Summer Bites

This was last night's dinner: mozzarella, grape tomatoes, and fresh basil from our CSA speared like mini kabobs on toothpicks, drizzled in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Delicious and perfect for the 101 degree hot and humid day, which found me around six o'clock scratching my head in our kitchen trying to figure out what to eat when neither of us were hungry, most likely due to the fact that it was still above 90 at that time. This hit cold dish hit the spot.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.9

Homemade Pizza

Who loves a good pizza? Everyone! It's the perfect bang for your buck, great for lunch, dinner, a midnight snack, the morning after, AND believe it or not, if you make it yourself I think it tastes better than when ordered in, is far less greasy, and can arguably be healthier.

Let's say you're in a rush and/or you either don't want to deal with or don't have time to make the dough and allow it to rise. No sweat. Most grocery stores sell pizza dough balls. We get ours from Trader Joe's and I always go with two, not only because the leftovers are tasty but because two pizza dough balls are the perfect size to make a Sicilian pie on one of our 9x13 baking sheets.

Let the dough sit at room temperature for about twenty minutes before spreading it out and attacking it with your ingredients. This is a great time to preheat your oven to 400 degrees and get your toppings ready. Before rolling out your dough, toss a loose handful of flour across your workspace and spread it about. I like my dough a little thick so I don't use a rolling pin but rather stretch, toss, and spread it out with my hands (Don't get too excited; I look nothing like people in Italian commercials working with dough). I work each ball separately, pinching them together in the middle of the baking sheet and pinching a good size crust around the edges of what will be the pie.

Sauce. Any Marinara will do - homemade or otherwise. I use about 13 ounces, spread out not too thickly, not too thinly, but just right across the dough with the back of a spoon. Cheese. Mozzarella. Grated and sprinkled across the top. I use about 1 pound. Parmesan. Grated. Sprinkled around the edges and on the crust. Herbs. Oregano. A definite must have.

At this point you can add any other toppings you wish - fresh veggies, sausage, pepperoni, anchovies, whatever - and then pop it in the oven. Give it about 15-20 minutes, depending on how you like your crust. We like ours crispy, so I'll generally lower the oven to 350 degrees and cook it for about 20-25 minutes to ensure the crust is the way we like it and the pizza doesn't burn (Very Important. Burnt pizza is such a disappointment).

Let it sit for about 5-7 minutes before cutting it, either with a pizza slicer, medium sized non-serrated knife, or a good pair of kitchen scissors (I do not jest - scissors are great for pizza), serve, and buono apetite!

Herbed Chicken Parmigiana over Spagetti, with Garlic Bread

This is a dish that is simple enough to make and that can result in mouth-watering taste bud satisfying traditional comfort meals, however, it can also go terribly wrong and end up no better than an imposter at highway rest stop buffet table.

Hey, paison! I won't let you down and leave you with a gummy, greasy plate. What follows is my recipe for a great dish that is a delicious, no-fail take on the traditional plate that should immediately take you back to your grandmother's kitchen. You're not Italian, let alone have never had an Italian grandmother? I'm sure you have some sort of imagination; work it out. Just whatever you do, please don't think of those Olive Garden commercials, mmkay?

You'll need:
3-4 chicken breasts
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and Pepper
Panko Bread Crumbs
Fresh Minced Parsley
Fresh Minced Basil
8oz Mozzarella
Grated Parmesan Cheese

There are a few important things to note that will come up as I outline the recipe. The first is that instead of using any old breadcrumb, get yourself Panko Breadcrumbs. These are lighter and airier, generally associated with Japanese cuisine. These are important to use because if you think back to all of the not-so-great chicken parm dishes, I bet you found it to be gummy and chewy. This was probably in part due to the breadcrumb selection. Buy some plain panko and I promise you won't regret it because you won't end up with a gummy cutlet.

In a bowl combine the breadcrumbs ( about 3/4 cup), parsley, basil (about 1 tablespoon of each) salt and pepper (about a 1/4 to 1 teaspoon of each) and about three tablespoons of parmesan cheese. It's all an approximation to what you like. While you're getting this ready and lightly tossing it with your fingers, get a skillet nice and hot on the stove. After dipping each breast in the eggs, dredge them through the breadcrumb mixture. On the skillet, brown each side of each breast, setting aside once done.

This is the second important detail to note. The breadcrumb-herb-parmesan mixture before browning is what I have found to be pretty key in the overall completeness of the dish. The chicken needs to be browned, clearly, but the crispy panko crumbs embedded with fresh herbs are sealed in with a crispy parmesan crust before being baked.

Once your chicken breasts are ready, place them in a dish and cover them with sauce, and the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Clearly a homemade Italian Sauce would be eccellente, but sometimes we don't always have the time on hand to create it. I suggest taking your favorite marinara - I actually prefer a Basil Marinara and an Arrabiata Sauce blended 1:1; this gives the dish the smooth marinara with a spicy kick.

Bake the dish uncovered at 375 degrees until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is bubbling. At this point, get your garlic bread ready. Personally, I like to take two small loaves of baked ficelle and slice them down the middle. Slather on butter, generously sprinkle garlic bread seasoning from The Spice Terminal at Reading Terminal Market and top it with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Toss it in oven alongside your dish.

Allow the dish to sit and cool for about ten minutes before serving it on top of Spagetti along with that delicious fresh garlic bread, and Voila! un pasto perfetto!

Shrimp Scampi over Pasta

I love me some shrimps, though unfortunately My Librarian, having grown up in a surfer town, does not like the shrimp, nor other family members of what she calls "sand bugs." Though she implores me to cook my "sand bug" food whenever I get a hankering, I don't when we eat together as I would feel guilty and am perfectly content to cook my shellfish when she is absent at the dinner hour. I made this dish last night while she was at work and for the duration of the meal, was in shrimpy heaven.

I used cooked frozen shrimp since I think the blue uncooked shrimp are gross looking. Using some olive oil and two cloves of garlic, I heated the skillet before adding my shrimp, which, by the way, I had marinated in the juice of one lemon for about thirty minutes beforehand.

As the shrimp were heating, I added 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of sea salt, stirring everything occasionally. While the shrimp were cooking, I started the water to boil my spaghetti. Once the shrimp were turned for even cooking, I added about three tablespoons of butter to the skillet, stirring as it melted down. Then I added some dry white wine and the juice of one more lemon to taste. (The wine and butter combination is tweak-able to taste; just keep dipping your finger in the sauce as you stir to achieve the flavor you desire.)

Once the dish was complete, I tossed the spaghetti and the shrimp with the pan sauce in a medium sized bowl. After plating my dish, I topped it with fresh chopped parsley.