Quick Pizza

Sometimes a guy just doesn't have the time (or energy, or desire) to whip up a big fancy dinner. For me, this used to mean dinner consisted of some sort of frozen "food product" which was nuked in the microwave until warm enough to eat. Fortunately, I've learned that it doesn't have to be this way. This gourmet pizza can be prepared from start to finish in less than 10 minutes and was both fresh and delicious. Oh yeah, and really simple.

Quick Spinach and Smoked Mozzarella Pizza with Sundried Tomato Pesto

Ingredients:

• 1 flatbread or pita shell
• fresh spinach
• sundried tomato pesto (purchased from the fresh section of the grocery store)
• smoked mozzarella cheese

Preheat broiler and place oven rack on top rung. Coat both sides of pita shell with oil and place on rack (or on top of a pizza stone if you have one) and allow to toast for 3 minutes. Remove pita and top with pesto, spinach leaves, and slices of smoked mozzarella cheese. Season with basil, oregano, and cracked black pepper, and place back under the broiler until cheese is melted. Slice into two halves and enjoy!

Our Daily Bread

Ah, the humble loaf of bread. A necessary staple of diets the world around, it is the oldest baked good known to man and has played an important role in everything from religion to politics. There are as many varieties as there are nations. Bread is truly one of the most important culinary inventions in history. In most cultures, breadmaking is an art form. Sadly, the fast-paced lifestyle we Americans are ruled by has reduced our idea of bread to chemical-filled loaves in twisted plastic bags. This great culinary device deserves better. After being gifted a very nice KitchenAid mixer for Christmas, I decided that I'd ditch the store-bought stuff forever and make my own sandwich loaf.

Have you ever looked at the ingredient list on a typical store-bought loaf of white sandwich bread?  If you did,  you'd probably be surprised to find that at least half of the ingredients are unpronounceable to the average person. This is because most store loaves are pumped full of shelf-life extending chemicals and dough conditioners designed to produce the fastest rising and longest lasting bread possible. Consider this nutrition label from an average loaf of white bread. Appetizing, isn't it?  I don't know about you readers, but I'm not so high on consuming calcium propionate and ascorbic acid every time I want a PB&J.  Therefore, my first requirement for any potential bread recipe was that it contain ingredients that don't have to be created in a lab. I also wanted some amount of whole wheat for texture and nutritional value, and I didn't want it to contain a lot of sugars. After much searching and experimenting I found a great recipe that fit all my requirements at this blog. 

Breadmaking can be intimidating, and there are certainly plenty of ways to make it complicated. At its core, however, breadmaking can be broken down into six steps:

1. The initial mix
2. The knead
3. The rise
4. The punch 
5. The proof
6. The bake

Easy, right?  Ok, so mastery of those steps isn't quickly attained, but hey...people have spent years refining and tweaking that basic procedure. Even so, one does not need a lifetime of experience to produce quality, tasty bread.  Proper technique and patience will produce a moist, tasty product that puts the store brands to shame.  These instructions will assume one is the owner of a stand mixer. I have included clickable hyperlinks to help, so keep an eye out for them.

The Initial Mix

Start out by measuring all dry ingredients (by weight) into the bowl of your mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on a low speed while slowly adding in the wet ingredients, saving the water for last. Quick side note - yeast is a living microorganism, and as such does not like common tap water due to the chlorine and other chemicals found in it. Go with filtered or bottled water. Pour in the water in increments, stopping to check if any flour is left on the bottom of the bowl. When no more flour is left, the dough is sufficiently mixed. Don't add any more water. Turn off the mixer and let the dough rest for 10 minutes or so. This will give gluten, the protein structure responsible for bread's chewy texture, a chance to form and strengthen.  After a 10 minute rest period, switch to your mixer's dough hook....it's kneading time.

The Knead

Now you don't actually knead (haw haw) a stand mixer to make bread, but unless you have forearms like these a mixer is going to make this process a whole lot easier. Kneading times will vary between mixers, but plan on at least 6 minutes. You're going to be looking for a smooth dough that passes the windowpane test when stretched.  This is very important - the dough needs to be pliable or your bread will suffer greatly. I usually start checking around the 8 minute mark, and knead in 1 minute increments until the dough is nice and stretchy.  Once kneading is complete, turn the dough out into an oiled metal bowl, toss it around a few times to coat, and cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel.

The Rise

Patience is the only tool necessary for this step. Place your metal bowl in a shaded area of the kitchen and walk away. The dough will need to double in size, and this usually takes at least an hour. Alternatively, you can place the bowl in your fridge and let it rise overnight. I've done it both ways with no discernable change in quality. Keep in mind that if you choose the chilly route, you'll need to let the dough come back to room temperature before punching it down. Once your dough has risen to the occasion, turn it out onto an oiled (NOT floured, mind you) surface. Time to punch.

The Punch

Aggressive-sounding name aside, punching down your dough should not be a rough process. Gently press the air pockets out of the dough with your fingertips, working from the inside out. I like to fold my dough over itself a few times as well. The idea is to redistribute the gases inside the dough, so don't overdo it. Once the dough is sufficiently deflated, roll up your dough, place it into a prepared loaf pan, and cover with plastic wrap.

The Proof

Time to use that patience thing again. You'll want the dough to rise enough to crest above the top of the loaf pan. This will probably take another hour or so. Once the dough starts peeking over the top of the pan, take a serrated blade and make a slit or two on top - this promotes even rising and makes the bread pretty. It's time to move things to the oven.

The Bake

It's a good idea to preheat your oven 30 or 40 minutes early to ensure proper baking. I like to put a casserole dish of boiling water on the rack below the loaf as well - the steam produced seems to promote a moist crumb(interior). My bread usually bakes for 40-45 minutes, but I use a probe thermometer to tell me when the internal temperature hits 190 degrees. This seems to be the perfect doneness - it allows for a crisp crust and a moist crumb. You can use the "thump test" as well, but don't expect it to be nearly as accurate. Once your bread is done, turn it out onto a cooling rack and allow it to cool for at least 2 hours. Your patience will be rewarded.

So now you're the owner of a delicious loaf of homemade bread. Tasty as it is, homemade bread does have a drawback or two. For starters, it's not going to stay fresh nearly as long as the store bought stuff does. I generally get 3-4 days of counter storage out of my bread before its quality falls off. Of course, this makes it perfect for french toast, but not so great for sandwiches. You can extend your bread's shelf life by wrapping it in plastic wrap, placing in a Ziploc bag, and storing it in the fridge. Don't expect it to stay fresh for more than a week, though.

I hope there are a few cooks out there who will benefit from this post. It was a long one, and it contains all the knowledge I've picked up from about 10 different attempts. I've just about figured out the basics, so now I'm ready and eager to tackle some of my favorite varieties (ciabatta, baby!).  Breadmaking isn't convenient, isnt' easy, and it doesn't provide instant gratification. It is, at least to me, worth every second.

Unbelievable Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Conventional culinary wisdom dictates that, on most dishes, the meat should be the star. A perfectly seasoned and cooked cut of steak or chicken usually rules the roost, and the vegetables or whatever other side is prepared only serve to complement the protein. Sometimes, however, the side-much like a quiet but egotistical backup singer-gets tired of playing second fiddle and steps out front to take the spotlight with a primal scream. This very thing happened on my plate last night. The protein, in this case a seasoned and grilled chicken breast, was soundly trumped and overshadowed by the best sweet potatoes I have ever had.

I picked up this recipe in a cooking class I attended last Tuesday. The teacher was a local chef named Donnie Ferneau, and he prepared these potatoes as a side for a grilled beef tenderloin. I was so blown away with the simplicity and flavor that I had to make them for myself. I have never had a dish that was so easy to make, yet featured such deep and complex flavors.  These potatoes have three ingredients: sweet potatoes, honey, and goat cheese. Yes, goat cheese. You don't believe it's good, do you? Well, you're wrong. The fact is, sweet potatoes have for too long been perverted by cooks (myself included) who overload them with mounds of butter, brown sugar, cream, white sugar, cinnamon, and a thousand other unnecessary ingredients that only hide their wonderful natural flavor and turn them into a calorie-laden mush. They just end up as another dessert. In this application, the goat cheese amplifies the natural sweetness inside the potato and adds a complex savory element without cranking the calorie count through the roof. The honey ties everything together wonderfully. And, like most mashed potato recipes, it takes almost no effort at all. Give them a try next time, and I'll bet you'll never turn back.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs sweet potatoes, unpeeled
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups quality goat cheese
• 2 tbsp honey

Halve sweet potatoes lengthwise and place into a large pot. Fill pot with cold water until tops of potatoes are just covered, throw in a pinch or two of salt (if desired), place over high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 30 minutes. Drain potatoes and return to pot. Remove skins - they should come right off with a fork or your fingers (if you're brave) and place over low heat. Cook for another minute or until potatoes do not hiss - this will remove any remaining water from the potatoes. Remove from heat. Mix in chunks of goat cheese and honey and mash to desired consistency. Add more goat cheese if desired. Serve and enjoy!

Parmesan Chicken...now with FIBER!

As I mentioned before, some of my posts are going to start taking a healthier tone. This does not mean that I'll be eating dry greens and wheat germ. It's surprisingly easy to take full-flavored dishes and make a few small changes to crank the health factor up without sacrificing flavor. I will prove this with last night's main course, fiber-encrusted chicken Parmesan.

My daily breakfast is a bowl of Fiber One cereal. Along with providing my daily intake of fiber in one bowl, this pellet-shaped cereal is a culinary multitasker. Last night, we used it as a substitute for the less healthy bread crumbs one normally finds in chicken Parmesan. The Fiber One was tossed in a zip-top bag along with some flavoring agents - Italian seasoning, crushed almonds, grated Parmesan cheese, and garlic salt - and was smashed into bread crumb-sized bits. I made a wash out of egg white and 2% milk to help the crumbs stick to the chicken.

Speaking of the chicken, here are a few tips to maximize your poultry-preparing powers:

1. Just beat it. I like my chicken breasts to be of uniform thickness and size so that they all cook identically. This can be achieved by covering each breast with a few layers of plastic wrap and pounding on them with a rolling pin or thick saucepan until they have thinned out to uniform thickness across the breast. Don't hit them like you're hammering in a nail, just apply moderate force until they have evened out. This will shorten cooking time and ensure that all are cooked equally and completely. 
   
2. Cook to a temperature.  The only sure-fire, 100% foolproof way to make sure your chicken is done is to cook to a set internal temperature. Ok, so you could also cut them open, but then all those delicious juices would run out and you'd be left with chicken jerky. Do yourself a favor and go get a probe thermometer like this one.  Probe thermometers will make you an instantly better cook in all roasting applications because they allow you to cook to a set internal temperature. Most models also have an alarm that will sound when the desired temperature has been reached. For poultry, one should cook to 165 degrees to kill off all vestiges of that dreaded killer, the salmonella virus. This temperature also happens to produce succulent, juicy meat. Double whammy!

We topped the prepared chicken breasts with another dusting of Parmesan and cooked them at 400 degrees until an internal temperature of 165 degrees had been reached, about 20 minutes. I pulled them from the oven, topped them with a low-sugar red sauce and mozzarella cheese, and placed them back in the oven under the broiler until the cheese was melted. The resulting chicken, served alongside a sauteed tomato and spinach salad, was pretty darn tasty and healthy to boot.  By the way, I stole the above picture because I forgot to take my own, but it's close enough to provide an idea of the finished product.

Fiber-encrusted Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded to uniform thickness
• 1 1/2 cups Fiber One cereal
• 1/4 cup crushed almonds (optional)
  
• 1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 2 egg whites
• 4 tbsp low-fat milk
• 6 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup low-sugar pasta sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 2 tbsp EVOO 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat pasta sauce in a saucepan and set aside. Combine cereal, Parmesan, almonds, and seasonings into a zip top bag and crush until cereal is in fine grains. Pour cereal mixture into a pie pan and set aside. In a medium bowl combine egg whites and milk and mix until well combined. Dip chicken breasts into egg mixture to coat, then dip into cereal mixture until completely covered. Place chicken breasts into an oiled 9x13 pan. Top chicken with oil and cook until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about 20 minutes. Remove, top with pasta sauce and mozzarella cheese, then place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and melted. Remove and allow to set for at least 5 minutes before serving. Serve alongside spinach salad or on top of whole wheat linguine or angel hair pasta.

Mea Culpa

Wow, this space has almost gone dormant,  hasn't it?  I've still been cooking, I just haven't been diligent with my blog entries. Too bad, because I've made a lot of stuff I wish I had taken the time to chronicle. No worries, though. I'll be updating regularly from now on. The entries will take on a more health-conscious tone, since it's the first of the year and all. Stay tuned!