Minestrone

Rachael Ray’s Minestra has been the backbone of my go-to minestrone soup recipe for many years. Yet, the first time I made it, I felt it was lacking some critical ingredients. I added carrots, celery, tomatoes, zucchini, roasted red bell pepper, rosemary and red pepper flakes. That’s why I call mine a minestrone, not a minestra. With all the additional chopping, I don’t think it qualifies as a 30-minute meal, but it’s a flavorful, comforting soup that’s perfect for a cold night.

What’s the difference between minestra and minestrone? I wondered too. Here’s what I learned. Minestra means soup in Italian. The word minestrone is made up of minestra (soup) and the suffix -one, an augmentative suffix, per Wikipedia. Minestrone literally means the big soup, the one with many ingredients. Since my soup has many more ingredients than Rachael’s, and tastes like a big soup, I call it a minestrone. 

The original recipe doesn’t call for much time on the stove, and I’ve left those instructions here in case you’re short on time. But I prefer to relax and let the pot sit on the stove a little longer. It’s a flexible recipe so add or subtract whatever you like – vegetables, herbs, pesto, potatoes, pasta or rice. I dice the vegetables, but lots of folks like them in bigger pieces.

I forgot to take a photo of my soup, but I found this Creative Commons photo that looks a bit like mine, except mine has lots of greens, not parsley.

Photo by Jessica Spengler

 Minestrone

You’ll need a deep, large, heavy pot or dutch oven.

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/8 pound pancetta, bacon or sausage, chopped
• 2 pounds escarole, kale or spinach, washed and coarsely chopped
• 2 (14-ounce) cans of cannellini or great northern beans, drained
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• Roasted red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 sprig rosemary, chopped
• A couple pinches ground nutmeg
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• Grated or shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, for topping

In a large pot over moderate heat, saute onion, carrots, celery, garlic and pancetta in oil for 3 minutes.

Add the greens and wilt them down to fit in the pot. Add beans, tomatoes, zucchini, roasted pepper, broth, rosemary, nutmeg, red pepper, salt and black pepper. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for 12 minutes, or until greens are softened and no longer bitter.

You can keep it simmering gently on the stove for much longer. I would, I think it helps the flavor, but it’s good to go after only 15 minutes, per Rachael.

Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on top, and a chunk of hearty bread and a glass of red wine on the side.

Original recipe: Minestra, Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals, Food Network

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Fennel and Lemon

I bought two gigantic fennel bulbs to make Fennel, Carrot and Tangerine Salad, but only used one of them. Luckily, I had this recipe stored away, perfect for using up the other bulb.

The final dish is very pale, not that attractive, but it packs a lot of flavor. The original recipe on The Kitchn blog called for white wine, but I didn’t have any in the house, so I used dry vermouth instead. I figured the vermouth’s aromatic and herbal character would boost the dish’s flavor. It certainly did.

Dry (or white) vermouth is a good ingredient to have on hand, sometimes it’s just the right addition to a chicken or fish dish. A good quality dry vermouth also makes a nice aperitif when chilled.

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Fennel and Lemon

You’ll need a large bowl, a baking dish large enough to hold all the ingredients and foil.

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, each cut in half
• 1 large fennel bulb — trim off the stalks, chop enough fronds to make 1 tablespoon, cut bulb lengthwise in quarters, then lengthwise into 1-inch or so slices
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons dry vermouth (or white wine)
• 1 lemon, first zested, then juiced (use a Meyer lemon if you can find one)
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425. Toss all the ingredients together, including the 1 tablespoon of fennel fronds, in a large bowl.

Spread the mixture in the baking dish. Scrape any remaining juices out of the bowl and into the dish.

Roast for 30 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of about 160°F, and the fennel is tender and beginning to brown around the edges. Take the pan out of the oven, and cover with foil. Let it rest for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Original recipe: Roasted Chicken Thighs with Fennel & Lemon, The Kitchn

Malaysian Shrimp with Pineapple

Here’s a quick blog post for a quick Friday night meal…

This is a 30 minute meal if you don’t have to peel and devein your shrimp. Since I only buy North Carolina shrimp in the shell, I always have some prep to do. But I don’t mind peeling shrimp when I have the time. I listen to something on the TV or computer, sip a little wine and work away.

Fresh or canned pineapple? Use whatever works for your pocketbook. Fresh pineapples were pricey at my supermarket, but I found half-priced containers of peeled and cored pineapple in one of their coolers, so I opted for fresh, easy and cheap.

I found this recipe on Monica Bhide’s blog. It’s from Robyn Webb’s The Diabetes Comfort Food Cookbook. Strangely, that’s the second reference I’ve made to diabetes in two blog posts this week. No, I don’t have diabetes, but I sure as hell don’t want to get it, so I’m paying more attention to what I’m cooking these days. However, I will surely post something within weeks that’s full of fat and salt, don’t judge!

I served the shrimp over rice with Thai-Style Green Beans and Asian Broccoli Slaw with Sriracha. An excellent meal!

Malaysian Shrimp with Pineapple

You’ll need a heavy large skillet with lid and a small bowl.

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup light coconut milk
• 1 pound medium, peeled and deveined shrimp (or sea scallops)
• 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and garlic and stir fry for 5 minutes until the onions begin to soften.  Add the cumin, turmeric, coriander and red pepper flakes.  Stir fry for 2 minutes.

Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar and coconut milk in a small bowl.  Add to the pan.  Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the shrimp to the pan and simmer gently, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes until the shrimp are almost cooked through. Add the pineapple and scallions and cook for 1 minute.

Original recipe: Malaysian Shrimp with Pineapple

Baked Stuffed Chicken with Pesto and Mozzarella

I rock, but I don’t roll. Or stuff. But that will change. I made a stuffed (not rolled) pork loin roast this weekend that was fantastic. The stuffed (and rolled) chicken breast recipe I’m sharing with you today is another good find. I predict more stuffing and rolling in my future.

The chicken recipe is from the Kalyn’s Kitchen blog. She specializes in healthy food inspired by her experience with the South Beach diet and low glycemic index foods. I’ve subscribed to her blog for a while, but never investigated the philosophy behind it. Now that I’ve read this explanation of the glycemic index, it makes a lot more sense.

The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven benefits for health. Low GI diets have been shown to improve both glucose and lipid levels in people with diabetes. They have benefits for weight control because they help control appetite and delay hunger. Low GI diets also reduce insulin levels and insulin resistance.

Food that’s good and good for you, I like that. Maybe Paula Deen could learn a thing or two from Kalyn.

Deen’s food always made me uncomfortable. Sure, she’s a hoot, and her food is over-the-top laughable, but she pushed that crap through TV shows and cookbooks. And now we find out she has diabetes (no surprise). She’s had it for three years, kept it to herself (her right) yet kept selling her heart-attack menu. I know, we’re all responsible for our own choices and health. What a funny coincidence her son’s new healthy cooking show is debuting right about now. Ugh. No shame.

Back to my chicken. This recipe is easy to prepare, but it can get a bit messy. I use an old rubber mallet to pound meats. I bought it years and years ago at Ikea to assemble furniture. It’s lived in a kitchen drawer ever since. After pounding, your chicken may look ragged. Don’t worry, patch it up from the inside with pieces of chicken, and tuck in the parts that stick out too much.

I could have pounded the chicken even thinner because the filling was oozing out a bit, as you can see in this ‘before’ photo.

The final product, however, looked and tasted great. I’ll make this recipe again soon. I love the idea of substituting nut meal for bread crumbs. Walnuts would also work well. I served the chicken with a cauliflower dish that I really didn’t like (so you won’t see it here) and the usual microwaved easy sweet potatoes.

Baked Chicken Stuffed with Pesto and Cheese

You’ll need a casserole dish big enough for the chicken, heavy plastic bag or wrap (for pounding), rubber mallet or meat pounder (or improvise, I used a wine bottle at the beach), three small bowls and a spatula.

• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
• 2 heaping tablespoons basil pesto 
• 2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
• 2 heaping tablespoons grated mozzarella cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten 
• 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons almond meal (grind almonds in a food processor or coffee grinder) or almond flour
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Spray the casserole dish with non-stick spray. Put chicken breasts one at a time inside a plastic bag and pound until the chicken is as thin as you can get it.

In a small bowl, mix together the pesto, sour cream and mozzarella. Use a spatula to spread a thin layer over each chicken breast, stopping about 1/2 inch from the edge of the chicken, so it doesn’t run out that much as it cooks. Roll up the breasts and secure them with a couple of toothpicks. 

Prepare two bowls, one with the egg and the other with the Parmesan-almond mixture, seasoned with black pepper to taste. Dip each roll first into the egg mixture and then into the Parmesan-almond mixture, patting it on so the  roll is well-coated. 

Put chicken breasts into the casserole dish and bake until the chicken is firm and lightly browned. Start checking after about 25-30 minutes, total baking time will be 30-35 minutes.

Original recipe: Chicken Stuffed with Pesto and Cheese, Kalyn’s Kitchen

Chipotle Salmon

I always keep an eye out for sales on wild salmon. Last week Harris Teeter came through for me with a very red slab of nicely priced sockeye.

I prefer simple preparations for salmon – an interesting spice rub (like Smoked Paprika Orange Salmon) or glaze (like Sweet Spicy Glazed Salmon) is enough for me. I found another simple marinade featuring chipotle at Aggie’s Kitchen.

The marinade only uses the sauce from canned chipotles en adobo, not the peppers themselves. Since I keep leftover chipotles in a sealed container in the refrigerator, I had plenty of sauce to use. Chipotles seem to last longer in the refrigerator than you’d expect them to. Of course, I cook with chipotle fairly often, but if too much time does goes by and I don’t find ways to use them, I freeze them.

I sautéed kale with mushrooms, onions and garlic to accompany the salmon. I also microwaved two sweet potatoes to finish the plate. I cook sweet potatoes this way all the time. Wash and dry the potatoes, cut the ugly little butt ends off, poke holes all over them with a fork and microwave them for 12 minutes, or less if they’re on the small side – test at 10 minutes to see if they’re softened and cooked through. We started with a delicious fennel, carrot and tangerine salad – one of my new recipes from Michael Chiarello.

The salmon needs time to marinate but, beyond that, it’s a quick fix. Aggie recommends serving lime slices on the side, for squirting, I guess, but I forgot all about them. The heat was there in the background along with the warm spices. Another delicious way to prepare salmon!

Chipotle Salmon

You’ll need a medium bowl, plastic bag or container for the marinade, and a pan for the broiler — I used a pizza pan.

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 good shakes of ground allspice
1-2 good shakes of ground cinnamon
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon of adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles
2-3 shakes of ground cumin
salt and black pepper to taste
1 pound salmon fillet(s) or steaks

In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, olive oil, allspice, cinnamon, lime juice, chipotle sauce, cumin, salt and black pepper.

Coat the salmon with the marinade, then cover with plastic wrap or put in a sealed container and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the broiler. Transfer the salmon to a pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. My salmon had skin on one side so I broiled it, skin side down, for 6 minutes, it was still a tiny bit rare in the middle, which I prefer. Remember the salmon will continue to cook a bit after you take it out of the oven.

Original recipe: Chipotle Salmon, Aggie’s Kitchen

Fennel, Carrot and Tangerine Salad

Like many of you, we’re hungering for clean healthy food after a few weeks of heavy, fatty, salty, sweet and oh so delicious holiday feasting. Friday night I made marinated and broiled wild salmon, sautéed kale with mushrooms, onions and garlic and baked microwaved sweet potatoes – a colorful nutritious combo.

To start us off, instead of the usual dinner salad, I tried a salad from Michael Chiarello, one of my favorite TV chefs, and, among other things, owner of Tra Vigne, a restaurant where friends and I had a delicious late weekend lunch on my first visit to California years ago. I just looked at the menus; he’s still making my favorite kind of food.

Our fruit drawer is full of tangerines. With all the other fruit in the house, we’re not eating them fast enough so I searched for a salad using tangerines. I hit the jackpot on this one. It’s a refreshing crunchy salad with an interesting (in a good way) balance of flavors. I hardly got to eat any leftovers because Jim finished them off quickly.

Watercress can be a pain to prepare if you’re occasionally fussy like me. I’m not always that way but I ended up going through the entire bunch, discarding thick (and not so thick) stems and darkened wet leaves. My meditation. I didn’t need to do that but I had the time. If you can’t find watercress, arugula might work, just chop it up a bit first.

The original recipe says to serve it immediately, but we ate it over a few days, well, I shouldn’t say “we.”

Fennel, Carrot and Tangerine Salad

You’ll need two good-sized bowls, peeler and very sharp knife (or mandolin).

• 3 medium carrots
• 1 large fennel bulb, just the white bulb, not the fronds or stems (if your bulb isn’t gigantic, add another bulb
  
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon rice (or Champagne) vinegar, plus more as needed
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cups watercress sprigs, thick stems removed
• 1 cup tangerine sections (about 4)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Shave the carrots lengthwise into ribbons with a peeler. Cut off the stalks and fronds from the fennel bulbs. Using a very sharp knife (or mandolin), cut fennel into very thin slices.

Put the carrots and fennel in a bowl and toss with the olive oil, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon vinegar. Let stand for 20 minutes to soften.

Add the red onion. Gently mix in watercress and tangerines. Season with salt and pepper, toss well, taste, and add more vinegar if needed.

Original recipe: Shaved Carrot, Fennel and Tangerine Salad, Michael Chiarello

Hoppin’ John Soup

I first made Hoppin’ John soup for New Year’s Day last year. It’s a Southern tradition that eating black-eyed peas and greens will bring you luck the coming year. 2011 was a pretty good year, so I’m a believer.

I was going to make it again for New Year’s Day this year, but when the day came, we had a refrigerator full of food. I wasn’t about to add a big pot of soup to it.

It only took a few days for the frig to start looking normal again — we’re good at leftovers. It was freezing outside on Tuesday so it was the perfect night for a comforting soup. Plus I had a ham bone that I stole from Starr, our elderly border collie. Ok, I snatched it out of Jim’s hands before he gave it to Starr. Before I came along, Starr always got the ham bone, but now he has to make do with ham juice and scraps.

I used kale for the soup instead of collards because the collards in the store didn’t look so great. I bet if I had gone to a farm stand I would have had better collard luck. The original recipe called only for water, but I supplemented the water with some leftover chicken broth. You can cut back on the liquid if you want the soup to be thicker. I also added extra jalapeno and garlic, a green bell pepper and some thyme and paprika.

I was going to make cornbread as a side, but we are both so fat from the holidays that I decided we really didn’t need it. If you haven’t seriously overindulged in pies, cookies, eggnog, cheese, snacks and huge meals, cornbread would make a tasty accompaniment for Hoppin’ John. We both sprinkled some Texas Pete on our soup. Despite the two jalapenos, it really wasn’t that hot, maybe because I removed the seeds and ribs, cutting down on the capsaicin.

I know New Year’s has past, but this is a great soup for any occasion or cold night. We’ll enjoy it again tonight!

Hoppin’ John Soup

You’ll need two large Dutch ovens or large pots (6 and 12 quart capacity). Serves about 8-10 people, depending on appetite and whether you make cornbread too.

•  1 pound dried black-eyed peas
• 1 ham bone (or smoked ham bone or hocks)
• 1⁄4 cup canola oil
• 1⁄2 cup chopped cooked ham, either from your bone or elsewhere
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pound kale (or collard greens), ribs removed, leaves roughly chopped
• 5 cups of chicken broth and 7 cups of water
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 5-6 cups cooked long-grain white rice

Bring peas, ham bone and 8 cups water to a boil in a pot (the smaller of the two). Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, skimming foam occasionally, until peas are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain peas, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid along with the ham bone; set aside.

Heat oil in the larger pot over medium-high heat. Add ham, garlic, jalapeños, carrot, onion, green bell pepper, celery, thyme, paprika and bay leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add reserved black-eyed peas, ham bone and reserved cooking liquid, along with kale, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until kale or collards are tender, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon rice into bowls and ladle soup over rice.

Original recipe: Hoppin’ John Soup, Saveur

Shrimp Scampi

It’s time to get back to real life. Reentry is difficult, isn’t it? I’ve taken a lot of time off from this blog for no good reason.

Ok, maybe there was a reason, a lame reason. It wasn’t for lack of cooking or baking, I’ve done a lot of that in the last few months. And I have many recipes to share, but I don’t have photos of them. That’s the real reason. Even with my new iPhone and its great camera, I still forget to take photos. Arrgh! I need an app that reminds me to take a picture if I’m in the kitchen for more than 30 minutes.

Here’s a dish I made one night during the holidays. With a photo too! Usually I serve scampi with pasta, but since we were already busting out of our clothes, we skipped the pasta and served it plain with some vegetables on the side. Instead of pasta, we each ate a half a pound of scampi. Hmm.

You can find recipes for scampi in just about every Italian cookbook and all over the web too. I was inspired to make it by a recipe on the Saveur blog. It’s a simple dish to prepare, once you peel and devein the shrimp. Allow time for that or you’ll be dining late.

I hope you all had a great holiday season. We certainly did. I spent days in the kitchen, and that’s a good thing — my way of celebrating the holidays. As a result I have several Christmas cookie recipes to share next December. Just remind me next year to not make full batches of each one. We still have enough cookies to last several more weeks, if not months. Into the freezer they will go.

Happy New Year!

Shrimp Scampi

You’ll need a large skillet and time to peel and devein shrimp. This recipe serves two piggish people or four normal people.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 shallots, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley

Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and all the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, and add them to the skillet. Cook, turning once, until beginning to turn pink, about 3 minutes total. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Add pepper flakes and shallots to the skillet, and cook about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until shallots and garlic are soft, but not dark, about another minute.

Add wine, lemon juice and zest, and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. If you’re making this for pasta, add the cooked pasta now. Add shrimp and remaining butter to the pan, and toss until everything is evenly combined. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Original recipe: Shrimp Scampi, Saveur

Chicken with Cranberries and Apples

I’m still pushing autumn flavors over here at Gusto. You might have cranberry overdose next week, but in case you’re like me — never enough cranberries — you’ll like this one.

Cranberries and apples and cider — what a line up! This Eating Well recipe will take you less than 30 minutes to prepare, something my birthday buddy Rachael Ray would approve.

What do you think about Rachael? Most people either love or hate her. Doesn’t she seem like someone you could hang out with? You know she’d talk your ear off, but I can relate to that. I imagine hanging out with her in the living room, with our guys, watching hockey, drinking beer, making snacks and having a good old time. It’s not weird that I imagine scenes like this, is it?

I served this with brown and wild rice that I had cooked a few weeks back and stored in the freezer. I love that combo of rice but it takes too darn long to cook. So every now and then, when I have the time, I cook up a big pot and portion it out into quart-sized freezer bags. I sauteed some mushrooms, onions and garlic and mixed the thawed rice in to reheat it.

I also served my usual Broccoli with Garlic and Hot Pepper as a side too.

Yum. Just looking at it, I’m thinking I want to make this again real soon.

Chicken with Cranberries and Apples

You’ll need a large skillet with lid.

• 1 pound chicken tenderloins, trimmed and cut in half
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 crisp red apples, such as Braeburn, Fuji, Gala or Arkansas Black, thinly sliced – I left the peel on
• 1 large red onion, quartered and sliced
• 3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice, divided
• 1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Sprinkle both sides of chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each thyme, salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add the chicken. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining tablespoon oil to the pan. Add apples, onion, 2 tablespoons cider (or juice) and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon each thyme and salt. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring often, until the apples and onion are softened, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add cranberries and sprinkle flour over everything in the pan; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan and pour in the remaining cider (or juice). Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes more.

Original recipe: Skillet Chicken with Cranberries and Apples, Eating Well, September/October 2011

Grape Focaccia

I used to be pretty handy with yeast. I would go through phases where I played around with baking breads, breakfast pastries and pizza. There’s nothing like the smell of bread or croissants baking in the oven. In Arlington I lived across the street from a really good pastry shop (the one I eventually worked in), and loved it when the wind blew those aromas onto my balcony.

It’s been a long time since I opened a package of yeast, but a few weeks ago I had the urge to make a whole wheat pizza. I was going to use my mixer to knead the dough because that’s been my habit, it’s how we did it in school and in the shop and it stuck with me, but my KitchenAid attachments were in the storage unit. I’m glad they were. It felt good to knead. A dough is really yours if you knead it. I know that sounds corny, but try it and see if you agree. And really, a mixer saves you what? About six or seven minutes? I rather knead.

The pizza came out great. I used a recipe from Eating Well. A whole wheat pizza dough that you make in a few hours will never be anything close to a regular dough that rises over time, but it was tasty, a different pizza experience, but a really good Friday pizza night dinner.

I saw this recipe in the local paper, a New York Times recipe from Melissa Clark. The same week I saw Giada De Laurentiis make grape focaccia on the Cooking Channel. She added shallots and garlic to hers. I followed Melissa’s recipe with Giada’s additions, but adjusted the topping ingredient amounts a bit. It made a delicious sweet and salty Sunday afternoon snack. And Monday morning breakfast. And Tuesday morning breakfast too.

I know yeasted doughs can be daunting, but if you use fresh yeast and follow all the instructions, you’ll do fine. No matter what happens, the focaccia will be delicious.

Grape Focaccia

You’ll need a small skillet, instant-read thermometer, large bowl, dough scraper (optional), clean dish towel and a 11×17″ sheet pan or cookie sheet.

• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for greasing and drizzling
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped, divided
• 2 teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
• 1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour, more as needed
• 2/3 cup fine cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1/2 large shallot, cut into thinly sliced rounds
• 1 cup seedless black or red grapes, halved
• Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling.

Warm the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the rosemary leaves. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool.

Place 3/4 cup lukewarm water (105 to 115 degrees) in a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over it. Let it stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Stir the olive oil mixture, 1-2/3 cups flour, cornmeal, 3 tablespoons sugar and salt into the yeast mixture. Stir until a soft dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, or knead in a stand mixer with a dough hook attached, for about 5 minutes. If using the stand mixer, finish the dough by hand, on a floured surface, for 1 minute. Add more flour if the dough feels sticky. According to the recipe, it could need as much as another 1/4 cup if the dough feels very sticky. You want damp but not unworkable dough.

At this point in the recipe I was wondering if I messed up measuring because the dough was really sticky and soft. It absorbed at least an additional 2/3 cup of flour as I was kneading. Did I forget to add the cornmeal? I’ll never know until I make it again. I used my dough scraper in my right hand as I kneaded so I wouldn’t gunk up two hands. But it all turned out well. The dough doubled in size during its rise and rose again when baked.

Oil a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat it lightly with the oil. Cover the bowl with a dish towel. Place the bowl in a warm place, and let it rise until the dough has doubled, about 1 hour. Good places for rising dough: gas oven with just the pilot light on, on top of the refrigerator, in a dishwasher a few hours after it’s run  and it’s still a bit warm, near a heat source (but not on or too close to it), or a sunny (but not drafty or too hot) window.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Oil a large cookie sheet or baking pan with some olive oil.

Punch down the dough, then pat it into the pan, stretching it gently into a square or oval about 3/8- to 1/2-inch thick. It should not fill the entire pan. Sprinkle the dough with the garlic and shallot. Scatter the grapes over the dough, pressing them in lightly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon rosemary and flaky sea salt over the grapes. Drizzle all over with oil. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Original recipe: Grape Focaccia, News & Observer