Summer Fades to Fall

This Saturday September 22nd, at 10:49 summer passed into fall. School is in full swing. Mom's and Dad's are back to the grind of shuffling work and kids school schedules. Seniors are taking their vacations off season. Ranchers are moving their herds back in from grazing out on the range all summer. Cattle and wildlife will be in rutting season soon, and farmers are bringing in the crops.  This summer we have had the best weather that I can remember. That means very little fog.

 I love summer, and hate to see it go. I'll miss the fresh strawberries, the asparagus, the long days and nights,  swimming up at the Russian River, bikinis, motorcycles, driving with the top down, and barbecues to name just a few things.

Here in Oakland California the leaves have been turning early this year. I don't predict the weather, but based on what nature is telling us it looks like it might be an early winter. I've heard that El Nino is scheduled for a comeback. Winter in Oakland means rain,  and there are a number of reasons I'm living in California, specifically the Bay Area, and the moderate climate is at the top of that list. I know we need rain, and where there is water there is life. The great thing about living here is that if I want snow it's only 3 hours away. I can play in it for a couple of days, and come home to the Mediterranean climate that I have become so accustomed to living in.

I also love the fall season because it is harvest time. This is when the growers and producers of food reap the bounty of their labor. The corn, the squash, the wheat, the apples, pears, nuts, the grapes, crush time, and canning. So, before summer fades from sight I'm going to give you another summer recipe.

My friend Kevin and I were arguing about the best method to cook corn the other day. His method is to cook it on the grill and in the husk. I shuck the husk, add a little olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes or cayenne (optional). His method steams the corns, mine cooks it Indian style. With his method you have to clean those funky little hairs inside the husk. My method you just skip that task, and let the heat burn the little hairs off. This method bring out the natural sugars in the corn, and sugar as you know is highly addictive. You won't need dessert after eating this corn.

finished product..white and yellow corn

Indian corn on t he cob

Korean style BBQ ribs

on the grill

So, here it is. My preferred method to cooking corn on the cob, Hippie/Indian style. When winter has set in real good I'm going to get some corn on the cob, and BBQ it just so I can remember summer again.

I also included a recipe for Korean style beef short ribs.


Hippie/Indian Corn On the Cob

Ingredients:
Corn on the cob
salt and pepper
olive oil
red pepper/cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:
Note; (I'm using a gas grill for this recipe. If you're using charcoal wait till your coals are nice and white, and you're good to go)

1) Remove husk from the corn cob, and remove as many of the little hairs from the corn as you can.

2) Rub a light coat of olive oil all over the corn, and apply salt and pepper, and any additional spices desired.

3) Place corn on the grill, and cook it till it's golden brown all around.


Korean Style Beef Short Ribs

Ingredients:
2 lbs beef short ribs

Marinade:
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 oz. dark sesame seed oil
6 cloves of garlic crushed
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup Mexican Coca Cola
4 tbsp warm water
1/2 tsp white pepper

Directions:
1) Marinate the short ribs 1 hour before putting them on the grill on high heat.

2) Cook a couple of minutes on each side till they are firm but not overcooked.

That's it.

Peace...Make Food/Not War

By Bread Alone....Post #3...Cooking Methods

This is the last installment of the By Bread Alone blog series. Previously in blog #1 I explained how to make a classic NY style Neapolitan pizza. In the second blog I discussed toppings, and included 26 different suggestions for toppings.  This blog addresses heat sources to cook pizza.

There are many ways to cook pizza. I've cooked pizza on a camp fire before, in our wood fired pizza oven, electric stoves, gas stoves, and camp stoves. At our family restaurant in Connecticut we cooked pizza in a gas brick oven at 550 degrees, and we made the best pizza I've ever ate. So, let's discuss some of these methods briefly, because I'm ready to wrap this series up, and move on.

First, let's establish that it's the floor of the oven that needs to be hot, and the heat needs to come from the BOTTOM, and circulate around. If you don't have a hot floor your pie will cook on the top, and be doughy on the bottom. That is the worst possible case scenario. There is nothing worse than doughy pizza. Have I done this?  Be serious. Hell yeah. Yes, I have fucked up pizza, and everything else in my life every which way possible. Not really, I'm prefect, it's the rest of the world that's fuct.

Camp fire pizza is great. There's nothing like being outdoors with the big sky, the stars, and nature all around you. You can make your dough in advance, and keep it on ice in the cooler with your toppings till you get to your camp site. Or, you can make your dough at camp, let it rise, punch it down, let it rise again, shape it, and you're good to go. You'll need a flat round pan, and your fire heat needs to be between 550 degrees and 700 degrees. Bring a digital infrared laser thermometer along with you. I've seen them as cheap as $37.00 on line, and upwards as high as $250.00. This is a real treat for you and your friends because how many people cook pizza on camp outs?  It will be a big hit, and you will be the envy of all the other campers around you. Personally I like to camp where there is no one else around. If you make the dough there at camp site you will need a thermometer for your water also, 115 degrees.

Wood fired pizza ovens are expensive. I looked for 8 years on line for an oven that wouldn't cost me 10 K and I finally found one. You can make your own cob oven also. I'm going to be doing this with a friend starting next Wednesday. There is nothing like wood fired pizza. In my book this is hands down the best way to cook pizza. The wood and smoke give you a flavor that no other heat source can duplicate.

There are nice wood fired ovens on line that are made of steel, and the wood fire box is ON THE BOTTOM. These are some cool looking ovens. I was very tempted to go with one of these, but it in the end I opted for a kit oven.

Forno Bravo came up with the wood fired oven that we now have for around $2500.00 plus shipping, plus the stand. If you're a do it your self er, like I am, you can make your own stand out of cinder block. Then make a form of reinforced concrete and put the oven on top of that etc etc. I had a metal frame fabricated, and I had it built so I don't have to stoop over.  I also had wheels mounted on it so I could move it around a little. This cost us an additional thousand dollars. Forno Bravo had a number of kits to choose from, and we got the 34 inch, the smallest one. If you get the biggest maxi-dweeb pizza oven they sell you're still only going to be able to cook one pie at a time in there, so why spend more money when you don't need to. You will need help putting this together. This is not a one man job, and Forno Bravo's instructions are not very helpful, but this oven ROCKS.  If you're going to get a stand fabricated make sure it is solid. This model weighs a thousand pounds plus. If you get a 34 inch oven like we did make sure the top of the stand is at least 46 inches square. The inside of the oven is 34 inches, then there's 3 inches of concrete, 3 inches of fire blanket on top of that, chicken wire, and then two coats of stucco, for a total of 42 inches.

This oven will get up to 1000 degrees, and you can do low fire ceramics in it. I like to cook my pies  around 650 to 700 degrees. It takes about 2 hours to get the ceramic floor hot enough to make pizzas.  At this temperature I can cook a pie in about 2 and half to 3 minutes, but you have to watch it, and turn it a number of times in that short time period. If you try to multi task when that pie is in the oven you'll get burnt every time.

If you buy a kit oven take your time putting it together because if you screw it up your oven can crack, and a number of other things could go wrong. If you go to my blogs, loving my oven series, there are some helpful hints there to avoid these pitfalls. I suggest that if you get a kit like we did that you let it sit for a month in dry place before you put it together. This will allow some of the moisture in the concrete dome to evaporate naturally.  Then you need to follow the curing instructions to the letter. This is also chronicled in my Lovin' My Oven blog series. Forno Bravo did a good job with describing how to cure the oven.

If you want to build a wood fired oven cheaply build a cobb oven. Get a load of clay and dirt and some straw, make a stand, build a form and have at it.  I will be taking pictures and video of the one my friend Rick and I are building out at his place, and I will be posting photos, and detailed instructions on how we did this on line. There are ovens in the mountains up by our cabin that the Basque sheep herders built in the late 1870's that have survived right out in the elements. If you keep it covered from the rain it should last you a lifetime, and you can build a beautiful one for $400.00 or less.

The wood you choose is up to you, or you can use charcoal or coal for that matter. If you use wood you need a hard wood. I have a couple of cords of Juniper wood from our property in the high desert
that I'm still using. Stay away from soft woods such as pine or redwood. They're ok for kindling, but simply won't burn hot enough. Oak, walnut, apple, cherry, eucalyptus, are all good woods to burn. Forno Bravo tells you to only burn wood, no charcoal, no coal, and no starters such as lighter fluid. Wood is easy to find here in Oakland. Not many people use wood to heat their homes any longer, and there are places you can just pull up with your truck and load up.

There's a place in San Francisco called Lazarri's that sells wood and lump charcoal to a lot of the pizza makers in the Bay Area. The cool thing about Lazarri's is that if you purchase a cord of wood you can take home what you need, and come back any time for the rest. It's like a bank account. It's wood account.

I never use starters such as lighter fluid. You don't want you foods imparted with these traces chemicals. They are toxic and harmful to the human body.

Cooking pizza in an electric oven works just fine. You get a nice even dry heat, and very little fluctuation in temperature. You need to keep your pie ON THE BOTTOM rack in a round pizza pan. Put a little olive oil on the bottom of the pan so it doesn't stick, or you can use coarse corn meal, which is my preference.

A gas oven is great also, and that's what I've been using at home till we got the wood fired oven. Again, again, again and again, BOTTOM RACK. If you have an oven that burns hotter than the standard 550 degrees more power to you. At 550  degrees my pies takes about 6 minutes in our gas oven. I still use the gas oven or the gas grill if it's just Geraldine and myself.

We have your standard Charcoal Webber grill that uses charcoal, and if you want that smoke flavor in you pies you can get it that way. You can also use chips and get some added smoke if you really love the smoke. I'd rather just light up a spliff myself.

Gas grills are my second favorite way to cook pizza believe it or not. Our gas grill will get up to 1000 degrees when the top is down, and it  has a smoker as well. It's just like an oven in there with the top down. Once you figure out how long it takes to cook a pie with a gas grill you can avoid the loss of heat from opening and closing it while checking to see if it's done. Just set your timer and pay attention. Experiment.

We have a little camp stove, and I have made pizza right on it before. We used this to heat our yurt cabin, and it cooks pizza perfectly. It has a nice flat top. You can put the pies right on that top, and they cook in about 4 minutes.

You can cook pizza in a frying pan if you need it that badly, gas or electric. Put a little olive oil in the skillet, then the pie, and cook the bottom till it's done. Flip it over,  put you fixins' on real fast, put a lid on top to help melt the cheese, and cook till the bottom is done. I'd do this on medium heat so it cooks through and through.

That about covers it. this has been a fun series, and I hope the three people who read this blog like it.
Feel free to contact me with questions or whatever.

Once again.

Peace...Make Food/Not War

By Bread Alone Post #2- Toppings

Pizza toppings are as important as the dough, but make no mistake, bad dough, bad pie.  This post deals with the toppings. Meats laden with hormones, veggies grown with pesticides and herbicides, cows, goats, sheep, buffalos, yacks, pigs, chicken shot full of antibiotics, these products are not good for us.

Use the best and leave the rest, that's my philosophy. If you can raise them, make them, or grow them more power to you. That way you know exactly where your food came from, and  exactly what you're getting. But if you're just like the rest of us who don't live on a farm then it's to the market we must go. If you can afford organic products by them.

Gone are the old days of the red sauce smothered with mozzarella cheese, covered with pepperoni. For me I need a little more imagination when I'm cooking pizza. First of all I cook pizza  in our wood fired pizza oven, and invite a bunch of people over because it doesn't make any sense to fire up the oven for just me and Geraldine. So, it's a party when we have pizza, and I love to party.

I like to make pies that people haven't even thought are possible, which means almost anything goes. Try and be more inventive when you're making pizza, because when you cook for people you want that WOW factor. That's what a chef lives for.  Experiment. I mean, what are friends for if you can't use them as guinea pigs once in awhile?

I try to stay away from too many veggies on pizza although you'll see quite a few pies below with veggies on them. My position on the matter is rather simple. The rule of thumb is to have a salad WITH my pizza, not ON my pizza. Exception to the rule, and there's always an exception to the rules, would be the vegan factor.  We all have friends who are vegans. So, if I know vegans are coming over I'll make pies specifically suited for them. I have not made gluten free pizza, but that's an experiment  I need to try and soon.

Also, I don't smother my pizza with anything. Just enough sauce, if any, or olive oil, and cheese applied lightly. No crusts stuffed with cheese. Real Neapolitan pizza is delicate and not overbearing.

Regarding red sauces I use Pomi strained tomato sauce from Italy.  Sometime I use tomato paste and add some dried Italian herbs and add water until I get the consistency that I desire.

When it comes to Pesto I usually make my own with olive oil, garlic, salt, black pepper, Romano cheese, and toasted pine nuts. I did a blog on this, so if you're looking for a nice pesto recipe you can go to my blog posts and find it there.

Here are some combinations that I have used, and ones that I have tried from other chefs over the years that have given me, my family, friends, and guests that WOW factor.

I hope you enjoy them, and I welcome people to send me their suggestions. I'm always open to new ideas.

Note: When I described these pizzas belowI put them in the order that I would put the ingredients on the pie.


#1- If you're using a red sauce try putting it on the top of the pie next time instead of the bottom.
       I saw a chef do this about 2 years ago, and it changed the way I make pizza.

#2- Asiago cheese with dabs of pesto and red sauce...a great combo

#3- Sheep's Feta, diced tomatoes or cut very thin, and laid all over (if you cut then thin lay them on the bottom then the Feta etc.),  kalamata olives, capers, anchovies, rosemary, olive oil, basil (after it's out of the oven)

#4- Pesto, new potatoes  (skin on & baked first) cut thin, Fontina cheese, diced red bell pepper, fresh oregano (after it's out of the oven)
   
#5-  BBQ sauce, Jack cheese,  pulled pork (make sure you get most of the juice out of the pork before applying it on top. (see my recipe for pulled pork at this blog site)

#6- Blue cheese (Stilton, Maytag), diced dates, julianne Bartlett pears, a little olive oil, black pepper

#7- Oregano, sharp Cheddar, red sauce, Romano cheese, sauteed mushrooms and onions, sweet Italian sausage

#8 Fresh goat cheese, julienne apples (skinless), reconstituted raisins, and olive oil

#9- Red sauce,  Asiago cheese, clams, garlic and lots of fresh basil/parsley chopped fine, olive oil, crushed red pepper

#10- Sheep's Feta, and Goat cheese, olive oil, asparagus (pre cooked), capers, diced tomatoes, crushed black pepper

#11- Red Sauce, sharp Cheddar, Romano, Fontina and Asiago cheese, with fresh basil & oregano (out of the oven)

#12- Asiago, red sauce,  Romano, anchovies, fresh basil  (after it comes out of the oven)  My all time favorite pie.

#13- Petite Basque sheep's cheese, Gouda, cocktail sauce  (lightly applied) baby shrimp, parsley, olive oil

#14- Ricotta cheese, olive oil,  julianne Genoa salami, fennel (very little) and basil (after it comes out)

#15- Ham, sliced thin, Emmental cheese, pineapple, parsley (after it's out of the oven)  The Hawiian classic

#16- Smoked Gouda cheese,  Manchego cheese, smoked oysters, olive oil, black pepper

#17- Goat cheese, olive oil, nettles (cooked first), pitted black olives of Provence,

#18- Mozzarella cheese, Spinach (sauteed first with S & P, olive oil, and a little white wine & garlic), sauteed mushrooms,  chicken apple sausage, red sauce

#19- Sharp Cheddar, fresh oregano, pitted kalamata olives, red sauce, crushed garlic, and fresh basil (after out of the oven)

#20-  Asiago cheese, poached egg on top with 2 anchovies criss crossed on top of the yoke, truffle oil

#21- Asiago cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, Olives of Provence, artichoke hearts, julianne red bell peppers, and fresh basil  (after it comes out of the oven)

#22- Brie de Meaux cheese cut as thin as possible (put it in the freezer for 1 hr. before then cut it), prosciutto (sliced thin), Mozzarella de buffalo, crushed pistachios, grape seed oil

#23- Brie de Meaux again, orange squash sauteed with olive oil, s & p, nutmeg and cinnamon, olive oil sprinkled on top, finish with fresh mint (after it's out of the oven)

#24- Black olive tapenade, Ricotta cheese, julianne red bell peppers, crushed red pepper, fresh basil
(after it's out of the oven)

#25- Asiago and Pecorino Romano cheese, grilled eggplant, mild Italian sausage, red sauce, basil (after it's out of the oven)

#26- Farmer's cheese, jalapenos (sliced thin), salsa (diced tomatoes, green onions, cilantro), chorizo sausage, a little lemon or lime after it comes out of the oven. South of the Boarder pizza. Note; get as much of the water out of the diced tomatoes as possible...put in a China cap with some salt to draw out the water)


Create, Invent, Enjoy!

Peace...Make Food/Not War

By Bread Alone....Post #1....Pizza Dough

The bible says, "Man cannot live by bread alone." Well, there's is an exception to every rule, and I might be that exception. I can live by bread alone especially if I can put some olive oil or a simple sauce on it, a little cheese, or a can of anchovies,  and I could live just fine, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, for the rest of my life. That and let me off leash a couple of hours a day with my dogs, and I'll survive.

Of course I know the statement above means that man has spiritual needs as well as physical needs. This blog deals with man's physical needs.

It's no secret that I love pizza, and this week's blog is dedicated to that sacred of all foods. This blog is a 3 part series on pizza making, and this is the 1st installment. The last two blogs will deal with toppings and heat sources.

Included in this article will be pictures, and a complete recipe with instructions for making my pizza dough. I'm starting with the dough because without great dough you've simply got lousy pizza. The recipe included within is GREAT dough. I'll put my pizza dough up against any one's. Come and get it.

First of all let's establish that I'm talking about NY style, thin crust, Neapolitan pizza from here on out, not Siciliano, cornmeal, whole wheat,  non gluten spelt, non leavened flat breads etc.. These are all separate and distinct types of doughs. I love all of these types of breads, but I'm a purist when it comes to Neapolitan pizza.

My post this week deals only with pizza made from unbleached white organic pizza flour. I will not do a 17 page tutorial on dough. It's not that complicated. I've been doing this for almost 45 years. If I haven't got it down by now, well. If you try this, and you don't think it's up to snuff, or you got a better dough, come call me out for a throw-down, bring the video cameras, and we'll let some objective qualified judges decide. Ok, enough with the bravado already.

I think a great pizza cook needs to have a sound knowledge of classic parings of cheeses, sauces, veggies, meats, grains, yeasts, spices, and herbs, beverages, heat sources, basic food science, and still be willing to take chances that might not at first seem to work well together. And maybe they don't work. So you pick your sorry excuse for a human being ass up off the floor, and try again. That's what I usually, or I just give up, admit defeat, and move forward.

This is not rocket science or brain surgery, anyone can do this.

There are a lot of good flours out there, but I only use 00 pizza flour dough. It's a very fine milled flour with a high gluten and protein content.  It's milled here in the Bay Area, South San Francisco, by a company named Giusto. The phone number is 650 873-6566 and they will do mail orders. If you are here in the East Bay Oakland you can get it in bulk at the Food Mill located at 3033 Mac Arthur Blvd, 510 482-2848.

The second installment of this blog will deal with toppings. In my opinion that's where we separate the chaff from the wheat.  Red sauce doesn't go with everything, neither does mozzarella cheese.  New potatoes and pesto go great together, but new potatoes and red sauce, not so well in my opinion. In blog part #2  I have have included recipes that I have used with great success over the years.

In the last, and thank god the final installment of By Bread Alone, I'll discuss cooking methods, ovens, grills, fuel sources, and the like.

First some more boring history, rants/raves, and then onto the meat, or in this case, the dough of the matter. Everything has a past,  but there is no guarantee of the future.

My aunt Dolly, my father Rocco's sister on the Italian side of our clan, ran the kitchen at the family restaurant, with an iron fist I might add. Lavell's Wagon Wheel Inn is located on route 7, in Brookfield, CT. This two lane road is the old Yankee highway that takes you all the way north to Canada.  My uncle Jimmy, Dolly's husband, ran the bar, and held court over an loyal clientele of drunks.  This pizza dough recipe, with my rather insignificant additions, is more or less Aunt Dolly's recipe handed down to me over 44 thousand years ago. It's a rapid rise recipe. The pie dough it produces is a classic thin crust, NY, Neapolitan pizza dough.

If you're looking for Dominonos, Pappa Friggin John's worst ingredients/worst pizza, Pappa Stugots Murphy's take and throw in the ocean, California Pizza Kushion,  Square Table cardboard pizza,  Pizza Slut, or Mountain Fucking Mike's, this is not it.

When we made our dough the night before to be used the next day. We made 25 lbs. of flour plus the water, yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil, weighed it, shaped it, and let it rest overnight in the protective confines of the pizza refrigerator. The next day we punched it down and reshaped it. We made 3 pizzas, small, medium and large with all the usual Italian/American combinations such as pepperoni, sausage, bell peppers, mushrooms, ground beef, anchovies, etc. We had red and white checkered table cloths with ashtrays, and candles in the straw covered Chianti wine bottles, a big dining room with a fireplace, and a smaller dining area between the main room and the bar. All my cousins worked there. It was very cool place. We sold a lot of pizza, and Uncle Jimmy made the best prime rib aound.

My pies are much more inventive than those were, and of course I still use the classics. Classics don't go out of style, that's why they're classics, and the DOUGH REMAINS THE SAME.

Caution;  Do not let your dog east raw pizza dough. A dog's normal body temperature varies from 100.5 to 102.5 degree, which will act as a proofing oven. The dough will expand and rise in the animal's stomach. At first your dog will feel full, then comfortable, and then in pain. It may vomit, which is good, but it's best to get her to a vet ASAP. Your dog can become dehydrated from to much vomiting, and could very easily die. To induce vomiting you can give her 3 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide, but get her to the vet immediately. Many a dog have died from eating raw dough.

Photo #1 Punch down on dough

Note: making dough can vary based on altitude, and climate conditions.

Recipe....Aunt Dolly's N.Y. Neapolitan Pizza  Dough (Makes  3,
10 oz. 11 inch pie doughs) why would you make just one?

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups hot tap water 115 degrees
3 teaspoons dry active yeast
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon dry herbs of Provence
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cups  or more of .00 white flour + more to work with
1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

photo #3 The dough is ready to be hand kneaded

In a kitchen aid with your dough hook add the water (115 degrees), dry active yeast, salt, herbs of Provence, sugar, and olive oil. Mix well and let sit for 5 minutes. This is called dirty water or a poolish (see photo #2 below). Then add  2 cups of flour and mix on low speed, and add more speed when the kitchen aid begins to slow. Add the 3rd cup of flour and continue mixing.

Stop the mixer from time to time to scrape the sides before you add more flour so that all the flour is incorporated. Add the last cup of flour, and more if needed. When all the dough is sticking to the hook, (See photo #3 above) and not clinging to the sides of the kitchen aid bowl it should make a flapping sound like a tire coming loose from it's wheel. Then you know your dough is ready to be hand kneaded and shaped. The dough making process should take about 5 or 6 minutes tops.

Note: You can always add more flour, but once you add it you can't take it out.

Note: if you overwork the gluten you will ruin your dough.

photo #4 10 oz. dough ready for proofing in fridge

Take the dough out, and place it on a flat floured surface. Cut it into 3 equal pieces, and kneed the dough by hand, (I weigh mine with a little digital scale, (see photo#4 above) shaping it into rounds.  Use extra flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to your counter surface. The dough consistency at this stage should feel like a new born baby's bottom after you have sprinkled baby powder on it. Best way I can describe it. See photo #5 below.

Place your pizza doughs on a floured baking sheet, with a dusting of flour on top of each round, cover with plastic, and let them sit in the fridge for four hours or overnight.

You can use this dough after one hour if it doubles in size, but you have to punch it down, and let it rise one more time (see photo #1- above). I've done it this way a thousand times, and it works just fine. You'll notice when you take it out of the fridge that it will be moist. The plastic bag will actually have water on it, so turn the plastic trash bag inside out before you put it back in the fridge for the second rise with a little flour on the top and bottom each pie dough. See photo #6.

Feta, Kalamata olives, red bell pepper, Asiago, Pecorina, Arttichokes

finished pie...Rob Levine in the background

One half hour before you bake your pies take the dough out to warm to room temperature, and cover it with a dish towel.  Now you're ready to shape your pizzas, You can use your hands or a rolling pin. I'm a a rocker and a roller personally. The heat from you hands will warm the dough and make it easier to shape, but I still like to use the rolling pin. That's how we did it at Aunt Dolly's.


That's it. Told you it wouldn't take 17 pages. Do not hesitate to send questions, comments, or historical outbursts. I love feedback.


Peace.....Make Food/Not War

dirty/poolish water 115 degrees

yeast, salt, sugar, olive oil, water, flour, herbs, that's dough

lovin' my oven

Photo #2  Dirty Water/Poolish/ Anchovy pizza above

photo #5 dough just before being put in fridge

photo #6 after four hours in the fridge and before punch down

Draniki aka Potato Pancakes

In many of the eastern European countries such as Austria or Poland, and in the Jewish tradition, they're called latkas. In Ireland they are referred to as boxty, and in Sweden raraka. They are the national dish of Belarus. and known as draniki. Out West in diner joints they're called hash browns. In my mother Mary's kitchen we called them potato pancakes.

My mother would cook these as a side dish for dinner, usually with some sort of pork entree', or yellow split soup, and with applesauce on the side. Leftover potato pancakes would be served with ham and eggs for breakfast. Her potato pancakes were more in the Belarusian style where the potato and onion are grated finely, then most of the water removed, and thickened with a little flour and egg. It's a delicate balance that needs to be achieved between the mixture being too watery or too thick.

My contribution to this wonderful dish is adding a pinch of paprika, nutmeg, grated sharp cheddar cheese and parsley.

When properly prepared these potato pancakes are crunchy on the outside, warm, tender and chewy on the inside. I ate 3, and then took a nap.

This recipe will make six dranikis, or as we call them in Connecticut, potato pancakes.

The recipe is below the photos.

Peace...Make Food/Not War

I added a little flower to this mix to sop up the water

side one in the pan

side #1 done

. 

Done.....Eat

Draniki/Potato Pancakes....makes 6

Ingredients:
2 large russet potatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup parsley medium chop
pinch paprika
pinch nutmeg
1 egg
1 tablespoon flour
1 quarter of yellow onion
sharp cheddar cheese
sunflower oil

1) Peel the russet potatoes  and in a large bowl fine grate the potatoes and the onion. Let sit for a few minutes and remove most he water.

2) Add the egg, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, paprika, parsley and mix well. Add the flour and mix again. This will soak up most of the remaining excess water.

3) In a hot skillet add a tablespoon of sunflower oil and a drop medium size handfuls of pancke mix into the pan, and flatten with a spatula till they are about a 1/2 inch thick. Cook on one side till golden brown, flip and cook the other side till golden brown. Add some  grated cheddar cheese on top (optional), and cook till melted. You're done, now enjoy!

complete

Frittata For Four

This last Sunday we had a another couple over for brunch. This was labor day weekend.  Our friends Brendan and Mabel joined us and I made frittata, croque monsieurs, and Geraldine made a delicious fruit salad.

Mabel had told me the week before that she and Brenda had eaten at a restaurant in Alameda, and she had a horrible experience with crouque monsieurs, so I said; "You come over for brunch next Sunday, and I'll show you how to make a croque monsieur."

Now you're already seen my blog regarding this sandwich of sandwiches so I'll skip that part and get to the frittata. A frittata is a great way to feed 6 or 8 people. Combine this, some nice home fries, a small green salad, or in our case a fruit salad, coffee/tea, and some mimosas, and you've got a winning combination for a successful brunch.

Here's what was included in this frittata.

                                                                Frittata for Four:

Home Fries:
3 Russet potatoes
salt and pepper
olive oil for cooking
Paprika
Tumeric
1/4 cup parsley medium chop

1) Boil the potatoes till they are cooked all the way through, about 15 minutes. Peel the potatoes after they have cooled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

2) In a medium  hot skillet add olive oil and the potatoes, Season with salt, pepper, tumeric, and paprika. Cook until golden brown.  Let cool and put aside.

3) In the same skillet saute one half of a medium sized red bell pepper julianne, and a half of a yellow onion diced medium, and cook till they are soft and translucent. Put aside and let cool.

4) In the same skillet cook 1/2 pound of asparagus with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, till they are nice a brown all on medium high heat, about 10 minutes. Turn regularly. Put aside and let cool, and chop into bite size pieces.

5) In a small steamer cook 7 or 8 broccoli florets cut in half. This will take about 4 minutes. Let cool.

Egg Mix:
8 farm fresh range free organic eggs
salt and pepper
1/3 cup of fresh parsley chopped
2 ounces heavy cream
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/3 cup parsley
(in a bowl beat the egg well with a wire whip to incorporate all the ingredients.)

Directions:
1) Turn the broiler oven on to high and set on the 3rd lowest rack from the top. In a 12 inch cast iron skillet on high heat melt a couple of tablespoons of butter and saute a large handful of potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, parsley, onions and bell pepper. Cut heat to medium low, and let cook for 3 or 5 minutes till the eggs have set firmly on the bottom. Do not cook this too fast or the bottom will become brown and tough.

2) Put the skillet into the oven under the broiler 3rd rack down, and let it cook till the egg mixture is
firm. You may have to move it's position from time to time to get an even cook all around. This should take another 3 to 5 minutes.

4) Take it out of the oven, cover and let it rest for 3 or 4 minutes and cut into 8 pieces. Remove the pieces with a spatula.

Note: You can reheat the rest of the potatoes in another skillet and serve those on the side.

frittata ingredients

finished frittata & shadows

Brendan & Mabel

Geraldine and Spot

croque monsieurs with ham

Also: A nice sour dough bread accompanies this dish well. Since we had the croque monsieur with this meal we didn't need any more bread.


Peace...Make Food, Not War

Nasty Little Pests

The culinary world is no stranger to pests and critters that plague the industry. The worst and most dangerous of these plagues are the ones we can't even see in the form of micro organisms. Given the right conditions these organism can cause serious harm and death to us humans. This short blog doesn't deal with these organisms.

This blog is related to the nasty little fruit fly, Drosophila Melanogaster, which we can see. It's as if they magically appear out of nowhere. "Where the hell did they come from Marsh." where the words uttered from my wife Geraldine's lip about two weeks ago. Other statements like; "They're driving me fucking crazy", followed shortly there after.

Forensic experts can pin point the time of death in a person by the type of bugs found on the body when it was discovered. Fruit flies appear when fruit is fermenting. They smell the rotting

produce or fruit and before you know it you got yourself an infestation. Sometimes they hitch a ride home from our friendly grocer. They can multiply in our drain pipes or on a a scouring pad, and go from egg to full fledged fly in a matter of eight days.  They can fly in through extremely small holes. Your screen door is no match for the mighty fruit fly.

Fruit Fly

This is what happened at our humble abode recently. Does it matter how we got them? Not really. It's how to get rid of them, and here is a simple trick that we employed with fantastic results. We
put several little glasses around the area of the infestation, the kitchen and breakfast nook,  with a small amount of apple cider vinegar in the bottom.

dead fruit flies and apple cider vinegar

The scent of the vinegar attracts them, and the high PH of the vinegar kills the little buggers. Much better than buying those little fly strips, and we can always use more vinegar.  Good ol' vinegar.

This helpful hint did not come from Heloise, but from my gardening friend. Thank you Brendan.

Of course bugs can be a great source of protein for a hungry world, but that's another blog for another day.

Peace...Make Food, Not War

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Update...I was doing some cooking yesterday and I was going to deglaze a pan with some white wine when I noticed that our nasty little fruit flies love white wine also. Of course they would because that's where vinegar comes from.The little buggers flew right in through the pour spout, and never made it back out. In fact it did a better job than the little glasses with the vinegar.