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Roesti (Swiss Crispy Potato Pancake)

February 11, 2011 by 5 Comments

This post is, in part, a reprint of my column that ran in the Record-Eagle on Thursday.

What is it about sledding hills that brings out the Evel Knievel in children? My boys -who have a rather nicely developed sense of self-preservation- become more than just a little reckless when you stand them at the top of an ice covered mountain with a sled in their hands.

The danger of it seems to be part of the appeal. They happily assess the risk each slope presents, giving higher marks to more potentially dreadful paths. They joyfully compare close calls and ‘war-stories’ and rips rent in their winter gear by gnarly random roots.  They even have a sing-songy motto they shout before they take the running leap onto their sled at the precipice, “Don’t cry if you break your nose!”

Mercifully, no noses have been broken, and the worst injury to date was when my seven-year-old tripped and went down the hill on his chin rather than his posterior.

The payoff for them is pure, unadulterated fun.  The payoff for me allowing the fun –because I’d prefer the pre-sled routine to involve bubble wrap, protective goggles, and crash-helmets on each head- is seeing their shining eyes, flushed cheeks, and serious swagger as they cross the field toward home.  There is no triumph that feels quite like laughing in the face of (real or perceived) mortal harm. And there is no better celebration than a table laden with warm, filling, hearty foods to welcome those princes and princesses of the sledding realm.

What to place on the table, then for such conquering heroes? The Swiss are a natural reference, since they spend a great deal of time skiing and sledding and flinging themselves down the Alps.  They’re not just mountain goats, though, they are also known for a vast repertoire of rustic, hearty, simple foods that delight the senses. Roesti (pronounced ROO’-shtee) –one of these popular dishes- is the perfect après-sled gnosh. With a crispy exterior and creamy interior made only of potatoes, onions, butter, salt and pepper, Roesti exist as proof that the best things are often the simplest things.

Serve Roesti sliced in pie shaped wedges as a stand-alone snack with sour cream or serve alongside roasts or soups.

Potato Roesti

Scroll to the bottom for an easy-print version of this recipe!

Yield: 4 servings of 2 slices each

Ingredients:

  • 5 Yukon gold potatoes (about 1-1/2 pounds of potatoes), scrubbed clean
  • 1 medium yellow cooking onion, peeled with ends removed
  • 3 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (You can choose to substitute olive oil for half of the butter, if you wish.)
  • salt and black pepper, preferably freshly ground, to taste

Use the coarse side of a box grater or the coarse grating blade on a food processor to grate the potatoes and onions. Scrape the potatoes and onions into the center of a clean tea towel, gather up the edges and twist the top together over the sink.  Continue twisting while squeezing the potatoes and onions until you cannot squeeze any more liquid from it.

Place a well-seasoned 8-10 inch cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed 8-10 inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Place 3 tablespoons of butter in the pan to melt.

Turn the contents of the tea towel into a clean bowl and stir in black pepper and salt to taste (about ½ teaspoon of each should be the maximum at this stage.)  Add the potato mixture to the pan and use a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula to press firmly and evenly into the pan. Do not stir the potatoes; just press them down vigorously to form a caked layer in the pan.  Allow to cook over medium heat for 7-10 minutes, or until deep brown in color and crisp on the bottom.  Lay a large plate over the pan and –wearing oven mitts on both hands – clasp the plate to the pan and carefully invert the whole works.  The Roesti should be uncooked side down on the plate.

Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, allowing it to melt before proceeding. Slide the uncooked side of the Roesti into the pan, press down again with the spoon or spatula and continue cooking over medium heat for another 4-8 minutes.  The bottom should be quite crisp and deep brown in color. Remove to a cutting board and let stand for five minutes before slicing into pie-shaped wedges.

If you’re looking to gild your Roesti lily, you might want to give my latest addiction a try.  Bacon Jam is a salty-and-sweet, smoky, chewy bacon spread. Not sure what to think about that?  Imagine times when you had a cup of coffee next to a plate full of pancakes and a couple strips of bacon or some home fries on the side.  More likely than not, you’ve slid your bacon through the maple syrup and eaten it.  And even more likely, you loved it.  This is like all that in one very habit-forming package.

Print
Roesti (Swiss Crispy Potato Pancake)
Author: 
Recipe type: appetizer, side, vegetable
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 6
 

Crispy, brown, buttery potato pancakes that are tender and soft inside are the perfect accompaniment to soups and salads. Serve with sausage for a great treat!
Ingredients
  • 5 Yukon gold potatoes (about 1-1/2 pounds of potatoes), scrubbed clean
  • 1 medium yellow cooking onion, peeled with ends removed
  • 3 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (You can choose to substitute olive oil for half of the butter, if you wish.)
  • salt and black pepper, preferably freshly ground, to taste

Instructions
  1. Use the coarse side of a box grater or the coarse grating blade on a food processor to grate the potatoes and onions. Scrape the potatoes and onions into the center of a clean tea towel, gather up the edges and twist the top together over the sink. Continue twisting while squeezing the potatoes and onions until you cannot squeeze any more liquid from it.
  2. Place a well-seasoned 8-10 inch cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed 8-10 inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Place 3 tablespoons of butter in the pan to melt.
  3. Turn the contents of the tea towel into a clean bowl and stir in black pepper and salt to taste (about ½ teaspoon of each should be the maximum at this stage.) Add the potato mixture to the pan and use a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula to press firmly and evenly into the pan. Do not stir the potatoes; just press them down vigorously to form a caked layer in the pan. Allow to cook over medium heat for 7-10 minutes, or until deep brown in color and crisp on the bottom. Lay a large plate over the pan and –wearing oven mitts on both hands – clasp the plate to the pan and carefully invert the whole works. The Roesti should be uncooked side down on the plate.
  4. Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, allowing it to melt before proceeding. Slide the uncooked side of the Roesti into the pan, press down again with the spoon or spatula and continue cooking over medium heat for another 4-8 minutes. The bottom should be quite crisp and deep brown in color. Remove to a cutting board and let stand for five minutes before slicing into pie-shaped wedges.

Notes
If you’re looking to gild your Roesti lily, you might want to give my latest addiction a try. Bacon Jam is a salty-and-sweet, smoky, chewy bacon spread. Not sure what to think about that? Imagine times when you had a cup of coffee next to a plate full of pancakes and a couple strips of bacon or some home fries on the side. More likely than not, you’ve slid your bacon through the maple syrup and eaten it. And even more likely, you loved it. This is like all that in one very habit-forming package.

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Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Rebecca, Recipes, Side Dishes, Snacks, Stretching your dollars, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,

Six Week Bran Cereal Muffins

January 25, 2011 by 19 Comments

I got a bit of an unpleasant surprise while reading cereal box ingredient lists at the store the other day.

Let me back-track for just a moment or two, though.  For years upon years upon years, drawing close to a decade and a half, I’ve been making a particular bran muffin.  More of a Bran-ish muffin really… Why Bran-ish?  Because it doesn’t fit in the normal bran muffin box.  It’s lighter both in color and gut-bombability than the average bran muffin, gently sweet and über-easy.  In fact, it’s simpler and more convenient than just about any other muffin in existence (aside from the ones you buy.) No cutting in of fats, no measuring ingredients with bleary eyes and un-caffeinated hands in the morning, no hungry children curled around your feet moaning while you try to rustle up breakfast*.  Mix your wet ingredients, mix your dry ingredients, mix them together and stash in the refrigerator for up to six weeks.  No joke.

*This recipe does not come with a guarantee that your children will wait patiently for the muffins.  Mine don’t.  I guess I should’ve just left that out.  I got carried away.  Please forgive me.

You may have encountered a version of this recipe before on the cereal box of a major breakfast cold-cereal manufacturer.  It’s been around for what seems like eons. But this is where my unpleasant surprise popped into play.

I grabbed a box of my normal All-Bran and perused the ingredient list.  HFCS.  Ack.  It’s presence had escaped my notice previously but once I know it’s there, I don’t buy*. I checked the store brand version.  HFCS.  I checked plain old bran flakes from all possible manufacturers.  HFCS.  Double Ack.  I decided to play around with other cereals… Fiber One didn’t have HFCS nor did the store brand version of Fiber One.  I opted for the store brand. Before you balk, Wegman’s (cue heavenly chorus singing the attributes of Wegman’s) store brands are almost always as good as or better than major manufacturer’s products.

*I am aware that educated people disagree on the matter of whether High Fructose Corn Syrup is a health hazard.  Good people can disagree.  I have read a great many research studies on the subject and decided that there is enough uncertainty to make me feel better eliminating as much of it from my family’s diet as possible.

I came home, mixed up my muffin batter and commenced griping my story to The Evil Genius.  He grabbed the box and said, “HFCS! Ha, just kidding.  But really?  There’s aspartame in here.”

Aspartame in cereal?  Seriously, Wegman’s?  EW. Leaving aside any health concerns that are presented by aspartame, let’s just talk taste.  It tastes chemically sweet. And not in a good way.

The muffin batter had already been mixed up, though, and I don’t waste, so we started baking anyway and hoped for the best. In a result that shocked no one, they were grossly and strangely sweet.  The thing I found curious was how the high-fiber cereal  didn’t break down at all after sitting in the refrigerator overnight or after baking.  When the muffins were pulled open, they looked like I had made the batter with dried cat food pieces. They were unappetizing, to say the least.  I know when I’m licked.

I decided that there were two options; find another all bran (small caps, not ™, thankyouverymuch) cereal or give up on these muffins.  My little local grocery store did not have anything I wanted to use but unsurprisingly, Amazon had an option; an HFCS/Aspartame-Free real bran cereal.  I took a leap of faith and ordered a package of six boxes.  And happy days, the cereal worked perfectly in the muffins.  No more cat-food, sickly-sweet aspartame muffins for us!

Why go to all the trouble for this muffin?  Well, if the convenience of having it ready to bake off in mere moments doesn’t convince you, maybe the flexibility will.  You can bake them plain, as is, with the batter straight from the refrigerator, or you can gussy them up a bit.  Stir in frozen blueberries, raspberries, other berries or fruits, sprinkle with raw sugar or leave unadorned.  Any way you choose, they’re the simple, perfect solution to a hot breakfast or afternoon snack.

Are you having trouble finding an HFCS or artificial sweetener free cereal?  Try our new favorite from Amazon. If you click on the link below and buy it from Amazon.com, we’ll get a very small commission.  It doesn’t change your price at all, but disclosure feels good.  Come on, gimme a hug.


Oh, and if you would like to save a bit on the cost, you can ‘Subscribe and Save’.  It takes 15% off the listed price and there’s automatic free-shipping, regardless of order total.  There’s no obligation past your one order; you can cancel ‘Subscribe and Save’ at any time.  I use it for our coffee, water filter replacements, coconut oil and other essentials.  And no. They’re not paying me to say this.  I just really, really like the service! How can you beat free delivery of things you need anyway?



Six Week Bran Cereal Muffins

Scroll to the bottom for an easy-print version of this recipe!

Gently adapted from the Kellogg’s All-Bran Muffins recipe
Yield: About 54 Plain Bran Muffins, or more than 60 Bran and Fruit Muffins or Chocolate Chip Bran Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 5 1/3 cups all-natural bran cereal (I recommend Nature’s Path Organic Smart Bran)
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup wheat germ
  • 2 1/4 cups raw sugar (can substitute white granulated sugar if necessary)
  • 5 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 4 cups buttermilk (You’re culturing your own right? No?  Try this dead-simple method.)
  • 1 cup neutral oil (like canola or vegetable oil)
  • 4 large eggs, beaten

Optional additional ingredients for baking:

  • frozen berries, small pieces of frozen stone fruits such as peaches or plums, or small diced apples or pears
  • chocolate chips
  • raw sugar for the muffin tops (You can use granulated white sugar if necessary.)

To prepare muffin mix:

In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until evenly moist. Scrape the muffin mix into a large container (of about 1 gallon capacity or larger) with a tight fitting lid.

Refrigerate for at least 8 hours before using. Label the container with the date the batter was mixed.

You can store and use the batter for up to 6 weeks.

To bake Plain Bran Muffins:

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Line muffin tins with paper sleeves or spray the muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray.  Fill the prepared muffin wells 2/3 full.  If desired, sprinkle lightly with raw sugar.

Bake for 15-20 minutes for standard sized muffins or 10-12 minutes for mini-muffins. Muffins are done when a straw, skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow muffins to rest in the tins for 5 minutes then gently turn out onto a cooling rack.

To bake Bran and Fruit Muffins or Chocolate Chip Bran Muffins:

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Line muffin tins with paper sleeves or spray the muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray.

Scoop the desired amount of muffin batter into a bowl and gently fold in your chosen fruit or chocolate chips.

Fill the prepared muffin wells 2/3 full.  If desired, sprinkle lightly with raw sugar.

Bake for 15-20 minutes for standard sized muffins or 10-12 minutes for mini-muffins. Muffins are done when a straw, skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. There may be some fruit juice on the skewer, but there shouldn’t be any sticky batter.

Allow muffins to rest in the tins for 5 minutes then gently turn out onto a cooling rack or towel.

Print
Six Week Bran Cereal Muffins
Author: 
Recipe type: breakfast, bread, quick bread, snack
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 32
 

Muffin batter that throws together in minutes and is usable for six weeks?!? You bet! Have fresh muffins whenever the urge strikes when you have this on hand!
Ingredients
  • 5⅓ cups all-natural bran cereal (I recommend Nature’s Path Organic Smart Bran)
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup wheat germ
  • 2¼ cups raw sugar (can substitute white granulated sugar if necessary)
  • 5 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 4 cups buttermilk (You’re culturing your own right? No? Try this dead-simple method.)
  • 1 cup neutral oil (like canola or vegetable oil)
  • 4 large eggs, beaten
  • Optional additional ingredients for baking:
  • frozen berries, small pieces of frozen stone fruits such as peaches or plums, or small diced apples or pears
  • chocolate chips
  • raw sugar for the muffin tops (You can use granulated white sugar if necessary.)

Instructions
  1. To prepare muffin mix:
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until evenly moist. Scrape the muffin mix into a large container (of about 1 gallon capacity or larger) with a tight fitting lid. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours before using. Label the container with the date the batter was mixed. You can store and use the batter for up to 6 weeks.
  3. To bake Plain Bran Muffins:
  4. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line muffin tins with paper sleeves or spray the muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray. Fill the prepared muffin wells ⅔ full. If desired, sprinkle lightly with raw sugar.
  5. Bake for 15-20 minutes for standard sized muffins or 10-12 minutes for mini-muffins. Muffins are done when a straw, skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Allow muffins to rest in the tins for 5 minutes then gently turn out onto a cooling rack.
  7. To bake Bran and Fruit Muffins or Chocolate Chip Bran Muffins:
  8. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line muffin tins with paper sleeves or spray the muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray.
  9. Scoop the desired amount of muffin batter into a bowl and gently fold in your chosen fruit or chocolate chips.
  10. Fill the prepared muffin wells ⅔ full. If desired, sprinkle lightly with raw sugar.
  11. Bake for 15-20 minutes for standard sized muffins or 10-12 minutes for mini-muffins. Muffins are done when a straw, skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. There may be some fruit juice on the skewer, but there shouldn’t be any sticky batter.
  12. Allow muffins to rest in the tins for 5 minutes then gently turn out onto a cooling rack.

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Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Rebecca, Recipes, Snacks, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

How to Render Duck Fat and Make Duck Cracklins

January 12, 2011 by 10 Comments

“Duck fat!  Hoo ha ha!…*”

*Like Shark Bait, Hoo Ha ha! from ‘Finding Nemo’.

“crackLINS! crackLINS! crackLINS! crackLINS! Duck, duck, duck, duck, duck. NO GOOSE!”  went the chant from my children who  -just two hours before- were making wet gaggy noises while watching me break down a duck into breasts, leg and thigh portions and a hearty pile of duck fat and skin trimmings.

Boy did I change their tune. Just look at those cracklins.  Can you blame them?

It’s now duck town around here, people. I’ve signed on for Charcutepalooza (the brainchild of Mrs. Wheelbarrow and The Yummy Mummy).  At current count, there are about one hundred bloggers participating in this group organized by our illustrious leaders.

Charcutepah-whah you say? It’s a mashup of Charcuterie (The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing Meat and the title of the Michael Ruhlman book of the same name.) and Lollapalooza (an annual music festival involving a great many tattoos and alternative rock acts and questionable behavior.)  There will be one project per month (all projects from recipes gleaned from Michael Ruhlman’s Charcuterie.  Meat is mandatory. Questionable behavior and tattoos* are optional.

 

*There are tattoo rumors.  Just how devoted are we to meat?  We’ll see!

 

It’s common knowledge that I live in. the. middle. of. nowhere.  This is by choice. I like living way out here.  But I do occasionally miss the easy access to some of the finer things I crave; artisan meats, cheeses, etc…  So what’s a gal to do?

  1. Nothing.
  2. Become independently wealthy and have Armandino Batali open up a satellite store in my barn.
  3. Learn to make it myself.

With the organization of Charcutepalooza, option 3 seemed the most sensible choice.

This month’s project is Duck Prosciutto.  The recipe calls for two duck breast halves (or one whole duck breast, boned and separated.) Our local meat market had whole, all-natural ducks for $3.89/pound ~or~ boneless, skin-on breasts for $12.89/pound.  Holy moly.  Whole duck it was.  After removing and trimming the duck breasts and beginning the process of curing them, I had most of a duck left to turn into food.

The leg and thigh quarters were a no brainer; salt, herbs, garlic and spices and into the fridge to become duck confit (post forthcoming).  This left a biggish carcass, a duck neck, a bunch of fat and skin, and some offal.  The offal became the teensiest and cutest little old pâté you ever did see.  The carcass and neck jumped into a roasting pan to brown up then become stock.  And the duck skin and fat… Well, that’s where the magic happened.

Slowly rendering the fat away from the skin and little bits of meat clinging to it left us the ultimate culinary two-fer; golden duck fat and crispy duck cracklins.

Duck fat gives you French fries that are good enough to make you religious. To paraphrase Ben Franklin, “Duck fat is proof that God loves man and wants him to be happy.” Cracklins are like refined bacon. Are you hungry yet?  You ought to be.

Let’s get cracklin.

For a photo-free, printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here!

How to Render Duck Fat and Duck Cracklins

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of duck fat and skin trimmings (You should be able to get this from one duck after you have removed the breast, leg and thigh meat. Alternately, you can hit up your friendly local butcher for duck fat and skin trimmings.)
  • 1/4 cup fresh water

Cut the skin and fat into pieces that are roughly 1-inch in size.  Put in the bottom of a heavy-bottomed pan with a capacity of at least 3 quarts.  A wider bottomed pan is more efficient for this application.

Pour the water over the trimmings and place the pan, partially covered, over the lowest heat possible.  As the trimmings and water warm up in the pan, fat will begin rendering (being made liquid) and water will start evaporating.  This will sound a bit like a gently sputtering boil.

The white fatty bits will slowly transform into lightly golden brown, crispy goodies.  As soon as they reach this stage, use a slotted spoon to remove the cracklins to a paper towel lined plate. The process can take anywhere from an hour to three hours, so I don’t recommend leaving the pan unattended for long. When the cracklins are on the lined plate, sprinkle with salt, to taste, and set aside. These can be eaten as a snack, baked into cornbread, sprinkled over salads or hearty soups like croutons, or used just about anywhere else you would use crisped bacon.

Turn your attention to the duck fat.  For the clearest duck fat, line a fine mesh strainer with a piece of cheesecloth.  If you’re in a hurry, a stainless-steel fine mesh strainer alone will suffice. Carefully pour the hot liquid fat through the strainer (lined if you so choose) into a jar or other clean, food-safe receptacle with a tight fitting lid.  Fit the lid in place and store your liquid gold in the refrigerator for up to a year.  It will become semi-solid and opaque in its chilled state, this is to be expected. Use duck fat to roast potatoes, make the ultimate French fries, sear or confit meats, or whatever sinful tasks you devise for it.

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Filed Under: Charcuterie, Component Foods, Food Preservation, Instructional, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Meat, Rebecca, Recipes, Snacks, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: , , ,

Falafel (Savory Chickpea Fritters)

September 26, 2010 by 32 Comments

This post is my entry for the second challenge in Project Food Blog: The interactive competitive series of culinary blogging challenges for the chance to advance and a shot at the ultimate prize: $10,000 and a special feature on Foodbuzz.com for one year.  I want to send out a big “Thank you!” to all of you who cast your votes for me.

The category for this challenge is “The Classics”.  Foodbuzz says, “Any food blogger worth their salt can make a classic dish sing, but can they go outside their comfort zone and tackle a foreign cuisine?”  In other words, they want we-the-contestants to tackle a classic dish from a foreign cuisine.  They also asked that we render said dish faithfully.

…I made another rule for myself, though. I wanted my classic foreign dish to be made entirely of items that I already had on hand. Yes, the rules require me to render the foreign dish faithfully, but I have to render my blog faithfully, as well. We do real food here, folks.  The kind of food that makes your mouth, heart, mind and pocket-book happy.  It wouldn’t have fit the bill if I ran up to the city and bought fifty bajillion exotic ingredients that aren’t available out here in Amish country.  I wanted to prove that you can whip up a fabulous ethnic feast on items that can be grown in your own yard or found in any two-bit grocery store in the back-forty.

Did I succeed?  Oh yeah.  Big time.

A meatless meal can be a hard sell in this home.  My crew is a real meat-loving bunch. My eldest boy once described himself as ninety-eight percent carnivore and two percent omnivore.

Let that sink in for a moment.

While I do insist on the occasional meatless meal, let’s just say my guys don’t usually beg for them. Well, at least they didn’t until I rediscovered falafel. Real falafel.*

*I’ll quantify that in a moment…

Aside from being so good that you crave it even after immediately eating it, it seriously does a body good. Made from ground chickpeas, it is packed so full of nutrients that I feel like the fine print on a prescription drug commercial listing them all here; mega-protein, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, Vitamin C, thiamine, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B, and folate. Not only that, but it’s low in fat, cholesterol and sodium.  Moreover, you know I love a recipe that’s mouthwatering, nutritious and cheap, right?  Well, hello!  Falafel isn’t just inexpensive, it’s dirt cheap. Score!

I spent my long-ago vegetarian years eating a lot of falafel. Back in the (vegetarian) day, I ate the stuff that came in dry mix boxes (yes, me!) but once or twice I had excellent versions at Middle Eastern eateries.  The boxed stuff just isn’t my bag, so to speak, anymore. It’s expensive and doesn’t taste fresh.  Mainly because it isn’t. The contest provided just the push I needed to learn, after all this time, how to make my own falafel from scratch. A little fiddling around with soaked chickpeas resulted in a recipe that rivals the best falafels I ever ate in restaurants.  In fact, I’d say (in sotto voce) it’s the best falafel I’ve ever had.

While the history and origins of the dish are contested (not surprisingly) the general consensus is that falafel was originally created in Egypt. It has since spread throughout the Middle East as a staple food and is even considered the National Snack of Israel. One bite of a savory, steaming hot chickpea fritters, and it’s obvious why it’s so well loved.  The crispy outer crust yields to a spicy, garlicky interior that is impossibly light for being made from such hearty beans.

Unlike most dishes made with chickpeas (i.e. hummus), falafel is made with dried beans that simply have been soaked, not cooked.  That makes this dish easy-chickpeasy.  Soak, blitz in the food processor with other ingredients, rest, pan fry, done.  Such a small amount of work for such a massive pay-off at such a tiny price. This kind of discovery is thrilling, I tell you!

Whether you stuff it in pitas or simply serve as a finger food with a variety of dipping sauces (like Tahini Sauce or *gasp* ketchup), Falafel is sure to please even the pickiest eaters.

Allow me to set the stage.

Me: “Dinner time!”

Two Youngest Boys: “I don’t wanna eat vegetables!”

Me: “Boys.  Come try these fritters.”

Boys: “Hey!  Those are fried!  Can I have them?  Do I have to share?  Can I eat it with my hands? Can I stab it with a toothpick?”

Me: “Yes.”

Boys descend on plate like a swarm of locusts in the Holy land.  Silence and an empty plate.

For the record, my carnivorous crew didn’t like the falafel.  They loved it. They inhaled it. They fished for little crunchy bits left on the plate. My little man who keeps promising he will like vegetables when he turns eight ate nearly his weight in it then asked whether we could have the ‘Middle Eastern hushpuppies’ again tomorrow. I’d call that an enthusiastic endorsement.

For a printer-friendly, photo-free version of this recipe, click here!

Falafel

  • 2 cups dried chickpeas
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
  • 8 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 teaspoons dried cumin
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt or sea salt
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper, to taste
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 8 to 14 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • Canola, vegetable, safflower or peanut oil for frying.

Optional for serving:

  • Pita bread
  • Tahini sauce (see recipe below)
  • Chopped tomatoes
  • Chopped onions

Rinse and pick over the dried chickpeas, removing any debris, discolored or misshapen beans in the process.  Place the chickpeas in a bowl and cover with at least 2 inches of cool water.  Place the bowl, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.

Drain the chickpeas and place in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade.  Add the onions, parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, salt and cayenne to the work bowl, fix the cover in place and pulse until everything is finely ground but not pasty.  Sprinkle the baking soda and 8 tablespoons of the flour flour over the ground chickpea mixture and pulse again until it is evenly combined.  Scrape the falafel mixture into a mixing bowl. Use your hands to mix in the remaining flour until the mixture does not stick to you as much.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cooking.

To cook:

Line a plate with paper towels and set aside.

Heat about 3/4 of an inch of oil to about 375°F in a high-sided, heavy-bottomed pan. While oil is heating, form the falafel mixture into ping pong size balls, using about 1-1/2 Tablespoons at a time.

When oil reaches the right temperature, drop about 6 balls in at a time.  Fry for about 1 minute, flip the balls and fry for an additional minute.  Use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer the falafel to the lined plate.

Serve hot with a side of tahini sauce or stuffed into pita halves with chopped tomatoes, onion and tahini sauce.

Get ‘em while they’re hot, boys!

Tahini Sauce

Adapted from a recipe by Tyler Florence

  • 1/2 cup tahini
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or plain yogurt if Greek yogurt is not available)
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice or white wine vinegar
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Add all ingredients to a blender, cover, and process on high speed until completely smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.  Serve over fried falafel or salad greens.

This is my second entry in Project Food Blog over at Foodbuzz.com.Did you like this recipe and the post?  I’d appreciate your vote of support!  You can cast it for me here! Or you can simply click on the yellow orange “Vote for Me” tab on the “Official Food Blog Contestant” badge up in the left sidebar.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Beans, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Instructional, kid food, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Main Dish, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Snacks, Stretching your dollars, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , ,

Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger Stuffed Sandwiches

September 10, 2010 by 7 Comments

Wake. Breakfast. School. Work.  Snack. School. Work. Lunch. School. Work. Snack. Work. Chores. Play. Dinner. Play. Bed. Repeat 4 times.  Weekend.

Routines can be good things, but getting them to become routine is the tricky bit. And fitting everything extra (cooking, planning, friends, activities) into this fresh Fall routine?  Hoo boy. It makes me feel a little panicky.

Feeling panicky fires up my organizational thinking.  Give me boxes.  Give me label guns.  Give me a freezer full of quick meals.  Watch me go people!

Stocking your freezer with items that can form the base of a fast homemade meal is a sanity saver.  And please.  Pretty please, don’t suggest once-a-month cooking to me.  I’ve tried it.  I failed. Miserably.  I am a fickle girl and while I approach it with enthusiasm, I fall down on it for the same reason that I can’t shop for a month at a time.  My solution is to make rubber chicken meal starters; big batches of food that form the base of many quick meals.

I’ve got a kids-of-all-ages pleasing, time-saving, budget-friendly, brain-soothing rubber chicken meal that all starts with a lip-smacking Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger Meal Starter. Once you have this meal starter under your belt you can stir it into macaroni and cheese, top a pita-bread or pizza dough with it and pile on some grated cheese before baking it then tossing on chopped tomatoes and onions for a quick cheeseburger pizza, scoop it up with tortilla chips for some barbecue bacon cheeseburger nachos for game day*.) But today?  Today is all about the Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger Stuffed Sandwiches.

Oh yes, my dears.  I am about to make you very popular.  Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger Stuffed Sandwiches do everything but your windows.  They make a fantastic brown-bag lunch (if you have access to a way to heat it at lunch time), great dinner-on-the-go, incomparable hand-held tailgating (or sports watching) snack food, and they’re freezer friendly to boot.  By removing the sandwiches from the oven a few minutes early and wrapping with foil before freezing, you have the foundation for a meal that is done in thirty minutes or less on hand.  I tell you that if you serve these with a big pile of Candied Jalapenos you will be a certifiable super star.  Gimme a high-five!*

*I have a decidedly geeky habit of high-fiving.  My kids and high-school senior sister have tried to cool-ify my high-fives by adding a fist-bump and some slide-y action afterward and telling me not to yell, ‘HIGH FIVE!’ with it but I fear they’ve only succeeded in pointing out that no matter what I do, I will never, ever be cool again. My food, however, is crazy cool. Because all my cool is poured into my food there is none left for me.  It’s a price I’m willing to pay.

So let’s recap.  Cook this big batch of meal starter (you already won because it has BACON in it!).  Divide it up into smaller portions and freeze or refrigerate those portions.  Use one portion to make Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger Stuffed Sandwiches (a meal-starter in and of themselves because they freeze like a dream.  A dream I tell you!).  Are you excited yet?  I am.  Let’s get cooking…

HIGH FIVE!

For a photo-free, printer-friendly version of this recipe click here!

(The printer-friendly version of the recipe contains instructions on preparing the bread dough by hand or by stand-mixer.)

To Make Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger Stuffed Sandwiches

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger Meal Starter (see recipe below)
  • 1 batch of Buttermilk Sandwich Bread dough or 2 pounds thawed frozen or other bread dough of your choice. (See recipe for bread dough below.)
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon water (for egg wash.)

Optional:

  • Sesame seeds, poppy seeds or minced onion for topping

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Line a large baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.  Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, divide the bread dough into 12 even pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball.  Working with one piece of dough at a time, flatten bread dough into a circle that is about 1/4″ thick.  Place about 1/4 cup of the meat filling into the center of the dough circle.  Gather up the edges of the dough around the filling and cinch to seal.  Place seam side down on the parchment lined pan.  Repeat until all the dough is used.

Gently cover the dough with a piece of lightly oiled plastic wrap or a damp tea towel.  Let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes or until slightly puffy.  Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with any desired toppings.

Slide the pan into the preheated oven on the center rack.  Bake for 18-24 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees halfway through the cooking time, or until the rolls are deep brown and shiny and the bread is cooked all the way through. Remove the pan from the oven and let the rolls rest on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  Let the rolls rest at least 15 minutes before eating.

If you wish to freeze the rolls remove them from the oven about 5 minutes early and let cool completely on the pan before putting the pan directly into the freezer.  When the rolls are frozen through (about 6 hours), wrap each one in foil and transfer to a resealable freezer bag.  Kept like this in the freezer they will be good for about 3 months.  To reheat, place foil wrapped rolls on a pan and heat in a preheated 400°F oven for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, open the foil so the rolls are exposed and continue heating until hot all the way through.

Big Batch Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger Meal Starter

Yield: 5 meals worth of starter

Ingredients:

  • 5 pounds 90% lean ground beef
  • 1 pound sliced smoked bacon, cut into 1/2″ strips
  • 2 cups ketchup
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
  • 3-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 4 cups shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Optional:

  • 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

In a very large skillet (or a stove-top safe roasting pan over two burners) cook the bacon strips over medium heat, stirring frequently, until deeply colored and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the crisp bacon to a paper towel lined plate.  Cover the plate with foil and set aside.  Drain most of the fat from the pan, leaving about 1 Tablespoon, and return the pan to medium heat.

(If using the optional onions, add them to the pan now.)

Break up the ground beef into the pan.  Cook the beef, stirring and breaking up large clumps of the beef, until the beef is browned and no longer pink in the center.  If necessary (if there is a lot of liquid or fat remaining after browning the beef), drain the beef in a colander, wipe the additional fat from the pan, and return the drained beef to the pan.

Lower the heat on the pan to medium low and add the ketchup, sugar, cider vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and red pepper flakes to the beef mixture.  Stir to evenly coat and cook until the sauce coats all the beef and is hot.  Add the reserved bacon and shredded cheese and stir until the cheese is completely melted and the bacon is evenly distributed.  Taste and add black pepper to your liking.

Divide the beef mixture into heat-safe containers with tight fitting lids.  I usually divide the starter into 3 cup portions. Cool quickly (by resting in a bowl with ice water halfway up the sides of the containers.)  The beef mixture will be good in the refrigerator for four days or in the freezer for up to four months.

Buttermilk Sandwich Bread

Ingredients:

  • 1-1/2 cups Cultured Buttermilk (You’re making your own, right?)
  • 2 Tablespoons softened butter
  • 4 cups bread flour (1 pound and 1 ounce by weight.)
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vital wheat gluten (If you can’t find this it can be omitted, but it helps the structure and texture of the finished bread.)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons instant yeast or SAF yeast

Optional:

  • 1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon tepid water to glaze the bread

Bread Machine Instructions:

Load all ingredients into the pan according to your bread machine manufacturer’s instructions.  Program for a simple white cycle and press START.

Immediately remove bread from the pan to a cooling rack when the cycle is finished.  Cool completely before slicing.

(For instructions on preparing bread dough by hand or with a stand-mixer see the printer friendly version!)

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Breakfast Foods, Component Foods, Instructional, kid food, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Main Dish, Meat, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Snacks, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Homemade Greek Yogurt and Cucumber Yogurt Salsa (Raita)

May 27, 2010 by 13 Comments

Welcome to part II of the series of component dishes (Part I, Candied Jalapenos, can be read here!)  to make the transcendent ‘Second to Naanwich’ that still has me obsessed almost two weeks after eating it. While you can definitely buy Greek yogurt from the store to complete this dish, the homemade variety is so much tastier and less expensive.  I encourage you all to try making it from scratch.

I am addicted to Greek yogurt.  But man-oh-Friday, is it ever an expensive habit.  I was buying cases of it through our local health food co-operative at a price that -while lower than grocery stores- was still painful to pay.  I needed a less expensive way to feed my habit and I found it.

Googling ‘homemade Greek yogurt’ yields a bunch of folks, bless ‘em all, who tell you the same thing.  Strain your yogurt and ‘voila!’ it’s Greek yogurt.  Okie dokie.  Easy enough.  So if you want a super fast homemade Greek yogurt, just strain yourself a quart of yogurt.  And that’s good in a pinch, but when you’re talking volume, that can still get expensive.  So.  Take it back one step further and make your own yogurt.  This is just as exciting from a stick-it-to-the-man viewpoint as homemade buttermilk. It’s not hard people.  Don’t fear the yogurt.

Unless you’ve been in a cave you’re probably at least minimally acquainted with the health benefits of yogurt by this point; the live and active cultures in the yogurt are like a magic bullet for intestinal health.* But don’t forget the calcium, magnesium, potassium, Vitamins B2 and B12 and protein.  Those are pretty handy to overall health, too.

*I’m sorry if you just lost your appetite reading the words ‘intestinal health’.  In my defense, as the mother of five boys ages twelve and under, I thought that was pretty restrained of me.  I could’ve said “It helps you poop regularly.”  Oh my gosh.  I’ve lost all sense of propriety. I need to hang out with girls more often.

Because I love you bigger than the bay, today’s post is a three-fer.  You get the recipe for Greek Yogurt made from scratch, but in the process, you also learn how to make ‘regular’ yogurt.  And you also get my favorite thing to do with Greek yogurt.  (Other than eating it straight with honey, making frozen yogurt, using it for dill dip, using it in place of sour cream, or turning it into tartar sauce…) Cucumber Yogurt Salsa.  This salsa is similar to a raita (an Indian and Pakistani condiment made to cool the palate) but it is made without what I think are key components of a honest-to-goodness raita (chiles, cumin, et al.) The red onion gives it the flavor punch I crave, but the dill and cucumber keep it cool and refreshing.  This is a crucial component to the Second to Naanwich (more information on the mythical Naanwich is here.)

I put Cucumber Yogurt Salsa on all sorts of things; burgers, sandwiches, vegetable sticks, spoons… Let your imagination run wild.  This is some good stuff.

So come on.  Make yourself some yogurt, I want y’all around for a while.  I like you.

For a printer-friendly, photo-free version of this recipe, click here!

Homemade Greek Yogurt (or regular yogurt)

Yield: About 4 cups of Greek yogurt

Ingredients:

  • 2 quarts whole, 2% or 1% milkfat milk
  • 4 Tablespoons yogurt with live and active cultures (store bought or less than 36 hour old homemade yogurt)

Heat the milk in a saucepan to 180°F.  If you don’t have a thermometer, don’t sweat it.  You can watch the milk.  When it gets lots of little bubbles around the edge but before it boils, you’re good to go.  It’ll look like this.

And if you happen to get a little warmer than that, don’t worry.  See this?

No one from the yogurt police came to have words with me.  My yogurt turned out just fine.  The important part is waiting for the milk to cool to the right temperature before adding the yogurt.  That nice lukewarm temperature encourages the beneficial bacteria to get cuddly and reproduce.  Anything too hot kills them.  So…

Cover the pan and cool to about 116°F.  Again, don’t panic if a thermometer isn’t handy.  Simply drip a couple drops of the milk on the inside of your wrist.  If it feels pleasant and slightly warmer than body temperature without feeling hot or uncomfortable you can proceed.  Remove about 2 cups of the warm milk to a small bowl and whisk in the yogurt until evenly combined.  Whisk that back into the pan of milk.  Pour into jars or a bowl.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a lid and place in a warm dry place at least six to eight hours or until thickened, overnight if necessary.  A good place for this is an oven that is off but has the interior light on. If you stop at this point, you have regular yogurt.  Simply refrigerate at this point if that’s what you want.

To make Greek yogurt,  place the yogurt in the refrigerator for four hours to firm it a little further and allow some of the whey to separate.  After four hours, line a colander with fine mesh cheesecloth or a clean tea towel.  Pour the yogurt into the colander.  You can either gather the corners of the towel and tie it before hanging it over your sink for 5 hours like this.

Or you can place the colander over a bowl and place in the refrigerator overnight to drain.

After draining to desired consistency, turn into a bowl.

Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cucumber Yogurt Salsa (Raita)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups Greek yogurt
  • 1 medium sized cucumber, peeled and diced into small cubes
  • 1/2 of a small red onion, peeled and diced into small cubes
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill weed or 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill
  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
  • salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl.  It is preferable to cover tightly and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving, but this can be eaten immediately.

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Component Foods, Food Preservation, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Instructional, kid food, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Side Dishes, Snacks, Stretching your dollars, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Homemade Hummus

March 22, 2010 by 16 Comments

I spent nearly seven years as a vegetarian; those years were spent subsisting mainly on hummus, cheese and big green salads. I long ago enthusiastically re-entered the omnivore world* but still spend a great deal of time conveying hummus to my mouth on various crudites and pita chips.

Hummus is the first rite of spring that I observe every year and it’s on nearly every family-get-together-buffet. When the weather warms up my brain starts nagging me, “Hummus. You want hummus. You need some hummus. Make some hummus.” And like all good voices in the head, it only goes away when it’s obeyed. But I jest. I don’t have voices in my head nagging me about hummus; they nag me to eat chocolate. But that’s another cuppa tea…

The point is this. When I posted about the dreadfully addictive Mediterranean Hummus Pizza I mentioned that I was willing to share my hummus recipe if anyone wanted it.  I assumed everyone had their own hummus recipe and that everyone had spent years as a vegetarian living mainly on hummus.  That’s the way my thought process works, you see… “If I have done it, everyone has done it, too.” Let’s just say this; apparently not everyone went through a seven-year vegetarian phase the way I did.  And equally apparently, not everyone has made a cubic ton of hummus over their lifetime.  I see this now.  I understand.  And I’m going to show you the way.

Extraordinary hummus is so easy to make at home that you’ll never pay for deli-case hummus again.  Unless, of course, you’re away from your home and food processor and are struck with a sudden, unabating craving for hummus and there is a tub of Tribe of Umpteen Sheiks staring you in the face.  In that case, I fully stand behind spending way too much money on a snack.  It could be worse, after all; you could be spending it on Ho-Ho’s. *

*Note to self: Put Ho-Ho’s on grocery list in code so the kids don’t see it.  Hide the Ho-Ho’s in apron pocket, hide in closet and apply directly to mouth when needed (i.e. when kids are fighting, arguing, breathing, etc…)

There are a couple of camps in the hummus loving crowd; the smooth hummus lovers and the rustic hummus aficianados.  The rustic-hummus crowd is a good one to which to belong if you don’t own a food processor.  It is full of coarse pieces of garbanzo beans and bits of minced garlic. It is easily accomplished by mooshing all the hummus ingredients together with a potato masher or -in a gadgetless kitchen- with the clean bottom of a heavy can.

I am an unapologetic, card-carrying member of the smooth hummus contingent.  I like a super-smooth, chunk-free hummus that can be spread as easily inside a pita pocket as it is dipped onto a carrot stick or tortilla chip.  And since I’m making it, I’m in control here. (This, quite honestly, is probably one of the main reasons I love cooking so much.  Control.  For more musings on control as a common trait among obsessive cooks -and a killer coffee cake recipe-, see this hilarious post from my ‘Evil’ friend.)

When you make your hummus, you’ll be the one in control.  If you want it more coarse, just stop processing it earlier or use something less efficient than a food processor to do your squishing work for you.

Having a container of hummus in the refrigerator is like having one of those Jetson’s food synthesizing devices in your kitchen.  Stuff a pita pocket with a layer of hummus, some thinly sliced vegetables and a handful of sprouts and you have a filling, light, healthy lunch in less than five minutes.  Feeling peckish?  Scoop some hummus into a bowl and serve with a fistful of carrot and celery sticks or tortilla chips.

*Well, like a Jetson’s Food-A-Rac-A-Cycle minus Rosie the Robot Maid and the button that makes food materialize.  But you catch my drift, right?

For a photo-free, Chatty-Cathy-free, printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here!

Homemade Hummus

Basic Ingredients:

  • 1-4 peeled garlic cloves, minced or pressed
  • 3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 [15.5 ounce] cans, drained with liquid reserved) + 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid
  • 6 Tablespoons tahini
  • 6 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • up to 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, curly or flat, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 to 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, to taste
  • 1/8 to 3/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper (or other ground hot chile pepper), to taste
  • fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Optional, but delicious possible additions:

  • Minced green onions, cumin, roasted red peppers, roasted garlic, curry powder, fresh cilantro leaves, and garlic scapes.  But probably not all at once, eh?

Add garlic cloves, chickpeas, tahini, and lemon juice to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade.  After putting the lid tightly in place, process until a thick, coarse paste is formed, about 1 to 2 minutes.  Check the consistency of the hummus.  If you’re happy with the texture of the hummus, add the salt, parsley, black pepper and cayenne pepper, and any optional add-ins, and pulse until evenly combined.

If you would like it to be thinner and/or smoother, add the olive oil and process for an additional minute.  If you would like it thinner yet, add some of the cooking liquid from the chickpeas along with the parsley, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper, and any optional add-ins and process for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.

Serve plain as pictured below, or with a sprinkling of minced parsley as pictured above.  Either way it’s magnificent!

Don’t forget the goodies for dipping!

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Beans, Camping Food, Component Foods, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Instructional, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Snacks, Stretching your dollars, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,

Mediterranean Hummus Pizza and Pre-Baked Pizza Crusts

March 19, 2010 by 10 Comments

The recipe I am about to share with you is, emphatically, not ‘Dude Food’.  Oh sure, guys will eat it.  They’ll like it, maybe even love it.  But this is designed with me in mind, and I, quite emphatically, did not want ‘Dude Food’ today.

It was bright and sunny and warm and altogether spring-like all day long.  I wanted light and flavorful and exotic.  This was Made for Mom (me.)  Every now and then I think I’m entitled.

Details: A prebaked pizza crust*  topped with silky smooth hummus**, roasted red peppers, paper thin slices of cucumbers and red onions, black olives, crumbled feta cheese and parsley.   It is pure freshness. It is the kind of thing I would sit down and devour with my sisters and my mother.  But since they didn’t pick up on my brainwaves (so much for female intuition) when the pizza was done, I was forced to eat the majority of the thing myself.  This rather defeats the whole light/fresh angle of the dish.  The Evil Genius stepped in, ate the last few slices and even uttered a, “Hey.  This is really good!”  But my mom and sisters? They would’ve been transported by it.  They would’ve been ecstatic.  They would’ve been rendered speechless.  And this would’ve been a good thing.  There were a lot of onions on it.

* and **  In both of these cases, homemade is the best bet.  If you don’t want to make a pre-baked pizza crust or hummus you can certainly use the store bought equivalents.

This brings me to a really hhhhhhhhelpful hhhhhhhhhhint.  (Quit moving away from your computer! There’s no WAY you can smell my onion breath through the monitor.  Or can you?)  Do you know you can reduce the ‘punch’ that raw onions pack?  (Which I did not do today.  Obviously.  Phew.  I’m offendin’ myself.) It’s a pretty simple process; thinly slice or chop your onions as you wish to serve them.  Place in a bowl and cover generously with super cold tap water.  Let sit for 10 minutes, drain, rinse and repeat at least twice.  By the last time you rinse the onions, they should be gentle(r) and mild(er). The stronger your onions are to begin with, the more times you’ll need to rinse your onions.  Of course, if you like the powerful bite of March onions, feel free.  Just remember I waaahhhhhhhh-rned you.

And not that we need an excuse to make treats for ourselves, but just in case you feel the need to justify it, check out these ‘features and benefits’:

  • This is made with chick peas/garbanzo beans.  Beans are fantastic for your health; fiber, vitamins, protein, and more are all packed into those tiny little packages.
  • Pound for pound, beans are one of the least expensive sources of protein that you can buy.  Eat away!
  • All those vegetables on top make this indulgence a healthy one.  Can’t you feel yourself getting healthier just by looking at a slice?

For a printer-friendly, photo-free version of this recipe, sans the yakety-yackety, click here!

Mediterranean Hummus Pizza

Ingredients:

  • 1 (12-16″) pre-baked pizza crust (The recipe for an excellent homemade pre-baked crust is listed after the recipe for the pizza.)
  • 1-1/2 cups prepared hummus
  • 1/4-1/3 cup roasted red peppers, sliced into thin strips
  • 1/2-3/4 of an English cucumber, sliced as thinly as possible
  • 1/2 of a red onion, sliced as thinly as possible
  • 1/2 cup black olives, thinly sliced or halved
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced

Spread the hummus over the crust to within 1/2-inch of the edges.

Shall we zoom in on that crust for a moment?  You want to make these pizza crusts.  They are almost unbearably delicious.  But don’t take my word for it…

Evenly space the roasted red pepper strips over the hummus.  Arrange the cucumber slices over the top, then the red onions and black olives.  Scatter the feta cheese crumbles evenly over the top and sprinkle the minced parsley over everything.

Hubba hubba...

Slice into wedges or squares and serve at room temperature.

Pre-Baked Pizza Crusts

Yield: 3 large pre-baked crusts

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups warm (but not hot) whey or milk
  • 3-1/2 Tablespoons instant yeast
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, plus additional for sprinkling over dough
  • 1 pound and 13- 3/4 ounces (7 cups) all-purpose flour
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for spreading over dough
  • 3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic, plus additional for sprinkling over the dough (you can substitute minced fresh garlic if necessary.)

Place the warm whey or milk in a very large mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the top.  Swirl the bowl and let sit for five minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir until an evenly moist and a cohesive dough forms.  Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500°F.

Generously grease three large, round pans (or rimmed sheet pans) with olive oil.  Wet your hands and divide the dough into three equal portions.  With wet hands, spread the dough on your oiled pans.  Allow the dough to rest for five more minutes, wet your hands again, and re-work the dough toward the outer edges of the pan.  Brush or rub the dough generously with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with granulated garlic or minced garlic.

Bake pizza crusts for 8 minutes if you want a partially baked crust to be topped and baked again later, or 12 minutes for a fully baked crust.

Remove crust from pan and cool on a rack.  You can use immediately or wrap tightly with a double thickness of plastic wrap and frozen for a month.

~~~

Now, the question is this; is anyone in need of a good hummus recipe?  Because I’m willing to share…

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Beans, Component Foods, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Instructional, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Main Dish, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Snacks, Stretching your dollars, Vegetarian
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