Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

Babbo Breadsticks (Grissini)

Krista came up with an idea that it would be fun to get a group of folks together to bake and blog each week. A group of us on Slow Travel are going to do just that. Today is the third entry in our baking challenge as we continue to work our way through Dolce Italiano. This week it was Colleen's turn to select the recipe and she selected these bread sticks which are on pp 270 and 271..

It was nice to try a savoury recipe from the book. Gina makes these breadsticks daily and they are served at the bar at Babbo in NY City. They are easy to make - even for someone who is yeast phobic like myself. One taste of these breadsticks (I dare you to only try one!) and you'll want to hop a plane to NY to check out the other treats at Babbo!

Babbo Breadsticks (Grissini)

1/3 cup warm water

1 pkg yeast

pinch of sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup '00' flour (you could use 3 cups all purpose if you are unable to find 00 flour)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup cold water

2 Tbs EVOO

1/2 cup grated parmigiana cheese

1 Tbs unsalted butter

Kosher salt

Pour the 1/3 cup water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top. Stir it in the water with a pinch of sugar. Allow to sit until frothy and foaming - about 8 minutes.

In bowl of a stand mixer combine flours, salt and pepper. Make a well in the centre of the mixture. Pour the yeast into the well followed by the water. Using the dough hook attachment, knead the ingredients until mixed for about 2 minutes. Stop the motor and add the 2 tbsp olive oil, butter, and parmigiana cheese. Continue mixing with the cough hook for 2 - 3 minutes until smooth.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured board. Knead by hand until it is velvety smooth - about one minute. Place the dough in a greased mixing bowl. Cover with a greased piece of saran and set in a warm, draft free spot until double in volume (about 2 hours).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Arrange two racks in the middle and lower part of the oven. Prepare three baking sheets by either oiling them and covering them with parchment or by covering them with a silpat sheet (I used silpat).

Turn the dough out onto the floured board. Cut into quarters. Leave one quarter on the board and return the rest to the bowl. Cover to ensure that the remaining dough does not dry out. Cut the dough into 1 inch pieces. Roll out each 1 inch sections of dough into a 14-15 inch breadsticks - about 1/8 inch thick. Brush lightly with olive oil - sprinkle with additional cheese.

Bake 12-14 minutes until golden brown (rotate half way through the baking to ensure even browning).

Makes about 30 breadsticks

Lemon-glazed Zucchini Quick Bread

This is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging round up. This blogging event was started by Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen. The round up is hosted this week by Margot from Coffee and Vanilla - be sure to pop by to see what other bloggers have come up with.

A few weeks ago I was searching for something to bake for the department meeting. I was at a loss until I saw a picture for this quick bread. I was hesitant - imagine the thought of zucchini in a bread? EWWWW The pic looked so bloody good though.

I decided to let my colleagues by the guinea pig!

I was shocked at their response. They chowed through it so quickly that there was NONE for me. How evil of them.

This weekend I decided to whip it up again for Paul and I. It didn't take long before I realized what the fuss was about.

Lemon-glazed Zucchini Quick Bread

(from the All-New Complete Cooking Light Cookboook)

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (can sub. 1 cup whole wheat flour)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup finely shredded zucchini
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 Tbls grated lemon rind
1 large egg
cooking spray
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 Tbls fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine zucchini, milk, oil, rind, and egg in a bowl; add the flour mixture. Stir just until moist.

3. Spoon batter into an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray (or muffin tins, half baking time). Bake at 350 for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

4. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice; stir with a whisk. Drizzle over loaf.

Zucchini is one of the most common varieties of summer squash. The delicate flavor, soft shell and creamy white flesh of summer squash is a perfect addition to any summer meal. Once only available in the summer, they are now available throughout the year; however, they are in season between May and July when they are at their best and most readily available.

Summer squash, members of the Cucurbitaceae family and relatives of both the melon and the cucumber, come in many different varieties. While each type varies in shape, color, size and flavor, they all share some common characteristics. The entire vegetable, including its flesh, seeds and skin, is edible. In addition, some varieties of the squash plant produce edible flowers. Unlike winter squash, summer squash are more fragile and cannot be stored for long periods of time.

When purchasing summer squash, look for ones that are heavy for their size and have shiny, unblemished rinds. Additionally, the rinds should not be very hard since this indicates that the squash are overmature and will have hard seeds and stringy flesh. Purchase summer squash that are of average size since those that are overly large may be fibrous, while those that are overly small may be inferior in flavor.

Summer squash is very fragile and should be handled with care as small punctures will lead to decay. It should be stored unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, where it will keep for about seven days. While it can be frozen, this will make the flesh much softer. To do so, blanch slices of summer squash for two minutes before freezing.

Summer squash is an excellent source of manganese and vitamin C. It is also a very good source of magnesium, vitamin A, dietary fiber, potassium, copper, folate, and phosphorous. In addition, summer squash is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, calcium, zinc, niacin, and protein.

Stuffed French Toast

This is an 'informal' recipe (a term I use to describe things I just throw together). I've tossed it together on four or five occasions and it is a great hit at the breakfast table everytime. French toast is an easy yet tasty breakfast. It's also great for using up bread that's on the verge of becoming just a little too old. There are many variations of French toast but the key ingredients are always eggs and bread, obviously. This recipe makes 5 or 6 slices.

Stuffed French Toast

1 loaf of unsliced bread (egg bread works very well)
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
butter

For the filling:

4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 tsp lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Slice the bread into 1 1/2 inch thick slices.

For the custard - mix the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat until combined.

For the filling - mix all of the filling ingredients until combined.

Using the tip of a sharp knife, cut a 1-1/2-inch wide pocket in the side of each bread slice. Fill the pockets with the blueberry mixture, dividing evenly.

Heat a skillet until hot. Grease the skillet with butter.

Dip the slices of french toast in the egg mixture. Carefully place the slices in the hot skillet (it is likely that you will need to do this in two or three batches). When the bottom is browned, flip. If the french toast browns too quickly or appears to be burning you may need to decrease the heat.

When both sides are browned remove to an oven proof baking dish.

When all of the french toast is fried and in the oven proof baking dish, place the dish in the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove and serve with maple syrup.

I will often slice the stuffed french toast on the diagonal to make for a more attractive presentation.

Perfect Pizza Dough

Time for a confession here - I have issues with yeast. Actually, I am extremely intimidated by yeast. Very few things I make with yeast turn out. Don't even get me going on 'the loaf that ate the internet' overnight bread.

So there was fear in Paul's eyes when I told him I was going to make homemade pizza last week and that I wouldn't be buying the dough as usual. I am sure he was anticipating my temper tantrum when it didn't work and had to dial out for delivery.

I was inspired by Emily Richards, the Food Network Canada chef who was our instructor at last week's cooking class. Emily made this look so easy. I had a lovely conversation with Emily after the class. She was sweet. Would a sweet chef lie?

I thought not!

This dough is easy to make and the end result is a very soft dough which is easy to work with (such a change from store bought dough which you almost have to fight into a pizza pan).

Emily Richard's Pizza Dough

Pinch granulated sugar
2/3 cup warm water
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 envelope)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

In a large bowl dissolve the sugar into the water. Sprinkle with yeast and let stand for about 10 minutes or until frothy.

Whisk the olive oil and salt into the mixture.

Add the flour and scrape onto a floured surface and knead until a soft dough forms. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

Knead again on the floured surface until a smooth dough comes together. Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Punch the dough down and knead gently (this is not an opportunity to take out your agressions, let's say at the person who ate a bite of your sandwich). Spread the dough to fit a 14-inch round pizza pan.

You'll notice from the pic above that I used the underside of a rimmed baking sheet . . . why you ask? Emily advised it. If you used a rimmed sheet the rims get in the way of the heat transfer and prevent proper cooking. Her advice was to lightly grease the bottom of the baking sheet and spread the dough on it.

Add your toppings of choice and bake at 425 for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

The pizza on the left has sun-dried tomato pesto, turkey pepperoni, low-fat Italian cheese blend and mushrooms. The one on the right has  BBQ sauce, cooked chicken breast, Cheddar cheese, green onions, and bacon bits.

How refreshing for there to be truth in the world. Now if only the evil colleague who enjoyed a bite of my sandwich would come forward and do the same, all would be right with the world.

Grilled Pizza with Spicy Italian Sausage

Last week I posted about Grilled Pizza with Bacon and Tomatoes. Kim, one of the moderators on the SlowTravel message board suggested that I try out a recipe from Bon Appetit that she has made with great success.

I asked her for the link and she shared.

While the recipe looked great there was one part which frightened me - it required me to make my own pizza dough. Confession time - yeast frightens me. No, I'm not worried that it will rise up and attack me like some misguided beast from a 1950'3 D grade horror flick, rather I have never had any success making things with yeast. While I think of myself as an adventurous cook - I don't do bread.

Previously when I have made pizza on the grill (with great success I might add) I have always used store bought dough. Kim said that this one was easy because the dough was made in the food processor - how difficult could that be? It turns out - not at all. We has success with yeast. I feel chuffed!

As stated, this recipe is from Bob Appetit and can be found it its entirety here.

Dough
1 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 envelope dry yeast
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups (or more) all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Combine water and sugar in a food processor. Sprinkle yeast over; let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Add oil, then 3 cups flour and salt. Process until dough comes together, about 1 minute.

Turn dough out onto floured work surface. Sprinkle with rosemary.

Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is sticky, about 5 minutes.

Lightly oil large bowl. Add dough; turn to coat with oil.

Cover bowl with plastic, then towel. Let stand in warm draft-free area until dough doubles, about 1 hour. To test that the dough has risen sufficiently, push two fingers into it. The depressions should remain.

Punch down dough. Knead dough in bowl until smooth, about 2 minutes. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Stretch out each piece on floured surface to 9-inch round. To prevent the dough from sticking as you stretch it, use flour sparingly; too much will result in a tough crust.

Toppings
3/4 cup olive oil
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 pound spicy Italian sausages
2 yellow or red bell peppers, cored, lengthwise
1 large red onion, peeled, cut through root end into 1/2-inch thick wedges

Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Let vinaigrette stand 15 minutes at room temperature or refrigerate up to 2 hours.

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Arrange sausages, peppers and onion on baking sheet. Brush with some of vinaigrette. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill sausages until cooked through and peppers and onion until slightly charred and crisp-tender, turning and basting occasionally, about 12 minutes for sausages and 8 minutes for peppers and onion.

Transfer sausages and vegetables to cutting board. Cut sausages into 1/2-inch pieces and peppers into thin strips.

Final preparation
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups crumbled chilled soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet)
4 plum tomatoes, halved, seeded, chopped
3/4 cup chopped green onion tops Add coals to barbecue if necessary. Place 2 dough rounds on grill. Grill over medium heat until top of dough puffs and underside is crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn rounds over. Grill 1 minute. Transfer to baking sheet with well-grilled side up. This side of the dough becomes the surface that will hold the toppings.

Repeat with the remaining 2 dough rounds. Sprinkle each with 1/4 of mozzarella and Parmesan. Top each with 1/4 of sausage, peppers and onion, then with 1/4 of goat cheese, tomatoes and green onions. Drizzle each with 1 1/2 teaspoons vinaigrette.

Using large metal spatula, return 2 pizzas to grill. Close grill or cover pizzas loosely with foil. Grill until cheeses melt and dough is cooked through and browned, using tongs to rotate pizzas for Transfer to plates. Repeat grilling for remaining 2 pizzas.

Makes four 8-inch pizzas.

The sausage pizzas are the ones at the back in the pic above. The two in the front are smoked turkey, caramelized onion, and roasted pepper.

Grilled Pizza with Tomatoes and Bacon

Grilling pizza produces a deliciously smoky effect, similar to that of pizza baked in a wood-burning oven. Once you’ve mastered the basic technique, feel free to improvise your own adventurous topping combinations.

If you don't feel like making your own dough you can use store bought pizza dough. We have done this with great success.

We have made a wonderful pizza on the grill with fresh figs, proscuitto, gorgonzola cheese, and arugula. YUM

For the dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water (105° to 115°F)
1 package (2 1/2 tsp.) active dry yeast
About 3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. olive oil
Cornmeal for dusting

For the pizza:

3/4 lb. low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese, coarsely shredded
4 thick-cut bacon slices, about 6 oz. total, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces and cooked until crisp
16 cherry tomatoes, halved
12 large fresh basil leaves, torn into 1-inch pieces


To make the dough, in a large bowl, whisk together the water and yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup of the flour and the salt. Stir in enough flour, about 2 cups, to form a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface and knead, adding more flour as needed, until smooth and satiny, about 5 minutes. Put 1 Tbs. oil in each of 2 bowls. Cut the dough in half, shape each into a ball and put 1 ball in each bowl. Turn the dough to coat with oil and cover each bowl with a kitchen towel. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for indirect grilling over high heat. Oil the grill rack.

Brush a work surface with the remaining 1 Tbs. oil. Transfer 1 dough ball to the oiled surface and pat and stretch the dough into a round about 12 inches in diameter. Transfer the dough to a baker’s peel that has been lightly dusted with cornmeal.

Slide the pizza off the peel onto the grill rack away from the fire of a charcoal grill or away from the heat elements of a gas grill. Cook until the bottom of the crust is lightly marked by the grill but not crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. Using 2 spatulas, turn the crust grilled-side up. Working quickly, sprinkle half of the cheese over the crust. Scatter half of the bacon and half of the tomatoes over the cheese, then sprinkle half of the basil evenly over the top. Cook, rotating once or twice, until the cheese is melted and the crust is crisp and brown at the edges, 8 to 10 minutes more.

Transfer the pizza to a cutting board, cut into wedges or squares, and serve immediately. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make a second pizza. Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer, 4 to 6 as a main course.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Essentials of Grilling, by Denis Kelly, Melanie Barnard, Barbara Grunes & Michael McLaughlin (Oxmoor House, 2003).