Baking with Julia: Foccacia

I took a long break from baking, but I'm back.  I work in the food industry and from Thanksgiving to New Years Day, personal time is very limited.  I've taken all of January to recover, and deal with the flu, but so happy to be baking again!!!

So baking bread, time consuming but very fulfilling.  I really love seeing the dough come together, watching the dough rise, and waiting for the final product.  Very therapeutic.  Here's focaccia from Dorie Geenspan's Baking with Julia.
I have made focaccia before,but I did not let it rise twice and have it rest in the fridge for 24 hours. The dough was divided into 3 parts, put I oiled bags, then refrigerated for 24 hours. Obviously, this isn't the bread you make in the morning for dinner later that night. OK, before baking, the dough needs to come out and rest on a floured board for an hour. I didn't read the instructions close enough, since I made this on Super Bowl Sunday, so I let the dough rise on my bread stone and since I did not heat my bread stone, I ended up baking the focaccia on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Next time. Everything turned out great. I didn't get a super chewy focaccia, and it was crustier than I expected. Regardless the focaccia went great with my penne and bolognese sauce...YUMMY! To see other versions of the focaccia, go to Tuesdays with Dorie. Happy Baking!!!

A little bit of New Orleans in Seattle...kinda

Superbowl Sunday...Go Hawks!!! Whoops, I know, the Seattle Seahawks aren't in the Superbowl. Well, once again, I'll be watching for the ads and the halftime show. This year, hunky Tom Brady isn't even around for eye candy.

Congratulations to New Orleans for hosting the Superbowl, I am sure the town has been a bigger party than usual this week! You know what?  We have a little bit of New Orleans here in Seattle. Not in a flash your boobs and you get beads way, but in a yummy food way at Toulouse Petit Kitchen and Lounge. Located in the busy Lower Queen Anne area, Toulouse sits right at Queen Anne Ave N and Mercer Street. Parking is what it is, but if you're not in the mood to drive around, there are a few parking lots close by. So, if you don't make a reservation for dinner, get there around 5pm or sit at the bar. The place fills up quickly. Order a Sazerac...mmm...they make them strong, and take your time deciding what to order, the menu is huge! The Wild Boudin Blanc caught my eye immediately. My friend CeCe makes this homemade and I've been dying to have it again.  

 

The Boudin was delicious.  So was the Frisse Salad with poached egg and lardons.  I had bits and bites of the other menu items my husband and son ordered; Crispy Fried Chicken Gumbo, Housemade Boar-Garlic Sausage with Tomato Basil Jam, Savory Crawfish Beignets, Dungeness Crab Imperial, ...OK, stop!  We ordered too much, because, after all that and some other items I forgot to mention, I had the Housemade Ricotta Gnocchi, OMG!!!  SO GOOD!

The service was great, the seating is a little comfortable, the decor is sylish, worth it?  "YES!"  We will be going back...FOR SURE!!!

Flu Fighter... Turkey Noodle Soup



This is so simple, required very few ingredients, but needs a little LOVE.



Flu Season is here!  I thought I dodged this dreaded beast when my husband came down with the flu last week, but NO.  I was happy to make a HUGE batch of noodle soup when John was sick, but happier that a made enough so I was able to enjoy it a couple days ago when I caught the BUG.

Turkey ("turkey lurkey" as my mom use to say) Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

2 T - Olive Oil

3 - large turkey thighs, bone in, skin on

1-cup chopped yellow onion

3 - large stalks of celery, chopped

3 - large carrots, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

Salt & Pepper, to taste

1 16-oz. package - Mrs. Weiss Kluski Noodles

1 cup frozen petite peas, defrosted

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven, medium-high heat.  Brown turkey thighs, skin side down.  Turn the thighs and brown the other side.  The turkey will not be fully cooked.  Add chopped onions and stir around in the pot.  When the onions are partially cooked, add enough water to cover the turkey thighs.  Bring to boil.

Once the water has boiled, lower to a simmer.  Skim the broth occasionally.  Allow the thighs to simmer for at least 30 minutes, or until the meat is fully cooked.  Remove the pot from the heat and take turkey out and set aside to cool.  Once the thighs are OK to touch, remove the meat and chop.

Bring the pot back to the heat and season to taste, add the celery, carrots and garlic.  Bring to boil. 

Once the broth has boiled, add the noodles.  Lower the heat to a steady low boil and cook until the noodles are cooked, about 11 minutes.  Add the peas and the turkey meat.

(YUM...almost done!)

Taste.  You can add more salt and pepper at this time.  A bit of fresh parsley is a nice garnish.

ENJOY!

Food Matters Project: Hippie Rice

Hippie Rice...such a funny name for a recipe. Well, this works for me, especially this time of year when I am ALWAYS "starting" a new diet. I work in he food industry and I am surrounded by beautiful food every day. Today I brought my lunch and enjoyed it in our beautiful dining room with white linens. No wine, too early...next time. I will post the recipe in a later update. Unfortunately, my laptop crashed and I haven't quite figured out how I can look at my iBook and blog screen at the same time. The recipe is in Mark Bittman's The Food Matters Cookbook. To see other versions, go to The Food Matters Project...enjoy!

America's Test Kitchen - New York-Style Pizza at home

OK, all I am going to say is either sign up for the online membership to America's Test Kitchen or get your pen and paper ready and take notes (click the link)
http://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/detail.php?docid=26804

Did you get all that?  It's worth it! I swear.


Follow the instructions exactly.

My husband and I decided not to go crazy with toppings and made a simple Margherita Pizza. Perfect! The crust is thin and holds up to the sauce and fresh mozzarella. We will definitely make this again. (Update: We made it again with clam and garlic...YUM!)

Las Vegas Pub Grub

After all the late nights and bad behavior, Pub food cures all!

My favorite Las Vegas cure is the Corn Dog Puppies.  The batter is light and a bit sweet AND the hot dogs are chicken...kinda feelin' healthy.
My fancy food pick would have to be the oysters, of course.
OK, and there is LOBSTER. Not to be missed.

FMP: Whole Cauliflower with sausage

I spent all last week behaving badly in Las Vegas, so I was happy to get back and on track with this great recipe!

OK, this is what you will need for this week's recipe, WHOLE CAULIFLOWER WITH SAUSAGE

1 cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds) cored

Salt

8 oz. sweet or hot pork sausage, casing removed

(I made my own chicken sausage)

2 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 or 2 fresh hot chilies (like jalapeno or Thai), seeded and chopped

Black Pepper

1 cup bread crumbs, preferably whole grain and homemade (fortunately, I baked whole wheat bread last week)

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1.  Put the cauliflower in a steamer above 1 to 2 inches of salted water.  Bring the water to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat so it bubbles steadily.  (I used my rice cooker, which is also a steamer, and set it on 20 minutes)  Cook until the cauliflower is just tender enough to be pierced to the core with a thin-bladed knife (no longer).  Because it's large, the cauliflower will retain quite a bit of heat after cooking, so it should still be ever-so-slightly crunchy when you remove it from the steamer.  Total cooking time will be 12 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of the head.  Drain the cooked cauliflower well.




Homemade Chicken Italian Sausage

  2.  Meanwhile, put the sausage and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook, stirring to break the meat into small pieces, until no longer pink, 5 to 10 minutes.  Pour off all but 2 to 3 tablespoons of fat.  Add the onion, chili, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper and cook until the onion is softened, 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove the mixture from the pan with a slotted spoon.

3. Add the bread crumbs and parsley to the skillet and cook, stirring until the bread crumbs are crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Return the meat to the pan, stir, and taste and adjust the seasoning.

4.  Break up the cauliflower head a bit with 2 forks, scatter the sausage mixture over all and serve.

WHOLE CAULIFLOWER WITH SAUSAGE AND TOMATOES
What you lose in bread crumb crunchiness, you make up for with bright flavor.  In Step 2, after you cook the sausage mixture, add 2 cups chopped tomatoes (canned are fine; drain them first).  Cook and stir for another 5 minutes or so, until they become slightly thickened and saucy.  Proceed with recipe.


OK, so I did a little combination of the 2 versions and I added 1/2 of an oven dried tomato I had jarred in olive oil.  My version is close to the original.

I served the Whole Cauliflower with "homemade" Sausage with a grilled plum, goat cheese and pea shoot salad, baguette, butter and a glass of pinot noir.

To see other versions of this recipe go to http://thefoodmattersproject.com/2012/09/24/whole-cauliflower-with-sausage/