Remember When? Grilled Pizzas

It's been ages since I've posted... I decided to go through my culinary adventures since June 2013 and share some of the highlights....

This was one of my favorite summer meals. I spent the summer in Utah, living up in my little slice of heaven at Alta Ski Area and working in downtown Salt Lake City on environmental remediation and compliance contracts -- my dream job.

As it was just me, I spent a lot of time cooking up fresh vegetables from my share from Liberty Heights Fresh and grilling chicken sausages or my favorite Canyon Meadows Ribeye from Caputo's. This meal was an impromptu attempt to feed myself when nature released her fury.

Flash back to July 4th. I had spent the morning hiking with friends and napping up at Cecret Lake solo. Walking home, a good friend convinced me to join him for a drink at a BBQ. Three drinks later, I rolled home and collapsed into bed... only to be woken up at 12 midnight to a rainstorm the likes of which I'd never heard.

The next morning, I awoke at 5:30 to make my way down Little Cottonwood to the gym. But, I was quickly thwarted at avalanche gate B. It was down (and there was no snow). I was so confused. The power didn't go out - what was wrong?

After calling good friends in the know, I saw the UDot announcement that we'd had rockslides and mudalanches... and the road was closed. So, no work for me. Hiking it will be! Worse, I was in desperate need of food...

Lucky for me, that night, I had frozen pizza dough and a fresh bunch of figs and arugula from a shop earlier in the week at my disposal... the rest, they say, is history.

Grilled Pizzas

1 frozen pizza crust
Brown rice flour, as needed
Cheese, for topping (I like mozzarella, tallegio, goat cheese, Brie)
Toppings of your choosing

Preheat the grill to 500 degrees F. Roll out the dough into two small rounds. Coat lightly with brown rice flour. Place on hot grill for 2-3 minutes, flip. Cook 2 minutes longer. Take the crust inside and top with your choice of sauce and toppings, first cooked side up. Place the pizza, second side down, back on grill (with the top closed) until the cheese is just melted. Let cool 1-2 minutes and serve.

Some combinations I like:
Arugula, grilled figs, pesto, proscuitto
Pesto, pignola nuts, raisins
Pesto, tomato sauce, caramelized onions, and zucchini

Candied Spiced Macadamias

These are one of my all-time favorite snacks... slash glam cheese platter accompaniments, plus a great gift for the holidays. And they're easy to make -- healthy -- AND easy to eat!

I make two versions of these -- one with herbs de Provence. The other with a spicy cayenne-cumin-curry mix.

The spice mix, I feel, goes best with some salted macadamias as a base. The herbs de Provence go well with salted mixed nuts. But the fun here is being creative with making up a combination that suits you!

Here's the basic recipe -- feel free to experiment and try new combinations as you see fit

Spiced Candied Nuts

2 cups salted mixed nuts (if you don't use salted nuts, then add salt to taste, well)
1/2 cup honey, plus more if desired
2-3 tablespoons spice mix (herbs de Provence or 1/3-1/3-1/3 cayenne-cumin-curry)

In a large (10-12") skillet, heat up nuts over medium high heat. Add honey and cook until liquid and nuts are all coated. Add seasonings, distributing well. Stir well and cook 1-2 minutes longer, until honey starts to caramelize. Pour onto silpat or parchment paper, and cool completely.

Serve with an array of cheeses (Fromager D'Affinois and Humboldt Fog), fig jam, and fruit... or with a hearty kale or arugula salad... or snack plain alone!

Summer Squash Pudding

This recipe is one of those favorites I grew up with, and this summer, presented with a bounty of yellow squash, I couldn't resist modifying this family favorite to my (mostly) gluten-free lifestyle.

First, I substituted the sour cream with goat cheese, as I had that from my CSA, and as I'm supposed to avoid dairy in general, I opted for the lesser of two evils (plus that goaty-ness from the cheese added depth of flavor). I then subbed gluten-free breadcrumbs in for traditional ones (these are readily available at Whole Foods. I'm still on the hunt in the Upper Valley). 

In general, I grew up with this dish baked in a large custard dish, so the egginess was more tender than I presented it. I wanted something a little firmer that wouldn't "ooze" when I transported it to work for lunch. I did something similar tonight here in VT, albeit baking it in a springform for more of a tart/flan than... custardy "bar??"

Either way -- this was delicious. So much I've been craving that comfort this week.

(If you're gluten free and don't have breadcrumbs, I tried mashing rice crackers -- like those Asian Seaweed ones -- into crumbs and topping it with those. It worked surprisingly well!).

Gluten-Free Summer Squash Pudding

5 small yellow squash, sliced thick and steamed until mushable
2 eggs
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp garlic and herb soft goat cheese
Salt, to taste
GF breadcrumbs, for topping

Bake 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees if in big pan, longer if deeper, until the egg is just set. (With about 1.75-2 inches, I baked this for 20 minutes. Perfect!)

Marcella Hazan - Comfort Food for All

From FoodinItaly.org

The world lost a magnificent woman yesterday.

Marcella Hazan was a woman after my own heart. A biologist by training (like me, er, ecologist here?), she forever changed how we all at home cooked, and cooked Italian dishes, for sure.

She was bold and confident enough to admonish Mario Batali for his risotto cooking technique. And her patience, simplicity, and passion for Italian cooking could never be overlooked.

Marcella has left a rather large impression on me. I grew up devouring her tomato sauce, laden with the most tender, sweet sofrito ever (I became a sofrito believer because of her). And while her bolognese is a labor of love, made with milk and slowly cooked for hours, it has never let me down (and to this day, is the dish I turn to when feeling under the weather and in need of some TLC). I will always refer to her recipes for delicious, flavorful, and precise recipes, and can't wait to cook them (and pass them along) to the next generation.

If you've never tried her Bolognese, I implore you to do so this week. You'll thank me.

Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce

This was one of the highlights of my summer adventures in the kitchen. Being back in a (another?) land-locked state, this time I had access to tons of super-fresh fish flown in daily from AK. And I had a mad hankering for salmon.

One night salmon, the next night leftovers. At 8,550, cold salmon salads don't have the same appeal as they do in hot and steamy NYC. Rather, where it's easily 50 degrees at night on the hottest summer days, this girl needs a little heat (spice?!) in her life. 

Summer rolls are super easy to make, and, when you have a glass of wine at hand, kind of therapeutic to make after a long day in the office. Plus, these are great for a party any day!

Spicy Peanut Sauce

1 tbsp ginger, chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 serrano chiles, chopped
Salt, as needed
Less than ¼ honey
½ teaspoon crush red pepper flakes
2/3 cups unsweetened peanut butter (smooth)
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup water, as needed

In a food processor, blend the first four ingredients until finely minced. Scrape down sides and add the remaining ingredients, through sesame oil. Puree well. Season to taste, thinning out the mixture as needed. Feel free to balance out the flavors. Let sit at room temperature for a couple hours for the flavors to blend and mellow.

Easy Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

And... more radio silence from me. It's been a busy month! I returned from an epic summer along the Wasatch Front and decompressed along the South Coast of Massachusetts for a couple of weeks before returning to one of my favorite places in New England: The Upper Valley. 

While the recipes may wane with classes underway, I'll try to post a couple of times a month. First up is one of the wild, new flavors I encountered this summer: Roasted Tomatillo Salsa. I should preface this with a) I've never willingly bought tomatillos and b) never really cooked with them. So when they come my way via a CSA not once, but TWICE, I knew some ingenuity would have to be mustered up.

First up, the one result I DID document digitally, oh and then LOSE: Roasted Tomatillo Salsa. It was a few days before I hosted a bunch of friends for a casual potluck-movie night at 8,550 feet. Roasting anything at that altitude takes some patience and additional moisture. But the thought of just blitzing raw tomatillos in a Cuisinart didn't appeal to me. I've said this a million times over: Everything is better roasted. And with some heat. 

For ease, and to add depth of flavor, I roasted the tomatillos, chiles, and garlic together (bathed in some water to keep them moist while completely roasting through - it's dry at altitude!). This is a mindlessly easy recipe, and delicious -- I think one guest (assisted by another) downed the entire bowl!

Another motivating factor for posting this today: It's a GREAT football Sunday snack!

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

5 medium tomatillos
2-3 serrano chiles
3 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt

Peel and wash the tomatillos. Split and seed the chiles. Peel garlic. Roast the ingredients together in a foil package at 350 degrees until tender (time depends on altitude; I roasted mine for 45 minutes).

Add the roasted vegetables, cilantro, and salt to a blender. Process until smooth, thinning out with a bit of water if necessary. Season to taste, adding a bit of cilantro, cumin or lime, if you like. Serve with corn chips.

How to Find the Perfect Bottle of Wine

Vino is my go-to tippler of choice. I used to be a whites girl (Riesling, Vidal Blanc, Sauv Blanc, CA Chardonnays) but now am more of a big red girl (CA Cabs, GSM blends, Zinfandels...).

I know so many people -- really, gentlemen, I'm talking to you here -- who don't know there way around wine simply because beer, for a single guy, is often easier. And I'm not saying that's bad. But one way to impress the next lady you take out to dinner is know the basics around a wine list via what you're looking for. Know what words to use when engaging the sommelier in conversation.

I just came across this and love it. Tasting wine should be an adventure. Consider this the first tool to master use of for your toolbox.

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