a chunkier peach jam.

 i must confess: i'd never given much thought to jam before last week.it's not that i don't eat it - i certainly enjoy a hunk of marmalade on a slice of freshly toasted bread as much as the next person. perhaps it's just that my relationship to jam has always paled in comparison to my strong - and dare i say emotional - attachment to honey. honey has been the condiment that has stuck with me through the years, from its kid- and priya-friendly bear squeeze bottles to its thicker, spoonable jar varieties. the heavenliness of honey has always been a no-brainer. but what about jam?! i'm not overflowing with childhood memories of the condiment. i remember treasuring the jars after we finished them off as a family (was that the reason i ate from them in the first place?!), and using them for drinking lemonade or collecting stones. but what was in the jars before i turned them into vases... can't really remember. still, it's a condiment people seem to love! and jams and jellies are in no short supply in german supermarkets and organic shops. so i figured there must be something i was missing. indeed, it seemed like about time that i get up close and personal with this morning spread, to spare my future children the quarter life jam crisis i now found myself in.peaches, a few empty jars, and a packet of pectin were all that needed to be picked up at the supermarket. the lemon juice and sugar were already in the cupboards. my afternoon was cleared. jam time was upon me.i have to admit that the process of making the jam was less than relaxing for a first-timer. the steps weren't particularly demanding, but there are certainly a lot of them. and the first one, involving sterilizing the jars in boiling water (and wondering if glass is going to explode all over your face in the process) isn't the most relaxing way to kick off an afternoon. but once you cross that bridge, it's pretty smooth sailing. with this recipe, you end up with about 4 medium sized jars of jam, 2 of which i gave away as gifts, and 2 of which have almost been completely devoured by my roommate, who has apparently adopted a elimination diet that involves eliminating all other foods except jam. as the pictures suggest, the jam turned out very chunky. this is because i did not fully puree it. at first, i was disappointed by its chunkiness - until i tasted it! it's delicious, and the chunks really remind you that you're consuming fruit. still, if you'd like a less chunky (and thereby more attractive) version, just make sure to completely cream the peaches in the blender before cooking them with the sugar and pectin. i also made what was called a "low sugar" version, which, quite honestly, is plenty sweet (though i note alternative measurements in the recipe below, in case you'd like to take a more sugary route). not only am i pleased with the how well the jam turned out, but knowing how much effort goes into making just one jar has definitely sparked a newfound appreciation of it! i'm not sure if jam is ever going to hold the same place in my heart as honey - but for now, i'll be letting the two of them split my piece of toast down the middle... at least until i figure out how to make homemade almond butter.

homemade peach jam

5 pints ripe peaches (about 10 cups)

¼ cup juice of a lemon

½ cup water

4.5 cups sugar (you can use up to 7 cups, depending on your preference for sweetness)

2 packets pectin

4 empty jars with lids

the first step is sterilize the jars. give them a good wash by hand or in the dishwasher, and then bring your biggest pot of water to a boil. drop an open jar (or 2 or 3, depending on how much room you have) in there and let boil for 10 minutes. remove jars and place in another pot of hot water until ready for use. to sanitize the lids, place them in a pot of hot, but not boiling water for 5 minutes. once all of your jars and lids are sanitized, it’s time to start jammin’!

wash the peaches. you’ll have to peel them, and the easiest way to do that is by placing them for 60 seconds in a pot of boiling water. remove using a slotted spoon and placed in a bowl of ice (or just very cold) water. the skins will slide right off if they peaches are ripe! if they aren’t ripe, then you’ll need to boil them slightly longer.

peel off the skins, remove the pits and other mushy brown spots, and chop finely. add them to a large bowl and mush them up by hand or using a blender or hand mixer. i’d recommend pureeing them as much as possible, leaving some small chunks in there for a kick. to prevent them from browning, add ¼ cup lemon juice to the bowl and give it a good stir to let the peaches absorb the juice.

grab your sugar and pectin. combine the pectin packets with ¼ cup sugar. put the other 4.25 cups sugar in another bowl.

add the pectin mix to the peaches and place in a pot. stirring often, bring mixture to a rolling boil (the kind that cannot be stirred away). this should take about 10 minutes. add the remaining sugar and bring it back to a boil. then boil it hard for 1 minute.

fill the jars with the mixture and seal them tight. at this point, you can add them back to a pot of boiling water to seal them for shelving. i didn’t do this – meaning they will last about a month in the fridge.

let jars sit in a dry place and cool at least 3 hours. place in fridge. enjoy!

the blending continues... garlic chive hummus!

if you’ll please excuse my absence these past couple of weeks, i can offer some exciting news as a consolation prize.

exciting piece of news #1: our blender still blends! sadly, i’ve learned in the past few days (the hard way) how not identical a blender is to a food processor. while i think the latter is superior (it is, after all, the renowned jamie oliver’s kitchen appliance of choice), the former still makes a few mean masterpieces. including this hummus! just a few dry ingredients, a dash of olive oil and water, and you have a delicious, healthy spread. of course, feel free to add in or leave out the chives, or adjust the cloves of garlic depending on your taste/desire for unpleasant breath. as a non-recovering garlic-aholic, i’d consider even upping the number of cloves from 3 to 4…

the second piece of thrilling news, you ask?! excellent question.

the second piece of most wonderfully thrilling news is that we are moving (aka upgrading!) to a new blogging platform! details to come on that front soon.

in the meantime, keep on blendin’!

ingredients:

400g can chickpeas, drained

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 medium clove garlics, peeled

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons tahini

2 1/2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup chives, diced

place all ingredients in a food processor and process on high speed until the ingredients are combined. if it gets dry, add some water or olive oil. once combined, stir in diced chives. salt and pepper to taste.

a (most delicious!) gluten-free hybrid pastry.

not to direct attention away from my own upstanding blog, but a few weeks ago i discovered the vegan, gluten free cooking of swell. and it was, to say the least, inspiring.

so inspiring that last saturday, i took the plunge into gluten-free baking.



while i don't personally suffer from a gluten intolerance, i know many people whose lives have been significantly improved by rice noodles and all that whole foods has to offer the picky eaters among us. so i thought i'd try my amateur hand at better baking, starting with this recipe.





now i know what you're thinking: where the frick are the muffins?! well, you'll be relieved to hear that in true hobbit chef fashion, there were muffins at the end of this culinary rainbow. what were supposed to be hard, almost crunchy scones ended up more like gentle hybrid scone-muffers. the dough was simply too gooey to let them bake outside the security of a muffin tin. my suspicion is that it's because i substituted an egg in for the chia seeds that swell recommends. next time, i will try using half a banana to keep them vegan and toughen the dough. otherwise, you can't beat these hybrid mutants as a morning pastry or afternoon snack.



ingredients:

1 1/4 cups premade amazake beverage (or 3/4 cup amazake blended with 3/4 cup water)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp almond extract
1 1/3 cups brown rice flour
1/3 cup coconut flour (or any other gluten free flour)
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 
pinch of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar (use 3/4 cup if you like them a bit sweeter)
1 cup chopped peaches (fresh or frozen)
1 tablespoon maple syrup, for brushing the tops

and away we go!

preheat the oven to 400F.  lightly oil a muffin pan.

combine the wet ingredients in a small bowl (including the egg).  in a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.  pour the wet mix over the dry and stir up and around until well mixed, at which point you can fold in the peaches.  let the dough rest for a few minutes.

using a 1/3 measuring cup, scoop the dough in portions into a muffin tin. bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden and you can see the color creeping up around the edges. after about 10 minutes of baking, i removed the lil' guys to brush their tops with a bit of maple syrup. remove and let cool before eating. they are particularly delicious with a dollop of thick honey or apricot jam.

my new go-to dal recipe.

lately, my stomach won't stop reminding me of my indian roots. all it wants is spicy vegetarian cuisine. while i suppose i shouldn't be surprised that its set its mind on something - that "something" is normally pizza, which i could easily consume 5 nights/week and be sad the 6th and 7th night that i have to "mix it up" - it's still a strange feeling waking up and wanting to immediately consume a bowl of spicy lentils.

that said, i'm not one to argue with my tummy, so i decided to channel this urge for good and in the interest of mankind/my blog. and with this declaration of altruism, today i can offer you an undeniably delicious recipe for one indian staple: dal!

dal, which derives from the sanskrit word, "to split", is a stew prepared from any of dozens (dozens! meaning you'll never run out of new dal types!) of different kinds of dried split peas. not only is it a vegan's dream come true - packed to the brim with nutrients and vitamins and not a hint of dairy if you go it sans butter - but it's also incredibly flavorful.

so far, i've been cooking mainly with masoor lentils, which are red when uncooked but lose their color almost completely when you cook them long enough to make dal. they fall apart after about a half hour, and it's the plethora of spices, like turmeric and curry, that give this dish its beautiful color.



a few things:

1. i can only highly recommend soaking the lentils for at least a half hour before cooking. this not only expedites the process once you get them in water, but also makes digestion a breeze :)

2. a few recipes i've found recommend frying all of the spices together before adding them to the cooked lentils at the last minute. i've never been able to do this without slightly burning them, so my approach involves frying the cumin and mustard seeds briefly, but then just adding the other spices straight to the large pot and letting them soak in for a bit before serving. feel free to do it either way.

3. err. there is nothing better than leftover dal. if you're particularly lazy, i'm also a (very ashamed) fan of it cold.

masoor lentil dal

lentils:
1 cup masoor dal red lentils, picked through
2 cups water
1 red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 (2 cm) piece ginger, minced
2 tomatoes, diced
½ zucchini, chopped

tempering oil:
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
3/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
3/4 teaspoon curry
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
handful chopped fresh cilantro



put the lentils in a strainer and rinse them under running water. add them to a bowl, cover with water and let soak for 30 minutes. drain and set aside.

in a large pot, throw in the 2 cups of water, onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, zucchini, and the lentils. bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and skim any foam off the surface.

note: don’t add the salt until the end as it will toughen the lentils and make it take longer to cook them. lower the heat, partially cover the pot with a lid and gently simmer until the lentils are tender and almost falling apart. this normally takes around 45 minutes.

now, here comes the fun part. in a small bowl, combine the cumin and mustard seeds. in another bowl, combine the spice powders.

in a small skillet, over a medium-high flame, warm 1 – 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. to check if the oil is hot enough, throw in a cumin seed and see if it “dances” – then you’ll know it’s ready! add cumin and mustard seeds and immediately cover so you don't get covered in spluttering oil and seeds. they should sizzle and bubble a little. let them do that for about 10 seconds, shaking the skillet around. make sure to remove before it burns (this happens more quickly than you can imagine!).

pour the oil mixture into the lentils, standing back so you don't get hurt when the mixture splutters again. stir to combine. at this point, i add the other spices, in bits to make sure not to overdo it. when you have the right degree of spiciness, salt and pepper to taste. transfer the lentils to a serving dish and garnish with cilantro.

muffin revival: this time with more apples and cinnamon than ever!

i shall reward myself for all the self control i displayed in posting four non-muffin entires over the last few weeks by posting the tastiest muffin recipe ever.

i mean, it's only fair.



i love these guys because they are more fruit than dough, making them less hearty than your typical muffin. using just a bit of whole wheat flour keeps them extra light, but feel free to use up to a whole cup of it - just make sure to keep the total amount of flour to two cups.



also, if you really feel like living on the edge, you could try to fit even more apples in there (!!). i know what you're thinking: certifiably insane hobbit on the loose.

but hear me out. we thought 3 apples was going to be too much and the lil' guys would fall apart upon removal from their muffin tin. but alas, the dough really binds them together, and while the muffins might be slightly more fragile than one is accustomed to, i have enough faith in them to think they could carry the burden of 4 apples.

updates to come on how that works out... until then, enjoy!

apple cinnamon muffins:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup soy milk
3 apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

preheat the oven to 350°F. grease your muffin tin.

mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. in another bowl, add the sugar, oil, and egg. mix in the soy milk. stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. bake for 15 minutes. eat while warm and gooey.

curried greens and chickpea pita.

some savory! can it truly be?! you betcha! i told you: the hobbit chef can also cook things that aren't muffins. that said, she's also noticing and feeling slightly disturbed by the fact that her kitchen starts to feel "empty" when there aren't fresh batches of muffins in the pantry...

this quick and simple non-muffin dish is taken from one of my only favorite veggie blogs, fresh365. granted, i love the site primarily for its beautiful and appetizing pictures and recipes that don't require 800 obscure ingredients, but even the more advanced cooks among us can find plenty of more complicated, sophisticated recipes there.

i changed the recipe slightly, throwing in some leftover zucchini and substituting in turmeric when ground cumin was called for. to be honest, the dish wasn't quite as spicy as i had expected, so i wouldn't hesitate to throw in a bit more curry and coriander in the final moments. if you end up overdoing it (not that that's ever happened to me...), just toss in some additional pre-cooked rice to return it to a slightly more bland (and edible!) state.



ingredients:



1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 14-oz can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 ½ cups cooked rice
1 ½ cups kale, chopped
1 cup zucchini, chopped
1/4 c green onions, chopped
8 cherry tomatoes, diced
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
4 whole wheat pitas



to do!

heat oil in a large pan over medium heat and add cumin seeds and garlic. cook 3 minutes, until the garlic begins to brown.

stir in the chickpeas and coat with the oil. add in the broth and bring to a boil. mix in the rice, greens, curry, cumin, and coriander. cook 3-4 minutes, until the greens begin to wilt.

remove from heat and stir in the green onions and tomatoes. warm some pitas in the oven. serve chickpeas alongside or inside pitas!

heavenly cinnamon swirl nanner bread.

don't you even start with me. yes, all i do is bake, blah blah. let's move on.

this bread is heaven (see above!). armed with my winter holiday 2010 culinary partner-in-crime - who you may know from this roasted bruschetta - this was my first attempt at making "real" bread with "real" yeast. i've always been somewhat weary (and by weary, i mostly mean lazy) when it comes to making bread that I could just as easily and cheaply buy from a professional. but this bread might just be worth it. all you need is a few hours at home, a large countertop, and a buddy to help you roll the dough up at the end. we played a rousing game of scrabble while waiting for the dough to rise, but i could imagine boggle would also work.



i also feel it's worth mentioning that we rolled our dough out a wee bit too thin, which led to a few tears and the cinnamon leaking out one side of the final loaf. this then created an oozey, gooey brown sugar cinnamon waterfall of pure joy when we baked it. i would, under no circumstances, recommend preparing this bread any other way.

ingredients:

1/2 cup lukewarm water

3 teaspoons yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup Greek-style yogurt

1/2 cup mashed overripe bananas (about 2 bananas)

2 3/4 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

get 'er goin:

combine the water, yeast, and a pinch of the sugar in a bowl and set it a aside a few minutes to get frothy.

add the remaining sugar, yogurt, bananas, bread flour, salt, and vanilla. knead the dough until the sides of the bowl are clean and the dough starts to get elastic. add in the olive oil and continue kneading until the mixture is smooth, silky, and elastic.

form the dough into a ball and put back into the bowl. drizzle it with a little oil. cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until doubled in size, about an hour.

preheat your oven to 325 degrees. spray a loaf pan with a little baking spray.

flour your work surface and knead the dough a bit, then roll it out into a rectangle about 9 x 15 inches.

mix the brown sugar and cinnamon and spread it evenly over the rectangle, leaving about 3 inches un-sugared at the far end. roll the dough up (with a friend!), jellyroll-style, so you've got a 9-inch long log. pinch to seal the ends and the seam. place the dough seam-side down in the pan. cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

finally! bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until dark golden brown.

remove the loaf from the pan and let it cool completely on a rack before cutting. break off a slice and eat right away with a dollop of honey. make sure to save some pieces for tomorrow and the next day - the bread really gets more and more delicious with time :)

a healthier baklava. made with sonoran honey.

it's pretty much an undisputed fact that there's no better mid-afternoon fix than a rich, gooey (and decadent without being pretentious!) piece of baklava.

i wouldn't consider myself a sweet tooth. i'd almost always turn to a mildly sweet cracker or cookie before chowing down on a decadent piece of cheesecake or brownie. but baklava is a whole other thing.

if i may: baklava is perfect. the flakiness of the dough, the intermingling of spices, the crunchiness of the nut mixture, and as i learned during this culinary undertaking, the teamwork that goes into making it (four hands are better than two when you're layering the dough, fyi).

this particular recipe gets its health benefits from substituting honey in for butter. the original calls for wildflower honey, but any runny honey will do. you can also feel free to mix and match whichever nuts you're craving/have on hand.



for the syrup:

1 1/2 cups sonoran honey
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 whole cloves
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick

for the filling:

2/3 cup unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup blanched unsalted almonds, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon salt

other stuffs:


cooking spray
24 (14 x 9-inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed (don't forget to thaw!!)
1 tablespoon water

get crackin':


start by preparing the syrup. combine the honey, 1/2 cup water, juice, cloves, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan over low heat. stir until honey is completely dissolved. this should take between 2 and 3 minutes. turn up the heat to medium and then cook, without stirring for 10 minutes. remove from heat and cover with a lid to keep warm. remove solids and discard. using a slotted spoon if you have one works well for this.preheat oven to 350°.

make the filling by combining pistachios and next 6 ingredients (up until salt). set aside.

now it's time to assemble. lightly coat a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. working with 1 phyllo sheet at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), place 1 phyllo sheet lengthwise in bottom of prepared pan, allowing end of sheet to extend over edges of dish (see picture above). lightly coat with cooking spray.

repeat this procedure with 5 phyllo sheets and cooking spray for a total of 6 layers. sprinkle phyllo evenly with one-third of nut mixture (about 2/3 cup). repeat procedure with phyllo, cooking spray, and nut mixture 2 more times.

top your last layer of nut mixture with remaining 6 sheets phyllo, each one lightly coated with cooking spray. lightly coat top phyllo sheet with cooking spray; press baklava gently into pan. sprinkle baklava surface with 1 tablespoon water.

make 3 even lengthwise cuts and 7 even crosswise cuts to form 32 portions using a sharp knife. bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until the phyllo is golden brown. remove from oven. and now the clincher! drizzle honey mixture evenly over baklava. cool in pan on a wire rack. eat! and then store covered at room temperature.

a bag of pearl couscous is a terrible thing to go to waste.

where one needs to go in bremen to find a carton of israeli couscous continues to elude me. i mean, i'm sure it's somewhere... but that somewhere is probably a place i would never think/want to go to. bremen-nord? or bremerhaven (shudders).

considering the last time i went to bremerhaven, my boyfriend got food poisoning and i soul-poisoning, i doubt i'll be risking a similar experience any time soon on my quest to locate this perfectly plump and rounded pasta-like treat.

for most of you, however, it should be available in your local supermarket (trader joes!). it's not a whole grain, no, but it certainly feels healthy. and in the end, isn't it about how food makes you feel that matters?!?!

...

this salad is a lovely side or main dish with minimal ingredients but packing a lot of nice flavors, particularly because of the roasted tomatoes. if you're looking for a main course, toss in some feta and chickpeas. it a also stores really well in the fridge and get tastier as the flavors sink in. that said, you'll be lucky if you don't wipe the bowl clean on the first go.

israeli couscous salad:

1 1/2 cups israeli couscous

4 cups washed baby spinach

1/2 red onion, chopped fine

15 cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cucumber, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup kalamata or black olives, pitted and halved

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1 handful chopped fresh parsley

6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

1 can chickpeas (optional)

what to do:

1. preheat oven to 250 degrees fahrenheit. halve tomatoes and place, cut sides up, in one layer on a baking pan. roast in middle of oven until tomatoes are slightly shriveled around edges, approximately 1 hour. cool in pan on a rack for 30 minutes.

2. bring a pot of water to boil. add a pinch of salt and the couscous. reduce heat slightly and cook couscous in the water for 6-8 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.

3. mix all salad ingredients, including tomatoes, in a large bowl. add cooked couscous, oil, vinegar and lemon juice and mix well. taste and add salt and pepper and/or additional dressing to taste, if desired.

almond poppyseed muffers.

i know i know: i need to either 1) stop baking or 2) change the name of my blog to reflect my apparently clear preference for muffins and sweet loaves over all other foods. i swear i eat other things! just the other day i had a cookie.

and yet, for some reason, i find myself only in the mood to photograph when it's with something as low-key and whimsical as baking. i'll work on it. until then, dear friends...

muffins galore! these muffins are especially light, fluffy, and ideal for a mid-afternoon snack. i enjoyed experimenting with vanilla soy yogurt, and i think next time i'll even try another flavor - hazelnut or banana, for instance. you can also transform these into the often adored lemon poppyseed muffins by adding a tablespoon of lemon zest. or... like all baked goods, you can take them to the next level throwing in some cinnamon. lots and lots of cinnamon.



please scrounge up:

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup soy milk
1 cup vanilla soy yogurt
1 tsp almond extract
3 tablespoons poppy seeds (feel free to go crazy here!)

preheat oven to 400. grease your muffin tin. in a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt. stir the poppy seeds into the dry mix. in another bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, yogurt and almond extract. fold the wet ingredients into the dry.

fill each muffin 2/3 full with batter. bake for 20-25 minutes. gobble!

pizza redux!

finally: restitution! yours truly has conquered the art of pizza dough making! well, i suppose, put only slightly more humbly/accurately: i recently learned how to successfully make a dough from scratch that is light, crispy, delectable and (honestly, most importantly) digestible.

i know, i know: julia childs, watch your back. the hobbit chef is gaining momentum and it's just a matter of time before i'm whipping up coq au vin with a side of steak au poivre on a daily basis.

in any case, it was my dear mother who inspired me to take on the (what had become) dreaded pizza dough and try and find something that was manageable and delicious. i have to admit that there is something very satisfying about enjoying a complete meal you yourself brought together from lots of raw ingredients. and it definitely helps when the end product is better than any premade dough you find in a grocery store. which, coincidentally, is exactly what this is!



i did a bit of internet scouting and ended up finding my way back to the trusted smitten kitchen blog. while her list of pizza recipes is extensive, i must admit that i was, in all my vulnerability, drawn to her allegedly really simple homemade pizza post... to which i can only say: wow, was that a good decision. it's very easy and requires only brief bouts of concentration and limited ingredients. mostly, you just need a few hours at home. if you're not making it on the weekend, you could also make it one evening on the side and eat it the next. the dough will certainly stay good in the fridge for a few days.

her recipe makes one small thin crust pizza. naturally, i doubled that to make enough for 4 people (and 3 puppies, all of whom spend the bulk of mealtimes scurrying rapidly underneath the table competing for my dad's charitable scraps).



you'll need:

1 1/2 cups white flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water (may need up to 1 or 2 tablespoons more)
1 tablespoon olive oil

stir dry ingredients, including yeast, in a bowl. add in the water and olive oil, stirring mixture into as close to a ball as you can. if it's still a bit flakey, go ahead and add an extra tablespoon or two of water. dump all the clumps and floury bits onto a lightly floured surface and knead everything into a cohesive ball.

the all-time best tip mentioned in the recipe is to simply take a brief pause if this step is getting frustrating and the ball isn't well, balling. leave the dough in a lightly-floured spot, put the empty bowl upside-down on top of it and come back in 5 minutes. the dough will somehow, in these 5 minutes, have realized the error of its stubborn ways and be much more willing to cooperate.

knead it for a couple of minutes. grab the bowl you were using and coat with a light spritz of cooking spray. put the dough in and roll it around so all sides are coated. cover it in plastic wrap and leave it in peace for about two hours, until it has doubled in size.

put it back on the floured surface from before and gently press the air out of the dough with the palm of your hands. fold the piece into an approximate ball shape, and let it sit under that plastic wrap for another half hour. if you're going to leave it longer, you can put it in the fridge after that half hour to keep until you're ready to go.

put your pizza stone in a cold oven and preheat your oven to its top temperature (heat is your BFF when making pizza!). this also helps the stone absorb the heat evenly. roll out the pizza and throw on your preferred toppings and seasonings. this time, we started with a thin layer of tomato sauce followed by red onions, black olives, broccoli, and spinach and mushrooms (which have been cooked and drained before). and then (most importantly?!) cheese: a three cheese blend of mozzarella, asiago, and jack.

bake it for about 10 minutes until the dough is crispy, the cheese sizzly, and you just can't take it anymore.

so much roasting. and delicious bruschetta.

i've been backloading recipes for about a week now. just to give you a preview of what's to come: banana cinnamon twist bread, oven roasted brussels sprouts, mediterranean strata, and a banana cake that disappeared within 24 hours of me setting it down on the kitchen counter.

my dear friend lizzy was here to visit last week, and this roasted pepper, tomato, and goat cheese bruschetta was the first dish we tried out. we ended up making it alongside a bunch of other dishes, all of which consisted primarily of roasting. given that neither of us had much experience with this technique - but somehow made the ingenious decision to prepare everything this way - it was an evening of highs ("we know how to roast now!") and lows ("it's buuuurning!"). but ultimately, we emerged victorious and with a sound knowledge of how to roast just about anything.

we strayed a bit from the new york times' recipe for health and sort of miscalculated the appropriate ratio of tomatoes to peppers. translation: we way overdid it on the tomatoes. in retrospect, 8 tomatoes to 2 peppers sounds ludicrous. at the time, we found a way to convince ourselves it was reasonable. reasonable would have been 4 tomatoes to 2 peppers, considering the latter give a bit more of a punch.

but for real: this recipe is easy, pretty, and tasty. we served it as part of a buffet at a big family dinner, but it would also be a great appetizer. next time i make this, i'll either stick with the goat cheese or switch to a crumbled feta.



ingredients:

2 large red peppers, roasted in the oven
4 heirloom tomatoes
coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup parsley
1 to 2 garlic cloves
1 onion
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 baguette
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

dice peppers and coat in a thin layer of olive oil. roast in the oven at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes, turning them over as necessary. while the pepper are roasting, dice your tomatoes and onion and set aside. remove the peppers and allow them to cool in a bowl. if you want, you can mince one of the garlic cloves and add to the peppers. once peppers have cooled off, combine with tomatoes and onion. stir in your parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. toast the bread. spoon on the prepared topping and sprinkle with the goat cheese. serve immediately.

joyfully over-souped.

in the past few months, as things have been getting colder and the need for warm foods has risen steadily, i've learned the invaluable lesson that you can never run out of ways to eat soup. personally, i enjoy mine with a thick slice of toasted bread or a warm pita, but i have to admit that the approach below isn't bad either.