The Renaissance Kitchen

Do you go through certain recipes frequently for a while and then replace them with another set of recipes?  I do this a lot.  I’ll make the same recipes for a while until I realize that I’m making it once a week or so and then I switch for some other dish, only to do the same thing all over again.  Homemade pizza was one of those lazy Susan recipes that rotated and rotated for dinner.

Pizza has always been a favorite in my house.  My husband would have pizza every day when he was young for lunch.  (That’s the story I’ve been told.)  Have you ever seen “Appian Way” pizza?  The fact is, I had never heard about it until he bought some. I haven’t checked the market for it lately.  I’m not sure if they still make it.  It’s a little box that looks like a mac-n-cheese box.  It holds a few packets.  Yes, it’s totally processed.  There is a dough packet, a sauce packet and a little parmesan cheese packet.  My husband would eat anything that resembled pizza. Of course, he had his favorites.  He loved Appian Way pizza just the way it was, no mozzarella, just parmesan cheese.  I think it reminded him of his childhood.

I started making my own pizza dough after I received a cookbook simply titled “Pizza”.  I would knead the dough by hand, thinking that this would make the best dough, you know, doing it the traditional way.  Well, I learned better.  A standup mixer with a dough hook creates a just as good if not better dough.  We would often have kids over and each one would have an individual pizza that they could fix any way they wanted.  I once had the whole high school faculty making their own pizzas.  Good thing I had three ovens available.  Everyone brought a fixing and I provided the dough.  It was great fun!

For every night dinners, I would double the recipe.  That way we could get four 12-inch pizzas.  The fourth was always this Apple Pizza.  It’s a great and easy dessert.  You don’t have to make your own dough.  Most supermarkets carry some.  I love the feeling of pizza dough.  It’s soft and dense, smooth and not sticky.  I love handling it.  Remember that you can slow rise it in the refrigerator and make it a day ahead.  Just follow the recipe.  When you set the dough in the oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the frig.  Take it out about 1 hour before you baking and continue along with the recipe.

The dough in this recipe will make two pizzas.  So, you can make a savory one and a dessert one.  Search for “Make Ahead Pizza Rolls” on the blog, if you need a simple homemade pizza sauce.  Buon Appetito!

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups Warm Water

1 packet Yeast

3 1/2-3 3/4 cups Unbleached Flour

2 Tbls. Olive Oil

1 Tbl. Salt

3 Apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1/3 cup Sugar

1 Tbl. Butter

Read the Yeast packet for the water temperature that’s needed.  It does vary.  In your mixer bowl or other large bowl (if kneading by hand), pour the Water and sprinkle the Yeast packet over it.  Let sit for 5  minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl by oiling it with Olive Oil.

Add Flour, Olive Oil and Salt to the Yeast and stir or mix until incorporated.  Now, use the hook on your mixer or knead by hand for 10 minutes.

Place in the oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until it doubles in size, about 1 hour. If you are making ahead, place the bowl with the dough into the refrigerator for no more than 24 hours.

As the dough reaches it’s full rise, peel, core and slice the Apples.

Once the dough has doubled, punch it.  Split in half. Remember this is enough for two pizzas.

Stretch one-half of the dough out to fit into your 12-inch oiled pizza pan.

Let it rest 10 minutes or so.  Meanwhile, set your oven to 475 degrees.

Place the Apples on the dough.  It doesn’t have to be perfect.  This is pizza, not a tart, so relax.

Sprinkle the Sugar over the Apples and little on the crust edge.  Dot with the Butter.

Bake in the 475 degree oven for 10 – 15 minutes until edges are golden brown.  Slice into 8 pieces.

Each slice contains 196 Calories, 3.2 grams Fat, 39.1 grams Carbs, 2.8 grams Protein.

The last time I made this dessert, I listened to Andrea Bocelli’s Passione CD, mostly Italian songs with a few Spanish and English ones thrown in the mix.  I love his voice.

Until next time, eat well, drink well and live well.  Ciao!

I made this Watermelon Salad for the first time, last year for an olive oil tasting party.  It was a social event for a philanthropic women’s group and their spouses.  The plan was to do my usual one hour talk and then I teach everyone how to taste.  I love doing this.  Everyone is interested in olive oil.  It’s been in the news a lot and it’s so confusing.  People don’t know what to buy and many are surprised at what I tell them.  This particular party wanted food along with the tasting.  We tasted delicate, medium and robust oils. I made a dish with every olive oil we tasted, including dessert.  It was a lot of work and I couldn’t have done it without my good friend, Gigi.  She kept everything organized and cleaned up quickly, so that we could leave soon after everyone was fed.

This salad is so refreshing.  It’s often made with cheese.  You can add that if you like.  A nice feta or ricotta works well.  I chose not to use any cheese.  I feel it is lighter and a better option with this hot weather that we are having.  One note:  the watermelon lets go a lot of juice once it is cut.  Make sure that you leave the dicing of the watermelon and tossing with the other ingredients until the last moment.  Stay cool!

Ingredients

2 medium Red Onions, sliced as thinly as possible

4 Lemons, juiced

4 cups cubed Watermelon

1/2 cup roughly chopped, pitted Kalamata Olives

1/4 cup roughly chopped Mint Leaves

1/4 cup Olive Oil, I used a medium EVOO

Combine the sliced Red Onions with the Lemon Juice and refrigerate over night.

When ready to serve, combine the remaining ingredients.   Mix gently and serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.  Each serving has 165 Calories, 11.2 grams Fat, 16.4 grams Carbs, 1.5 grams Protein.

I’ve been listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers a lot lately.  The Jupiter CD is my favorite at the moment.

Write me a line if you try this recipe and like it below in the comments.

Remember to eat well, drink well and live well.  Until next time.

Please forgive me but I have posted this recipe before.  It is Aunt Grace’s Banana Bread and if you haven’t had a chance to try it, I suggest that you do.  It is really delicious.  The only difference is that this time I made it with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  I used a medium oil not the usual delicate one.

Now, I know it sounds like it wouldn’t taste good.  Olive oil is somewhat strong and one can taste it in salads.  In cooking, it looses it’s distinguishing flavor and just enhances whatever it is that you are making.  All fats, whether they are an oil or butter have pretty much the same amount of calories, somewhere between 36 to 44 per teaspoon.   Butter has 36, olive oil 40.  Fats make food taste better and they make a person feel fuller.  I’m finding that fats are a major subject in all new diet and nutrition books.  I’ve been reading that there are good fats and bad fats.  I believe this.  I have believed this for a long time.  I only have two types of fats in my home, olive oil and butter.  That’s all I ever use, all that I ever need.  You can substitute olive oil for butter in most of your cooking and baking.  In fact, if you substitute the butter with olive oil, you will probably be lowering the caloric value of your dish because you use less.  Although using both in a sauté, for example, can be very delicious.  To substitute olive oil for butter just use 2/3 of the amount needed in the recipe and if baking, I tend to leave it in a few minutes longer.  It might just be my oven but I feel it usually takes a little longer to bake.  The product is always very rich and moist.  I have to say that this banana bread is more moist than the original one made with butter.  Try both and let me know which one you like best.  I have my favorite but would really like to hear what you think.  Just leave something in the comments below.

Ingredients

1 cup Sugar

6 Tbls. Olive Oil

2 Eggs

3 Bananas, very ripe

1 1/4 cup Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

Combine the Sugar and Olive Oil.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients

In another bowl, whip the Eggs and Bananas. I try to get the Bananas to dissolve as much as possible and to make the mixture as light as I can.

Add the Egg/Banana mixture to the Sugar bowl.  Then add the dry ingredients until combined.Pour into a 4 x 8 greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Maybe a little longer.

The whole house smells wonderful when this is in the oven.  I hope you will try it and let me know what you think.

Sliced into 16 servings.  Each serving contains 159 Calories, 6 grams Fat, 25.1 grams Carbs, 2 grams Protein.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my mom lately which has led me to reminisce on family recipes.   My mom was an excellent cook.  She made wonderful meals and unbelievable pastries.  She wasn’t much into cookies or cakes.  She slept only 3 hours a night and in the mornings when everyone was sleeping, she would be making some delicious pastry for breakfast.  Mom included me in the kitchen a lot.  I was her official taster.  I had the last word on the al dente condition of pasta, the need for mustard in our Enslada Rusa (potato salad) and salt on any dish.  The funny thing about salt is that mom would season with salt perfectly and I am always stingy with it.  I think I got into that habit a few years back when salt was considered such an evil thing.  I guess I figured that people could salt their own plates after they were served.  My husband always salted his food without even tasting it, which might be reason number two why I use salt so sparingly.

This Pionono recipe comes straight from Argentina. I have been making this cake since I was a pre-teen.  Mom and I made it for both sweet and savory rolls. At some time when I was young, Mom just lost her touch with Pionono, at least that’s what she told me.  It just wouldn’t turn out for her and, so then, it became my job.  We made this often with a salmon salad or dulce de leche as a filling but I love Fruit Basket Cakes and thought it might be nice to make a filling for this roll with fruit and whipped cream.  I think it’s delish.

I call the batter my 4 + 4 + 4 dough.  So easy to remember, 4 eggs, 4 Tbls. flour, 4 Tbls. sugar and 1 tsp. Vanilla.  That’s it!  It’s a dream.

Ingredients

4 Eggs

4 Tbls. Unbleached Flour

4 Tbls. Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

Filling-Double this recipe if you would like to frost the outside of the cake.

4 oz. Mascarpone Cheese

1/2 cup Sugar (If you are doubling the recipe, use 2/3 cup of Sugar.)

1 cup Heavy Cream

1 tsp. Vanilla (Keep it at 1 tsp. of Vanilla if you are doubling the recipe.)

1 lb. Strawberries

8 oz. Blueberries

Or whatever fruit you would like

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a 14 x 11 pan with greased parchment paper.  (I use the bottom of my broiler pan.  What can I say?  It’s tradition.)  The trick to working with parchment paper is to lightly grease the pan so the paper will stay in place.  Then, generously grease the top.

Beat the 4 Eggs and Sugar with your whisk attachment of your standup mixer.  Beat until the Eggs are frothy like a zabaglione, about 5 minutes.  You should only see froth and no liquid in the bowl.

Gently fold in 1 Tbl. of sifted Flour at a time.  Make sure there are no lumps.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 7 minutes.

While the cake is baking, grab a tea towel, dampen it and spread a thin layer of sugar on it.

Take the cake out and place it upside down on the towel.  Gently peal the parchment paper.

While the cake is cooling slightly, gently stir 1/4 cup of Sugar into the Mascarpone in a medium bowl. In another bowl. whip the Cream on medium until soft peaks.  Increase speed to medium-high and slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup Sugar until it reaches stiff peaks.  Fold the Cream into the Mascarpone a bit at a time.

Prepare Strawberries and Blueberries.

Spread the Whipped Cream on the cake.

Place Berries on top.

Use the towel to roll.

Place on a plate.  Trim the sides and frost.  Then frost the top or decorate.

Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.  Sprinkle with some powdered sugar.

You are done in less than 45 minutes.  I listened to Andrea Bocelli’s CD “Romanza”.  I used a few of these songs in class when I taught Spanish.  It has some Spanish and some Italian songs that I lo

Serving size can vary.  I chose to use 8 servings per roll.  Each serving of the Pionono has 74 Calories, 2.3 grams Fat, 8.9 grams Carbs, 3.4 grams Protein.  The filling has 243 Calories, 17.4 grams Fat, 21.4 grams Carbs, 4.4 grams Protein.

I’m sorry that I’m a little behind on my blog.  Well, I realize that it probably doesn’t matter much to you if I post regularly or not. So, I guess I should apologize because  you will be getting some stories and recipes more frequently this week.  Stories just swim in my mind until I get them down on paper.  I journal everyday to relieve some of that but when I have stories that I want to share with you, they just won’t leave me alone until I type them into words.

A few recipes back, if you recall the Lemon Glazed Monkey Bread, I wrote about my mom’s thriftiness and how I was developing this trait.  It really was an unexpected insight that I discovered as I put my thoughts down on paper, so to speak.  Well, now, I’m looking at myself through new lenses and I am becoming more aware of how much I am resembling my mother.  It became clear when I was asked about this scone recipe.  I brought a batch to the volunteers at the food locker where I help out.  The question was about topping the scones with sugar before baking.  I brush them with cream and sometimes sprinkle some sugar on top.  As I was describing this to my friends, I had the vision of me taking the pastry brush and running it on the sides of the measuring cups that I used for the dough.  I use the last little drops of cream from those cups to top the scones.  I’m too frugal to get more cream out from the carton.  I usually have just enough for the 12 scones.  What an “AHA” moment for me.  People say that we turn into our mothers if we are women or our fathers if we are men as we mature.  Well, I’m maturing and I see it!  It just makes me laugh.

This is a wonderful breakfast or brunch recipe.  It takes 15 minutes to prepare and 15 to 20 minutes in the oven.  It’s so fast and very little to clean up.  It might be a nice addition to your Mother’s Day breakfast menu.

Ingredients

2 cups Unbleached Flour

1/3 cup  Sugar

1 Tbl. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 cup Blueberries, dusted in flour

1 1/4 cups Cream

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Make sure the rack is in the center of the oven.

Whisk together the Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, and Salt in a large bowl.  

Rinse, dry and dust Blueberries with a little Flour.

Add the blueberries and gently incorporate.

Add the Cream and continue to stir with a rubber spatula until the dough gets too stiff.  Continue mixing with your hands.

Once the dough is formed, dust a little flour in a 12 inch round pan or cookie sheet.  Knead the dough right in the pan five or six times.  Be gentle with this dough if you want your blueberries to stay whole and plump.  There will be a few casualties but many can be saved.

Once you have kneaded the dough, roll it out to an 8 inch circle with a rolling pin or by hand.

Slice the circle into 12 pieces.  Pull triangles 1/2 inch apart.

Brush with cream. There is usually just enough in the previously used measuring cups.  Sprinkle with sugar on the tops if desired.

Bake in a 425 degree oven for 12 -15 minutes.  This scone will usually take the full 15 minutes because of the moisture of the blueberries.

There you have it.  Add a great cup of coffee or tea.  Until next time, eat well, drink well, live well.