eats.....
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Horseradish pizza!
The toppings (for 2 pizzas)
6 ounces of grated cheddar cheese
6 ounces of mozzarrella cheese
3 TBL of horseradish sauce
2 thinly sliced Roma tomatoes
4-6 slices of deli ham
1/2 thinly sliced red onion
Prepare the dough ahead of time, stretch into shape, and place on a 12" x 12" piece of aluminum foil. Preheat oven on it's highest setting. In a large bowl blend thoroughly the 2 cheeses and horseradish. Taste, and if it isn't spicy enough for you, add more horseradish! Or, just squeeze deli horseradish on the crust first, then add the cheese. Slice the ham into thin strips, the tomatoes crosswise, and the red onion very thinly. Place half of the cheese mixture on each pizza, then half the ham, tomatoes, and onions.
Be sure and read through the dough recipe (below) for baking times and ideas.
The Dough
5 cups unbleached bread flour
1 1/4 tsp. of active dry yeast
2 tbs. olive oil
1 3/4 cups water (room temperature)
1 tbs. honey
2 tsp. salt
Makes 4 - 10 oz. balls
This dough recipe makes a thin, crispy crust with small air pockets. First dissolve the yeast with a little of the room temperature water, then add all the other ingredients, mixing them well for about 4-5 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then come back and mix for 3-4 more minutes. If it's too sticky, add more flour, too dry, add more water. The "wetter" the mix, the crispier the crust. Divide the dough into 4 separate pieces, shape them into balls, rub with olive oil, and place them in individual ziplock bags. After letting them "rest" for 15 minutes inside the bags, refrigerate until the next day, or place any balls you do not plan on using immediately into the freezer. If you're going to use them the same day, turn that 15 minutes rest into one hour, then take them out of the bag, punch it down, reshape into a ball, put it back in the bag, and refrigerate for 2 hours. Take whatever you intend to use out of the fridge 2 hours before use, and allow to reach room temperature. Shape and stretch into roughly a thin 9"-10" circle, or whatever shape you can manage. This dough is somewhat elastic, and has the tendency to spring back into a smaller shape. I allow it to rest after the initial shaping and stretching, then come back and do it again. I have found it easier to build the pizza on top of a pizza peel or the bottom of a sheet pan, once the dough has been shaped and stretched. I keep an old 1" thick kiln shelf in my oven, on the middle shelf, and preheat the oven at it's highest heat setting for about an hour before sliding the pizza directly on top of it. Baking time in our oven is approximately 7-8 minutes. When the cheese is bubbly, and the bottom of the crust has browned somewhat, it's done!
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Cilantro soup.....
This recipe is courtesy of Hank Goodman. Hank is not only a phenomenal potter but an excellent cook as well. Normally I don't care for squash of any kind, so for me to like it is saying a lot!
1 lb. zucchini (diced)
1/2 onion
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 stick butter (optional)
1 cup tightly packed cilantro
2 Tbs. cornstarch
Cook the zucchini, and onion in 6 cups chicken broth until the squash gets mushy. Throw in the butter too if you like. Cool off. Puree the zucchini, chicken broth mixture in a blender, along with 1 cup of tightly packed cilantro and the cornstarch. This may take several blender batches. Reheat, and salt to taste. Can be served with green chiles and queso panela chunks as garnish. A splash of crema Mexicana is a great touch, but not particularly heart-healthy, but then neither is the cheese :-( Serve up in my soup/cereal/chil bowls as part of a meal your guests won't forget!
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Potato and cilantro soup.....
4 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 TBS olive oil
4 potatoes, peeled and chopped
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
salt to taste
1/4 tsp cayenne
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
In a large saucepan, saute the onions and garlic in 3 TBS of oil for 5 minutes, until limp, then add the last TBS of oil and the potatoes and stir-fry for a minute. Add the stock, cover and simmer for 45 minutes, until the potatoes are mushy. Remove from heat and puree.
Return the soup to the pot, season with salt and cayenne, and stir in the chopped cilantro. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. You can serve the soup cold--or reheat by slowly bringing it to a simmer. Ladle into soup plates and top with a sprinkling of cilantro.
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Chili con carne.....
I remember the first time I ever cooked a pot of chili. I came home from school one day to find a note on the kitchen counter from my mom, "Tommy, there's a pound of hamburger in the fridge, a bag of chilo-o mix on the counter.......etc" Other than cooking hot dogs and hamburgers on camping trips, that was the first "real" dish I ever prepared. My chili recipe has gone way beyond hamburger, onion, tomatoes, beans, and a bag of commercial chili seasoning since then. I hope you enjoy this recipe. It's been "fine tuned" for about 40 years now :-)
This recipe is large enough to feed 8-12 folks, depending on how cold it is outside and their appetites, and depending on whatever else you're grazing on, so adjust the recipe accordingly.
2 lbs. of stew beef (diced up chicken breast works well too)
6-8 (15 oz.) cans of beans (rinsed and drained), black or kidney, or both
4 (28 oz.) cans of tomatoes, peeled and whole or diced
1-2 onions, diced (medium white)
2 oz. Baker's unsweetened chocolate
4-5 garlic cloves, diced
1-2 Tbs. of olive oil
chili peppers to taste (jalapeños, chipotles, etc.)
cilantro, one or 2 good handfuls, chopped fine
ketchup, a real good squirt or 2
salt to taste
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Cook the onions and garlic for several minutes (until onions are translucent), then remove to a large stew pot. Brown the stew beef in the skillet, using the remnants of the oil, then throw that in the stew pot. Add the tomatoes, beans, cilantro, chocolate, ketchup, salt, and chiles to the stew pot and simmer for several hours. Stir occasionally to keep it from sticking to the pot's bottom, or cook it in a crock-pot and just leave it alone for several hours. Serve in individual bowls, and top off with any of the following - cilantro, sour cream, green onions, cheese. Serve with tortilla chips and pico de gallo and/or guacamole.
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Banana bread.....
I've never been big on bananas, unless they're made into ice cream or banana bread. This recipe comes from my step mom, Jean McCall Gray, and is one she and Slate prepare together when she visits. Enjoy!
1 1/2 cups Bisquick
2 or 3 bananas - mashed
1 egg (if you have it)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter - melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Optional ingredients: nuts, nutmeg, vanilla
Prehat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients. Pour into a greased 9 by 9 baking pan. Bake for about 30 minutes. Test by sticking a toothpick into the center. It is done if the toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 10 min.
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Balsamic vinaigrette.....
This recipe came to me by way of Jean Wilder, a customer who popped into my shop one day while searching for a cruet for this same dressing.
1 1/3 cups olive oil
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
a healthy splash of red wine
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Drunken beans.....
I swiped a few recipes from the web, condensed/combined them, and this is what I came up with. It's pretty darn tasty, makes a good side dish with stew beef, or by itself with a few tortillas. Start off the meal with the cilantro soup, and you have a wonderful, healthy meal.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped tomatoes (or diced canned tomatoes)
2 large green onions, chopped (or half a small white onion)
2 16-ounce cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup beer (some recipes call for a couple of shots of tequila instead)
1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 or 2 minced chipotles in adobo sauce, or minced jalepeño, chopped fine
2 cloves of chopped garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large skillet heat the oil over medium heat; sauté the green onions, garlic and tomatoes until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Simmer the mixture covered over a low heat for about 30 minutes. If too much liquid remains, uncover and cook until the mixture thickens as desired. Oh yeah, a little crumbled cheese on top really adds something to it. Although I love Monterey Jack and cheddar, feta is pretty tasty too, and probably healthier.
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