Making Bread Part II

In case this recipe didn't quite push you into bread making, watch this Mark Bittman (NY Times) video on a very easy no-knead bread. This ought to convince you of the ease of making a simple bread at home. I try to make Mondays our baking day at home so that we have a few loaves for the week ahead and Maya can help me with the process (she makes bread at school every Thursday so she is an expert by now).

Edible Wednesdays: Jam, Tomatoes, Muesli and more

tomdowson

I had a free hour after dinner last night to churn out some staples for the week ahead. I was able to make raspberry jam (from homegrown raspberries that I had frozen specifically for making jam), roasted tomatoes a la G.Paltrow, some breakfast Muesli, a sourdough starter and some yogurt. Yes, in an HOUR (well, the yogurt "cooked" overnight). Talk about multi-tasking - not something that I am known to like to do but you do what you gotta do when free time is of the essence.

Raspberry (or strawberry, gooseberry) Jam (from the River Cottage Every Day):
Makes about 6 cups

3 pounds of fruit (raspberries was about 7 1/2 cups)
juice of one lemon
4 cups sugar

Sterilize some Mason jars in hot soapy water or dishwasher.

Divide fruit in half - smash half of the fruit and leave half of the fruit whole. Add the lemon juice and sugar. Stir to combine and leave for an hour or so to draw out the juices. Transfer the mixture to a preserving pan or a wide, heavy saucepan. Bring it quickly to a boil, stir a few times and boil hard for exactly 5 minutes. Take off the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Then pour hot jam into warm jars and seal. Store in fridge and use within 3 weeks.

Edible Wednesdays: Artisan Bread

Artisan bread in five or seven minutes. Fresh bread is the best, is it not? This bread is really as easy as it sounds. I was in a pretty good run at making these every week but then I got too busy one week and never looked back. This is a reminder to myself that making bread is DOABLE. My daughter makes bread every Thursday at her preschool so if two adults can make bread among 8 toddlers, then my gosh, it can be done!

My Dad mills his own flour which makes the biggest difference in everything he bakes, especially bread. I had him mill me a few pounds of red winter wheat during my last visit and so far every muffin and cookie I have made with it has tasted so...right. Real substance and flavor. I will have to use some for bread this week.

Adapted from ”Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day,” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François

• 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
• 3 cups water
• 6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough (*you can replace about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of white flour with any whole grain flour with great results).
• Cornmeal
1. In a large bowl, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups warm water. Add flour, and stir to combine completely. Let dough rise in a warm place for at least two hours, until it rises and collapses (up to 5 hours – or even overnight won’t hurt it). The dough may be baked at this point, or refrigerated for later use.
2. Cover dough, but make sure it is not airtight – gases need to escape – and place in fridge. When you are ready to use it, throw a small fistful of flour on the surface and use a serrated knife to cut off a piece of the size you desire. (The authors recommend a 1 pound loaf – which means cutting off grapefruit-sized piece of dough). Turning the dough in your hands, stretch the surface of the dough and tuck in under. The surface will be smooth, and the bottom with be bunched.
3. Dust a pizza peel (or any flat surface – I use a rimless cookie sheet) with cornmeal. (This prevents sticking, and adds a nice, rustic crunch. You can use flour instead, but you’ll need to use a very generous dusting). Allow dough to rest in a warm place for 40 minutes – longer (up to an hour and a half) if you use some whole wheat flour in place of the white, or if you make a larger loaf.
4. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees with baking stone (or overturned baking sheet) inside on the middle rack, plus a shallow pan on the top rack. Throw a small fistful of flour over the dough, slash it 2-4 times with a serrated knife (in a cross, a tic-tac-toe, or a fan), and slide it into the oven, onto the baking stone. Throw 1-2 cups of tap water into the shallow pan, and quickly shut the oven door to trap steam inside. Bake for 30 minutes, or until crust is well browned and bread sounds hollow when you knock on the bottom.

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Quick Chicken Parm

(finecooking.com)

This recipe really is quick and easy - you can fancy it up in the tomato sauce department if you want.  I added chopped zucchini, capers and olives to the sauce last night.  This has become a go-to recipe when time is tight and inspiration is low.

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 
Freshly ground black pepper 
2 large eggs 
1-1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs 
4 thin-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (about 14 oz.) 
Kosher salt 
5 Tbs. olive oil 
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (use the small holes on a box grater) 
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced 
1 small yellow onion, chopped 
2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped 
One 14.5-oz. can crushed tomatoes (preferably Muir Glen fire-roasted crushed tomatoes) 
1/4 cup packed fresh basil, chopped (1/2 oz.) 

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Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and lightly coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray.


Mix the flour and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a wide, shallow dish. In a second wide, shallow dish, lightly beat the eggs with 1 Tbs. water. Put the panko in a third wide, shallow dish. Season the chicken with salt and coat each piece in the flour, tapping off the excess, then the egg, and then the panko, pressing the panko to help it adhere.


Heat 2 Tbs. of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in two batches, cook the chicken, flipping once, until the crumbs are golden and the chicken is almost cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side, adding 2 Tbs. more oil for the second batch. Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the chicken with the Parmigiano and then top evenly with the mozzarella. Bake until the cheese is melted and the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.


Meanwhile, wipe the skillet clean and set over medium heat. Pour in the remaining 1 Tbs. oil and then add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender and lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and 1/4 tsp. salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the sauce over the chicken.

Cherry Tomato

image from summertomato

image from greenfingers

Nothing says summer like a cherry tomato salad.  Mine is quite easy and you can add many an ingredient to make it your own.

Cherry tomatoes sliced in half

Balsamic vinegar

Olive oil

Pinch salt and pepper

Mix and voila.  Easy and delicious.  I like to grill or toast some french bread, slather on some butter or olive oil and spread this salad on top a la Julia Child.  You can easily add basil, mozzarella balls, garlic, feta cheese...you get the idea.

"Live" Cookies

image via Live Shoppe

Have you ever tasted a baked good made from FRESHLY ground flour?  If you have, you will never go back.  It is simply mind boggling how amazing it tastes.  In a little ol' town called Sequim in Washington State, there is a baking shoppe that makes the most wonderful cookies made with freshly ground flour.  My Dad took their class and came back with his rendition of the classic cookie.  Beware, this cookie is so delicious and good for you, you may be eating these for breakfast!  

On a side note, there are a few stores around town where you can ground your own flour but I am afraid to get the real results you will have to find a mill yourself and grind away at home.  Freshly ground flour retains all the nutrients in the grain.  You have to freeze the flour immediately to maintain the freshness - flour you buy in the store has already gone rancid and does not have the "glutenous" properties that freshly milled flour contains. 

Healthy Cookies

1 1/2 cups Olive Oil

1 cup Sucanat (or alternative sugar)

2 eggs

dash of vanilla

1/4 cup applesauce

1 cup oats

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups flour (half red winter wheat and half spelt)

Whisk the first 3 ingredients together, then add the next two.  Mix the oats, salt, soda and flour together in a separate bowl.  Slowly add the dry mix to the wet mix.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Feel free to add chocolate chips, flax seeds, raisins, sunflower seeds...

Spain...On the Road Again

I have been sort of obsessed with Gwyneth Paltrow since her cookbook came out.  So I have been watching old episodes of Spain...On The Road Again.   I am LOVING it and falling in love with Spain along the way.  I, myself, am a France girl but have traveled through Spain a fair amount.  This show totally is making me want to go back and just drive through the countryside, eating and drinking and being merry. With two kids in tow, this may be a bit of a challenge but it doesn't hurt to dream right?
The food is so simple yet looks so amazingly delicious.  Quite inspiring indeed!