Good Intentions

I had good intentions, really I did. I've been mulling over in my head so many different things I want to tell you about - books I'm reading and recipes I'm trying. But I haven't written anything. The only excuse I have for you is that Spring is making it's first appearance here in St. Louis.

Plus, my good friend Jana came for a visit. She was happy to be out of Seattle, since the weather there has not been Spring-like at all. We relaxed, talked and even enjoyed a

St. Patrick's Day lunch at Llewellyn's Pub in the Central West End.

I was going to do a post for St. Patrick's Day of cornmeal shortbread. I even bought this beautiful shortbread pan to make them in. As I'm sure you can tell by how unused the pan looks that I have failed to even use it yet! Sigh... I guess I will post a recipe and pictures once I use it.

Happy Spring!

Pizza, Pizza

Just about everyone likes pizza. But every one's idea of a good pizza is different. Some people like their pizza very simple with only one, maybe two toppings and some like their pizza chock full of different tastes and flavors. There are many different styles of pizza - thin crust, thick crust, deep dish Chicago style, Italian (which you can further vary by Neapolitan, Sicilian, etc), New York (I'm not even going to go into the different styles up and down the East Coast!), California, St. Louis ... this list can go on and on. I have two dough recipes that I use when I make pizza, it depends on who I am making the pizza for and what kind of toppings that I want to use. One is a thin crust and the other is a thicker crust. It is all about what you like.

I was lucky enough to live in Italy, and had access to the thin crust Neapolitan style pizza just about everywhere I went. With only a few toppings, this pizza is so wonderful. But I will be honest that while we lived there, the American in me did miss the thicker crust pizza with more toppings every once in a while. The most popular thin crust pizza is the Margherita which has the colors of the Italian flag - tomatoes, buffalo milk mozzarella and fresh basil. Another really excellent one to try is the Primavera, with fresh arugula leaves added after the pizza has come out of the oven.

But when I make thin crust pizza, I have to make at least one with mushrooms and garlic. In Gaeta there was a restaurant called "The Bunny Pub". We would go out with friends, and have dinner enjoying several bottles of wine. The first time I went there with Crystal, she told me that I had to try the mushroom and garlic pizza. I tried a mushroom and garlic pizza once before, but I had forgotten how the flavors meld together so wonderfully.

I am not going to give you exact measurements for the toppings, just some rough ideas. Please use your imagination and personal taste to decide what you want on your pizza! The dough for this pizza is from Todd English's cookbook "The Fig's Table". It makes 4 pizzas which serve 1 -2 people per pizza. This dough is much wetter than you are probably used to. Try to use as little flour as you can, and try not to overwork the dough. You can wrap the balls of dough in plastic wrap to freeze for future use (up to two weeks).

I have not always had a stand mixer, a baking stone or a pizza peel. You can easily mix the dough by hand and use cookie or pizza sheets to bake the pizza on.

Fig's Pizza Dough

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling

2 teaspoons yeast

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 2/3 cups lukewarm water

Place the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a mixer fitted with a dough hook. While the mixer is running, gradually add the oil and water. Knead on low speed until the dough is firm and smooth, about 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into four balls. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place two balls on a sheet and cover with a damp towel. Let them rise in a warm spot until they have doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

To roll out the dough: Dab your fingers in flour and then place 1 ball on a generously floured work surface and press down in the center with the tips of your fingers, spreading the dough with your hand. When the dough has doubled in width, use a floured rolling pin and roll out until it is very thin, like flatbread. The outer border should be a little thicker than the inner circle. Pick the dough up with a spatula or the back of a knife, allowing it to fold up almost like an umbrella and transfer it to a paddle. Do not worry that the pizza is not round, you are looking for an 8 - 10 inch shape, a cross between an oval and a rectangle. If you get a hole, simply pinch the edges back together.

To top and bake your pizza:

One hour prior to cooking, place a baking stone in the oven and preheat it to 500F. Roll out your dough and place it on a pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal. The cornmeal helps the pizza slide off the peel. Cover the surface of the dough with 1 teaspoon of olive oil to prevent the dough getting soggy.

Now comes the fun part, use your imagination to what types of cheese and topping you would like. Here are just a few examples:

• My Favorite - with a simple tomato sauce, sliced mushrooms, thinly sliced garlic and mozzarella cheese, and a shaking of hot pepper flakes on top (I sometimes add additional cheeses, depending on what I have on hand)
• try different sauces - besides a typical pizza or marinara sauce, you can use pesto sauce, or no sauce, just cheeses for a white pizza
• try different types of cheese - fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, Monterey Jack, Parmesan, Asiago, Cheddar, Provolone is really popular here in St. Louis
• sliced or diced ham, pepperoni, salami, prosciutto, smoked turkey, cooked and crumbled sausage
• sliced onions, peppers, olives

Finally, a dish to share with you

We've been having some computer issues, but I think all is well now. For a while there I thought I would finally be getting the Mac that I have always wanted - but alas, Patrick was able to fix our laptop. Although I do want a Mac, I think it's a good thing because I wasn't ready for the expense of a new computer quite yet.

Honestly, I haven't had a lot to write about anyway. It's not that I haven't been cooking, but none of the dishes that I have made have been good enough to tell you about. It's not that anything was horrible, but nothing I've made had a big "Wow!" factor. There has been a perfectly fine roasted chicken, a grilled chicken and roasted red pepper sandwich that needs some work, a decent spaghetti all'arrabbiata, and an edible spicy Thai chicken pasta dish. As I'm sure you can tell, I'm not in love with any of these dishes. I needed to cook something that I just had to tell you about.

And I hadn't cooked anything that good until last night. I have been thinking about making Kofta for a long time. They are a very highly spiced Middle Eastern style meatball, normally made of lamb. When I was young, I practically lived at my friend Shazi's house. Her house is where I first tasted Indian/Pakistani cooking, and where I started to learn to cook. My mom was not a very good cook, and it was such a wonderful change to go there and taste such highly spiced and good food. Shazi's mom cooked spicy - some would say too spicy (and they were her Indian friends!). The first time I tried dhal, I thought my mouth was on fire. It was so hot. It didn't take me too long to get used to hot food, and now I can't do without it. She would cook all the time, but like most people she would cook even more so during the holidays. Shazi's mom would spend days in the kitchen cooking, and Kofta were always part of those meals.

Over the years, I have tried to re-create many of the dishes that I used to eat at their house, dhal, spinach, spicy meat and potatoes - but I had never tried to make Kofta. Last night I finally tried to replicate them, and for my first try, I think they turned out quite well. I don't remember if Shazi's mom used rice in her Kofta (it has been more than 14 years since I've had her meals), but after looking at several recipes, this seemed to be the closest to my memory. I adapted the meatball recipe from "Everyday Asian" by Patricia Yeo and Tom Steele. I served them with a Yogurt and Tahini sauce from "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" by Deborah Madison. This recipe makes a large batch, which is great to have in the freezer for additional meals. I served them on top of a basic rice pilaf, but they would be wonderful in pita bread with sliced tomato, cucumber and romaine lettuce.

Middle Eastern Spiced Meatballs

Adapted from the recipe Meatballs and Yogurt Sauce in "Everyday Asian" by Patricia Yeo and Tom Steele

1 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground veal

1/2 pound ground pork

2 eggs

2 cups cooled steamed rice

1 cup caramelized finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon toasted ground coriander seeds

1 tablespoon toasted ground cumin seeds

1 tablespoon toasted ground cardamom pods

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoons ground cayenne

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons canola oil

Mix together the beef, veal, pork, eggs, onion, spices, salt and pepper with your hands. Preheat the oven to 350F. Form the mixture into 3/4 inch balls. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sear and brown the meatballs in the canola oil in batches to avoid crowding. Transfer the browned meatballs to an oven safe dish and roast in the oven until they are fully cooked, approximately 15 minutes. Serve with Yogurt Tahini Sauce.

Yogurt Tahini Sauce

From "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" by Deborah Madison

1 clove garlic, finely minced

salt

1 cup yogurt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and the grated zest of lemon

Make a garlic paste by sprinkling the minced garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt and press the flat of the knife blade into the garlic to form a paste. Place in a bowl and stir in the tahini. Gradually add the yogurt and the lemon zest. Season to taste with lemon juice and salt.