Recipes
30-Minute Pizza Crust with Cornmeal
Crisp and chewy pizza crust that’s ready for toppings in 30 minutes makes for perfect pizzeria-style pizzas at home. 35 minPrep Time, 12 minCook Time, 47 minTotal Time
2 C. warm water (90-100 degrees F)
2 1/4 tsp. (1 envelope) instant yeast (Red Star Platinum is recommended)
2 Tbs. honey
1/3 C. extra virgin olive oil
4 3/4 C. bread flour
2/3 C. yellow cornmeal
1 tsp. kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Once the oven reaches 200 degrees, set a timer for 10 minutes. Then, turn off the oven.
In a large measuring cup or small bowl, sprinkle yeast over the warm water, and give it a quick stir, so that all of the yeast gets wet. Stir in the honey. Be sure to wipe any yeast sticking to the spoon back into the water. Let the yeast mixture sit for two to three minutes.
Add bread flour, cornmeal, and kosher salt to the large bowl of a stand mixer, and stir a few times to mix. By this time, the yeast should have started to “bloom” or look fluffy on the surface of the water. If not, give it another minute or two. Add the olive oil into the yeast mixture, and stir it to combine a bit. The oil won’t completely mix with the water.
Turn the mixer on to a medium low setting, and gradually pour the yeast and oil mixture into the flour. Once all the liquid has been added, increase the mixer speed to medium, and allow it to mix the dough for one minute. The dough will be sticky, but not gooey.
Pour a little blop (about 1 teaspoon) of olive oil into a large, oven safe bowl. Take the dough from the mixing bowl, and roll it around in your hands to make a ball. Put the dough ball into the oil of the other bowl. Swirl the dough around in the oil, and turn it over to coat the dough completely.
Cover the bowl with the dough in it tightly with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in the warm oven, and close the door. Now would be an excellent time to verify that the oven is indeed turned OFF. Let dough rise in the wrapped bowl inside the warm oven for 30 minutes, or until dough has doubled in bulk. Once the dough has doubled in bulk, remove it from the oven. Push down dough, and divide in half. (Or in 8 equal pieces, if you are making mini pizzas or calzones.) Roll each piece into a smooth ball.
WHAT TO DO FROM HERE -
Freeze for later: At this point, you can put the balls of dough into individual zippered freezer bags, and freeze for later. To use, place frozen dough into a large, oiled bowl. Turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap, and allow to thaw and rise on the counter for at least 8 hours, or until doubled in bulk. You can do this first thing in the morning, so it is ready to go by dinner time.)
Make Pizza: Roll and/or stretch dough to cover a oiled baking sheet. Top with sauce and/or the toppings of your choice. Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven (preferably on a hot pizza stone) for 9-14 minutes, or until cheese is melted, and crust is golden brown.
Make Calzone/Stuffed Pizza: Divide dough into 8 equal pieces, roll or stretch out into a 6 inch (ish) circle. Pizza toppings make great fillings, just use less “wet” ingredients, and more meat/veggies/cheese. (Some ideas include—browned sausage, cooked, diced potato, onion, and diced roasted red pepper.) Heat the filling, and place 1/3 cup of warm filling of your choice onto one side of the round, leaving 1/4 inch around the edges. Fold dough in half, over the filling, and press the edges to seal. Then, roll about 1/4 inch of the edge from the bottom, over the top, and press to seal. Brush the top with olive oil. Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven (preferably on a hot pizza stone) for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Make Focaccia Bread: Roll and stretch dough onto a lightly oiled sheet pan. Brush the top with olive oil. Sprinkle with a hefty pinch of kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning. Sprinkle with about 1 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese. You could also add a small amount of another topping, such as caramelized onions & crumbled goat cheese, or sliced black olives. Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 12-18 minutes, or until cheese is melted, and bread is lightly browned.
Potato Fennel Soup
Potatoes and fennel are two great things that go great together and there are many recipes that feature the two including dozens of soup variations you could find on line. This one is basic, it's from Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook. You could make this soup as is, or you could enrich it by substituting all or a part of the water with chicken stock or a nice vegetable stock. Some recipes call for dairy, adding either some half and half or skim milk, depending on the preference of the eater. You could substitute some leeks for all or part of the onions, or add in some shallots.
1 TB butter or oil
4 cups thinly sliced onions
2 tsp salt
4 medium potatoes, not necessarily peeled and sliced into thin pieces 1 to 2 inches long
1 cup freshly minced fennel bulb
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
4 cups water (or stock)
white pepper to taste
Optional toppings:
sour cream, thinned (by beating with a whisk in a litle bowl)
the feathery tops of the fennel, well minced
Melt the butter or heat the oil in a kettle or Dutch oven. Add the onions and 1 tsp salt. Cook over med-low heat, stirring occasionally for about 15-20 minutes, or until the onions are very, very soft and lightly browned.
Add the potatoes, another 1/2 tsp salt, the minced fennel bulb, the caraway seeds. Saute over medium heat for another 5 minutes, then add water (or stock). Bring to a boil then partially cover, and simmer til the potatoes are tender (10 to 15 minutes).
Taste to adjust salt; add white pepper. Serve hot, topped with a decorative swirl of thinned sour cream and/or minced feathery fennel tops.
Pizza with fennel and salami
1 med. fennel bulb, in 1/4-in. thick slices
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 oz. salad greens; use any combination of watercress, baby arugula, frisée, mesclun mix
2 Tbsp. fennel fronds, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 - 2 pizza doughs
4 oz. pizza sauce
4 oz. hot salami (optional for non-meat eaters)
3 oz. provolone cheese, grated
In a shallow skillet toss the fennel with half the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Roast the fennel in the center of the oven, stirring every few minutes, until soft and nicely browned. This will take about 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl toss the greens and fennel fronds with remaining oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
To assemble pizza, place 2 oz. of the sauce in the center of each pizza and use a circular motion to spread it to about 3/4-in. from the edge. Distribute salami, then fennel, and then cheese evenly over each pie.
Put the pizza into a very hot oven - 400 degrees or more (if you have a wood fired oven, get it to 550 - 580 degrees). Once both sides of the pizza begin to brown, and the top and bottom of the pizza are evenly colored (30 seconds to 1 minute), remove the pizza from the oven. Transfer the pizza to a cooling screen for about 1 minute to prevent steaming and then move it to a cutting board to slice.
Top with salad before slicing.
Carrot, Apple, and Fennel Slaw
This variation on coleslaw includes carrots but replaces cabbage with fennel and Granny Smith apple matchsticks, tossed in a tarragon-flavored dressing. Feel free to flavor it with cabbage if you'd like! Source: Martha Stewart Living, November 2000
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon freshly chopped tarragon
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 3-by-1/4-inch matchsticks
1 fennel bulb, cut into 3-by-1/4-inch matchsticks
1 Granny Smith apple, unpeeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
Place the yogurt, white-wine vinegar, celery seeds, salt, and tarragon in a small bowl, and whisk to combine; set aside.
Place the carrot and fennel matchsticks and apple wedges in a medium bowl. Add the reserved yogurt dressing, and toss to combine. Serve.
Pan-Fried Fennel
Serve this simple and flavorful dish as an appetizer. For best results, use a heavy-bottomed saute pan.
2 medium fennel bulbs
1 cup all-purpose flour, for dredging
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs, for dredging
2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for seasoning
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more for seasoning
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil, just enough to yield about 1/4 inch in the pan
2 lemons, cut into wedges
Remove tops and fronds from fennel bulbs. Slice each bulb in half widthwise. Cut each half into slices about 1/8 inch thick.
Pour flour into a medium bowl and bread crumbs into another. Season with the salt and pepper. Crack eggs into a third bowl; whisk until frothy. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge fennel lightly in flour, then in egg, and then in bread crumbs, shaking off excess after each step.
Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Check to make sure the oil is hot enough by tossing a pinch of flour into the pan. If the flour sizzles, the oil is ready.
Fry fennel slices until golden brown on each side, about 30 seconds per side, working in batches so as not to crowd pan. Drain on paper towels; season with salt. Serve hot with lemon wedges.
Warm Fingerling Potato Salad
Already looking for a good alternative to roasting roots? Tossing boiled roots with flavorful herbs and oil while they're still hot is the next-best thing. The warm vegetables soak in the flavors of the herbs beautifully, and the salad only gets better after a few days in the fridge.
1 1/2 - 2 pounds fingerling potatoes
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, smashed
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon salt-packed capers, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/2 medium red onion, coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced crosswise on bias
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt to taste
Place potatoes in a medium-sized saucepan covered 2 inches by salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile in a small saucepan, combine olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, capers, lemon, and red onion. Bring to a simmer and remove from the heat. Drain the potatoes, halve lengthwise, and toss with warm dressing, celery, and parsley. Salt to taste and serve warm.
Mashed Potato and Kale Cakes
This recipe is based on the British food "bubble and squeak," which is traditionally made by pan-frying leftover mashed potatoes and cooked cabbage. It comes to us from Annie Myers, former Pete's Greens employee and now head of Myers Produce, who used to work for a British chef at a restaurant that served bubble and squeak. Try this for a satisfying comfort food.
2 pounds potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 leek (white and light-green parts only), halved lengthwise, rinsed well, and thinly sliced
1 bunch kale (3/4 pound), tough stems and ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped
1/2 pound bacon, diced medium
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
In a large pot, bring potatoes to a boil in salted water over high, then reduce to a rapid simmer. Add leek and kale and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 10 minutes. Drain; transfer to a large bowl.
In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium-high until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to bowl with vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. With a fork, mash potato mixture until a few lumps remain. With your hands, form into 12 patties.
Pour off fat from skillet and wipe clean; add butter and melt over medium. In batches, cook cakes until golden on both sides, about 6 minutes, flipping once.
Pesto-Coated Carrot and Parsnip Fettuccine
This recipe uses carrots and parsnips as noodles, but you can also combine with fettuccine or linguine for a more filling dish. Modified recipe from Robert Rose
3 large carrots, peeled
3 large parsnips, peeled
1 tablespoon cold-pressed (extra-virgin) olive oil
4 tablespoons basil pesto
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the carrots and parsnips into long, thin strips, dropping them into a bowl as completed. If desired, blanch vegetables in a pot of boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Add the olive oil and pesto, toss to combine before serving.
Lemon Roasted Cabbage
This is my favorite way to cook cabbage, so much so, since I have discovered roasting cabbage I have probably increased my consumption of these giant green heads a thousand fold. I prefer savoy cabbage for roasting because the inner leaves are not so tightly wrapped and the dressing can soak in, but regular green cabbage or red cabbage is fine to use too. The lemon in this recipe can be switched up with any kind of vinegar, sherry or even salad dressing right out of the bottle. I even throw some bits of salt pork, panchetta or ham on top for flavor too!
1 head cabbage, cut into wedges and core removed
2 Tbs cooking oil, I like sunflower oil for a nutty flavor
2-3 Tbs lemon juice (sub vinegar if preferred)
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
Preheat oven to 450F. Arrange wedges in a single layer on the roasting pan (leaving space around each wedge).
Whisk together the oil and lemon juice. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the top sides of each cabbage wedge with the mixture and season generously with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Turn cabbage wedges carefully and repeat.
Roast cabbage for about 30-40 minutes turning wedges over half way through when the side touching the pan is nicely browned. Cabbage is done when it is nicely browned and cooked through with a bit of chewiness remaining.
Serve hot, with additional lemon slices to squeeze lemon juice on at the table if desired.
Red Cabbage and Beet Salad
1 red cabbage
2 small red onion, diced
2 red apple, cored and diced
½ lb beets, finely diced
50g walnut piece, roughly chopped
2 large orange
5 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp redcurrant jelly
2 tbsp clear honey
2 tbsp olive oil
Quarter the cabbage, then cut out the white core at the bottom and discard. Finely shred the cabbage and tip into a large mixing bowl with the onions, apples, beets and walnuts. Finely grate over the zest from the oranges.
Cut a little from the top and bottom of each orange, so they sit flat on your work surface. Use a small, serrated knife to cut away the peel and pith in strips down the orange. Holding each orange over a bowl, cut away the segments, letting them and any juice drop into the bowl. Squeeze any juice left in the membranes into the bowl, too. Fish out the segments, roughly chop and add to the salad.
Whisk the red wine vinegar, redcurrant jelly, honey and oil into the orange juice with some seasoning, then stir into the salad. Will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Sesame Pac Choi
1 bunch pac choi
2 tbsp groundnut oil
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 large garlic clove, crushed and finely chopped
1 mild green chilli, seeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce (optional)
Cut a thick slice from the pak choi root to separate the leaves. Rinse and drain.
Heat the groundnut oil in a large wok over a medium heat and add 1 tbsp sesame oil, the garlic, chilli, fish sauce (if using) and pak choi. Toss until coated and clamp a pan lid over them. Reduce the heat and cook for 3-6 minutes, tossing occasionally, just until the leaves have wilted (the stalks should be tender-crisp).
Add the rest of the sesame oil and salt. Toss the leaves and serve immediately.
Kabocha Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
Most people never know they're eating something that's healthier for them than a traditional recipe when you bake veggies into desserts. You can make the squash puree up to 2 days ahead of time and freeze any leftovers up to 6 months.
For the cupcakes:
1 kabocha squash, about 2 lb.
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup low-fat milk
For the frosting:
8 oz. Neufchâtel cheese, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
To make the cupcakes, cut the squash in half crosswise and place, cut side down, in a baking pan with the water. Bake until very soft when pressed, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool, then scoop out and discard the seeds. Scrape the flesh from the peel into a bowl. Mash with a fork or puree until smooth; measure out 1 cup.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla and the 1 cup squash puree until smooth. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the squash mixture, followed by the milk, until well blended.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each one about two-thirds full. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the frosting, in a bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cheese, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and lemon juice until smooth. Spread the frosting on the cooled cupcakes and serve immediately, or refrigerate the frosted cupcakes for up to 1 day. Makes 12 cupcakes.
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