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Thin Crust Pizza

Saturday, September 3rd, 2011

Basic Pizza Margherita can't be beat.

Breathes there the man with soul so dead, who never to himself hath said, “I’ll have a large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese?”

That was bad, wasn’t it?

Bad but true. Everyone loves pizza, most likely because it’s made from three of life’s most delicious, and waist-enhancing, ingredients: bread, gobs of cheese and fatty meat. For those of us who must watch our weight, this has meant that pizza is a rare, guilty, indulgence.

Last week I decided to undertake a self-taught course in pizza-making with the hope of turning out not only a great crust, but a pizza that didn’t break the fat-gram bank.

Caveat: making pizza at home is not difficult, but it definitely isn’t for the culinary faint-of-heart. You have to have a few tools and the right ingredients. You also have to have some time in order for the crust to rise. (Of course, you could use a pre-made Boboli crust, but then you wouldn’t be making pizza, would you? You’d be assembling it.)

This recipe, from Cooks Illustrated, yielded a perfectly crisp, crunchy crust on the first attempt. We were amazed. By the third try, Champ and Tom, an old friend who is currently living with us, said I should open a restaurant. That’s how good it is.

Following are instructions for a basic pizza with tomato sauce and mozzarella. I’ve been experimenting with both fresh tomato slices and the more traditional tomato sauce, as well as combinations of cheeses, applied sparingly: mozzarella, fontina and Parmesan.

If you want to learn to make pizza at home, I don’t think you can beat this recipe. The dough calls for a small amount of yeast and a long, overnight rise in the refrigerator. Having made many loaves of bread over the years, I have learned that less yeast and a longer fermentation yields a more crusty loaf.

The results? Nothing short of fabulous. Get this technique under your belt and from here on in any store-bought pies will taste, at best, second-rate.

I use a pizza stone that can withstand very high temperatures, and a pizza peel to transfer the pizza into and out of the oven. If you don’t have a peel you can also use the back side of a baking sheet.

Dough (for two pies):

3 cups bread flour
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/3 cups ice-cold water
1 T. olive oil
1 1/2 t. salt

Toppings:

Tomato sauce, your own recipe or store-bought
Parmesan cheese
4 ounces Mozzarella cheese, shredded (per pie)
Fresh basil leaves

Combine flour, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a food processor and process until combined, 2 seconds. With the machine running, slowly add the ice water through the feed tube and process until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let dough stand 10 minutes.

Add oil and salt to dough and process until dough forms a satiny ball that clears the sides of the work bowl, about 30 to 60 seconds. Remove dough from bowl and knead briefly on a lightly oiled counter until smooth, about a minute. Shape into a tight ball and place in a large, oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 24 hours or up to 3 days.

To bake the pizza:

One hour before baking the pizza, adjust oven rack to second highest position, set a pizza stone on the rack and heat oven to 500 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and divide in half. Shape each half into a smooth, tight ball. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet, spacing balls about 3″ apart, and cover loosely with plastic wrap coated with nonstick cooking spray; let stand for 1 hour.

Coat one ball of dough with flour and place on a well-floured countertop. Using your fingertips, gently flatten into an 8-inch disk. Then gently stretch the dough into a 12-inch round, working along the edges and giving the disk quarter-turns as you stretch. Transfer the dough to a well-floured pizza peel (or the back of a baking sheet) and stretch into a 13-inch round.

Using the back of a spoon or ladle, spread 1/2 cup of sauce in a thin layer over the surface of the dough, leaving about a 1/4-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and 1 cup mozzarella. Slide the pizza onto the stone and bake until the crust is well browned and the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown, about 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pizza halfway though baking. Top with fresh basil leaves.

Repeat with second pizza.

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Posted in Articles, Pizza, Recipes | No Comments »

Spanish Tortilla

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

Mexican food lovers will be disappointed when they read this: a Spanish tortilla has nothing to do with maize, or corn tortillas. It’s a classic tapas (snack) in Spain, and consists of thinly sliced potatoes fried in olive oil and made into an omelette with beaten eggs. After the bottom has become browned, the tortilla is either flipped by hand, or inverted onto a plate and slid back into the pan to cook on the other side. (I chose the latter method, fearing a ceiling mural of egg and potato.)

This version, from eatingwell.com, has fresh chopped spinach as well, which adds color and texture to the tortilla. I served it cut into wedges for dinner, and the next day ate it cold, cut into little squares a la Spanish bar food.

Did you know that you can buy precooked, cubed potatoes? This was new to me. One brand is Simply Potatoes, and I found them in the refrigerated section near the eggs. What will they think of next? No, really, what will they think of next? I can’t wait.

Easy, economical, and leftovers are ideal for those who need fresh ideas for lunch-at-work.

3 t. olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 cup precooked cubed red potatoes*
1 T. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 t. smoked paprika
6 eggs
4 egg whites
1/2 cup shredded Jack or Manchego cheese
3 cups baby spinach, chopped
salt and pepper

Leftovers the next day served cold with more summer tomatoes and beer!

Heat 2 t. oil in a medium nonstick skillet and add onions. Cook until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes, then add potatoes, thyme and paprika and cook 2 minutes more.

Whisk eggs and egg whites in a large bowl. Gently stir in the onion/potato mixture, cheese, spinach and salt and pepper. Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining 1 t. olive oil. Pour in the egg mixture, cover and cook until the edges are set and the bottom is browned, about 4 to 5 minutes.

To flip the tortilla, run a spatula around the edges to loosen them, then invert onto a large plate set over the pan. Slide the tortilla back into the skillet with the uncooked side down. Continue cooking until the tortilla is completely set in the middle, about 3 to 6 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Serves 6

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Posted in Articles, Eggs, Recipes | 1 Comment »

Grilled Flank Steak with Corn, Black Bean and Avocado Salad

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

Hoo–Ahh. The weather has cooled, which means it’s time for beef.

You’re not making that connection? That’s all right. I’ll be happy to make it for you. I love beef but seldom think of cooking it when the weather is blistering. Not even grilling steak appeals to me, that is, not until now.

This recipe appeared in the weekly hand-out at Weight Watchers meetings last week. Here’s the photo from the handout:

Gee, it looks suspiciously familiar, doesn’t it? OK, so I shamelessly copied their setup. However, I took mine outside to get the last rays of evening sun. That is why my shot looks less professional, but also less like it’s sitting in a food stylist’s light box.

Here’s the thing about flank steak: while it’s very lean, it can be tough if you overcook it. Be careful to grill it about 5 minutes per side, remove it immediately from the grill and allow it to rest a few minutes. If you want it to be tender, serve it rare and thinly sliced.

One more note: servings are for Weight Watcher portions. If you’ve got a heftier appetite, this will serve two generously. Also, the original recipe calls for 1/2 avocado, 1/2 cup corn and no olive oil on the salad. I used a whole avocado and more corn, and I added extra lime juice and a small glug of olive oil to the salad.

1 lb. flank steak
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T. fresh lime juice
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Salad:

1 T. minced jalapeno pepper
1/2 to 1 cup frozen corn, thawed (or one ear of cooked corn)
1 avocado, diced
1 1/2 T. lime juice
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 T. minced cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Heat grill. Score steak on one side by making shallow criss cross slashes with a sharp knife. Rub garlic over surface of steak and sprinkle it with lime juice, salt and pepper. Allow to set aside for 10 minutes.

Combine salad ingredients and stir gently. Set aside.

Grill steak on one side until well-browned, about 5 minutes Turn over and grill another 5 to 6 minutes, until rare inside. Remove from grill and allow to sit for meat to absorb its juices. Thinly slice steak across the grain and serve with salad.

Serves 4
Each serving: 3 oz. of steak and 1/2 cup of salad, or 7 WW Points Plus (if you prepared this using no olive oil and only 1/2 avocado and 1/2 cup corn)

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Posted in Articles, Meats, Recipes | 2 Comments »

Creamy Hummus

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Served with cucumbers, garden-fresh tomatoes, olives, romaine, tuna and the best whole grain bread you can find, this makes a fabulous, no-cook summer dinner!

I’ll begin by stating the obvious: you can buy hummus everywhere, even at Costco, and most brands are pretty good too. But commercial hummus is not as good as home-made, (it’s my opinion and it’s very true) and to understand this you’ll just have to make some.

Don’t have a conniption fit: on the difficulty level, making hummus ranks right up there with operating an Easy Bake oven. Summertime bonus: there’s no cooking involved.

This recipe is adapted from Cooks Illustrated, one of my favorite recipe sources. They say to follow the preparation method closely, as it delivers the creamy texture of restaurant-style hummus. I’ve made a lot of hummus in my time, and this works beautifully.

3 tablespoons juice from 1 to 2 lemons
1/4 cup water
6 T. tahini , stirred well*
2 T. olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 (14-oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, , minced
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground cumin
Pinch cayenne
1 T. minced fresh cilantro or parsley leaves

*Joyva brand is good, comes in a tin can and keeps for a long while in the fridge.

Combine lemon juice and water in small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk together tahini and 2 T. oil in second small bowl.

Process chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne in food processor until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula.

With machine running, add lemon juice-water mixture in steady stream through feed tube. Scrape down bowl and continue to process for 1 minute. With machine running, add oil-tahini mixture in steady stream; continue to process until hummus is smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds.

Transfer hummus to serving bowl, sprinkle with cilantro, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until flavors meld, about 30 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Makes two cups

per 1/4 cup

Posted in Appetizers, Articles, Recipes | 2 Comments »

Greek Salad with Chicken

Sunday, July 31st, 2011

“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”
Harry S. Truman

This is why Harry Truman, a proud, self-proclaimed denizen of the American Midwest, became President of the United States. He was a plain-spoken man who said it like it was. (Oh, for politicians like him right now in Washington D.C.!!!)

Our unprecedented heat wave is unrelenting, so I’ve taken Harry’s advice and steered clear of the kitchen. My only cooking source has been the grill, and I’ve used that sparingly. Who wants to stand outside in 100 degree weather and tend to food on an open flame? Anyone? Anyone?

Not surprisingly, salads have become our main entree, accompanied by all things fresh, cold and uncomplicated.

After several nights of same old, same old, I had to reach up my sleeve for some new salad tricks to keep us from running straight to the nearest burger bistro. I know what you’re thinking: Greek salad isn’t exactly unique, but when I saw this recipe on www.eatingwell.com, there was something refreshing about the thought of cold tomatoes and cucumber mixed with chicken that drew me in.

I knew that I didn’t even have to grill the chicken if I didn’t want to–I could resort to store-bought. (However, when it comes to store-roasted poultry, I’ve drawn the line. It’s almost always overcooked, so in this case I took the heat of the grill.)

This salad gets an A+ for being thoroughly delightful. And here’s a bonus: it serves only two! It was one of those dishes where, despite its simplicity, we kept saying, “Yum. This is so good!”

See how good it was? All gone!

Chopped Greek Salad with Chicken for Two

2 1/2 T. red-wine vinegar
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 t. chopped fresh dill, or oregano, or 1/2 t. dried
1/2 t. garlic powder (I used fresh garlic)
1/4 t. salt
Freshly ground black pepper

3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 1/4 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 big tomato, chopped
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped (I used seedless, which doesn’t need peeling)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup sliced black olives (I used Kalamata)
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Whisk vinegar, oil and herbs together in a large bowl. Add lettuce, chicken, tomato, cucumber, onion, olives and feta. Toss to coat.

Serves two.