Crushed Red Pepper & Herb Focaccia Bread

I have a confession to make.  My parents didn't cook much growing up.  We grew up on take out.  I used to be AWFUL in the kitchen.  One time I baked cookies for a boyfriend in high school and he unfortunately shared them with his entire math class.  The teacher was horrified while everyone else had to spit them out.  The boyfriend told me later that day we would hire a professional chef if we ever got married.  (In case you are wondering, we didn't get married and TDH and I do not have a personal chef.)

I'm telling you this because I don't want you to be afraid of baking your own bread.  I had no idea what I was doing the first few times.  I tend to stick to focaccia bread because you don't need to knead it or use a special machine.  The trickiest part is getting the dough consistency right.  It should be slightly sticky and damp but not so sticky it clings to your hands.  In order to help you master fresh bread I will answer your dough questions via twitter.  Send pictures, questions or new ideas to @marissaborelli. 

Now, for the recipe.  My aunt's father-in-law passed down this recipe to her and I've tweaked it over the years.  Here's the latest version, incorporating super protein quinoa, brimming with fresh herbs from the backyard and flaked with crushed red pepper.  I didn't mince the herbs much this time around.  We've been watching Jamie Oliver's cooking show lately and in honor of one of his favorite sayings, "not mucking about" I threw whole thyme sprigs in the dough.    

Ingredients

1/4 cup lukewarm water

1 package yeast

pinch of sugar

3/4 c quinoa flour

2 ¼ c whole wheat pastry flour

3 c unbleached white flour

2-3 tsp salt

4 sprigs rosemary

small handful of fresh thyme

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 ¼ c water (add a little more if using whole wheat flour)

first cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil (the good stuff)

Maldon salt

1.  Whisk together yeast, water and sugar. Let yeast expand for 10 minutes.

2.  Mix flours, herbs and spices.  Add water slowly and combine with a mixer, spatula or your hands.  Dough should be slightly sticky.  If it sticks to your hands too much add more flour, if it is cracking add more water. 

3.  Drizzle extra virgin olive oil in a bowl three times the size of your dough ball.  Place dough in bowl and cover with a damp washcloth, secure with a rubberband.  

4.  Let rise until double - 1-6 hours (the bakers in Italy let it rise all morning or overnight but one hour is sufficient in a pinch).

5.  Preheat oven to 425* F

5.  Prepare a large cookie sheet or two 9x13 pans with good olive oil and sea salt on bottom and sides to prevent sticking.

6.  Stretch dough out on prepared pan or cookie sheet.  Punch holes with thumbs in dough, drizzle with olive oil and dust with Maldon salt.

7.  Bake 12-15 minutes.  

Missing St. Barts, Again

Italian Indian Squash Delight

This week I combined the culinary styles of two of my favorite places in the world - Italy and India.  Their spices and flavors may be on opposite sides of the spectrum but the way they prepare and enjoy their food is similar.  Who doesn't love a culture that uses some type of bread to sop up the last puddles of sauce on your plate?  Each country savors each bite making dinners a 3-5 hour affair. 

In India you eat with one hand, the other is reserved for the not-so-clean bathrooms, which may be just a hole in the ground.  Took me a whole week to get the hang of tearing off naan with one hand!  Thankfully you can enjoy these lovely flavors from the comfort of your own home.  Although, if you are feeling adventurous, train yourself to embrace spicy food and book a trip to Goa for relaxation or Rajasthan to sight-see and walk with the princes.  The Prince of Udaipur was quite cute if I remember correctly.    

Ingredients

3-4 zucchini or squash, small to medium, chopped

1/2 onion, white or yellow, chopped

1/2 big bunch of kale, or 1 small bunch, chopped into 1/2" wide

1 garlic clove, smashed

1/2 lemon

good quality Parmesan cheese, NO KRAFT!

turmeric

red chili pepper flakes

cumin

salt

pepper

extra virgin olive oil

What to do with the Ingredients

1.  Heat a pan on medium heat, add evoo, garlic, onions, salt and pepper.  Cover and stir every minute or so until they start to turn clear.

2.  Toss the zucchini and squash in.  Add a few shakes of tumeric, cumin and as much red chili pepper flakes as you can handle.  (They are great for your metabolism.)  Squeeze the 1/2 lemon over the pan.  Cover for about 2 minutes.

3.  Add the kale, stir and cover.  I don't like my kale super soggy so I don't let it cook for long.  Totally up to you and your family's tastebuds.

4.  Top with Parmesan cheese. 

Step 2

Step 3

Mangia! (eat!)

Leftover Oatmeal Muffins

When I make homemade oatmeal for breakfast I make a big batch for the week.  But by the 4th day I find every excuse NOT to eat the leftovers.  No matter what I add, fruit, nuts, agave, honey, even nutella it's no longer appetizing.  I'm over it.  So, this morning when TDH requested muffins I used the leftover oatmeal as the base of the recipe.  And the result, he asked for seconds :)

Ingredients
1 1/2 c leftover oatmeal (mine was laced with strawberries and agave syrup)
1 c milk (dairy, soy, rice or nut)
1 large egg (Egg replacer if you are vegan)
1/3 c melted butter (dairy or Earth Balance)
1/2 c plus 1 TBS brown sugar
3/4 c unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 medium bananas, cut into small chunks (the riper the better)

12 cup muffin tin
12 unbleached muffin cups

Steps
1.  Preheat oven to 425*
2.  Mix oatmeal, egg, butter and sugar.
3.  Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon onto the the oat mixture and stir briefly.  Fold in chopped bananas.  Do not overmix, muffin batter should be lumpy.  Using an icecream scoop or big spoon fill the muffin tins about 2/3 full.
4.  Bake for 19-23 minutes or until golden brown.
5.  Eat muffins within a day or two.  Share with neighbors, the office or the mailman.   

Rosemary Cornbread

   
          TDH was VERY skeptical of this meal.  He helped prepare it while watching sports.  (Do men do anything else with their spare time?)  Then he snacked on tortilla chips while hovering over me wondering what “else” we were having.  But halfway through eating dinner (in front of the tv, again, I can’t win!) he said “If I would have ordered this at a healthy restaurant I would have very low expectations.  But this is amazing!”  AND he’s eating seconds at this moment!  So, if you live, date or are married to someone scared of “healthy” food this is a good meal for them!   (In case you missed the salad post click here)

Rosemary Cornbread
Ingredients

¾ c whole-wheat pastry flour


   1 c fine-grain cornmeal, instant cornmeal (or instant polenta)


1/4 c natural sugar


1 tablespoon baking powder


1 1/2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt


1 c buttermilk
 or 1 c milk w/ half a lemon squeezed (I was out of buttermilk and the substitution worked just fine)

1 large egg



2 tablespoons of chopped rosemary (finely chopped if your husband complains about herbs getting stuck in his teeth, love you Jesse-bear :)

Butter for drizzling (optional)

-    Preheat oven to 350*

-       In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, rosemary and salt.

-       In a separate bowl whisk together the buttermilk and egg.

-       Pour wet ingredients over dry and stir until just combined.  Don't over-stir, it should be lumpy.

-       Bake for 25 - 35 minutes or until the edges are golden and the center is cooked through  (Test with a knife or toothpick)

-       Let cool for a few minutes if you can stand it, cut and top with a pat of butter (optional).

What to do with leftover cornbread?
1.  Cut into small chunks, toss in olive oil and bake 3-5 minutes at 350* in your toaster oven.  Homemade croutons!
2.  Crumble into a salad to add texture.  (I do this one a lot, lettuce, tomato, bell pepper and carrots is SO BORING!)
3.   Use as a crust for fish.  Top fish before baking with a handful of crumbles and Asiago cheese.