3.5.11-3.8.11

margherita pizza

saturday

you will need:

    one pizza crust/ingredients for pizza dough
    one 28 oz can whole tomatoes, crushed with your fingers (or hey, use crushed or diced
    tomatoes instead)
    2 tb olive oil
    5 cloves of garlic, more or less according to your taste
    1/2 tsp kosher salt
    1/2 tsp oregano
    8 oz ball fresh mozzarella
    fresh torn basil


preheat oven to 500 degrees. you absolutely want to use a pizza brick/baking stone for this. throw it in and let it heat up with the oven. let the oven preheat for a good 30 minutes to ensure it is hot enough

prepare your favorite pizza dough in advance or just get out your ready made crust.

(note: if you are using fresh dough, place it on a cornmeal dusted pizza peel/cookie sheet. cornmeal slides more easily than flour)

add olive oil to a pan, heat to medium and saute garlic for 1 minute or so.

add tomatoes, salt and oregano, bring to a boil for a minute and then allow the sauce to simmer for 30 minutes.

evenly spread tomato sauce on to dough/crust. cover pizza with slices of delicious fresh mozzarella, and go ahead and snag a bite or two for yourself.

gently jiggle pizza dough onto super hot stone. (or just slide the crust on, the dough requires more finesse)

bake for 12 ish minutes, keep an eye on it. i like my cheese to be a little brown--use your judgement. unless you use dough you can't really underbake it, if using fresh dough just make sure the edges are golden and crispy looking.

allow it to cool for a good 5 minutes or so to let the juices in the sauce settle, or it will leak everywhere making your crust soggy (unless you inhale your pizza in seconds, which is feasible.) throw some fresh torn basil on top and cut, enjoy!

note 2: the sauce recipe makes enough for 2-4 pizzas, depending on size. alter other ingredients accordingly, or use left over sauce on pasta, or potentially the recipe below.

ricotta toasts with sauteed vegetables

monday

you will need:

    some type of delicious, bakery bread. you don't want to skimp. thick slices of an italian loaf work    well, i used half a mini ciabatta loaf, which was delicious
    1 zucchini, diced
    1/2 carton button mushrooms, chopped
    1 clove garlic, pressed
    1 tb olive oil
    4 plum tomatoes, chopped
    handful fresh basil, julienned (roll the leaves up tightly and slice thinly)
    1 c part skim ricotta cheese
    1/4 c freshly grated parmesan (again, you don't want to skimp, use the good stuff, or the not bottled stuff anyway)
    half a ball (4 oz) fresh mozzarella, sliced


preheat oven to 450

pour olive oil in pan and heat to medium, add garlic and saute 1 minute or so. throw in zucchini and mushrooms, saute until softened, a few minutes. you'll be able to tell. add tomatoes and sprinkle in a 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper. saute until tomatoes are warmed through--2 or 3 minutes.

add the grated parmesan, sliced basil, dash of salt and 1/4 tsp pepper with ricotta and stir to combine.

spread a thick layer of the ricotta mixture on to slices of bread (note: i used mini ciabatta loaves, about 6 inches long. i sliced one in half and had this for dinner twice. all the ingredients keep well and reheat beautifully for the next day, so just make as many as you will eat. basically...i always have leftovers.)

use a slotted spoon (to reduce juices) to spoon veggie mixture ontop of ricotta, and then top with mozzarella cheese. bake for about 10-12 minutes. keep an eye on it. i like my cheese a little browned and bubbly, my bread crispy and toasty.

this is such a simple dish that you really want to have wonderful ingredients, from experience i know skimping turns out badly.


   

macaroni and cheese with pureed squash

tuesday


you will need:

    8 oz macaroni (i like cavatappi, the corkscrew pasta)
    2 tb butter
    2 tb flour (i like Wondra, for gravies, sauces--it won't clump)
    2 cups milk
    2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
    1/2 tsp kosher salt
    1/2 tsp black pepper
    1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less depending on your tastes)
    one 10-12 oz package frozen pureed squash, thawed.


preheat to 400 degrees.

bring water to a boil, cook pasta according to package directions. drain and set aside--do not rinse.

melt butter in saucepan on medium low heat, sprinkle in flour and whisk to thicken roux. let this mixture do its thing for a bit, allowing it to turn a beigey color.

gradually stir in milk, whisking to combine. let the sauce thicken between pours, and once all combined allow to simmer (whisking constantly) until thick. for me this usually takes anywhere from 10-15 minutes on medium high heat.

once milk mixture is thickened, add seasonings (salt, pepper, cayenne) and stir in squash. fold in thoroughly, and sprinkle the cheese in, stirring until melted.

pour sauce over cooked pasta, evenly coating all noodles. transfer the macaroni to an oven-safe dish, and bake for 15 minutes until bubbly. (at this stage you can sprinkle the top with extra cheese and breadcrumbs)