Naples-Style Pizza Dough and Tomato Sauce by Saveur Magazine
Pizza Margherita
A twist with anchovies, shallots and mushrooms
In the making
Alfonso making Fresh Mozzarella
Pizza Dough Ingredients
Makes four 12-oz. balls
The secret to making this pizza dough is to let it slowly rise in the refrigerator for 48 hours–that’s what gives it its deep flavor and tender structure.
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. olive oil plus more
1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
5 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp. kosher salt
Directions
1. Combine sugar, oil, yeast, and 2 cups cold water in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook; let stir until foamy, 8–10 minutes. Mix flour and salt in a bowl. With motor running, slowly add flour mixture; mix until a smooth dough forms, 8–10 minutes. Transfer dough so greased baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature 1 hour.
2. Divide dough into 4 balls, transfer to a greased 9″ x 13″ dish; brush tops with oil. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 48 hours.
Salsa di Pomodoro Fresco (Naples-Style Pizza Sauce)
Makes about 4 cups
2 28-oz cans whole peeled tomatoes (packed in purée)
2 tbsp. kosher salt
1. Remove each tomato from the can and reserve 3 cups of the purée. Cut the tomatoes in half and, using your fingers, remove and discard the seeds (don’t rinse)
2. Place the tomatoes in a food processor and pulse until just crushed but not purée. (Alternatively, crush the tomatoes by hand or pass then through a food mill.)
3. Transfer the tomato sauce to a bowl and stir in the reserved 3 cups of purée and salt.
Pizza Margherita
(Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Pizza)
Makes four 10″ pizzas
This most iconic of pizzas is topped with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil leaves, the colors of the Italian flag.
1 recipe Naples-style pizza dough
Fine semolina, for dusting
1 recipe Naples-style pizza sauce
1 lb. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced (We did the recipe by the Cheese Queen)
16 fresh basil leaves
Olive oil, to taste
Place a pizza stone under the broiler; heat for 30 minutes. Working in 4 batches, dust 1 ball dough with semolina. Using your fingertips, press dough into a 10″ circle about 1/4″ thick, leaving a 1″ crust around the edges. Hold dough straight up, and with fingertips around crust in a circular motion as you would turn a steering wheel until dough in the center is stretched to about 1/8″ thick; transfer to a semolina dusted pizza peel. Spread 1/2 cup sauce over dough, and distribute a quarter each of the cheese ad the basil leaves; drizzle with oil. Slide pizza onto stone; broil until cheese melts and crust is puffed and charred in spots, 3–4 minutes. Serve hot.
Published: 4 days ago
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Cupcakes and frosting: Recipes by Martha Stewart
Yellow buttermilk cupcakes (Makes 36)
3 cups cake flour (not self rising)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/4 cups sugar
5 large whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks, room temperature
2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Fluffy vanilla frosting
Round candy sprinkles for decorating (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 35o°F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together both flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2. With a electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium. Add whole eggs, one at the time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add yolks, and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each. Beat in vanilla.
3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating this halfway through, until cupcakes spring back when lightly touched and cake tester inserted in centers comes our clean, about 2o minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto rack and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
4. To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting. Refrigerate up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature and, if desired, decorate with sprinkles before serving.
Fluffy vanilla frosting
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 pound (4 cups) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
1. With an electric mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.
2. Reduce speed to medium. Add the confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup at the time, beating well after each additions and scraping down the sides of bowl as needed; after every two addition, raise speed to high and beat 10 seconds to aerate frosting, then return to medium. This process should take about 5 minutes. Frosting will be very pale and fluffy.
3. Add vanilla, and beat until frosting is smooth. If nit using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated up to 10 days in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth, about 5 minutes.
Devil’s food cupcakes (Makes 32)
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 cup hot water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon plus
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
Chocolate Ganache frosting
Chocolate curls, for decorating
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 35o°F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2. Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream, and beating until just combined after each>
3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire rack to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
4. To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting. Refrigerate up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature and, if desired, decorate with sprinkles before serving.
Chocolate ganache frosting
1 pound of good-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 1/3 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup corn syrup
Directions
1. Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup just to a simmer over medium-high heat; pour mixture over chocolate. Let stand, without stirring, until chocolate begins to melt.
2. Beginning near the center and working outward, stir melted chocolate into cream until mixture is combined and smooth (do not overstir)
3. Refrigerate, stirring every 5 minutes, until frosting just barely begins to hold its shape and is slightly lighter in color. Use immediately (ganache will continue to thicken after you stop stirring.
Published: 66 days ago
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Moqueca: Brazilian fish stew
The perfect dish for a cold day of winter is this Brazilian fish stew called Moqueca. It’s based on fish, onions, garlic, tomatoes and cilantro and cooked slowly, with no water added. We found this recipe on Saveur magazine issue #148.
Serves 6-8
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ lb. boneless, skinless catfish filets, cut into 2″ pieces
8 oz. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
¼ cup fresh lime juice
8 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 ½ small yellow onions (1 minced, ½ thinly sliced)
1 Italian frying pepper, stemmed, seeded (half minced, half thinly sliced)
2 plum tomatoes, cored (1 minced, 1 thinly sliced)
1 cup fish or vegetable stock
1 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp. palm oil
¼ cup minced cilantro
½ cup minced Thai basil leaves
Cooked white rice, to serve
DIRECTIONS
Toss fish, shrimp, juice, half the garlic, and salt and pepper in a bowl; set aside. Heat olive oil in a 6-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add remaining garlic, minced onion, and minced pepper; cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Add minced tomatoes; cook until broken down, about 5 minutes. Add stock, coconut milk, and palm oil; boil. Drain fish and shrimp and add to pot; cook until just cooked through, about 7 minutes. Add sliced onion, pepper, and tomato; cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro and basil; season with salt and pepper. Serve with rice.
Published: 91 days ago
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BERLINERS: JELLY-FILLED DONUTS
Last Saturday we received the latest Saveur magazine issue, featuring the world’s best donuts. On Monday Alfonso decided to try the Berliners recipe which somehow reminded us the Chilean “Berlines”, that came with the German immigrants in the mid 19th century. Even the results weren’t close to our memories, it was a fun process and as always a great cooking experience. He also made a chocolate ganache glaze and classic sugar glaze.
Makes about 2 dozens
If piping the jelly into these donuts proves challenging, use a paring knife to hollow out the donut, making a cavity for the jelly.
Ingredients
2 1/4-oz. packages active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups milk heated to 115°F
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 egg, plus 3 yolks
4 3/4 cups (1 lb. 5 oz.) all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for dusting
Canola oil, for frying
2 cups seedless strawberry or plum jam, for filling
Directions
1. Combine yeast and milk in a bowl; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Beat 1/2 cup sugar and butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until fluffy. Add yeast mixture, vanilla, salt, egg, and yolks; beat until combined. With the motor running, slowly add flour; beat until dough is smooth. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap; set in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into 14″ round about 1/2″ thick. Using a floured 3″ ring cutter, cut dough into 20 rounds, gather and reuse scraps. Transfer rounds to lightly greased parchment paper lined baking sheets, at least 3″ apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. Heat 2″ oil in a 6-qt saucepan until deep-fry thermometer reads 350°F. Using scissors, cut the donuts out of parchment paper, leaving about 1″ of paper around the sides of each donut (the paper makes it easier to transfer them to the frying oil). Working in batches, place donuts in oil, paper side-up, using tongs to quickly peel off and discard paper. Cook flipping once, until puffed and golden, 2-3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a baking sheet with a wire rack; let cool completely.
4. Place remaining sugar in a large bowl; set aside. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain 1/4″ tip with jam. Working with one donut at the time, insert tip about 1/2″ deep into the side of donut, pipe 2-3 tbsp. jam, and toss generously in sugar.
Dark chocolate ganache glaze
Makes about 2 cups
8 oz. dark chocolate, grated
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
Mix chocolate, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl. Bring cream and butter to a boil in a 1-qt saucepan. Pour cream over chocolate; let sit for 2 minutes without stirring. Whisk until smooth; chill until thick.
The cooking journey begins
Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap; set in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into 14″ round about 1/2″ thick.
Using a floured 3″ ring cutter, cut dough into 20 rounds
Transfer rounds to lightly greased parchment paper lined baking sheets, at least 3″ apart.
The lovely aftermath…
The frying begins
The donut holes were a nice snack
Piping the berliners with strawberry jam
Published: 93 days ago
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RASPBERRY MACARONS | A RECIPE BY SEBASTIEN ROUXEL AND THOMAS KELLER
The latest Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel book is called Bouchon Bakery, a visual celebration of sweets, pastries and breads at his famous bakery. The book has inspired us with new ideas and techniques and open new paths in our kitchen. With care, precision and love this book is part of our favorite collection and definitely will be part of many upcoming features in our cooking journal. We invite you to try this raspberry macaron recipe at home, you will love the results.
MACARONS
Almond flour/meal
212 grams | 1 3/4 cups + 2 1/2 tablespoons
Powder sugar
212 grams | 1 3/4 cups + 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons
Egg whites
82 grams | 1/4 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons
90 grams | 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
Granulated sugar, plus a pinch for the egg whites
236 grams | 1 cup + 3 tablespoons
Water
158 grams | 2/3 cup
Chefmaster Liqua-Gel Rose Pink food coloring
3 – 4 drops
You will need a Thermapen or another candy thermometer, a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain tip, and a pastry bag with a 3/8-inch plain tip. Baking in a convention oven is preferable; the tops of the macarons baked in a standard oven often develop small speckles, which can affect the texture (though not the flavor)
For the macarons: Because the cookies will be sandwiched, it is important that they be as close in size as possible. Even if you are proficient with a pastry bag, we suggest making a template, as we do. Use a compass or a cookie cutter as a guide and dark marking pen, such as fine-tip Sharpie.
1. Lay a sheet of parchment paper. Trace 4 evenly spaced 2 1/4-inch circles along the top long edge, leaving 1 inch of space between them. Trace 3 circles below them, spacing them between the first circles. Continue with another row of 4, followed by another row of 3. Turn the parchment paper over and lay it on a sheet pan. Lift up each corner of the parchment and spray the underside with nonstick spray to keep it from blowing up while cookies are baking. Repeat with a second sheet pan and piece of parchment paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F (convection) or 400°F (standard).
3. Place the almond flour in a food processor and pulse to grind it as fine as possible.
4. Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar into a large bowl and whisk together. Mound the almond flour mixture, then make a 4-inch well in the center, leaving a layer of the flour at the bottom. Pour in the 82 grams | 1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons egg whites and combine with a spatula, stirring until evenly distributed. Set aside.
5. Place the remaining 90 grams/1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Combine the 236 grams | 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and the water in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until the syrup reaches 203°F/110°C.
6. Letting the syrup continue to cook, add the pinch of sugar to the egg whites, turn the mixer to medium speed, and whip to soft peaks. If the whites reach soft peaks before the syrup reaches 248°F/12o°C, reduce the speed to the lowest setting, just to keep them moving.
7. When the syrup reaches 248°F/120°C, remove the pan from the heat. Turn the mixer to medium-low speed, and slowly add the syrup, pouring it between the side of the bowl and the whisk; the meringue will deflate. Increase the speed to medium and whip for 5 minutes, or until the whites hold stiff, glossy peaks. Although the bowl will still be warm to the touch, the meringue should have cooled; if not, continue to whip until it is cool.
8. Fold one-third of the meringue into the almond mixture, then continue adding the whites a little at a time ( you may not use them all) until when you fold a portion of the batter over on itself, the “ribbon” slowly moves. The mixture shouldn’t be so stiff that it holds its shape without moving at all, but it shouldn’t be so stiff that it holds its shape without moving at all, but it shouldn’t be so loose that it dissolves into itself and does not maintain the ribbon; it is better for the mixture to be slightly stiff than too loose. Add 3-4 drops of food coloring into the finished meringue mixture and mix well.
9. Transfer the mixture to the pastry bag with the 1/2-inch tip. Hold the bag upright 1/2 inch above the center of one of the traced circles and pipe out enough of the mixture to fill in the circle. Lift away the pastry bag and fill the remaining circles on the first pan. Lift up the sheet pan and tap the bottom of the pan to the spread the batter evenly and smooth any peaks left by the pastry bag. If using a convection oven, bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the tops and shiny and crisp. If using a standard oven, place the sheet pan in the oven immediately lower the oven temperature to 325°F, and bake for 9 to 12 minutes, until the tops are shiny and crisp. Set the pan on a cooling rack and cool completely. If using a standard oven, preheat it to 350°F again.
10. Pipe the remaining meringue mixture into the circles on the second sheet pan and bake as directed above. Let cool completely.
FRENCH BUTTERCREAM FOR FILLING
Makes 365 grams (1 2/3 cups)
Granulated sugar
38 grams | 3 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon
38 grams | 3 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon
Egg yolks
63 grams | 1/4 cup + 1/2 teaspoon
Whole milk
75 grams | 1/4 cup + 2 1/4 teaspoons
Unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature
250 grams | 8.8 ounces
1. Whisk 38 grams/3 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and the yolks together in a medium bowl; set aside.
2. Combine the milk and the remaining 38 grams | 3 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in a medium saucepan, set over medium heat, and stir to dissolve the sugar. When the milk is at just below a simmer, remove the pan from the heat and, whisking constantly, pour it into the egg mixture. Return the mixture to the pan and place over medium heat. Whisking constantly, bring to a gentle simmer and simmer for 1 minute, lowering the heat if necessary to prevent the mixture from curling; it should be very thick.
3. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into the bowl of a stand mixer. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment, turn the mixer to medium, and whisk for 8 minutes, until the mixture is completely cool.
4. Add the butter, a few pieces at a time, to the egg yolk mixture. If at any point the mixture looks broken, increase the speed to re-emulsify it, the reduce the speed and continue adding butter. Check the consistency: if the butter cream is too loose to hold its shape, it should be refrigerated for a few hours to harder, then beaten again to return it to the proper consistency.
5. Add 50 grams | 2 tablespoons raspberry jam and mix for 1 minute, or until combined. If adding a jam center, use 80 grams | 3 1/2 tablespoons additional raspberry jam.
Be creative with buttercream flavors center. For example we like to make a peanut and jelly macaron. Peanut butter cream is piped around the edge and the center is filled with jam.
The butter cream can be stored in a container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month; defrost frozen buttercream in the refrigerator overnight before using. Thirty minutes before using the buttercream, place it in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and allow it to soften. Then mix on low speed to return the buttercream to the proper consistency for piping or spreading.
FOR THE FILLING
Place the French buttercream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium-low speed until smooth and fluffy.
TO FILL THE COOKIES
1. Transfer the buttercream to the pastry bag with the 3/4-inch tip.
2. Remove the macarons from the parchment paper, turn half of them over. Starting in the center, pipe 15 grams | 1 tablespoon of the buttercream in a spiral pattern on one upside-down macaron, not quite reaching the edges. Top with a second macaron and press gently to spread the buttercream to the edges. Repeat with the remaining macarons and filling.
The macarons are best if wrapped individually in a few layers of plastic wrap and frozen for at least 24 hours or up to 2 weeks.. Defrost in the refrigerator for 3 hours, then bring to room temperature before serving. They can be served the day they are made or stores in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Published: 173 days ago
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PANE INTEGRALE: A RECIPE BY JIM LAHEY
Yield: One 10-inch round loaf (1 1/4 pounds)
Equipment: A 41/2 to 5/1/2-quart heavy pot
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups bread flour (300 grams)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (100 grams)
1 1/4 teaspoons table salt (8 grams)
1/2 teaspoon instant or active dry yeast (2 grams)
1 1/3 cups cool water (55 to 65 degrees F) 1 1/3 cups (300 grams)
Wheat bran, cornmeal or additional flour for dusting
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flours, salt and yeast. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand mix until you have a wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let sit a room temperature until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough is more than doubled in size, 12 to 18 hrs.
2. When the first rise is complete, generously dust a work surface with flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece. Using lightly floured hand or a bowl scarper or spatula, lift the edges of the dough in toward the center. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round.
3. Place a tea towel on your work surface and generously dust it with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. Fold the ends of the tea towel loosely over the dough to cover it and place it in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1 to 2 hours. The dough is ready when it is almost doubled. If you gently poke it with your finger, it should hold the impression. If it spring back, let it rise for another 15 minutes.
4. Half an hour before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F, with a rack positioned in the lower third, and place a covered 4 1/2- to 5 1/2-quart heavy pot in the center of the rack.
5. Using pot holders, carefully remove the preheat pot from the oven and uncover it.Unfold the tea towel and quickly but gently invert the dough into the pot, seam side up. (Use caution–the pot will be very hot; see photos, page 55.) Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep chestnut color but not burnt, 15 to 30 minutes more. Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to carefully lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly.
Published: 228 days ago
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BUTTER CHICKEN
This week we are exploring classic recipes and reviewing our cookbook library to test some dishes. I think the first time that I tried butter chicken was in Tampa, FL at a buffet style restaurant. It was probably 8 years ago, but I can recall that the owner offered New Delhi’s traditional food. Butter chicken has its origin in New Delhi, based on Wikipedia information and it’s a very popular dish all over the world.
The recipe was taken from the book World Kitchen: India which has an extensive collection of dishes and also beautiful photos. You can get it on Amazon for $21.
INGREDIENTS (Serves 6)
3/4 in piece of ginger, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup blanched almonds
2/3 cup thick plain yoghurt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon garam masala
4 cardamon pods, lightly crushed
14oz (400 g) tin chopped tomatoes
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into fairly large pieces
5 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons finely chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
4 tablespoons thick (double/heavy) cream
DIRECTIONS
1. Blend the ginger and the garlic together to a paste in a food processor or pestle and mortar, or crush the garlic and finely grate the ginger and mix together. Grind the almonds in a food processor or finely chop with a knife. Put the paste and almonds in a bowl with the yoghurt, chilli, cloves, cinnamon, garam masala, cardamon pods, tomato and salt, and blend together with a fork. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat thoroughly. Cover and marinate for 2 hours or overnight, in the fridge.
2. Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C). Heat the ghee or clarified butter in a karahi or a deep, heavy-based frying pan, add the onion and fry until softened and browned.
3. Add the chicken mixture and fry for 2 minutes. Mix in the fresh coriander. Out the mixture into a shallow baking dish, pour in the cream and stir with a fork.
4. Bake for 1 hour. If the top is browning too quickly during cooking, cover with a piece of foil. Leave to rest for 1o minutes before serving. The oil will rise to the surface. Just before serving, place the dish under a hot grill (broiler) for about 2 minutes to brown the top. Before serving tip the dish and spoon off any extra oil.
Published: 240 days ago
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HOME MADE FALAFEL
I really love falafel, and in New York are many options to choose from. One of my favorites is Rainbow falafel, at 26 E 17th St (Union Square), where for $5 you can get a tasty falafel pita sandwich, and a flavor that you cannot beat.
Last week we received the October issue of Saveur magazine and a falafel recipe was featured as part of the “100 Classic Recipes”. I decided to give it a try and the result was delicious, definitely a great and healthy dish to prepare at home.
INGREDIENTS (Serves 8)
3/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup tahini
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
4 jalapeños stemmed, roughly chopped
4 scallions, roughly chopped
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
Canola oil, for frying
Za’atar for serving
DIRECTIONS
1. Purée 1/4 cup parsley, tahini, juice, 2 tsp. salt, half of garlic, pepper, and 1/2 cup cold water in a small food processor, set sauce aside. Purée remaining parsley, salt, and garlic, chickpeas, cilantro, coriander, cumin, baking soda, cayenne, allspice, jalapeños, scallions, and onions until smooth. Transfer to a bowl; freeze fro 20 minutes to firm.
2. Pour oil into a 6-qt. Dutch oven to depth of 2 in; heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 300°. Using 2 spoons, shape chickpea mixture into twelve 4″ oval balls. Drop into oil; fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with za’atar; serve with sauce.
Published: 240 days ago
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GLASS POTATO CHIPS
The chips served on top of sea urchin (erizos) and cilantro red onions salsa.
In June we found this recipe on the Instructables newsletter, originally created by Chef Hamid Salimian .
It looked very intriguing, so we tried it out. First we had to extract the potato flavor, so here we roast the potatoes (Yukon gold).
1. Wash and dry potatoes. Cut a slit about half way through, toss with olive oil and kosher salt, arrange on baking sheet and bake in hot oven for 30 min.
2. Place roasted potatoes on a heat proof bowl and cover with 4 cups of very hot water. (Not boiling, though). cover and let stand to cool down at room temperature for a few hours. At this point, We did a few variations as experiments: one batch remained just roasted potato, one third was flavored with bacon and one third was infused with roasted vegetables, (spinach, kale, onions, garlic, celery, cilantro and a dried chili pepper).
3. Remove the potatoes and other flavorings, strained the liquid in a fine mesh, and stored them in plastic containers with lid in the refrigerator overnight.
4. To make the potato gel, mix in a pot the potato flavored stock with 4 tablespoons of potato starch and bring up to heat while whisking constantly until it thickens up. This happens very quickly. It takes less than 5 minutes. When it starts to cool down is time to make the shapes. The original recipe calls for spreading the gel on parchment paper on a baking sheet and drying it all on a 135°F oven for two hours and breaking the dried sheet in to smaller pieces before frying.
Imonopeas, the author of the instructables for this recipe, came up with the idea of using a squeeze bottle to make potato chip shapes before drying the gel.
We used a Ziplock bag with a snipped corner to do this same idea. Besides the parchment paper, We also tried drying the gel on waxed paper, plastic wrap and a silicone mat.
The silicone mat worked OK. it was slow to dry but worked. The waxed paper and the Saran wrap were absolute fails. Parchment paper is definitely the way to go. It took almost 24 hrs. for the chips to dry completely, in a cool oven. Once dry they become hard and translucent, and feel more like a plastic chip.
5. Frying them was the most difficult part, we used vegetable oil and tried different temperature runs.
At 350°F they curled and puffed like Chinese shrimp crackers or fried pork skins. At 310°F they soak oil and become clear but don’t cook. the ideal temperature seems to be around 328 to 335°F. It takes a few minutes to cook them at this temperature, anywhere higher and they start puffing up and turning white.
The chips before frying
The chips after frying
Published: 277 days ago
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STEAMED BUNS: A RECIPE BY DAVID CHANG
Ingredients | Makes 50 buns
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups water, at room temperature
4 1/2 cups bread flour
6 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Rounded 1/2 baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup rendered pork fat or vegetable shortening, at room temperature, plus more for shaping the buns, as needed.
Directions
1. Combine the yeast and water in the bowl of a stand mixer outfitted with the dough hook. Add the flour, sugar, milk powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and fat and mix on the lowest speed possible, just above stir, for 8 to 10 minutes. The dough should gather together into neat, not-too-tacky ball on the hook. When it does, lightly oil a medium mixing bowl, out the dough in it, and cover the dough with a dry kitchen towel. Put it in a turned-off oven with a pilot light or other warmish place and let rise until the dough doubles in bulk,a bout 1 hour 15 minutes.
2. Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a clean work surface. Using a bench scraper or a knife, divide the dough in half, then divide each half into 5 equal pieces. Gently roll the pieces into logs, then cut each log into 5 pieces, making 50 pieces total. They should be about the size of a Ping-Pong ball and weigh about 25 grams, or a smidge under an ounce. Roll each piece into a ball. Cover the armada of little dough balls with a plastic wrap and allow them to rest and rise for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cut out fifty 4-inch squares of parchment paper. Coat a chopstick with whatever fat you’re working with.
4. Flatten one ball with the palm of your hand, then use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 4-inch-long oval. lay the greased chopstick across the middle of the oval and fold the oval over onto itself to form the bun shape. Withdraw the chopstick, leaving the bun folded, and put the bun on a square or parchment paper. Stick it back under the plastic wrap (or dry kitchen towel) and form the rest of the buns. Let the buns rest for 30 minutes to 45 minutes: they will rise a little.
5. Set up a steamer on the stove. Working in batches so you don’t crowd the steamer, steam the buns on the parchment squares for 10 minutes. Remove the parchment. You can use the buns immediately (reheat them for a minute or so in the steamer if necessary) or allow to cool completely, then seal in plastic freezer bags for up to few months. Reheat frozen buns in a stovetop steamer for 2 to 3 minutes, until puffy, soft and warmed all the way through.