Flatbread - Socca - Whatever.

This is another one of those... really? it works? it tastes good? kind of recipes. It is an adaptation of socca - a basic flatbread recipe - and works great with all kinds of flavoring/etc. The idea of course is from Mark Bittman of the NY Times - forwarded by my dad. 

The kids especially liked it - using it to scoop up hummus and the like.

Give it a try. FYI - the only problem is it takes between 45 minutes and an hour depending on the type of flour you use - but other than the mixing - it pretty much "bakes" itself!

Basic Flatbread

1 1/2 cups flour (I used white flour because that is what I had. You can use whole wheat/chickpea/combination/etc.)
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 green onion chopped
1 tsp cumin
pinch of kosher salt (about 1 tsp)

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. In a 10 inch non-stick skillet, place olive oil.
3. In a bowl, mix together flour, water, green onion, cumin and salt.
4. When oven is hot, put skillet with olive oil in for 2 minutes to heat oil.
5. Remove heated skillet and oil from oven (don't forget to wear a mitt before handling the handle! Ouch!!)
6. Pour batter into skillet. Put back in oven.
7. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour - or until golden brown on edges. You can flip it and cook a bit more if you want something crispier.
8. Cut into wedges and serve!

The texture is not completely crisp - but a bit chewy and crispy at the same time. If you want something less crisp, add a bit more water - or cook for less time. For more crisp, a bit less water and more time. Just watch it so it doesn't burn.

Cheese.

During Passover I had the thought to make spinach ricotta gnocchi. Also, since my dad was around, and we love to cook together, I thought we would do something we had always talked about. Making cheese.

Yes. Cheese.

Now don't go - Dani, you are out of your mind!

This was so simple I am getting ready to make my next batch. The recipe is also very forgiving - no measuring temperature or anything.

Here is the recipe - next time I will take pictures and post. (Adapted from Mark Bittman)

1/2 gallon milk (I used whole milk)
2 cups buttermilk
salt (optional - the first time we didn't use it)
cheesecloth
strainer

1. Place 3 layers of cheesecloth on top of one another - wet them, wring them out, put in the strainer over a bowl.

2. Place milk in heavy bottomed pot. Heat milk until it is bubbling up the sides a bit. Every once and a while stir it and "scrape" the bottom so the milk doesn't burn. This takes about 10 minutes or so... maybe a bit more.

3. When milk is bubbling, pour in the buttermilk and start to stir constantly. Remove from heat.

4. Keep stirring. What will happen is the curds will separate from the whey. It will look like egg whites floating in yellow liquid. Seriously cool.

5. You can add salt at this point or not. You can also add salt later.

6. Pour curds and whey through cheesecloth and strainer.

7. Since we made ricotta style cheese, we left it for about 15 minutes, then put it in a container. If you want more "compacted" cheese, use 4 cups of buttermilk instead of 2, simply take the ends of the cheesecloth, twist together and tie, let whey continue to drip through strainer for a bit, (you can hang it and let it "drip out") then refrigerate.

This was not only easy, but tasted delicious.

We incorporate the ricotta into what eventually became a spinach/ricotta casserole/lasagna.

Delicious. You need to try it and see it to believe it!

Easy Salmon with Butter and Olive Oil

I know lots of people are afraid of making fish - but there are some simple techniques that make it a snap.

The best one I know - roasting. Easy, no fuss, and usually - no mess.

Simple Roasted Salmon with Butter and Olive Oil

3 4 oz pieces of salmon fillets (make sure they are about the same size)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter cut into thirds (or the number of fillets you have)
salt and pepper

Note: You will want to use a small frying pan or other small pan that has sides - just big enough to fit the salmon without crowding, so the olive oil is about 1/8 inch deep and coats the pan. You are not looking to "fry" the salmon - but place it in enough olive oil so it doesn't stick and there starts to be a sauce in the pan.

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Put olive oil in bottom of small heat resistant frying pan so there is a nice layer of olive oil on the bottom of the pan.
3. Place salmon in the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes.
5. After 10 minutes, place one tab of butter on each fillet. Return to oven for another 5 minutes of cooking - or until just done (salmon should 'flake' - the salmon will continue cooking once it is removed from the oven)
6. Remove from oven and with a spoon, gently spoon olive oil and butter over fillets.
7. Serve and enjoy!

I served this salmon tonight with some quinoa mixed with diced carrots and peas for a quick quinoa pilaf and a salad. Simply follow the directions to make the quinoa (1 cup of quinoa + 2 cups of water bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes until all water absorbed) and add some diced veggies at the beginning to the pot (essentially throw everything in together - simmer for 15 minutes and voila!)

Spring Peas, Asparagus and Pasta

It's almost Spring. I can taste it. Last week we had a couple of warmer days - even though it rained. And, you can just begin to see the buds coming out on the trees. Oh, it's there. Believe me! Personally, I cannot wait! Chicago has had a terribly long and snowy winter and the thought of walking around a farmer's market and starting to plan out our veggie garden makes me giddy (and thank you Target for putting out your garden stuff early... SO tempting!!)

Anyway, I digress.

Question, as always - what's for dinner? As we look toward spring, I want green. Lots of it. And I want peas. The best days are when early in the spring season you go to the farmer's market and there are FRESH peas - in the pod - so sweet. Unadorned, they are a great snack. Slightly steamed works too. In addition to peas, Spring makes me think of tender asparagus. Thin stemmed. Slightly steamed - delicious.

However, there are certain (ahem) wonderful significant others who really don't like asparagus. However, if you saute it (or roast it) - it loses a lot of the bitter taste and sweetens up. Pair asparagus with some fresh (or frozen) petite green peas - mix with pasta and you have a winner! If the kids don't go do sauteed veggies in their pasta, make everything separate (I always have a bowl of plain steamed carrots or peas just in case) and they can put it together as they like.

Spring Pasta with Asparagus and Peas
(serves 4)

1/2 box favorite pasta (rotini, etc... something that will hold up to the veggies)
1 bunch asparagus
2 cups fresh peas (or frozen)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh minced sage
kosher salt
pepper

1. Start making pasta (boil water, add salt, add pasta, etc...)

2. As pasta is cooking, prepare vegetables. For asparagus, snap off the ends (there will be a natural break where the stem is tough), and cut into 2 inch pieces (thirds).

3. Heat oil in pan. Toss in garlic and swirl gently so it doesn't burn. After about 30-45 seconds (before garlic turns brown), throw in asparagus. Cook for about 5 minutes, tossing gently so it is coated with olive oil and garlic.

4. When the asparagus turns bright green, sprinkle with a small amount of salt and pepper (layer the flavors people!!)

5. Toss in rest of ingredients (peas, sage) and saute gently until the peas are just bright green and warmed through.

6. By this time, the pasta should be done.

7. Drain the pasta, toss with the veggie mixture and serve with grated parmesan.

By the way, if you like a bit more of a "sauce," you can always add a bit of vegetable stock to the veggie mixture as it is cooking - about 1/2 cup should do - a tbsp or two of cream at the end (my family doesn't really do "cream sauce")

That's all folks! Enjoy!!

Quesadillas or Grilled Cheese Made on a Tortilla

So what's a quick and easy meal when you have hungry kids, really don't feel like cooking but want to do something other than pizza?

Think quesadilla.

Yes. Quesadilla.

It is about as easy as it gets. Of course, in our house, we only put cheese on our quesadillas. But, you can certainly fill them with a couple of other things (veggies, chicken if you like, etc.) I wouldn't recommend more than 1-3 items as it gets to "full" but once you master the technique - you can pull this out quickly.

Add a quick salad, some condiments (salsa, guacamole, etc.), cut up some mango - and you have a great easy weekday meal.

Easy Quesadilla

1 cup shredded cheese (or slices that you cut up... just lay them in one layer)
4 tortillas (I used whole wheat)
Non-stick frying pan

1. Warm frying pan.
2. Put down one tortilla in pan.
3. Put cheese on tortilla.
4. Put other tortilla on top of cheese.
5. After about 1 minute, flip quesadilla. Cook for about 1 minute more or until it is slightly browned and cheese has melted.
6. Remove from pan, cut into triangles.
7. Repeat and serve.

(Yes - it is really that easy, and no the type of cheese doesn't matter. Whatever you like that melts easily or can be shredded. My kids like cheddar, mozzarella, havarti, swiss)

Spinach.

Well, I haven't written anything since December. Sorry about that. We were visiting family, and then January just pounded down like nobody's business. But that doesn't mean we weren't eating, cooking, etc.

Actually, we have been doing what most folks do during the winter months - comfort food and easy.

However, we have also been trying to get our youngest to eat more veggies. As I have said before, both kids prefer veggies when they are not cooked and don't have lots of sauce. A good thing!

And, we have been eating lots of salad.

So, how do you get a 2 year old and almost 6 year old to eat salad? Put fun stuff in it! We mix in dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and cut up cucumbers and tomatoes. I chop up crunchy lettuce like romaine, and mix in some different flavors like radicchio. And, I have discovered that if I use baby spinach (and don't call it that) - the kids love it!

How do we dress salad? I don't. It keeps better if there are leftovers without dressing.

For the kids I get some sort of "spray" dressing - it is fun for them. And, although I don't make it myself - they are eating it - who cares. They love the "Ken's" Italian.

As for the adults, simple is always best - vinegar, chopped shallots, mustard, honey, olive oil - pinch of salt and pepper. If I hit it with an "immersion" blender, it emulsifies really well. If I am simply too tired, I put it in an old jar kept for such purposes (cleaned out mustard jars are great) - and shake, shake, shake.

Yum!

Orange Scented Roast Turkey Breast

So last week I had pulled out what I thought was chicken from the freezer - defrosted it - and low and behold - it was 1/2 a turkey breast on the bone!

Oh what to do!!!

This came out absolutely moist and delicious - so easy - and all loved it! I served with rice and a salad.

Orange Scented Roast Turkey Breast

1/2 turkey breast - about 3 lbs.
1 orange - cut into quarters
1 yellow onion - sliced
2-3 tbsp margarine
2 tsp poultry seasoning
orange zest from 1/2 orange
1 1/2 cup chicken stock

kosher salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mash poultry seasoning into margarine in a small bowl so
it is well mixed in. Also mash in the orange zest.
3. Put onions and orange quarters on the bottom of a heavy casserole/roasting pan.
4. Put turkey breast on top of onions/oranges and spread the margarine mixture all over the top of the breast and skin. Rub some under the skin if you can.
5. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
6. Cover casserole and place in oven. Roast turkey for about 45 minutes. At 45 minutes, remove from oven, put in chicken stock and raise temperature to 400 degrees. Do not put cover back on. Cook about 30-45 minutes more, basting about every 15 minutes, or until thermometer reads 180.
7. Enjoy!