August 2020: Quick and Easy Homemade Pizza Dough

You need an easy Homemade Pizza Dough recipe in your life! Something that is quick and low maintenance so you can crank out pies on a whim. For real! If you’ve been ordering pizza out our purchasing store bought dough you are missing the simplicity of pizza being a house staple. I like to think of pizza as a catch-all. It’s one of those last minute concoctions that can be quickly thrown together. Yeah, yeah yeah… dough has to rise but the truth is, the dough is typically good to go by the time you are finished prepping all your other ingredients. Just start the dough first. I’ll also remind you that pizza is a “flat bread” meaning, if you screw it up and the dough doesn’t rise, it’s not a problem. Thin crust is still good crust! and this is not up for debate!

Anyway, the need for this dough recipe is not for banging out pies. It’s for managing food going bad in your fridge! I think just abut any ingredient can be turned into a pizza topping and honestly that’s were your culinary creativity will truly shine. If you don’t believe me, throw a random ingredient in the comments and I will get back to you with how I’d work it into a pie. Pizzas can go beyond that of tomato sauce and mozzarella. Gawd, half the time, I’m out of those things entirely. But never out of pizza. Ever! Below is a spinach, artichoke, Alfredo pizza with Parmesan and the other is a breakfast version with bacon, eggs and cheese. There are so many options. Just get down with making your own crust!

Pizza Crust Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp yeast (rapid rise and dry active are both fine)
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tbsp oil

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl add all the dry ingredients and combine.
2. Add the warm water and oil and start mixing.
3. Mix until the dough starts to come together and pull away from the bowl and then dump out onto a lightly floured surface.
4. Knead the dough until it comes together and forms a ball.
5. Continue to knead for about 10 minutes until the ingredients are well combined.
6. At this point you can either divide the dough into two balls for 14 inch pies or split into 4 dough ball and make personal pies.
7. Grease a sheet tray and place your dough balls on it. Lightly oil them with a thin coat then cover and let rest for 30 minutes to an hour or until doubled in size.
8. Once doubled it's pizza time! If baking on a sheet tray, oil it and then plop your dough ball onto it and gently stretch towards the edges. If using a pizza pan/screen you can either lightly toss the dough if you have them skills or flour the counter and roll it with a rolling pin. Then transfer the dough onto the pan.(Do not roll the dough out on a pizza screen. This will cause it to stick to the screen when baking. (If either technique has the dough springing back on you, refusing to hold the stretch, pause, let it rest for 10 minutes, and then come back and continue the process.)
9. Once your dough is in place, go about adding your sauce, cheese and toppings.
10. Bake at 550F degrees (or the highest temperature your oven will allow)on the top rack for 10 to 15 minutes keeping an eye on the cheese for browning.
11. Remove after baking and let cool slightly before slicing.

For real! If you don’t know how to use an ingredient, drop it in the comments and I’ll give you a pizza “flavor profile”. Building unique pizzas is my jam! I love the basics, but I also all love the non-traditionals…

Happy pizza making!

Red Curry-Miso Pumpkin Soup

If you need a little something different for your Thanksgiving spread, you can try this red curry-miso pumpkin soup. I know red curry and miso don’t exactly conjure-up the traditional flavors of the holiday but that’s all the more reason to try this recipe, especially if you’ll be appearing at assorted Friendsgiving events. The pumpkin keeps it “on theme” while dodging any chance at “more of the same”. And miso and red curry paste both pair well with squash. Why not shoot for “progressively” traditional this year as a way to build bridges at your Thanksgiving table?

Ingredients:

• 1 chopped yellow onion
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 2 tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
• 4 cups broth
• 1 peeled and chopped sweet potato
• 1/2 a small roasted sugar pumpkin (a can of pumpkin puree is fine as a substituation for fresh pumpkin)
• 2 cups water (or enough to thin to desired consistancy)
• a wedge of lime
• 1 tbsp miso paste
• cilantro, croutons, and pepitas for garnish
• sriracha (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large pot, saute the onion and carrots together for a few minutes until the onion starts to soften.
2. Add the Thai Red Curry Paste and mix to combine.
3. Slowly add the broth, deglazing the bottom of the pot in the process.
4. Stir in the sweet potato and pumpkin and bring the temperature up to a soft boil. (Add water if necessary to cover the ingredients.)
5. Let cook until the sweet potatoes are soft and cooked all the way through.
6. Carefully blend the soup with an immersion blender. (Using a standard blender is fine, just do it in batches and let the soup cool some first as the heat can cause damage.)
7. Squeeze a wedge of lime and stir it in for taste.
8. Add water if necessary to thin the soup to your desired consistancy.
9. Return to tempurature and then remove from heat before adding the miso paste. (Miso paste is temperature sensitive. Do not boil.)
10. Remove a cup or so of soup and disolve the miso paste in it, then return it the pot and stir to combine.
11. Serve immediately in bowls and garnish with cilantro, croutons, pepitas and sriracha if using.

And now for the disclosure statement…

If you know me or have been following here for a while then you know I’m not one for accuracy or measurements when it comes to cooking. I’m about flavor! I’m intentionally working to better document my recipes as I know that they can be helpful to others. However, a recipe can often feel restricting, stunting the creative process when one assumes they don’t have all the necessary ingredients to make a dish. Dismiss that hesitation and lean-in. If you look at recipes and consider them as flavor profiles instead of how-to guides, you’ll discover your inner chef. The recipe above is actually inspired by this dish from Heidi Swanson’s cookbook Super Natural Every Day. It looks quite a bit different, but it’s kinda the same. I substituted sweet potatoes for the new potatoes which then prompted a switch from lemon juice to lime juice. I skipped the tofu and kale all together but for the most part, the ingredients are much the same. The big difference is the original recipe is like a salad, whereas mine is a soup!

Have I lost you yet? My point is cooking is all about flavor, and more importantly it’s understanding flavor profiles! Flavor combinations are the bones to every good meal and if you are unsure of where to begin, I strongly recommend this book. (There is also a vegetarian version if that’s more your things and I will tell you that I own both and use them constantly!)

The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs

By Karen Page, Andrew Dornenburg

Once you understand which foods and flavors work well together, you can begin to craft original recipes. In my opinion, this is what takes your from being a cook to becoming a chef. Techniques can be taught but melding flavors together is an art. Much like a painter that combines colors to create new colors, a flavor profile is derived from depth. It’s one thing building on another to produce taste which helps define your palate. If you let the seasonal produce be your guide and flavor combinations develop your palate, you’ll discover new ways to assemble meals, even in a pinch!

Good luck, get creative, and enjoy the craft of cooking!

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Building Flavor Profiles & Holiday Soup Recipe

What’s the difference between a cook and a chef? This was a question an old kitchen colleague and I were having when he stated quite frankly that a chef is “creative”.  I thought we were going to banter about ideas of technique or execution or knowledge of basic sauces but nope.  Just creativity!  Apparently, those other things can be taught.  Cooks can follow directions but that doesn’t mean a cook can necessarily create.  Creativity requires vision and a chef always has a vision. I’m sure that theory is largely debatable but it’s good enough for me!          

I’m not much of a recipe chef. I love a good cookbook but honestly, it’s the pictures that inspire me.  A photo and a list of ingredients is often enough to get the gears turning and that’s when the fun begins.  And since we are on the topic of cookbooks, I want to introduce you to two of my favorites. The Flavor Bibles!  They aren't exactly cookbooks in the traditional sense, and they definitely aren’t full of picture, however, these books serve as a reference for food items that pair well together.  They are a great place to start when building a “flavor profile”.  A place where your inner chef can start to develop it vision…  The Flavor Bibles, one of which is vegetarian, are books that basically allow you to cross reference ingredients to find flavors that work well together so you can construct you own vision using complimentary ingredients.   Below I've included Amazon affiliate links if you are interested.  

Both books, minus their jacket covers.

The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs

By Karen Page, Andrew Dornenburg

The Vegetarian Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity with Vegetables, Fruits, Grains, Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, and More, Based on the Wisdom of Leading American Chefs

By Karen Page

They both are wonderful and if you are looking to inspire creativity in your kitchen these books are a great place to start. Again, these are not recipe books.  These are reference books to help you develop a foundation for tasty meals.  For example, say you have a head of cauliflower in the fridge and you are wondering what you can add to make it into a full meal.  Well, flip the book open to cauliflower and there you will find a list of ingredients that go well with cauliflower. It includes herbs, spices, vegetables, and meat items (assuming you don't have the vegetarian book) that are known to pair well with cauliflower.  You can then compare the list to items you have in your fridge or pantry and begin constructing your meal. As you gather the ingredients you start to have a better feel of what you can make.  Next thing you know, boom! You just just chefed!   I don't like following directions but I still appreciate guidance and these books allow me to develop my own style.  They have become the backbone of my kitchen and I'm sharing them because I love them and I think budding chefs and the gourmet crowd would love them as well.

All mixed in...

Ok, and now back to this holiday soup recipe.  It's sweet potato, pumpkin, and apple soup topped with blue cheese crumbles, pomegranate seeds, pepitas and a little fresh thyme.  According to the Flavor Bible all these items paired well together and, well... let's just say after my bowl, I agree! 

Ingredients:

• 1 diced yellow onion
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 1 peeled, cored, and chopped sweet apple
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water (or enough to thin soup)
• 1 lemon wedge
• 1 tbsp. blue cheese crumbles
• 1 tbsp. pepitas
• 1 tbsp. pomegranate seeds
• ¼ tsp. fresh thyme

Directions:

1. Sauté the onion in a pot with a little oil until it begins to soften.
2. Add the sweet potato, pumpkin apple and the vegetable broth.
3. Bring to a low boil and cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
4. When the ingredients have cooked through, carefully blend the soup into a puree with an immersion blender or in batches with a standard blender. Just be sure to let the steam vent if using a standard blender. (Trust me. I’ve made this mistake.)
5. Once pureed add the water to thin the soup. You can add as much as necessary to reach your desired consistency.
6. Squeeze the lemon wedge into the soup and add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve in bowls and top with blue cheese crumble, pepitas, pomegranate seeds, and a sprinkle of fresh thyme

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