Chop and salt cucumbers 15 min rinse and pat dry
Dressing:
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c white rice vinegar
1 Tlbs sesame oil
1 tsp sirachi sauce or seeet chili sauce
1 tsp fresh garlic
2-3 chopped green onion
1 tsp furikake (nori leaves, sesame seed, red chili crisps)
Nishiki brown rice (order 15 lbs)
Bring a full pan of water to boil
Add about 1/2 c brown rice per person
Boil without lid 30 minutes
Drain rice and put rice back in pan (no rinse)
Cover with lid no heat 10 minutes
Fluff and serve
Sweet Basil Pesto Tapenade Scrolls
Herby Pizza Dough with ½ tsp dried basil and ½ tsp dried tarragon instead of the other herbs
1. Once the dough has risen, punch down and leave for 10 min. While the dough is rising, make the filling by mixing together pesto (below).
2. Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll dough to form 12 X 18 inch rectangle. Spread half the pesto (below) onto the rolled out dough. (Or you can put as much pesto as you would like.) Try to get the pesto right to the edge.
3. Roll from the long side. Go slowly and get it as tight as possible, using a little water to pinch the seam together and seal.
4. Oil or spray a 11 X 13 inch baking sheet with raised edges. Cut the roll into 12 pieces. Place cut side down on the baking sheet giving them room to breathe. Cover with a towel and let rise for 30-45 min. The rolls should look not quite doubled in size.
Bake 18-22 min. at 375 degrees or until lightly browned and puffy. Serve as soon as you can or let cool and store in an air tight container for a delicious snack.
Sweet Basil Pesto Tapenade
3 c. fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
handful of walnut pieces chopped
2-4 cloves garlic
1/3 c. olive oil
¼ c. walnut, or just more olive oil
1/3 c. maple syrup
1 tsp. grated fresh lemon zest
1 ½ tsp. salt or to taste
black pepper
1. Set aside about ¼ of the walnuts. Chop the basil, garlic and most of the walnuts in food processor until chunky, stopping often to scrape the sides.
2. Add oil(s) maple syrup, and lemon zest, and process until thick and creamy. Stir in reserved walnut pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Can be stored in a glass jar with a thin layer of olive oil on top until ready to serve.
Heidi notes: Peter's recipe says the olive (or vegetable oil) is optional. I use it every time - always olive oil, not vegetable oil. I love the moisture and suppleness it adds to the dough, and it makes your hands soft too.
4 1/2 cups (20.25 ounces) unbleached high-gluten, bread, or all-purpose flour, chilled
1 3/4 (.44 ounce) teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon (.11 ounce) instant yeast
1/4 cup (2 ounces) olive oil (optional)
1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) water, ice cold (40°F)
Semolina flour OR cornmeal for dusting
1. Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). With a large metal spoon, stir in the oil and the cold water until the flour is all absorbed (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment), If you are mixing by hand, repeatedly dip one of your hands or the metal spoon into cold water and use it, much like a dough hook, to work the dough vigorously into a smooth mass while rotating the bowl in a circular motion with the other hand. Reverse the circular motion a few times to develop the gluten further. Do this for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are evenly distributed. If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet and doesn't come off the sides of the bowl, sprinkle in some more flour just until it clears the sides. If it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a tea- spoon or two of cold water. The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50 to 55F.
2. Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with baking parchment and misting the parchment with spray oil (or lightly oil the parchment). Using a metal dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you are comfortable shaping large pizzas), You can dip the scraper into the water between cuts to keep the dough from sticking to it, Sprinkle flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Lift each piece and gently round it into a ball. If the dough sticks to your hands, dip your hands into the flour again. Transfer the dough balls to the sheet pan, Mist the dough generously with spray oil and slip the pan into a food-grade plastic bag.
3. Put the pan into the refrigerator overnight to rest the dough, or keep for up to 3 days. (Note: If you want to save some of the dough for future baking, you can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag. Dip each dough ball into a bowl that has a few tablespoons of oil in it, rolling the dough in the oil, and then put each ball into a separate bag. You can place the bags into the freezer for up to 3 months. Transfer them to the refrigerator the day before you plan to make pizza.)
4. On the day you plan to make the pizza, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator 2 hours before making the pizza. Before letting the dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours, dust the counter with flour, and then mist the counter with spray oil. Place the dough balls on top of the floured counter and sprinkle them with flour; dust your hands with flour. Gently press the dough into flat disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the dough with flour, mist it again with spray oil, and cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap or a food-grade plastic bag. Now let rest for 2 hours.
5. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone either on the floor of the oven (for gas ovens), or on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven as hot as possible, up to 800F (most home ovens will go only to 500 to 550F, but some will go higher). If you do not have a baking stone, you can use the back of a sheet pan, but do not preheat the pan.
6. Generously dust a peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina flour or cornmeal. Make the pizzas one at a time. Dip your hands, including the backs of your hands and knuckles, in flour and lift I piece of dough by getting under it with a pastry scraper. Very gently lay the dough across your fists and carefully stretch it by bouncing the dough in a circular motion on your hands, carefully giving it a little stretch with each bounce. If it begins to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue shaping it. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss as shown on page 208. If you have trouble tossing the dough, or if the dough keeps springing back, let it rest for 5 to 20 minutes so the gluten can relax, and try again. You can also resort to using a rolling pin, though this isn't as effective as the toss method.
7. When the dough is stretched out to your satisfaction (about 9 to 12 inches in diameter for a 6-ounce piece of dough), lay it on the peel or pan, making sure there is enough semolina flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide. Lightly top it with sauce and then with your other top- pings, remembering that the best pizzas are topped with a less-is-more philosophy. The American "kitchen sink" approach is counterproductive, as it makes the crust more difficult to bake. A few, usually no more than 3 or 4 toppings, including sauce and cheese is sufficient.
8. Slide the topped pizza onto the stone (or bake directly on the sheet pan) and close the door. Wait 2 minutes, then take a peek. If it needs to be rotated 180 degrees for even baking, do so. The pizza should take about 5 to 8 minutes to bake. If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone to a lower self before the next round. if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone for subsequent bakes.
9. Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Wait 3 to 5 minutes before slicing and serving, to allow the cheese to set slightly.
Makes six 6-ounce pizza crusts.
Baby Beet Salad
Beets
Baby Arugula
Shaved parmesan Riggiano
Beets roasted at 375 degrees
1. Place cleaned beets on aluminum foil
2. Drizzle the beets with a big of olive oil or grapeseed oil and a little salt if you would like
3. Fold the foil over and crimp the sides closed.
4. Check for smaller beets at 25 minutes. Larger beets or older beets can take up to an hour.
Mix all ingredients together and top with vinaigrette:
Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
¼ c. freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 ½ medium lemons)
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
½ c. extra-virgin olive oil
Asparagus/ tomatoe fresh Mozzarella in maple syrup basil pesto
Aparagus grilled
Tomato
Fresh mozzarella
Combine all ingredients and mix pesto (below) into salad
Maple Syrup Basil Pesto
3 c. fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
handful of walnut pieces chopped
2-4 cloves garlic
1/3 c. olive oil
¼ c. walnut, or just more olive oil
1/3 c. maple syrup
1 tsp. grated fresh lemon zest
1 ½ tsp. salt or to taste
black pepper
Roasted Red Pepper Dressing
2 red bell peppers
2 yellow bell peppers
¾ c. red wine vinegar
1 c. olive oil
1 tsp. sale
Preheat the oven’s broiler and set the oven rack at about 6 inches from the heat source. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Cut the peppers in half from top to bottom, remove the stem, seeds, and ribs, then place the peppers cut-side-down onto the prepared baking sheet
Cook under the broiler until the skin of the peppers has blackened and blistered, about 5 min. Place the blackened peppers into a bowl and tightly seal with plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to steam as they cool, about 20 min.
After cooled, remove the skins and discard. Transfer the roasted peppers to a blender or food processor. Add the red wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt; process until smooth.
