Homemade Pizza

Last week the roomslice was craving pizza and while we were debating which Mission pizzeria would provide the shortest wait for a Friday night dinner, we came to the conclusion that we should just make our own.  I've made the dough from scratch before, but this time we opted for the Trader Joe's uncooked packaged variety.

mmm dough. sitting for twenty minutes.

We portioned the dough into quarters to make two pizzas each.  One for dinner and one for lunch at work this week.  Now this is where the fun part starts because you can basically just throw on whatever you've got in the fridge.  I opted to first knead some chopped garlic in my dough for a kick of flavor.  Roommate went for a tomato sauce and I used a hummus guacamole for my base.  If I had had any, I likely would've opted for pesto instead, but we made do with what we had.

Roommate's more traditional pizza on the left.  My noncomformist pizza on the right. 

Toppings: I decided on shrimp, bacon, mushrooms, red onions, tomatoes, feta cheese, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese.  I was debating adding a fried egg on top at the end, but decided there was already enough going on on my pie.  Tip: I cooked the bacon and the shrimp about three-quarters done before putting them on the pizza so that they wouldn't be raw going into the oven, but wouldn't become overcooked.  This was good because it meant I didn't end up with a pizza dripping with bacon grease, (though we all know I probably wouldn't have minded).

We cooked the pizzas on one of those no-stick cookie mats which still produced a good crust, but no sticking.  Perfect.  About ten minutes at 450 degrees and we were enjoying our home-made pies without the wait or the bill that comes with a restaurant. 

LND: Wake Up and Smell the Bacon

I'm definitely more of an eggs and bacon girl than a milk and cereal girl when it comes to my breakfasts.  So in this blog edition we recount a common brunch fare I make for myself and friends on the weekends.  Breakfast potatoes with a fried egg on top.  Just remember, the key to this meal is bacon grease! Mmmmm.

So first, choose your ingredients for the potatoes wisely.  We opted for garlic, mushrooms, onions (more than were shown), and bacon (obviously).  Now you may want to cook bacon strips to eat on the side, but I'm a fan of chopping the bacon and having it mixed with the potatoes.  My suggestion for you: try both.  The more bacon, the better.

Once the chopping is done, you're ready to start cooking.  Take your skillet and add the bacon, no additional butter/oil/grease required.  Once rendered (fancy term for cooked), remove the bacon to a paper towel, but leave all that delicious and fatty grease behind.

With the bacon set aside ever so gracefully, you can start cooking your other ingredients.  Begin with the garlic and onions.  Once the onions are soft you can add the mushrooms.  It's important to space out your veggies based upon what will take the longest to cook.  Also, with mushrooms, they're full of moisture, but initially they will suck up the cooking liquid and once they're sauteed, they will release it again, so don't worry if your pan suddenly appears too dry.  After a couple minutes of cooking your veggies, you can add the potatoes.  The bacon grease will ensure they get nice and crispy on the outside, but we're concerned about cooking through to the center as well.  So a trick I use is that after about 10-15 minutes of sauteing and crisping I'll add a liquid.  I usually go for white wine or chicken broth.  The liquid will after a few minutes evaporate completely, but not without first helping to poach the potato and promote a softer interior.  I'll add about a quarter cup of liquid at a time.

When the potatoes are cooked to your desired level of doneness, add cheese, herbs, scallions, etc.  Anything you don't want to cook, but want in the potatoes.  This is also the time to add back the bacon.  (We opted for shredded cheddar at this point in the game).  If you want to keep the potatoes heated until you're ready to serve them, the oven is another option for finishing these babies off.  All in all I'd say you're looking at about 15-30 minutes of potato cooking time to achieve your desired level of softness or crunch as the case may be.
Now for the final touch, I add a fried egg on top.  Of course, the egg must be cooked in bacon grease.  Cook it to your liking, but I highly suggest leaving the yolk runny to seep down over your potatoes.  To serve, plate the potatoes, put the egg on top and add whatever else you'd like on the side.  Delicious, full service breakfast on a plate or in a bowl.

Ingredients: Potatoes, Onions, Garlic, Mushrooms, Bacon, Chicken Broth, Cheddar Cheese, Eggs

And to prove we aren't giant grease-eating carnivores, we even sliced some peaches and strawberries to balance out the meal.  (Though I won't comment on how much of this fruit we actually managed to eat).

Tomato and Feta Sandwich

This is what happens when you spend a couple weekends out of town and are going out of town again soon so you don't want to go grocery shopping.  You end up needing to finish the last of the bread, the feta cheese that's been around for far too long (no mold i promise!), and tomatoes are the only thing in your produce drawer.  Wait, I'm the only one this happens to?  So we got a little creative with last night's dinner.  Open faced tomato and cheese sandwich!

Slice the tomatoes, coat with salt, pepper, and dried basil.  Coat a heated saute pan with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Add the tomato slices.  Cook about a minute on one side.  Flip over.  Put the feta cheese on top to heat while you cook for another minute.  Transfer tomatoes to a piece of toast and drizzle remaining balsamic/oil pan drippings over tomatoes/toast.  And there you have it.  A pretty lame dinner.

Salmon with a Zucchini Yogurt Sauce

Served with mashed potatoes and asparagus, both of which also taste good with the yogurt sauce

This has been a favorite recipe of mine for years, though I forget where we first discovered it.  I like it because it's pretty quick and easy with few ingredients but it tastes way more involved.

Ingredients for the sauce: plain yogurt, mayo, zucchini, chives
Ingredients for the fish: salmon fillets, poaching liquid (I usually like white wine and water with tarragon, but this time we used chicken broth and it still tasted great)

Poached fish results in way more tender and juicy fillets than most other methods of cooking.  However, it is still possible to overpoach a fish.  I like to put the salmon in a saute pan that covers about 3/4 - 4/5 of the salmon with the poaching liquid on medium to medium-high heat (you want it to be just under a boil).  Once it appears that most of the fish is cooked slightly, aside from a small portion of the top part (maybe about 5-7 minutes) flip the fillets over.  Cook for the same amount of time on the other side and you're done.

For the sauce, mix equal parts plain yogurt and mayonnaise (we did 8 ounces each and had lots of leftovers).  Then take one small zucchini and dice it and a small handful of chives and dice them.  Add as much of the zucchini and chives as you'd like to the yogurt/mayo (we went for a whole zucchini and maybe 1/4 cup of chives).

And that's it.  Plate the salmon, spoon some sauce over, and make sure to leave the bowl of sauce on the table with dinner, because your guests will definitely be going for more.  (Zucchini garnish optional)

Feta Mashed Potatoes

Yes, an entire post dedicated to my favorite tuber in one of its best forms: the mashed potato.  Again, needing to use up some potatoes and the last of the cream I couldn't quite finish with the risotto, I opted for a dish that never fails me.  Really any potato will do.  I happened to be using small yellow potatoes.

Peel, slice, boil.  Make sure the potatoes are of comparable sizes so they'll cook evenly.  When a fork inserted in the potatoes reveals them to be soft and slightly falling apart, you're ready to drain.  Next comes the good part.  Over very low heat, add your mix-ins.  Start with your butter, then your milk or cream (I used cream last night...it makes for a richer potato) and some salt and pepper (unless you boiled the potatoes in salt water, then be careful not too add to much).  If you're going for cheesy or garlic potatoes, add those now too.  I have a ton of feta cheese in my fridge so that was last night's flavor.  

Now you're ready to start your mashing.  Start by adding less butter/cream than you would think you need so you can add more once you get going.  No one wants runny potatoes, but dry potatoes are easy to salvage.  Once mashed to a desired consistency, you can add other mix-ins.  Spinach, bacon, whatever strikes your fancy.   And there you have it.  I'm not above eating a heaping plate of mashed potatoes with bacon on top as my only dinner item....they're that good. 

Risotto

My apologies for the blogging hiatus, but the holiday weekend found me in a different state...Ohio.  But now that we're back to the daily grind, it's time to use up ingredients that will go bad if they're in my fridge any longer.  So in order to utilize the last of my heavy cream and scallions: risotto.

The key ingredient is the rice.  I always keep arborio rice on hand for impromptu risotto.  The next key ingredient is the broth.  If you have those two things, you're pretty much set for a basic risotto, but obviously more ingredients are preferable. 

Typically you begin by sauteing onions in butter and olive oil and when tender you add the rice to coat in the oil/butter.  I, lacking onions, opted for scallions.  Then once you add the rice comes the fun part, i.e. you can't really leave the kitchen for the next 22 minutes.  If you have an open bottle of white wine, throw in about a quarter of a cup before you switch to broth.  But if this impromptu risotto resulted in no white wine lying around your kitchen you can go straight to the broth, as I did last night.  You'll want to add the broth (I opted for chicken) in batches.  Initially covering the rice, keep the pot over medium heat, stir occasionally, and when the broth is mostly absorbed add more.  You'll keep adding broth for the next 20-25 minutes until the rice wont absorb any more.  (The box will tell you how many cups of rice/broth are needed, but I usually just eyeball it).  At this point I added the shrimp.  (I'm also a fan of salmon or mushroom risotto, but feel free to add any combination of sauteed veggies you like.)  For the finishing touches, add a little heavy whipping cream, and some parmesan cheese.  I also threw in some salt and pepper and basil.  You can obviously adjust the creaminess to your liking, and the more it sits, the more it will continue to thicken and absorb the moisture.

Ingredients: Arborio rice, chicken broth, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, shrimp, scallions, basil, salt and pepper

Sliders!

Bacon Teriyaki, Bernaise Balsamic, Bacon and Blue

I'm just a little bit excited about last night's dinner.  Craving a burger on the way home from work I realized, "I've got some ground beef in the freezer, I'll make my own!" and thus...sliders!  And here's the fun part about sliders, you can make a few with different flavors so you don't have to choose just one type of cheese, or one type of marinade for the beef (Yes, I do in fact marinade my beef).  So here's the lowdown:

For the burger patties: Ground beef (I used 80/20), diced mushrooms, diced garlic, marinade (add diced onions if you have any...I didn't)
My two marinades: Balsamic vinegar or Teriyaki/soy sauce/sesame oil/sesame seeds
Cheeses: Roquefort, Parmesan, Cheddar, Feta (not pictured)
Toppings: Bacon, Scallions
Sauces: Mayo, Bernaise
Bread: Tuscan Pane (from Trader Joe's) lightly toasted

I enjoy marinading my ground beef to add flavor in the burger when you bit into it.  I opted for two marinades last night: a balsamic and a teriyaki.  I also enjoy throwing diced mushrooms and/or onions in with my ground beef to cook within the burger itself.  Another dimension of added flavor and texture.

Ground beef, garlic, mushrooms, balsamic.  Don't be afraid to get your hands messy when you mix it all together.  

Once your beef is mixed to your liking, form small patties with your hands.  If you have trouble with the meat falling apart you can add some egg and milk, but your burgers will taste a bit like meatloaf, if you're cool with that.  Not wanting to use my grill pan, I again opted for the skillet cooked burgers.

It's important not to squish your burgers down as they cook, no matter what surface you're cooking them on, because that's how they lose all their good juices from the inside and you're left with a dry, unappealing burger.  You can squish once they're in the bun.  So cook these, turning over periodically until they're cooked through to your liking.  When almost done, you can add the cheese on top to melt before assembling your burgers.  I also like using bread instead of hamburger buns because I don't have to buy something special for these, and I actually love the taste/toasty texture.

So what were my final creations?  At the bottom of the first picture is your classic "bacon and blue" with the Roquefort cheese, bacon, scallion, and mayo.  This used the balsamic burger.  Going up clockwise we have a traditional bacon burger with cheddar cheese and mayo.  This utilized the teriyaki burger.  And my favorite of the night was the balsamic burger topped with parmesan, scallions, and bernaise sauce (bringing the steakhouse to the burger joint).  I had a ton of leftovers, so I must admit I nibbled later on a balsamic burger topped with feta, scallions, bacon, and bernaise sauce sans bread. 

Proof that you don't need a grill and don't need to settle on a single burger for dinner.

Tortilla Soup

I apologize for the less than glamorous "dishware", but sometimes it's more important not to dirty extra dishes.

Ingredients: Olive oil, Scallions, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, oregano, chicken broth, corn, chicken
Garnishes: tortilla strips, cheese, avocado, fresh cilantro

This is my favorite recipe for tortilla soup.  I made enough soup for dinner and two lunches at work for this week, so the ingredient portions reflect that.  First, chop 6-12 small scallions and saute with 4 - 5 tbsp chopped garlic in a little olive oil.  Once tender, add 2 chopped tomatoes.  Add chicken broth (5-6 cups) and about a cup of chopped cilantro.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 15 min. Add corn and chicken (i sauteed the chicken in oil and finished by poaching in broth before adding to the soup) and serve once heated through.  Garnish with freshly made tortilla strips (tortilla + olive oil in a hot pan), fresh cilantro, avocado, and grated cheese that will melt over the heat of the soup.  Perfect for leftovers when you add fresh garnishes each time.

LND: Restaurant Roundup

The weekend has come and gone, and this one was filled with many a restaurant fare.  Here I shall recap some of the dishes tasted, and some of the inspirations I've drawn from them.

We begin with Friday's dinner at Lalola, a tapas bar.  Tip: At any restaurant that offers a happy hour, eat dinner during then to take advantage of happy hour pricing not only on drinks, but on food.  Eating at 9pm is so 2009.  My inspiration from Lalola: patatas bravas. 

photo courtesy of Yelp

Typically cut in 2 inch cubes, boiled in brine, then fried, these potatoes are served with a tomato-based sauce and an alioli.  Wanting to repeat a similar tasting potato at home, I opt for peeling, then baking (either in the oven, or on the microwave's potato setting), then chopping and frying in oil for about 30 sec- 1 min.  Deliciously cooked potatoes on the inside with a fried crisp outside.  Trust me, it's delicious.

Next we discuss Saturday brunch at Tikka Benedict, a new pop-up brunch place in SOMA.  Still working out the kinks here, my inspiration comes from the namesake brunch item.  The tikka benedict originated when the restaurant's owner wanted to make eggs benedict but realized she was lacking hollandaise sauce and instead put leftover chicken tikka masala over her egg and english muffin.

photo courtesy of Yelp (definitely not how it looked on my plate)

While for now I would suggest skipping brunch here until they become more comfortable with poaching eggs in a timely manner, I would highly recommend making this at home.  Why did I never think of combining two of my favorite things (indian food and eggs benedict)?  Good for any meal of the day.

Recreating restaurant fare at home = delicious, budget conscious, and impressive at dinner parties.

Skewers and Quinoa

My food discovery of the summer has been quinoa (keen-wah).  I decided to finally brave the world of cooking it for myself and have pretty much used it as a rice replacement.  I realize I prefer the red variety to the white variety, but accidentally purchased a box of white and last night finally finished it.

For last night's dinner, Safeway had a sale on marinated skewers so i figured, why not.  In my humble San Francisco apartment I do not own a barbecue.  I have a grill pan for the stove that works wonders, but is a huge hassle to clean.  So instead I opted for an initial pan-sear followed by 15-20 minutes in a 425 degree oven to achieve the perfect medium rare.  Using the leftover marinade, I sauteed some mushrooms, garlic, and scallions and threw in some cilantro for a kick.  Once the quinoa had been cooked according to the package directions, I tossed in my mushroom marinade saute to give flavor to my new favorite chenopod.  Fun fact: quinoa is not actually considered a grain because it does not actually come from the grass family.  And there you have it, a gussied up store-assembled meal.