New York Style Pizza Dough

This is a basic pizza dough which has a chewy yet crispy crust. It is my favorite pizza dough recipe so far. I like that it uses only a teaspoon of yeast.

New York Style Pizza Dough Recipe

Ingredients
3½ cups (16 ounces) high-gluten flour ("Caputo" remilled durum-wheat semolina $3.49/lb at Salumeria Italiana)
9 ounces warm water 110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon instant yeast
¾ teaspoon kosher or sea salt

Preparation
Mix the water, salt, and yeast in a bowl. Wait five minutes to activate the yeast. Using a kitchen mixer with a dough hook, mix the flour and the water mixture on low speed until ingredients come together and form lumpy dough (about 1 minute). Add the olive oil, switch the mixer to medium speed and allow the mixer to knead the dough for a full 15 minutes. Remove dough from mixer, cut into two equal parts and form into dough balls. Place the dough balls in freezer-safe zipper bags in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours to allow the yeast to do its work.

I freeze the dough and thaw in the fridge for one or two days before using it. Bring to room temperature by setting out an hour before using it. If you are away during the day, just pull it from the freezer to thaw at room temperature.

Sea Bass over Crispy Potatoes and Braised Fennel

Today we headed to Crane Beach and I brought my fishing pole. Alas, the conditions did not seem right so I didn't bother giving it a try, opting instead to loll in some warm, shallow tide pools. I made up for it by stopping on the way home at Essex Seafood and bought a nice filet of striper.
This meal was plate-licking good!
The amounts below are for two people (myself and leftovers for me!)

First, braise the fennel.

1/2 large bulb of fennel (Stop & Shop called it "anise"), shaved 1/8" on a mandoline or cut thin.
2 Tb olive oil
2 Tb dry white wine
salt
pinch of chopped parsley

Heat a skillet (that you have a cover for) on high heat.
Once real hot, pour in 1 Tb olive oil. After a moment, put the fennel in. Cook for 5-7 minutes, trying not to stir too often, maybe once a minute. Let it brown well/carmelize yet don't burn it.
You may need to add more oil as it gets absorbed.
It helps to use tongs.
Turn the heat to low, then season with salt. Pour in a glug of wine and cover and steam until the wine is absorbed and the fennel is tender, 7-10 minutes.
Taste and season if needed, stir in parsley.

Meanwhile, keep the mandoline out (rinse it) and prepare the potatoes.

1 medium russet, peeled and sliced thin (1/8")
1 clove garlic, sliced paper-thin (and 1 more for the fish)

Preheat the oven (I used a toaster oven) at 425º.

Butter a baking dish (size you can layer potatoes 1-2 layers thick, overlapping them)

Toss potato slices (in baking dish is fine), with generous amounts of fresh ground pepper & salt, a TB of olive oil (don't measure), then arrange them in the dish and evenly distribute garlic slices.
Cook for 15 minutes, until potatoes are almost tender and starting to crisp around the edges of the dish.

Prepare the fish:
Season both sides with s & p. (Hopefully your bass is scaled, the skin is good to eat, too.)
In a small bowl, place the garlic slices and a squeeze of lemon (1 tsp or so) and equal amount of olive oil. Also toss in some chopped parsley. Use a fork to whisk it up a bit.

Place the filet over your cooked potatoes and drizzle the lemony oil over the top.

Bake for another 10 minutes (or 10 minutes per 1" of thickness).

Plate and serve! You may need to briefly reheat the fennel if you made it first, like I did.

Love how the lemon topping oozes into the potatoes and gives them a nice tang.
The fennel transforms from its original state so much, it becomes sweet.

Focaccia with Rosemary and Thyme & Olives

Recently made this for friends during our trip to VT. The slices were perfect for dipping into hummus! I found it practical to purchase disposable 15 1/2 X 10 1/2" aluminum pans (from the $1 store). The rosemary and thyme were, of course, fresh from the garden.

Courtesy of Baking Illustrated, by the Editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine
Makes One 1 5 1/2 X 10 1/2-Inch Rectangle Or Two 8-Inch Rounds

Rapid-rise yeast reduces the preparation time by more than an hour. If you use an equal amount of regular active dry yeast instead, let the sponge in step 2 develop for 30 minutes rather than 20, and increase the first and second rises to 1 1/2 hours each.

DOUGH
• 1 medium baking potato (about 9 ounces), peeled and quartered
• 1 1/2 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast
• 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling bowl and pan
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

TOPPING
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves (for half), 1 tsp thyme leaves (for other half) plus around 20 halved, pitted kalamata olives (snack on the extras)
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt (or 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt)


1. FOR THE DOUGH: Bring 1 quart water to boil in small saucepan; add potato and simmer until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain potato well; cool until it can be handled comfortably and put through fine disk on ricer or grate through large holes on box grater. Reserve 1 1/3 cups lightly packed potato.

2. Meanwhile, in large bowl of electric mixer or workbowl of food processor fitted with steel blade, mix or pulse yeast, 1/2 cup flour, and 1/2 cup warm water until combined. Cover tightly with plastic wrap (or put workbowl lid on) and set aside until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Add remaining dough ingredients, including reserved potato. If using mixer, fit with paddle attachment and mix on low speed until dough comes together. Switch to dough hook attachment and increase speed to medium; continue kneading until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. For food processor, process until dough is smooth and elastic, about 40 seconds.

3. Transfer dough to lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat with oil, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm, draft-free area until dough is puffy and doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

4. With wet hands (to prevent sticking), press dough flat into generously oiled 15 1/2 x 10 1/2-inch jelly-roll pan. If the dough resists going into the corners (and it probably will), cover it with a damp cloth and let it relax for 15 minutes before trying to stretch again. Or, if making rounds, halve and flatten each piece of dough into 8-inch round on large (at least 18 inches long), generously oiled baking sheet. Either way, cover dough with lightly greased or oil-sprayed plastic wrap; let rise in warm, draft-free area until dough is pufly and doubled in volume, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

5. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.With two wet fingers, dimple risen dough at regular intervals. The dimples (there should be about 2 dozen) should be deep enough to hold small pieces of topping, herbs, and/or pools of olive oil.

6. FOR THE TOPPING: Drizzle dough with oil and sprinkle evenly with coarse salt, landing some in pools of oil. Cover half with chopped rosemary and other half, with thyme. On the half with thyme, insert an olive into each divot.

7. Bake until focaccia bottom(s) are golden brown and crisp, 23 to 25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool slightly. Cut rectangular focaccia into squares or round focaccia into wedges; serve warm. (Focaccia can be kept on counter for several hours and reheated just before serving. Or, wrap cooled focaccia in plastic and then foil and freeze for up to 1 month; unwrap and defrost in 325-degree oven until soft, about 15 minutes.

Sake-Miso Marinated Striped Bass

My sushi man kept grabbing pieces off the cutting board- 6 and gobbled them up! He also ate all 4 on the plate above. I didn't mind at all- he was actually eating raw vegetables :D
In this pic, he gave "2 thumbs up"!

Sake-Miso Marinated Striped Bass
With Wasabi Oil, Soy Syrup and Vegetarian Soba Noodle Sushi
Recipe adapted from Ming Tsai (he uses Alaskan Butterfish)

Serves 2

Marinade:
1/2 cup light miso (shiro-miso)
1/4 cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
1/4 cup sake
1/2 Tb finely chopped fresh ginger
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
2 Tb sugar
2 6oz filets of scaled Striped Bass (or any size that appeals, mine was probably 9 oz)

In a medium nonreactive bowl, combine the miso, mirin, sake, ginger, grapeseed oil and sugar and stir to blend. Add the bass, turn to coat and marinate, covered and refrigerated, overnight, or at least 8-12 hours.

Wipe the marinade off with paper towels.

Score the fish skin in 3/4" increments and then crosswise. This prevents it from curling up during cooking.

Preheat the oven at 400º, heat an oven-safe skillet on medium-high. I use a well seasoned cast iron skillet. It is fine to use a non oven proof skillet then transfer the fish to an oven safe dish.

Once pan is heated (allow 5 minutes over gas heat), drizzle in grapeseed oil, enough to cover the area where the fish will cook.

Sear the fish, skin side down, for 3-4 minutes, or until brown. Transfer to oven and cook for an additional 4 minutes (8 minutes per 1" of thickness).

Vegetarian Soba Noodle Sushi

Serves 2

1/4 pound dried soba noodles
1/8 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/8 cup chopped scallions, green parts only
1 Tb soy sauce
1/2 Tb finely chopped ginger
1 Tb rice vinegar
1 Tb Wasabi Oil (recipe below)
2 Tb chopped pickled ginger (gari)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 sheets toasted nori (sheets used to roll sushi)
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienned
1/4 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and julienned
1/4 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and julienned
5 ounces Wakame (seaweed) salad (optional: I omitted)
Bamboo Sushi rolling mat
Freshly ground black pepper
Soy Syrup for drizzling (recipe below)
1 Tb toasted sesame seeds

To make the soba noodles, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a medium bowl with water and add ice. Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook until slightly softer than al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and transfer the noodles to the ice water. When cold, drain well. In a large bowl, combine the noodles, cilantro, scallions, soy sauce, chopped ginger, vinegar, wasabi oil and 2 tablespoons of the pickled ginger and toss to blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Have a small bowl of water handy. Place a sheet of nori shiny side down on the rolling mat with a long edge towards you. Evenly spread a layer of the noodles mixture on the bottom half of the nori and top the upper third of the mixture with 3 to 4 strips of cucumber and 2 pieces of each of the peppers. To roll, lift the mat, compressing it against the filling as you roll the bottom edge in on itself. Continue rolling toward the top edge until only 1/4-inch of the nori remains unrolled. Moisten a finger and wet the edge of the nori. Press the mat to seal the roll. Allow the roll to rest, seam side down, for 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining nori and filling ingredients. Cover the rolls lightly with plastic wrap and set aside.

When ready to serve, cut each roll into 5 pieces, 3 straight across and 2 diagonally.

Divide the sushi pieces among 2 plates. Add a small mound of the seaweed salad, if using, to each and top each with a piece of the Sake-Miso Fish. Drizzle over the soy syrup and wasabi oil (see recipes below), garnish with the sesame seeds and remaining pickled ginger.

Wasabi Oil

Makes 1/2 cup (keep remaining in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks)

1/4 cup wasabi powder
1 tablespoon mirin (Japanese sweet sake)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup grapeseed oil

In a small stainless-steel bowl, combine the wasabi powder, mirin and sugar and whisk to blend. Add a little less than 1/2 cup of water gradually, whisking, until a pancake batter-like puree is formed. Whisk in the oil. Let stand for 10 minutes before using.

Soy Syrup

Makes 1 cup (keep remaining in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks – it’s great drizzled on steamed vegetables too!)

1 cups soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
Juice of 1/2 a lime

In a medium saucepan, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar and lime juice. Bring to a boil slowly over medium heat, turn down the heat and reduce the mixture by three-fourths or until syrupy, about 15 minutes. I used a funnel to transfer it to an empty soy sauce jar.

Just got my salt water rod ready for surf casting, hopefully I'll catch a keeper I can cook myself (and not pay $17.99/lb!).....

Egg Salad Sandwiches

Growing up, I had a fondness for egg salad.
I'll never forget, during one long road trip to my grandparent's house in Ohio,
a sulfurous odor wafted into the car.
I said, "Wow, mom, you brought egg salad sandwiches??! Yayyy!!"
To which my parents replied, "No, it's just car exhaust."
I was disappointed but we had a good laugh over it.

Usually recipes call for celery but I prefer to leave it out.


Boil 5 eggs, remove shells.
To boil, place eggs in a pan of cold water to cover. Cover and put over high heat until it comes to a rapid boil. Turn the heat off and let the eggs continue to sit in the hot water for 11 minutes. Rinse under cold water until eggs are cooled off.

While the eggs boil, chop up 3 TB of your favorite pickle.
Add to that 1 TB chopped green onion, a tsp of a good mustard,
and a plop of mayonnaise (1/3 cup).
Salt & pepper to taste.
Add 2 yolks and smash them, mix together.
Chop the remaining eggs and combine.
Enjoy on a nice sub roll or white bread.

The taster did take a big bite but gave this a "thumbs under the table" and I ate the rest! Ha!
He has never been a big fan of eggs.

Vegetable Kebabs with Greek Marinade

Make the marinade the night before so the flavor has time to develop.

3 minced garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine (Cavit pinot grigio)
2 Tb fresh lemon juice
1 Tb chopped fresh oregano
2 sprigs rosemary
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Kebabs:
1 large red pepper cut into 1" pieces
1 medium sweet onion cut into 4 wedges
2 small zucchini, cut into 1/2" thick rounds
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 lb boiled small potatoes

Grill until the skins on the potatoes char a little bit.
It is preferable to start grilling the veggies before the meat.

Mango Salsa

I'll never forget the first time my mom made this, to serve atop chicken. We ate it poolside at my home growing up. It was outstanding and definitely left a great, "gourmet" impression on me!
It is also great on fish or pork.

• 1 mango, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup peeled, seeded and diced cucumber
• 1 Tb finely chopped jalapeno
• 1/3 cup diced red onion
• 1 Tb lime juice
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Combine the mango, cucumber, jalapeno, red onion, lime juice and cilantro leaves and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.