Roasted Vegetables: Beets, Potatoes and Zucchini

 I know it's really hot outside, but if you can deal with it, you need to make some roasted vegetables. There are many great choices at the farmer's markets right now:  beets, potatoes, zucchini.

 The best part is, that once you make it through the roasting, you'll have plenty leftover for upcoming meals. You can serve these veggies as part of a green salad, as a pizza topping, or just on their own, cold with some salt and pepper.

Roasted Vegetables: Beets, Potatoes and Zucchini

You can cook all the veggies at once, but I prefer to do them individually so that they each keep their own flavor.

Ingredients:

• 4 to 6 zucchini sliced into rounds
• 8 to 10 beets, peeled and cut into chunks
• 10 yukon gold potatoes sliced into rounds
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place an empty jelly roll pan in to heat up at the same time.
2. Once the oven has preheated, carefully remove the tray from the oven, pour 1/4 cup of the olive oil onto the tray and place the zucchini on top.
3. Turn the zucchini slices over several times to coat in the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pieces have browned and softened.
5. Repeat this process with the beets and the potatoes.

Real Simple Recipe: Slow Cooker Bratwurst with Sauerkraut and Potatoes

 

I've been reading the recipe section in Real Simple for a very long time. I got hooked way back, when they used to show an ingredient and use it in several dishes. I love the clarity of the instructions and the simplicity of the meals. Admittedly I hadn't made any of the recipes until last week.

My slow cooker has started calling to me. I've only used it four or five times in the year+ that I've owned it, but each time I use it, the results are better. I am becoming  a convert to the idea of a great hot meal awaiting me as soon as I walk in the door from work.

My last foray into slow cooker cooking was with this America’s Test Kitchen’s Slow Cooker Spicy Sausage Tomato Sauce . It turned out pretty tasty.  Primarily I had used the slow cooker to make pulled pork, or stews. I thought it was time to try something a little different.

Real Simple presented me with a fantastic recipe that was different from anything I ever made before. The ingredients list includes sauerkraut (which I love, but don't often have), bratwurst (which I've seen but never used) and caraway (which remind me of my dad, Joe, and therefore make me happy). My local butcher shop supplied me with handmade bratwurst and also happened to have a nice German sauerkraut and mustard (in a boot mug) for sale. I gathered up the remaining ingredients on the list and set to work.

There was no browning involved. Nothing but slicing and measuring. Once everything had been thrown into the slow cooker, I turned it on to low, set the timer for 8 hours, and went about my business. The house started to smell really good around hour 4 and by the hour 8, I was ready to eat.

The dish was great. I love how the caraway mixed with the sausage and white wine to create an earthy flavor. No one flavor over powered any of the others. Instead, the flavors all melded together nicely, and served with mustard on toast (make mine gluten free), this dish was deeply satisfying.  Next time,  I'll make half a batch. There is only so much sauerkraut one girl can eat.

 Real Simple: Sausages with Sauerkraut and Potatoes

serves 4 to 6 people

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, halved if large
• 2 cups sauerkraut, drained
• 1 small onion thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds bratwurst links
• 1/4 cup chopped flat -leaf parsley
• Toasted bread, butter and mustard for serving

Method:

1. In a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker, mix together the potatoes, sauerkraut, onion, broth, wine, caraway seeds, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Nestle the bratwurst in the vegetables.
2. Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
3. Sprinkle the bratwurst, potatoes and sauerkraut with the parsley and serve with the toast, butter, and mustard. 

The Day After: Pesto

I know, you've probably all eaten your body weight in treats, ham and gooey goodness by now, but I had to share a-not-so-light recipe with you. It's traditional, I guess, to start off the post-Christmas season with light, healthy foods, but it's so darn cold, I still think we need these stick-to-your-bones dishes to get us through.

Remember how I mentioned that my sister and I made a book for Gran Fran with her recipes and my photos? Well, here is another

recipe from that project, Lasagna Geonvese. I've not made many lasagna's in my time, but figured I should give this one a go since it's different than any others I've had.

I, of course, don't eat gluten or dairy, so I only had a small taste of this. It was superb. You could adjust this easily with gluten-free noodles, but I'm not a fan of non-dairy cheese, so can't recommend anything on that front.

OK, back to the recipe. It was really fun to make. Lots of steps, as I've mentioned before, but the potatoes and pesto really made this dish stand out from your traditional lasagna. I love the colors, too, since it's a little unexpected to see a green lasagna. I do have to say, though, I don't recall when Gran Fran may have made this for us.

I do remember her excellent Pesto, and know that when we were in Italy in 1989 we did have a lasagna with pesto and potatoes in it. Yes, that's right, I (and probably Gran Fran, too) can probably recall every dish we ate that month in Italy. The fried bread (savory and salty) is one thing I have yet to be able to recreate in my own kitchen.

Enjoy a piece of this right out of the oven.

original recipe courtesy of Fran Claro of The Italian Pantry

Lasagna Genovese

Serves ten

Pesto

• 3 cups basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, roughly grated
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2   teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• Dried red pepper flakes to taste

1. In blender or food processor, pulse all ingredients, until sauce is thick and creamy.
2. Add more oil if necessary.
3. Set aside.

Lasagna

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

• 1 pound curly edge lasagna noodles
• 10 fingerling potatoes, scrubbed, salted, thinly sliced, steamed until tender
• 1 pound green beans, sliced on the bias, salted, steamed 5 minutes
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, coarsely grated
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, diced
• 2 cups whole milk ricotta, drained
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, minced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Pesto

1.  Boil noodles in salted water, according to package directions, drain well.
2.  Blend mozzarella, ricotta, and eggs with parsley;  salt and pepper to taste.
3.  Layer pesto, noodles, green beans, pesto, grated cheese, potatoes, blended cheeses, pesto.
4.  Continue stacking ingredients in the same order, ending with noodles, pesto, and a sprinkling of Parmigiano.
5. Cover loosely with aluminum foil; bake 35  minutes; remove foil; bake 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
6. Let rest 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Pizza In Five

Remember when I told you all about the Foodbuzz Festival? Well, while I was there, I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the book Pizza in Five by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. I made their gluten free pizza crust dough and I certainly was pleased with the results.

It has been really challenging adhering to a gluten-free (and dairy-free) diet this past year, so when I saw their recipe I was excited to try it. There are a lot of ingredients, some of which you just won't have in your pantry, but all of which were well worth purchasing. I found most everything I needed between Whole Foods and Safeway. I also know our local organic co-op sells all of the ingredients in bulk. At the bulk stores you have the option of buying smaller quantities.

The crust had a great chewy quality to it, but it was also crisp, which is something I've been missing with other gluten-free doughs I've experimented with.

Oh, and there are tons of other people cooking from this fantastic book and posting their results to #PizzaPartyIn5 today, so go and check it out!

Herewith, are the step-by-step photos of what I did to make this delicious pizza.  I'll post the recipe and the instructions soon, but was excited to get this up for everyone to enjoy.

Gluten-Free Pizza Dough

from Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Brown Rice Flour
• 2 cups White Rice Flour
• 2 cups Tapioca Flour (aka Starch)
• 1 1/2 cups Cornmeal
• 2 tbsps Granulated Yeast
• 1-1 1/2 tbsps Kosher Salt (I used Fleur de Sel)
• 2 tbsps Xantham Gum
• 3 1/4 cups Lukewarm Water
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 2 large Eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsps Sugar, Honey, Malt Powder or Agave Syrup (I used Honey)

Method:

• Mixing and Storing the dough: Whisk together the flours, cornmeal, yeast, salt, and xantahn gum in a 5 quart bowl, or a lidded, (not airtight) food container.
• Combine all the liquid ingredients with the sweetener and add the mixture to the dry ingredients, using a spoon, 14 cup food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle), until all of the dry ingredients are well incorporated. You may have to  use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate if you're not using a machine.
• Cover (not airtight), and allow it to rest at room temperature until the dough rises, approximately 2 hours.
• The dough can be used immediately after its initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 5 days.  Or store the dough for up to 3 weeks in the freezer in 1/2 pound portions.  When using frozen dough, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before use.
• On pizza day, break off a piece of the dough. It will not have any stretchiness like wheat doughs.
• Roll out the dough directly on a pizza peel, (I rolled mine right onto my stainless countertop with flour on it) covered generously with flour and cover the dough with plastic wrap.
• Roll into a 1 1/8 inch thick round.
• As you roll out the dough, use a dough scraper to make sure the dough isn't sticking to the peel (or whatever surface you're using); add more flour if needed.
• Gently pull off the plastic wrap, and top.

Put the Pizza Together and Bake It:

my own interpretation of the method from the book

• Turn oven up to highest setting (mine was 500 degrees).
• Put your pan in the oven to get it as hot as possible.
• Prepare all your ingredients: I used bacon, chanterelle mushrooms, potatoes, tomatoes, pesto,  and egg.
• Roll out the dough as described above.
• Remove the pan from the oven (must do this quickly so the pan doesn't cool down too much). Add some olive oil.
• Using a flat stainless scraper to pick it up and put it on the super hot pan.
• Working quickly, add all your toppings (see photos below, I have them in order of ingredient application).
• Finish with the cracked egg on top, and add a bit of olive oil and spices.

Bake in the hot oven for about 10 minutes, or until the edges are browned and the egg has set.

Enjoy!