This is a nice addition to some heavier summer fare... it pairs very well with BBQ sauced items in particular. Also, it's pretty well idiot-proof, inexpensive and doesn't require any actual cooking. Score.
1 english cucumber or 2 regular cucumbers
1/4c red wine vinegar
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp djion mustard
black pepper to taste
In a large bowl, mix together everything except the cucumber until it's very well combined. Slice the cucumber very thin. I use a knife, but I've used the 'slice' side of my box grater when I'm in a hurry. If you have a mandolin, that would work really well too.
Add the cucumber to the dressing. Toss to make sure the cucumber is thoroughly coated, then chill for at least 4 hours. Yah, that's really it. If you want you could add fresh herbs (dill in particular is nice) but I love it either way.
Picky Husband Info: I use a bit less mustard than specified here... I stir the mustard with a fork and use what sticks to it, usually closer to 1/4 tsp. Cucumbers are one of the few vegetables he'll eat without me grinding it to a paste.
The verdict: Pretty tasty. In summertime we have this weekly, because it's so ridiculously easy to make, and I can make it well in advance and have it on hand in a pinch.
Showing posts with label vegan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegan. Show all posts
5.20.2009
5.15.2009
Pizza Dough
Dactyl's favorite food. As he says, it's like sex in that 'when it's good it's great and when it's bad it's still pretty good.' We started making this at home because we can control what ingredients are in it and because we would never use our grill otherwise.
1 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp warm water (not higher than 120F)
2/3 c water
2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
olive oil
toppings
Combine the yeast and warm water in your mixer bowl. Let it sit until it blooms, 5-10 minutes. 'Bloom' with yeast means that it'll go from a hard little pellet to a floating unattractive mass and it'll start to smell like beer. Add the rest of the water, flour & salt. Sometimes if I'm being fancy I'll also add some dried herbs... oregano, basil, marjoram, that kind of thing. If the consistency of your dough seems very sticky, add a tablespoon more flour. When I make this during the winter, the dough is very tight, but if I make it in the humid Atlanta summer it sticks to everything. I'd suggest you make it the way it's printed once, and adjust accordingly.
I said 'mixer bowl' because I use my stand mixer with the dough hook, and let it knead on a medium speed for 10 minutes at this point. If you want, you can do this manually, but you'll have to knead for at least double the time, probably more like triple. It'll go from a weeknight task to backbreaking labor.
While your mixer or hired labor is kneading, prepare a bowl by coating it in olive oil. Being the super-traditional Italian white girl that I am, I opt for plastic wrap over trying to get dried on library paste off a tea towel. When the dough is finished being kneaded, put it into the bowl, coat both sides with olive oil, cover it with the plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm area for 2 hours. After 2 hours, punch it down, re-form it into a ball, and cover it with plastic wrap again. Let rise for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge.
Now, decision time. You can either bake this in the oven OR grill it. If you want to bake it, preheat your oven to 450 F. If you want to grill it, start up the grill! Put down some flour on your board, flour your hands, punch your dough down and divide it into 2 separate balls. Put it on the board in the flour, sprinkle some flour on top and work the dough back & forth. Typical pizza thickness will be a roughly 7 inch circle, but being from New York, I stretch mine out to a 9 inch circle.
For Baking:
Put your pizza on a cookie sheet. If you think it'll stick, put extra flour down underneath it. Add your toppings, then bake on a lower rack for 15-20 minutes, until the toppings are cooked and the bottom is browned. Let it cool for at least a minute before you dig in!
For Grilling:
I bring my board out with me, and plop the pizza directly onto the grates of the grill (oil lightly with a basting brush and olive oil). When the underside begins to brown, you will be able to lift the pizza off the grate easily... if it doesn't come off, let it cook a bit more and try again. DO NOT try and shift it around and move it, even if you put it on there kind of weird looking and you want to fix it. You'll only make a mess. Flip the pizza over and add your toppings while the pizza is still on the grill. We find a two-tong approach works best. Close the cover and allow the pizza to cook for 3-4 minutes. Again, let it cool at least 1 minute until you start slicing.
Picky Husband Info: We both love the 'grill' recipe because it gives him something to do when we have people over, and it's a surprising preparation so he gets to look like a super hero. He also gets to have (turkey) pepperoni and (low fat part skim) cheese so he feels super naughty without giving him a coronary. Plus, I get to force some veggies down his gullet in the guise of spaghetti sauce.
The Verdict: 'Can we have more? Maybe next week?' Every time.
1 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp warm water (not higher than 120F)
2/3 c water
2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
olive oil
toppings
Combine the yeast and warm water in your mixer bowl. Let it sit until it blooms, 5-10 minutes. 'Bloom' with yeast means that it'll go from a hard little pellet to a floating unattractive mass and it'll start to smell like beer. Add the rest of the water, flour & salt. Sometimes if I'm being fancy I'll also add some dried herbs... oregano, basil, marjoram, that kind of thing. If the consistency of your dough seems very sticky, add a tablespoon more flour. When I make this during the winter, the dough is very tight, but if I make it in the humid Atlanta summer it sticks to everything. I'd suggest you make it the way it's printed once, and adjust accordingly.
I said 'mixer bowl' because I use my stand mixer with the dough hook, and let it knead on a medium speed for 10 minutes at this point. If you want, you can do this manually, but you'll have to knead for at least double the time, probably more like triple. It'll go from a weeknight task to backbreaking labor.
While your mixer or hired labor is kneading, prepare a bowl by coating it in olive oil. Being the super-traditional Italian white girl that I am, I opt for plastic wrap over trying to get dried on library paste off a tea towel. When the dough is finished being kneaded, put it into the bowl, coat both sides with olive oil, cover it with the plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm area for 2 hours. After 2 hours, punch it down, re-form it into a ball, and cover it with plastic wrap again. Let rise for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge.
Now, decision time. You can either bake this in the oven OR grill it. If you want to bake it, preheat your oven to 450 F. If you want to grill it, start up the grill! Put down some flour on your board, flour your hands, punch your dough down and divide it into 2 separate balls. Put it on the board in the flour, sprinkle some flour on top and work the dough back & forth. Typical pizza thickness will be a roughly 7 inch circle, but being from New York, I stretch mine out to a 9 inch circle.
For Baking:
Put your pizza on a cookie sheet. If you think it'll stick, put extra flour down underneath it. Add your toppings, then bake on a lower rack for 15-20 minutes, until the toppings are cooked and the bottom is browned. Let it cool for at least a minute before you dig in!
For Grilling:
I bring my board out with me, and plop the pizza directly onto the grates of the grill (oil lightly with a basting brush and olive oil). When the underside begins to brown, you will be able to lift the pizza off the grate easily... if it doesn't come off, let it cook a bit more and try again. DO NOT try and shift it around and move it, even if you put it on there kind of weird looking and you want to fix it. You'll only make a mess. Flip the pizza over and add your toppings while the pizza is still on the grill. We find a two-tong approach works best. Close the cover and allow the pizza to cook for 3-4 minutes. Again, let it cool at least 1 minute until you start slicing.
Picky Husband Info: We both love the 'grill' recipe because it gives him something to do when we have people over, and it's a surprising preparation so he gets to look like a super hero. He also gets to have (turkey) pepperoni and (low fat part skim) cheese so he feels super naughty without giving him a coronary. Plus, I get to force some veggies down his gullet in the guise of spaghetti sauce.
The Verdict: 'Can we have more? Maybe next week?' Every time.
5.14.2009
Asian Pasta Salad
Pasta salad is my absolute favorite thing about summer. I make a few dozen versions of it depending on my mood. This is one of my favorites. This is a huge batch to share at cookouts.
dressing:
1/4 c rice wine vinegar
1 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp or so honey (a 'squeeze'-change to raw cane syrup for vegans)
1 tbsp dark sesame oil
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
scallions
everything else:
1/2 pound whole wheat 'strand' pasta (spaghetti, linguine, etc)
various veggies
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
salt & pepper
Start off by boiling your pasta in salted water. Prep your dressing by mixing everything together in a big bowl. Add a scallion or three as well, sliced on an angle so they look super classy (and have more surface area for dressing to cling to). I really like scallions so I add 5 or 27. A tsp of salt and 3-4 grinds of black pepper is a good place to start as far as seasoning goes, but remember that you're seasoning raw veggies with this dressing, so you may want to add more. Yes, even with the soy sauce in there.
As far as veggies go, broccoli, carrots, snow peas, regular peas, peppers and any other thematically 'asian' veggies will work. Mushrooms tend to shrivel and make the salad watery, but are tasty so if I'm making it for myself I still use them. I also add edamame for a protein component. The one thing I don't do here is add canned anything... it really throws off the taste of the whole salad. Frozen is ok, especially for peas & edamame. Have enough veggies to make up at least 2 cups worth of vegetation.
When the pasta is done, drain it, shock it with cold water, drain it more, then add to the dressing and toss. Add the veggies, toss some more. Taste one last time for seasoning (remember what I said about seasoning the veggies) add more salt/pepper & stir if needed, then cover and let sit for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator. Before you serve it, sprinkle the top with the sesame seeds so it looks way purdy, and so that the sesame seeds stay crunchy.
Picky Husband Info: Yeah, he's not touching this with a 10 foot pole. Cold pasta makes him squirm, as does edamame and the idea of the tiny little sesame seeds crunching in his teeth. Which is good for me, because it's delicious and I don't want to share. It's a shame though, because it's full of antioxidants, good fats, fiber & veggies.
dressing:
1/4 c rice wine vinegar
1 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp or so honey (a 'squeeze'-change to raw cane syrup for vegans)
1 tbsp dark sesame oil
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
scallions
everything else:
1/2 pound whole wheat 'strand' pasta (spaghetti, linguine, etc)
various veggies
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
salt & pepper
Start off by boiling your pasta in salted water. Prep your dressing by mixing everything together in a big bowl. Add a scallion or three as well, sliced on an angle so they look super classy (and have more surface area for dressing to cling to). I really like scallions so I add 5 or 27. A tsp of salt and 3-4 grinds of black pepper is a good place to start as far as seasoning goes, but remember that you're seasoning raw veggies with this dressing, so you may want to add more. Yes, even with the soy sauce in there.
As far as veggies go, broccoli, carrots, snow peas, regular peas, peppers and any other thematically 'asian' veggies will work. Mushrooms tend to shrivel and make the salad watery, but are tasty so if I'm making it for myself I still use them. I also add edamame for a protein component. The one thing I don't do here is add canned anything... it really throws off the taste of the whole salad. Frozen is ok, especially for peas & edamame. Have enough veggies to make up at least 2 cups worth of vegetation.
When the pasta is done, drain it, shock it with cold water, drain it more, then add to the dressing and toss. Add the veggies, toss some more. Taste one last time for seasoning (remember what I said about seasoning the veggies) add more salt/pepper & stir if needed, then cover and let sit for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator. Before you serve it, sprinkle the top with the sesame seeds so it looks way purdy, and so that the sesame seeds stay crunchy.
Picky Husband Info: Yeah, he's not touching this with a 10 foot pole. Cold pasta makes him squirm, as does edamame and the idea of the tiny little sesame seeds crunching in his teeth. Which is good for me, because it's delicious and I don't want to share. It's a shame though, because it's full of antioxidants, good fats, fiber & veggies.
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