe: Turkey Pesto Meatloaf, Kalyn’s Kitchen

Salmon with Citrus Pesto

Last weekend I added basil to my herb “garden” on the deck, as well as sage, dill and thyme. Last year’s rosemary, oregano, mint and lemon thyme survived the mild winter and already have new growth. I’m still on the hunt for tarragon. My local Lowe’s and Ace Hardware didn’t have any. I’ll probably have to visit the State Farmers Market for that.

Luckily I still have 2011 pesto in the freezer, so I made this delicious Giada recipe using salmon instead of swordfish. I never thought of adding citrus to my pesto – it’s amazingly good!

I included two variations of the recipe in case you have to make pesto from scratch. Since I already had pesto, all I had to do was thaw it out and add the lemon and orange zest and juice to it. I also added Parmesan cheese since I don’t include cheese in my pesto before freezing it.

It’s worth growing a few basil plants so you can always grab a few leaves for whatever you’re cooking (or for your salad) or make your own pesto. Just keep trimming off the growth so they don’t start flowering. Once they start flowering, the leaves become more bitter. My father’s green thumb doesn’t extend to me – my brother got that gene – so if I can grow basil, you can grow basil.

Yeah, we really piled on the pesto.

I served the salmon with my favorite Broccoli Rabe with Onions and Sun-Dried Tomatoes and a brown/wild rice mix.

Salmon with Citrus Pesto

You’ll need a food processor (if you’re making pesto from scratch), small bowl, and a skillet or grill pan.

Pesto from scratch ingredients:

•  2 cups of fresh basil leaves — I usually fill up the processor with leaves.
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts, toasted
• 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 orange, zested and juiced
• 1/2 cup olive oil — eyeball in batches
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Pesto on hand ingredients:

• 1/2 cup prepared pesto
• 1/2 lemon, zested and juiced – some of the juice, probably won’t need it all
• 1/2 orange, zested and juiced – some of the juice, probably won’t need it all
• Optional: 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (because my pesto didn’t have any cheese in it, I had to add cheese, you probably won’t)

Additional ingredients:

• 2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blend the basil, nuts, garlic, salt, zests and juices in a food processor until the mixture is finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan.

Place a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Brush both sides of the fish fillets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook the fish about 3 to 4 minutes on each side for a 1-inch thick fillet.

Transfer the fish to serving plates, top with the citrus pesto, and serve.

Original recipe: Swordfish with Citrus Pesto, Giada de Laurentiis, Food Network

Broccoli Rabe with Onions and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

If you’ve stayed away from broccoli rabe because it’s too bitter, this is the recipe for you. Broccoli rabe will always be broccoli’s bitter cousin but adding sun-dried tomatoes changes the entire flavor profile.

I started the way I always do with broccoli rabe – blanching it while onions are caramelizing on the stove. The addition of sun-drieds came from a desire to add some color – I’ll never go back to my old rabe again, unless I’m out of sun-drieds.

I’ve been buying sun-dried tomatoes in packages from Trader Joe’s. I used to always buy oil-packed sun-drieds in a jar, but I believe the packages are cheaper per ounce. If the tomatoes are too dry, you can plump them in warm oil or water. Mine have been fine for cooking straight out of the package.

Give broccoli rabe a chance. This recipe is addictive. There will be no leftovers, I can promise that.

Broccoli Rabe with Onions and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

You’ll need a large pan, pot for blanching the broccoli rabe, colander or slotted spoon, bowl with ice water, and paper or cloth towels for patting dry the rabe.

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• Salt
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, chopped (at least 1 teaspoon, I like a bit more)
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 large bunch of broccoli rabe, rinsed, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 ounces (or a few tablespoons) sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil (drained) or dry, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add the onions and some salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned. If the onions start to dry out, lower the heat. You can also add a little water to them to prevent drying. When onions are done, add the chopped garlic and the red chile flakes. Cook until the garlic just begins to golden. Turn off the heat for now.

Meanwhile bring a pot filled at least half-way with water to a boil. When it comes to boil, add the broccoli rabe to the boiling water. Get a bowl ready with ice water. Blanch the rabe for only one minute, then drain in a colander or use a slotted spoon to remove the rabe from the hot water. Immediately dunk the rabe in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain the rabe and pat dry with paper or cloth towels.

Return the pan with the onions to medium heat. Add the blanched broccoli rabe. Toss to coat with the olive oil, onions, garlic and chile flakes. Cook the rabe about 5 minutes, until just tender. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes. Sprinkle everything with salt, black pepper and the grated Parmesan cheese to taste. Toss to combine.

Flounder with Spiced Breadcrumb Topping

When I saw a recipe on The Communal Skillet blog for broiled flounder that only took 15 minutes to prep and cook, I knew what was for dinner that night. Then I saw mayonnaise in the ingredients.

Jim hates mayonnaise. I mean hate. He put a skull and crossbones on the mayonnaise jar in the refrigerator. But when I reviewed the recipe, it said the mayonnaise would transform during broiling to a golden glaze. Hmm, he’d never know it was there and I could have my 15-minute flounder.

Or would he know? What if he got suspicious about that glaze? I’m not out to deceive him, I just want quick fish, and I was intrigued by the mayonnaise. What if I added some type of topping to absorb the mayonnaise?

I searched online for other recipes using mayonnaise on broiled fish. I found a good-looking one on Epicurious with an onion, green bell pepper and breadcrumb topping. I took ingredients from both recipes, added a little parmesan, et voilà, dinner.

The flounder was delicious. I served it with spinach sautéed with garlic and hot pepper, and sweet potatoes with caramelized onions. Could you make it without mayo? I supposed, but the mayo helps the topping adhere to the fish and a little of it goes a long way.

Flounder with Spiced Breadcrumb Topping

You’ll need a skillet, baking pan large enough for fish and pastry brush.

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon parmesan
• Salt and pepper
• Paprika
• Ground cayenne pepper
• Cooking spray
• 4 flounder fillets
• 2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise, use just enough for a thin coat

In a skillet, cook the onion, bell pepper and garlic in oil over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened. Stir in the bread crumbs and parmesan. Add salt, pepper, cayenne and paprika according to your taste.
Preheat oven to 400. Coat a pan with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange fillets on the pan and coat evenly with mayonnaise using a pastry brush. Pat the bread crumb mixture onto each fillet.

Place under the broiler about 6 inches from the heat and bake or broil 6-8 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and the mayonnaise transforms to a golden glaze, although you may not be able to see the actual transformation, bummer, I know. Tent with foil if the topping browns too much before the fish is cooked.

Original recipes:

• Broiled Flounder, The Communal Skillet
• Broiled Flounder with Bread Crumb Topping, Epicurious

Cheddar and Cracker Chicken

As Saturday afternoon came to an end, I still didn’t know what to make for dinner. The problem: I have too many choices. Between computer files, food blogs, cookbooks and magazines, I’m overwhelmed with menu ideas.

My recipe choice usually depends on:

• what level of effort and time I want to put into dinner
• what we’ve had for dinner recently
• what flavors I’m in the mood for
• what’s in season
• what’s in the refrigerator already
• what’s on sale

This time, instead of consulting my recipe files and other resources, I decided to narrow it down by looking at the Lowes Foods circular to see what was on sale – value packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts. One decision made, we would have chicken for dinner. But what kind of chicken? I went to my latest fun source of recipe ideas, Pinterest, and searched for “chicken.” I opened four pins – one of them would be dinner.

Winner winner, chicken dinner – Cheddar and Cracker Chicken from the What’s Cookin, Chicago? blog. It had enough comfort food appeal for a weekend dinner, and would be quick and easy to make.

Of course, I made a few adjustments.

• Added pickled jalapeno – isn’t a little kick always welcome?
• After grating 6 ounces of cheddar (per the original recipe) and seeing what that looked like — too much — I reduced the amount of cheese.
• Increased the garlic.
• Added flour to the dredging ingredients and substituted a beaten egg instead of butter.

I served the chicken with broccoli sautéed with red bell pepper and garlic, and roasted sweet potato fries (leftover from Thursday night).

Cheddar and Cracker Chicken

You’ll need three shallow bowls, meat pounder (mallet) and a foil-lined baking sheet.

• 16 Ritz crackers, crushed, about 3⁄4 cup
• 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 whole pickled jalapeno, minced, about 1 tablespoon
• 1 or 2 stalks of scallions, green part only, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper
• 4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts — I used 2 large breasts, each sliced in two pieces after pounding
• 1/4 cup or so flour
• 1 egg, beaten — or you could follow the original recipe and use butter

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, combine the crackers, cheese, garlic, jalapenos, scallions, salt and pepper.

Pound the chicken to about 1/4-1/2” thickness with a meat mallet. Slice large breasts into two pieces. Dip each piece in the flour, then egg, then the cracker mixture, pressing gently to help it adhere, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Sprinkle any remaining cracker mixture on the chicken. Bake until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, 20-25 minutes.

Original recipe: Cheddar & Cracker Chicken, What’s Cookin, Chicago?