Cauliflower Crust Pizza, Romesco Sauce, Two Great Salads

Mixed Fruit Dessert Salad
Sally hosted a couple of girlfriends for a Saturday luncheon, and I did my Kilted Cook, Personal Chef thing.  I made them the Carrot-Parsnip Osso Bucco which I wrote about a couple weeks back, paired with Red Quinoa, and this dessert salad served with a dollop of Skyr yogurt.  It turned out so pretty I just had to share:

Cauliflower Crust Pizza
We'd been craving a pizza, and I've been wanting to try making my own cauliflower crust.  This was a lot simpler than some of the recipes I've seen, and comes from the WW recipe database.  It's also a lot healthier than the pre-made cauli-crusts that you can buy at the megamart.  Take a look:

Preheat oven to 450F

14 oz frozen, "riced" Cauliflower, thawed and pressed in kitchen towels to remove moisture
2/3 cup AP Flour (could substitute other non-wheat flours)
1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella or other cheese
2 Eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning or other herbs and spices

Thoroughly combine the ingredients in a large-ish bowl.  Spoon the 'dough' onto a pizza stone, coated pan or parchment covered baking sheet.  I used our 12" pizza pan with a  spritz of EVOO.  Smooth the dough out with the back of a large spoon or spatula.  I spread it out not quite 1/4" thick -- like a typical "thin crust" -- which we prefer.  Bake about 30 minutes.  

Then carefully release, flip over, and bake the second side up 20-30 minutes more.  

Cool the crust, then add your sauce and toppings.  Bake again at 450 for another 15-20 minutes until the cheese in your toppings melts. 

Romesco Sauce
I wanted something different from ordinary "pizza sauce"  for the base flavor of my pizza, and since I had almonds and red bell peppers around, I decided to make a simple, very flavorful Romesco sauce.  The sauce originated in Spain and is a tremendous thing to top a steak, fish, chicken... or even a pizza crust.  Here's the recipe I posted a few years ago.

3/4 cup Sliced Almonds
2 large Red Peppers, split, deveined and roasted skin side up under the broiler until nicely blackened 
1 Tbsp Malt Vinegar
1 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
1-2 Tbsp oil-packed Sundried Tomatoes, rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 tsp fresh cracked Black Pepper
1-2 peeled Garlic Cloves

Put everything in your food processor and whirrrr until nicely pureed.  Yep.  It's that simple.

Works great as a garnish for fish, chicken, omelets, and pizza!

Butternut, Kale & Quinoa Salad

This dinner salad came from Forks Over Knives, and like most of their recipes, fell just a bit short.  In this case there wasn't nearly as much dressing as you would like.  My ingredient list will give you a decent amount of dressing, and suggests optional dried fruits to add!

                       
2 cups cooked Butternut Squash - 3/4" cubes microwaved until done but firm
1/4 cup chopped raw Cashews (Pine Nuts would also go well here).
1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon
2 Lemons, juiced; one zested
4 Tbsp Maple or Cane Syrup
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3 cups stemmed, chopped Kale
1-1/2 cups cooked Red Quinoa (better flavor than the usual tan quinoa)
1 sweet Apple, diced
1 bunch Green Onions, chopped
Optional -- 1/2 or so of raisins,  sultanas, or Zante currants

While the squash cooks, toast the cashews a few minutes in a dry skillet.  

Whisk together the cinnamon, lemon juice and zest, syrup and mustard to make a dressing.
In a large bowl toss the warm squash and kale, to slightly wilt the greens.  Then fold in the apple, onion and quinoa -- tossing well to combine and distribute everything.  Drizzle the dressing over all and toss one more time.  Chill before serving.

Hungarian Casserole, Garbanzo Bread, Salsa Verde

Hungarian Cauliflower Casserole

This recipe is courtesy of my ATARN (Asian Traditional Archery Network) Internet friend Istvan Cserep, who was born in Hungary, but has relocated to Tarpon Springs, FL.  He's been educating me on Hungarian cuisine, and you'll see more of what he's taught me later in the year.
                     
This dish, like all "folk" dishes is more of a technique -- some cauliflower, some sour cream, some breadcrumbs, etc.    The one thing I've done is lighten it up a bit by substituting plain Icelandic Skyr yogurt (we like Siggi's brand), for the more calorie-intensive sour cream.

1 head Cauliflower, disassembled, leaving almost no stem on the florets

2 cups plain Skyr
1 Egg, beaten
1/3 cup shredded Cheese (sharp is best)
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
Sweet (or smoked or hot) Hungarian Paprika (optional but highly recommended)

Preheat oven to 400F.

Arrange the cauliflower in a single layer in a 9x9 baking dish.  Nuke the veg for 6-8 minutes until almost tender.  Cool.  You could also simmer the florets in salted water, but that takes a lot longer...

Combine the skyr, egg and cheese in a bowl.  If you want a more 'sour' taste, add the juice of half a lemon.  Slather the yogurt mixture over the top of the cauliflower.  Sprinkle the panko on top of that, and finally, dust with the paprika, if desired.

                        
Bake 30-40 minutes until turning golden and crusty. 

Garbanzo Bread

I'm always looking for simple, tasty bread recipes.  This one is really nice.  More expensive to make than a wheat flour bread, but worth the cost once in awhile -- or if you're gluten-intolerant.  We both remarked that it has a lot of the texture of a good gingerbread.  Soft inside, nice crusty outside.  Doesn't taste of ginger though, unless you put some in the batter/dough (ginger ale isn't enough to taste).  This might be even better if you used some garbanzo flour and some almond flour.  

2-1/2 cups Chickpea flour 

1-1/4 teaspoons Baking Soda

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 12-ounce can Lemon-Lime soda or Ginger Ale

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 375F . Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper; also grease or spray the exposed ends.  

In a large bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. 

Slowly pour the seltzer down the side of the bowl (to prevent a lot of foaming); add the olive oil and stir until combined. Immediately pour into prepared baking pan.

Bake in the preheated oven 40-45 minutes until risen, golden brown, and a skewer inserted near the center comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely before slicing.

This loaf was so good it was half gone before I could get a photo!

Salsa Verde
I've been a fan of Salsa Verde for years!  But it just dawned on me to try and make my own.  It couldn't be that hard, could it?  After all it's just tomatillos, some sort of green chili, and onion, right?  

1+ lb Tomatillos -- 10-12 fruit, husked  (you really want fresh, not canned)
1/2 cup fine diced Sweet Onion
1 Poblano Chili or 1-3 Jalapeno or Serrano Chilis depending on your heat tolerance
1-3 cloves Garlic
6-8 stems of Cilantro -- use just the leaves
1-2 Limes, juiced
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cumin

Roast the halved tomatillos, seeded and halved pepper(s) and whole garlic cloves under the broiler until the green goodies are charred but not completely blackened.

Put the veggies (don't forget the juice) in your food processor or blender and pulse a few times to chop and combine with the cilantro, cumin and salt to taste (not much).  Add the diced onion and pulse a couple more times.   Stir in some lime juice and taste for effect.

Taste too sharp?  Stir in a teaspoon or two of sugar or agave syrup.  Too spicy?  Add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.  

Here's the real trick:  now you "fry" the salsa.  Yes -- fry it!!  This helps it thicken and gives it a deeper darker, richer color and flavor.  Simmer for 10-20 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then jar it up.   

New Year, New Foods, New Ideas

Well, it's been a few weeks since I wrote last.  But, hey!  The Holidays are busy and stressful for everyone. 

Hasselback Eggplant

There was this eggplant...see.  And I needed to cook it....see.  And it was hasseling me...  So.

Well, sorta hasselback, anyway.  I sliced lengthwise instead of across, but it's the same idea.
I made a 'from fresh' batch of diced tomatoes, onion and spices.  Sliced the eggplant and nestled it in a bed of the tomatoes.

Then I pried the slices open and spooned in some of the tomato goodies.  Baked everything for about 30 minutes, then topped with cheese and baked again until everything was melted and yummy.

Maybe next time I'll slice cross-wise.

Maple-Chili Roasted Butternut
Sugar and spice; it's really nice!  Not too much of either, just "interestingly flavored".  Can be a side dish or a vegetarian main course with a starch like rice or quinoa on the side.

1 Butternut Squash
1/2-3/4 tsp Chili Powder
2-3 Tbsp Chili Powder -- I used Garam Masala
1-2 Tbsp grated fresh Ginger
1/4 cup Sugar-Free Maple Syrup (or the real thing if you're not diet conscious)
Little finger of fresh Ginger, grated

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

Peel & cube the butternut.   Toss the squash with the maple syrup and ginger and dust with the chili powder.   Place in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tender.

Mince Pies

Mince pies are a UK holiday treat.  Little two-bite morsels of slightly sweetened crust and tablespoon or so of  "mincemeat". I made these for our annual watching of A Child's Christmas In Wales (the Denholm Elliot version).  

This year I tried something different and very handy -- concentrated mincemeat!  

It was less than 1/3 the cost of that giant jar that mostly never gets used.  And in future, I know I can reconstitute about 1/4 of the 'brick' to make a batch of mince pies, and store the rest in the freezer, suitably wrapped.

I made up a batch of my No-Fail Tart Crust, and cut a dozen  bottoms and tops from it:

1-3/4 cup AP flour

1 stick unsalted Butter

1/2tsp Salt

2 Egg Yolks

3 Tbsp Ice Water

In your food processor, take the flour, salt and butter for a spin until the mixture looks like fine crumbs (takes 10-20 seconds of pulsing). Don't overdo it!

In a small bowl whisk together the water and the yolks. With the processor running, add the yolk mixture and stop spinning as soon as the dough comes together in a ball – about 5 seconds!

Roll the dough out between sheets of waxed paper.

I put the bottoms in my pan, added a tablespoon or so of mincemeat, then pressed on the tops and pierced them to let steam out.  Into the oven for 15-20 minutes at 400F until GB&D.  Let them cool, then gently remove from the pan.

Egg Pan
I'm not often a fan of uni-tasker kitchen gadgets, but this gift I got from Sally's daughter Holly, is just about perfect!  Doing breakfasts for our AirBnb guests, I make a lot of sunnyside fried eggs for various dishes.  I usually haul out the electric skillet and some egg rings.  But this is so much easier!

Spices & Spice Blends
I thought you might be interested in the spices and spice blends that I use most often in cooking for home and for our AirBnb guests.  This is sort of my "gotta have" spice rack:

Spices

Black Peppercorns

White Pepper

Sea Salt

Paprika -- Hungarian -- sweet, smoky, and hot varieties
Garam Masala
Amchur Powder

Assorted Indian Spice blends for eggplant, chickpeas, etc.
Cumin -- powdered or seed 

Rosemary

Oregano

Sage
Coriander

Marjoram
Thyme

Mushroom powders
Nutmeg Nuts (not ground)
Cinnamon --sticks and ground

Blends

Cavender's Greek Seasoning
Italian Seasoning

Healthy Solutions salt-free Cajun Seafood
Healthy Solutions salt-free Taco 

Tony Cachere's Cajun Seasoning
Badia brand Sazon Tropical Orange seasoning
Everything But The Bagel Seasoning

Other Things

Orange Extract

Vegemite
Lizano sauce
Salsa Verde

Salsa Rojo

Soy Sauce

Liquid Smoke
Vinegars - balsamic, white wine, apple cider, etc.
Panko