Margherita Pizza

We had a pizza party last weekend—the kind of pizza party that had me making four doughs and everyone lending their artistry to topping them. Before the party Calvin and I spent about 10 minutes with the cheese specialist at Whole Foods discussing the different kinds of cheesses used for topping pizzas and we came home with three different kinds of mozzarella in addition to a myriad of other toppings, so we had plenty of materials from which to work. They were all good, but this one seemed to be the favorite across the board and I know we'll be making this one again soon.

Margherita pizza (my own take)
Ingredients (dough):
  ● 3-3/4 cups bread flour
  ● 1 pkg rapid-rise yeast
  ● 1/2 tsp salt
  ● 1-1/2 cups warm water (~100-120F)
  ● 1 tbsp honey
  ● 1 tbsp olive oil
(toppings):
  ● olive oil
  ● 2 lbs fresh mozzarella (1 inch sized balls, sliced)
  ● 2-3 tomatoes, sliced
  ● fresh basil leaves, torn
  ● prosciutto (optional—we used prosciutto wrapped in mozzarella)

Directions:
Fresh mozzarella balls should be drained for several hours to eliminate extra moisture. I started mine draining six hours before we made our pizzas by pouring the whole balls into a colunder lined with a clean towel and placing it over a plate in the refrigerator.

Combine 3 cups of the flour, the yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Add the warm water, honey, and olive oil, stirring until mixture begins to leave the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface knead for about 10 minutes or until it is smooth and elastic, adding enough of the remaining flour to keep the dough from sticking.

Place the dough in a large oiled bowl and turn it to coat evenly. Cover with a damp towel and keep warm and free from drafts (I warm my oven just a tad ahead of time then set it in there with the oven off). Let the dough rise for 30-40 minutes or until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down and knead, on a lightly floured surface, about ten times to release the air bubbles. Cut the dough in half and shape each piece into a ball. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes, then roll or pat each ball into a 12 inch round. Place rounds on pizza stones or other baking sheet. Use a brush to coat lightly and evenly with olive oil, then top with tomato slices, cheese slices, prosciutto (if using), and torn fresh basil leaves. Bake at 450 for 10-13 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is beginning to brown.

Homemade pappardelle

I have been wanting to try my hands at homemade noodles for some time now and, having stumbled across a recipe that promised me I didn't need a new KitchenAid attachment to do so, I decided now was the time. The process was incredibly easy, the end results were incredibly delicious. Though I'm sure we will rely on dried store bought noodles from time to time, I'm also sure I'll be doing this a lot more often.

Pappardelle is a wide ribbon Italian noodle. I made two different kinds—a standard white flour noodle and a spinach noodle. Of the two our favorite was actually the spinach noodle, and I have a it on my list to try a whole wheat noodle next time as well.

Homemade pappardelle

Ingredients:
  ● 2 cups flour
  ● 2 large eggs
  ● 1/4 cup water
  ● 1-1/2 tsp olive oil

Directions:
1. Put 1-1/2 cups of the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the center of flour and add eggs, water, and olive oil. Stir until flour is moistened and leaves the side of the bowl.

2. See step two (and on) below,

Homemade spinach pappardelle

Ingredients:
  ● 1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
  ● 1 large eggs
  ● 1-1/2 cups flour
  ● 3-4 tbsp water
  ● 1/2 tsp olive oil

Directions:
1. In a blender or food processor, combine the spinach and egg; cover and blend until pureed. Put 1 coup of the flour into a large bowl; make a well in the center and add the spinach puree, 3 tablespoons of water, and the olive oil. Stir until well blended, adding additional water if it seems dry.

2. Turn the dough out onto a slightly floured surface and gather it into a ball. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic, adding as much of the remaining flour as need to keep it from sticking (be careful, though, too much flour will make for brittle noodles).

3. Shape the dough into two equal balls; wrap each ball in wax paper and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

4. Working with one ball at a time, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and flatten it into a round withthe palm of your hand, then use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle about 1/8 to 1/16-inch thick. If the dough is too elastic to roll out, recover and allow it to rest longer. Once rolled thin, cover loosely with a towel and allow to try for 30 minutes.

5. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough to desired width of noodle (pappardelle is usually about 3/4-inch wide). Separate noodles and allow to dry for another 30 minutes to 2 hours (I draped mine over my cooling racks. I also have a friend whose Italian mother does not dry additionally but just drops the noodles right in to cook, so I'll be trying that next time).

6. To cook noodles, bring salted water to a boil and add noodles for just 2-3 minutes—they cook fast, so don't overdo it!

And here they are, served with spicy Italian sausage sauteed in olive oil and 3 cloves of garlic with julienned red and yellow peppers, and vidalia onions and garnished with chopped fresh tomatoes and basil (from our garden!). This was superb!

Avocado and watercress salad

Watercress is supposed to be a very nutritious and healthy green, but it's not very good on its own. I set out to find a recipe for this bitter little green and was delighted to find this one, which is apparently a take on a famous dressing from New York restaurant called Natori. The soy sauce and apple were an unusually good pairing and completely obscured the bitterness of the greens.

Avocado and Watercress Salad

Ingredients:
  ● 1/4 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
  ● 1 tbsp. grated sweet onion such as Vidalia or Walla Walla (use large holes of a box grater)
  ● 1/4 cup finely grated peeled Gala apple (use small holes of box grater)
  ● 4 tsp. soy sauce
  ● 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
  ● 6 cups watercress (thin stems and leaves only; from 1 large bunch)
  ● 1 firm but ripe avocado

Directions:
Stir together vinegar, onion, apple, soy sauce, and sugar until sugar has dissolved, then stir in oil.

Just before serving, toss watercress with enough dressing to coat. Quarter, pit, and peel avocado, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Gently toss with watercress.

Celebrate Earth Day!

Today was Earth Day. A few weeks ago, having been reminded that this day was on the horizon, I did a little online research and was astounded to find out that Earth Day is actually 40 years old. For some reason I have always thought of most "green initiative" activiites as being relatively new, and I suppose that in the scheme of things 40 years old is relatively new (and if that's true, then 33 years old is down right infantile). Maybe the reason that this surprised me so much is that I've never really paid all that much attention to Earth Day. The concept of Earth Day always brings to mind a conversation I remember having with my mother about Grandparents Day: I asked her, umpteen years ago, why, if there such events as Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Grandparent's Day, wasn't there a Kid's Day? Here answer was that every day is kid's day. Just the same, shouldn't every day be treated as Earth Day?

Maybe the best way to celebrate Earth Day is to make a pledge, on this day, to celebrate and protect our planet every day for the next year, and every year thereafter, by making just small changes one at a time. Making just one change at a time keeps me from feeling overwhelmed, and focusing on that change for an extended period of time helps me to really internalize the change, to make it a long term lifestyle change instead of a temporary one that will come and go as quickly as any fad. We have been working on making little changes for quite some time now, but the following is a list I found in an article on the Care2 website and it seems like a good place to start. I have highlighted the changes we have already made in our household, and clearly it has taken us more than a single year to complete even those changes, but whether the transformation is quick or drawn out, any improvement is better than none at all.

Months 1-3: Your Kitchen

• Replace food in kitchen with organic, whole foods.
• Replace plastic cooking utensils with wood or bamboo.
• Replace Teflon and aluminum cookware.
• Switch to nontoxic cleansers.
• Safely dispose of toxic cleansers.
• Install a water filter. (on our list for this month)

Months 4-6: Your Body

• Replace formaldehyde-treated linens with organic.
• Replace dry cleaning with laundering.
• Replace commercial wash detergents with eco-products.
• Replace skin care products with natural, organic products.
• Avoid using “disposable” products of all kinds.

Months 7-9: Your Home

• Replace toxic carpets with renewable wood or bamboo.
• Dispose of toxic pesticides for natural repellents.
• Purchase an air purifier. (on our list for this summer)
• Replace pressboard furniture with renewable wood pieces.
• Use alternative building materials for renovation projects.
• Use low VOC paints in place of toxic brands.

Months 10-12: Your Energy Use

• Drive your car less and walk, ride a bike, or share rides.
• Keep your car tuned and/or buy a hybrid.
• Wash your laundry with cold water.
• Insulate your home to cut down on energy use.
• Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
• Replace commercial batteries with rechargeable batteries.

Weekly plan, 4/20

Tuesday: Dinner out to celebrate some good news on the work front!

Wednesday: Grilled chili lime shrimp, bulgur salad, pear slices

Thursday: Stuffed portobellos, spinach salad, kiwi (vegetarian)

Friday: Leftover shrimp and bulgur salad, peaches

Saturday: Cheese and nut stuffed shells, spinach salad with cranberries and toasted almonds, pudding and berries for dessert (vegetarian)

Sunday: Leftover portobellos, wilted kale, limed apple slices

Monday: Zucchini and cheese frittata, orange slices