Parsnip-Cauliflower Soup & Sopressata Flatbread Twists

Episode Three! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Parsnip Cauliflower Soup and Sopressata Flatbread Twists from Ross Cauvel on Vimeo.

INGREDIENTS

For the soup:

2 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
6-8 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
1 head cauliflower, cut into chunks
salt and pepper
1 box low-sodium chicken broth
juice of half a lemon
2 cups lowfat milk
fresh chopped parsley

For the Twists:

1 ball pizza dough (mine was homemade, from Emeril's by-hand recipe), rolled out and sliced into 1-inch wide strips
1 egg beaten with 1 T. milk
5-6 slices sopressata (or other salami-like deli meat), in 1-inch wide slices
shredded Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

STEP 1:

Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven or large pot on medium-high heat. Add carrots and onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until onions begin to brown at the edges a little. Add parsnips and cook for a few more minutes.

STEP 2:

Add cauliflower, lemon juice and chicken broth. Cover and cook on high heat for about 30 minutes, until parsnips and cauliflower are very tender.

STEP 3:

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay pizza dough strips out flat on a pizza stone or baking sheet. Brush each strip with a little egg wash. Cover each strip with strips of sopressata. Twist into twisty shapes. Sprinkle Parmesan over the top along with a little salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown, broiling for a few minutes at the end if needed for extra crispness.

STEP 4:

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup (or puree it in a regular blender or food processor). Reduce heat and stir in milk. Taste and adjust seasoning. Keep warm till ready to serve. Ladle into bowls, top with parsley, and serve with twists. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Herb Flatbread with Prosciutto & Chevre

What a gorgeous Saturday!

Today was the first true Spring day Chicago has seen yet this year - it was sunny and 70 degrees, the perfect weather for bike riding by the lakeshore, a morning trip to the farmer's market, and general merrymaking.


And my trip to Green City Market was no ordinary jaunt, either; I had the pleasure of shopping alongside a local chef! I'm doing a little side project for a well-known caterer-cum-consultant who specializes in sustainability, and when he wanted to meet at the farmer's market to chat, I couldn't say no. He knows all the local farmers, and gave me the rundown on everything from amazing apple storage methods to which "green" farmers are actually riding around the backcountry roads in earth-hating Hummers. It was so great to get an insider's perspective on the market offerings.


I picked up a few ingredients there, including a nice green salad mix, which I knew would go nicely with the whole wheat flatbread that I'd been planning on since last night. Since making my own pizza dough recently, I had been wanting to try making it with whole wheat flour. It totally worked! Read on to see how to make it yourself.



WHOLE WHEAT HERB FLATBREAD WITH PROSCIUTTO & CHEVRE

INGREDIENTS

For the dough, use the recipe from this post, substituting whole wheat flour for regular flour.**

**NOTE: The dough was stickier than white-flour dough when I began to knead it, so I used regular flour on my work surface while I was kneading, adding more as neccessary.

I added chopped rosemary, dill, sage, and parsley (very well chopped, about 1/2 c. total herbs) just before I started kneading. Over the course of the kneading, they became well-incorporated into the dough.



3-4 slices prosciutto, cut into strips
crumbled herb goat cheese
3 shallots, sliced thinly
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 T. olive oil for shallots, plus more for brushing on dough
freshly grated parmiagiano reggiano
salt and freshly ground pepper
red pepper flakes
sprinkling of cornmeal for the pizza stone

STEP ONE:

Follow the directions for the dough. Leave dough in refrigerator for a few hours or overnight (you can use it immediately, but it is a bit harder to work with).

STEP TWO:

Preheat the oven to 425. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Cook the shallots until caramelized, adding sugar in the last 2-3 minutes of cooking time. Set aside.

STEP THREE:

Roll out dough until desired thickness (I like my thin). Brush the pizza stone with olive oil, then sprinkle with cornmeal.

STEP FOUR:

Brush the dough with olive oil, then season with a little salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Top with goat cheese, proscuitto, and parmigiano reggiano. Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes, watching pizza closely. Cooking times will vary depending on the oven, etc. Slice and enjoy!


The slight sweetness of the dough was balanced by the saltiness of the prosciutto, and the creaminess of the goat cheese was a nice complement to the crisp crust. The only thing I felt was missing was a little something to dip the flatbread in - it was a tad on the dry side. Next time, I'd just have some marinara handy for dipping, just like you would for a calzone. The salad, which was nothing more than the lettuce mix drizzled with a simple dressing of lemon juice, dijon mustard, honey, and olive oil, was light, crisp, and springy.

I'm really happy that the whole wheat flour worked out - I can see many a whole wheat pizza in my future!

Thanks for reading! More soon...

Prosciutto & Sage Pizza with Homemade Dough

I'm not really into sports. But I'm so into food that if watching sports gives me a viable excuse to make something elaborate, I'll become an instant fan of whatever team my fellow eaters happen to be cheering for at the moment (Villanova, if you must know).

I have to give you the backstory about this pizza before I launch into the how-to's; my grand plan was to make my own ricotta cheese as well as my own dough and make a ricotta and prosciutto pizza. Lest you think I've never had any kitchen disasters, let me share The Ricotta Cheese Disaster of '09. Making ricotta is, ostensibly, easy. You bring a gallon of milk to a simmer, stir in some lemon juice, scrape the curds into a cheesecloth-lined colander, and voila - fresh ricotta. Well, the whole bring-the-milk-to-a-simmer thing is where it all went, er...sour.


I could smell the milk burning, but figured that cheesemakers around the world were probably well accustomed to this unpleasant scent. I stirred in the lemon juice, and to my utter amazement, the curds did in fact form into a cheese-like substance. I let it cool for awhile before I gave it a dubious taste, and, sadly, it tasted like burnt milk. In 60 seconds of curdling, my fantasies of parlaying my love of fromage into a post-advertising career raising goats in rural upstate New York were utterly crushed. Sigh. So after an investment of $15 and 2 hours, I had no cheese for the pizza I had promised to make with the LeCroys, and yet another notch in my belt of kitchen failures.

I'm actually sort of happy I ruined the cheese, because I bought the most deliciously fresh and melty mozzarella, which made the Prosciutto and Sage pizza a crispy, savory delight. And I'm proud to say the dough came out really nicely! It was a bit hard to stretch thinly without tearing, but it tasted really good, so that's a success in my book - it just took a little patience and some skillful patching of a few holes. Considering this was the first time I had made dough of any kind - literally, I had never before kneaded so much as a pie crust - I was pretty happy with the results.


Without further ado, I present:

PROSCIUTTO & SAGE PIZZA

DOUGH:

(I used Emeril's easy dough-by-hand recipe, and my only modification was to add one tablespoon of honey to the olive oil/yeast mixture - this recipe yields 2 dough balls that make about a 12-inch thin-crust pizza each)

1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour, plus more if necessary
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 T. extra virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, combine yeast with water, olive oil, salt and stir well to proof. After 5 minutes, add half of the flour and mix well to thoroughly incorporate. Add all remaining flour except 1/2 cup and mix well with your hands. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead dough for at least 5 and up to 7 minutes, adding enough additional flour as necessary to form a smooth and elastic dough. Dough should not be sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled 2 or 3 quart bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, usually at least 1 hour.

Divide dough into 2 portions (for 2 (12-inch) pizzas) and form into balls. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. Let rest for 15 minutes, then transfer to a lightly floured surface, shape as desired and roll out to a thickness of 1/4-inch

SAUCE:

(this makes enough sauce for 2-3 pizzas)

1 large can crushed tomatoes
1/3 can tomato paste with Italian herbs (or plain is fine)
splash of red wine
chopped fresh and/or dried Italian herbs; I used fresh basil and dried oregano and parsley
salt and pepper to taste
crushed red pepper flakes to taste

Mix all ingredients and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce has reduced a little. Spread on raw pizza dough that has been brushed with a little olive oil. Save the rest for another pizza (it almost makes a nice marinara sauce, or a good base for vodka sauce.)

TOPPINGS:

About 1/2 c. of the sauce, but just adjust based on how saucy you like your pizza
1/2 large log of very fresh mozzarella cheese (the kind that's really white and has some water with it in the container), sliced thinly (about 1/4" slices)
~10 fresh sage leaves, whole
very thinly sliced prosciutto di parma (I bought a quarter pound at the deli, and we only used about 3/4 of what I bought, but you could easily use all of it or less of it)
freshly ground pepper
fresh parmigiano reggiano for grating over the top (optional)


Preheat the oven to 425. Brush a pizza stone with a little olive oil, and sprinkle some cornmeal around (this prevents sticking). If you don't have a pizza stone, just use a baking sheet, or put the pizza directly on the baking rack in the oven. Top the pizza dough and sauce with the above toppings, or with any you like. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, but a keep a close eye on it, because baking times vary based on thickness of crust and type of toppings. Slice with a pizza cutter and enjoy!