Foodgasms

[BlueSugar]

My New Favorite Pizza to make at home

Carmelized Onions and Blue Cheese Pizza

3 onions cut in half slices
1 sm container of cream cheese
1 sm hunk (container) of blue cheese (crumbled works best)
3 tb romano cheese
2 tb of fresh cracked pepper
1 pinch hot pepper flake
4 tb oil
1 clove garlic smashed/minced
1 ts parsley
1 pizza dough



Take your pizza dough, bobboli, fresh frozen - which ever you love and make it fit your favorite sheet pan - I use a rectangular sheet because it serves better. place your best kept secret from allowing it to stick to the pan.
I suppose this also works on a bbq... i haven't tried it.

Par bake your dough and pull it out.. i season it a little at this point, maybe even a little oil/butter/garlic rub on it.

Carmelize the onions up reaally well with the little bit of oil in the pan, and the pinch of hot pepper (added near the end). Let the onions hit the pan on med/low... let them past sweat... take them past saute... allow them to get clear... and toss the garlic in. Put a lid on them, let them steam a little, get softer... give them a few minutes alone, don't touch them... let them do their oniony thing. Take the lid off, take a wiff... mmm...
Allow the liquid to boil off, take the onions to that light yellow... and let them sit further ... smell sweeter? ... they should... push them further, let them turn light brown, but don't let them burn around the edges... let them get nearly creamy and sticky... let them turn that light wallnut brown (and add the cracked pepper, yes, all of it)... maybe a little darker... dare yourself to NOT burn them. Let the sugars come out and make them perfectly carmelized.


Spread cream cheese on the partially cooked dough... maybe try it with a brea?
then crumble and dot it with the bleu... guirerre? any other bleu you'd like.
Spread the onions in an even layer and toss on the parsley and romano

re bake till bubblin

cut, serve
love

 

[Collette]

Nectarine and Prosciutto Pizza

My New Favorite Pizza to make at home

Carmelized Onions and Blue Cheese Pizza

Both of these sound amazing! Looks like it'll be pizza for lunch today.

 

[BlueSugar]

Turkey Meatballs

2 lb ground turkey
1 pear or 1 green apple - diced small, skinned (use about a half cup)
2 eggs beaten
half cup or so of seasoned bread crumbs OR 4 slices of bread (if using hard loaf;remove some crust)
2 garlic cloves minced
1 ts sage
salt and pepper to taste
a dash of poultry seasoning

Break bread into tiny pieces, Mix all ingredients, but do not over work the mixture!!!

pan sear in your favorite frying oil (I add a teaspoon of bacon drippings to it) till done.
Or just sear them, and then put them in a 350 oven for about 45 minutes.
Sometimes I roll them in a little breadcrumbs just to lightly coat for that little bit of extra crispyness.

The pear/apple keeps it from drying out and adds a subtle sweetness, vera vera yummy. The bread keeps them soft, the egg holds it all together.

yeilds about 12-15 meatballs. I try and make them a little bigger than golf balls, but not too much bigger.


I serve this with escarole, its one of my favorite flavor combos.
2 heads escarole, very washed, take out the sand/bugs
rough sliced
put into a pot with an inch of water, 4 cloves of garlic smashed, and a good bit of salt\pepper
cook for about 45 minutes with the lid on.

 

[tortoise]

SO many beautiful recipes. You people having me craving brisket, meatballs, and especially pizza, something fierce. Delicious work. Keep 'em coming!

I’ve been playing around with different methods of achieving crispy “chips” with some of my favorite root vegetables, without resorting to frying them. I tried using celery root at first, but while the flavor was spectacular, the texture just wasn’t quite right. So, I moved on to parsnips, and hit the jackpot.

I wanted my parsnips to be uniformly paper thin. I thought about using a mandolin, but I really like the look of the shavings from a simple vegetable peeler (my OXO Good Grips peeler, to be exact). I use it all the time to shave parmiggiano, and that was exactly the vision I had in my head for the veggies: sort of a “parsnip nest.” As you can see, that’s exactly what I ended up with:

http://tortle.com/lit7/shavedparsnip.jpg

Once I had my shavings, it was simply a matter of coating them lightly with olive oil, coarse kosher salt and fresh black pepper, strewing them haphazardly across a large shallow baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and popping them into a preheated 375˚ oven. This goes contrary to my normal roasting method, which you’ve seen repeated many times in this blog: nonstick aluminum foil, single layer of vegetables, 450˚+ oven. I opted for the parchment paper because I felt it would keep the veggies from cooking too quickly on the bottom, which can sometimes happen when I use foil. I didn’t care about arranging the veggies in a careful single layer, because I wanted that disheveled “nest” look. I was not concerned about uniform cooking in this case. I like the variegated effect, where some of the bits are more caramelized than others. And, finally, I went for a slightly cooler oven because I wanted the parsnips to crisp up completely before they became too brown, and the only way to achieve this is to cook them a bit slower, essentially dehydrating them. Once most of the shavings had at least some browning, I turned off the oven and let them continue to crisp up even more. After you take them out, let them cool off slightly before trying them. Not only will you save yourself the possibility of unsightly burns, they will actually crisp up even more as they approach room temperature. Don't ask me why. I'm no food scientist. Alton Brown would probably know.

And, voila:

http://tortle.com/lit7/parsnipsnest.jpg

I love to eat them just as a snack, but they can be used in any number of ways. I think they would be excellent as a crispy topper for mashed potatoes or, even better, mashed celery root. Yum.

 

[Collette]

*grabs a fistful*

 

[tortoise]

Yay! And you don't even have to save any of these for the soup. Scientifically designed for snacking.

I'm so going to make you some. The flavor and texture are out of this world. Light. Crispy. Parsnippy.

Of course, there will be payment exacted.

*grabs two fistfuls of you*

 

[cheesysusie]

I'm moving in a couple of months (to attend culinary school, but that's another story for another day), so I've decided I must clean out my freezer. So today I pulled out some red snapper I had a hand in catching last summer along the FL panhandle. I sprinkled it with olive oil, a little red curry powder, and some crushed garlic and broiled it till it was just flaky. Then I put in on a corn tortilla, topped it with some black beans and vinegary Asian-esque coleslaw and had an Asian fish taco.

Yummy. And it was all stuff I had lying around.

Now y'all come help me finish cleaning out my freezer and pantry. I don't want to have to move all this stuff.

 

[tortoise]

Party at Susies!

 

[gravyrug]

Party at Susies!

Yes, let's.

I had sausages, split and grilled, basted with bbq sauce at every turn, and served on buns with carmelized onions. It was tasty.

 

[cheesysusie]

Party at Susies!

I have chicken, hamburger meat, lots of pork for some odd reason, more red snapper, some tuna caught on the same trip, homemade spaghetti sauce, homemade vegetable soup, homemade chicken stock, some ice cream, some frozen fruit and veggies, a couple popsicles and some bagels in the freezer.

The pantry's ridiculously overstocked and multiplying.

 

[cheesysusie]

Yes, let's.

I had sausages, split and grilled, basted with bbq sauce at every turn, and served on buns with carmelized onions. It was tasty.

That sounds ridiculously yummy.

 

[gravyrug]

I have chicken, hamburger meat, lots of pork for some odd reason, more red snapper, some tuna caught on the same trip, homemade spaghetti sauce, homemade vegetable soup, homemade chicken stock, some ice cream, some frozen fruit and veggies, a couple popsicles and some bagels in the freezer.

The pantry's ridiculously overstocked and multiplying.

You should have plenty until the move.

 

[tortoise]

Yes, let's.

I had sausages, split and grilled, basted with bbq sauce at every turn, and served on buns with carmelized onions. It was tasty.

Oh, I do love that, when you get layer upon layer of bbq sauce "glaze" on the sausages.

Like shellac.

Only, you know, tasty.

:|

I have chicken, hamburger meat, lots of pork for some odd reason, more red snapper, some tuna caught on the same trip, homemade spaghetti sauce, homemade vegetable soup, homemade chicken stock, some ice cream, some frozen fruit and veggies, a couple popsicles and some bagels in the freezer.

The pantry's ridiculously overstocked and multiplying.

Block party at Susie's!

 

[gravyrug]

Oh, I do love that, when you get layer upon layer of bbq sauce "glaze" on the sausages.

Like shellac.

Only, you know, tasty.

:|



Block party at Susie's!

Heh. It was nicely tasty. The flames very obligingly flared up just as I was basting every time.

Also, I made chili last night. I can tell you how, but there's nothing even remotely like a recipe.

Lessee,

brown 3 lbs ground beef (the leaner, the better), and drain the fat
minced garlic, three big spoons full
chopped onion and/or onion powder, equivalent to about half a good sized onion
chili powder, enough to make the meat look red
paprika, about the same
cumin, several good shakes, maybe a couple teaspoons?
two 8 oz cans tomato sauce
one 16 oz can dark red kidney beans
one 16 oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
one 16 oz can black beans
couple of dashes of worcestershire
one small cayenne pepper from the backyard garden, seeded and chopped small
fill the empty tomato sauce cans with water, pour them back and forth with the bean cans to rinse out all the flavory stuff, and add to the mix
Heat to bubbling, turn down and let simmer until thick, stirring occaisionally to keep it from sticking to the pot.

I had mine with just crackers. Mrs Rug had hers over rice. The ruglets put cheese on theirs. We all enjoyed it quite a bit.

 

[Collette]

Now I'll have to add parsnip and chili fixings to the grocery list. Though I may skip the store and pick up everything at Susie's.

 

[cheesysusie]

Now I'll have to add parsnip and chili fixings to the grocery list. Though I may skip the store and pick up everything at Susie's.

I don't have the parsnips, but I likely have almost everything to make the chili. And please, help yourself.

 

[gravyrug]

Now I'll have to add parsnip and chili fixings to the grocery list. Though I may skip the store and pick up everything at Susie's.

That would be an adventure worth having.

 

[cheesysusie]

That would be an adventure worth having.

You should come with her.

 

[gravyrug]

You should come with her.

I'm not sure Tort would let me go on that trip unchaperoned. And well he shouldn't. <nods>

 

[cheesysusie]

I'm not sure Tort would let me go on that trip unchaperoned. And well he shouldn't. <nods>

So bring him along too. The more the merrier.

 

[gravyrug]

So bring him along too. The more the merrier.

Good point. We'll have that block party yet!

 

[Angeline]

SO many beautiful recipes. You people having me craving brisket, meatballs, and especially pizza, something fierce. Delicious work. Keep 'em coming!

I’ve been playing around with different methods of achieving crispy “chips” with some of my favorite root vegetables, without resorting to frying them. I tried using celery root at first, but while the flavor was spectacular, the texture just wasn’t quite right. So, I moved on to parsnips, and hit the jackpot.

I wanted my parsnips to be uniformly paper thin. I thought about using a mandolin, but I really like the look of the shavings from a simple vegetable peeler (my OXO Good Grips peeler, to be exact). I use it all the time to shave parmiggiano, and that was exactly the vision I had in my head for the veggies: sort of a “parsnip nest.” As you can see, that’s exactly what I ended up with:

http://tortle.com/lit7/shavedparsnip.jpg

Once I had my shavings, it was simply a matter of coating them lightly with olive oil, coarse kosher salt and fresh black pepper, strewing them haphazardly across a large shallow baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and popping them into a preheated 375˚ oven. This goes contrary to my normal roasting method, which you’ve seen repeated many times in this blog: nonstick aluminum foil, single layer of vegetables, 450˚+ oven. I opted for the parchment paper because I felt it would keep the veggies from cooking too quickly on the bottom, which can sometimes happen when I use foil. I didn’t care about arranging the veggies in a careful single layer, because I wanted that disheveled “nest” look. I was not concerned about uniform cooking in this case. I like the variegated effect, where some of the bits are more caramelized than others. And, finally, I went for a slightly cooler oven because I wanted the parsnips to crisp up completely before they became too brown, and the only way to achieve this is to cook them a bit slower, essentially dehydrating them. Once most of the shavings had at least some browning, I turned off the oven and let them continue to crisp up even more. After you take them out, let them cool off slightly before trying them. Not only will you save yourself the possibility of unsightly burns, they will actually crisp up even more as they approach room temperature. Don't ask me why. I'm no food scientist. Alton Brown would probably know.

And, voila:

http://tortle.com/lit7/parsnipsnest.jpg

I love to eat them just as a snack, but they can be used in any number of ways. I think they would be excellent as a crispy topper for mashed potatoes or, even better, mashed celery root. Yum.

Oh my, that looks wonderful. I'm going to try it, maybe parsnips or turnips (though I like the taste of parsnips way better than turnips). I wonder how that would work with apple shavings? And sweet potato and/or carrots with some fresh grated ginger and horseradish? Thanks for the recipe!

 

[tortoise]

Oh my, that looks wonderful. I'm going to try it, maybe parsnips or turnips (though I like the taste of parsnips way better than turnips). I wonder how that would work with apple shavings? And sweet potato and/or carrots with some fresh grated ginger and horseradish? Thanks for the recipe!

Thank you! If you do try it, let us know what you think.

I'm not sure about turnips or apples. Given their more delicate nature, I think you'd want to lower the temp even more for those, and go for more of a true dehydration.

But carrots and/or sweet potato would work beautifully, I am fair certain. And I love the idea of adding horseradish and ginger.

 

[Angeline]

Thank you! If you do try it, let us know what you think.

I'm not sure about turnips or apples. Given their more delicate nature, I think you'd want to lower the temp even more for those, and go for more of a true dehydration.

But carrots and/or sweet potato would work beautifully, I am fair certain. And I love the idea of adding horseradish and ginger.

eagleyez definitely benefits from my foodie addictions. He's a good cook himself and we love cooking together.

Here's a recipe for bread I made this afternoon.

Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup water
3/4 cup rolled oats
2 3/4 cups bread flour , plus extra for work surface (the amount of flour can vary--with this hot humid weather we've been having, I had to use around 3 1/2 cups to get the dough right)
2 teaspoons table salt
1 cup milk, warm
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons honey
2 1/2 teaspoons active yeast

1. Bring water to boil in small sauce pan. Add oats; cook to soften slightly, about 90 seconds. Set aside.

2. Adjust oven rack to low position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Once oven temperature reaches 200 degrees, maintain heat 10 minutes, then turn off oven heat.

3. Mix cooked oatmeal, flour, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with dough hook. Mix milk, butter, honey, and yeast in a bowl (I always proof yeast first), then add to mixer. Turn machine to low and slowly add liquid. When dough comes together, increase speed to medium, and knead until dough is smooth and satiny, stopping machine two or three times to scrape dough from hook if necessary, about 10 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface; knead to form smooth, round ball, about 15 seconds.

4. Place dough in very lightly oiled bowl, rubbing dough around bowl to lightly coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; place in warm oven until dough doubles in size, 40 to 50 minutes.

5. Form dough into loaf by gently pressing the dough into a rectangle, one inch thick and no wider than the length of the loaf pan. Next, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing with your fingers to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Turn the dough seam side up and pinch it closed. Place dough in the pan and press it gently so it touches all four sides of the pan. Finally, place dough in greased 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan.

6. Cover with plastic wrap; set aside in warm spot until dough almost doubles in size, 20 to 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees, placing empty loaf pan on bottom rack. Bring 2 cups water to boil.

7. Remove plastic wrap from loaf pan. Place pan in oven, immediately pouring heated water into empty loaf pan; close oven door. Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted at angle from short end just above pan rim into center of loaf reads 195 degrees, about 40 to 50 minutes (usually takes me less time--I think my oven runs high). Remove bread from pan, transfer to a wire rack, and cool to room temperature.

I got this recipe from Cook's Illustrated, which is the bomb. I've never had a bad recipe from them. And adding the pan of water to the oven while the bread bakes makes for an excellent crust. You can use a spray bottle of water and mist the oven every ten minutes, instead. This makes a great sandwich bread that toasts beautifully.

 

[ShamelessFlirt]

Thank you! If you do try it, let us know what you think.

I'm not sure about turnips or apples. Given their more delicate nature, I think you'd want to lower the temp even more for those, and go for more of a true dehydration.

But carrots and/or sweet potato would work beautifully, I am fair certain. And I love the idea of adding horseradish and ginger.

Try pears