Mix water, sugar, yeast and oil together and let set.  In a large bowl, or on the counter sift out flour and salt.  Make a well in the middle.  Slowly mix flour into liquid.  Once dough is cohesive, knead until dough is smooth and elastic.  Cover, let rise in a warm place for one hour or until double in size.  Knead briefly, cut into 6-8 pieces, depending on what size pizza you want.

–

I’ve tried this recipe a million times, and it always works best for me when I use the 00 flour with the semolina.  This recipe makes a ton of dough, but I like making large pizzas, so I usually only get four pizzas out of it, six if I roll them super thin.  I usually roll out the pizzas about 15 minutes before they will be going in, and I cook them at 450 for about 15 minutes, on a pizza stone or the back of a baking sheet if I am making a huge one.  Sprinkle some corn meal or semolina on whatever surface you are cooking them on and they will slip right off.  You can freeze this dough really well, just take it out of the freezer and toss it in the fridge the night before you want to make pizza.

• 1/2 pkg. dry yeast
• 1 c. warm water
• 2 tsp. honey

Then beat in:

• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 c. white flour
• 1 1/2 c. wheat flour
• 3 T. oil

Knead 8-10 minutes, place in greased bowl, turn to coat.  Cover and let rise 1 hr.  Roll out 1/8 inch think.  Cut to desired size.  Fill and bake at 450 for 20 minutes.

Filling:

• 1 lb. ricotta cheese
• 2 c. shredded mozzarella
• Italian spices to taste
• Pepperoni, ham, other meat of choice or veggies
• pizza sauce.

• 1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 package Fleishman’s dry yeast
• 1 c. very warm water (120-150 degrees)
• 2 tsp peanut oil
• 2 c. whole wheat flour
• Pam spray
• 1 15 1/2 oz jar pizza sauce
• 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
• toppings of choice

Mix 1 cup flour, salt and yeast.  Add warm water, beat 2 mins at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally.  Add oil and 1/2 c. wheat flour.  Beat 2 mins at high speed.  Stir in remaining wheat flour and enough white flour to make a stiff dough.  Knead on floured board five minutes.  Spray a bowl with PAM.  Set dough in bowl, turn to grease top.  cover and rise in warm place 30 mins.  Spray 15x10x1 pan with PAM.  Punch down dough.  Roll and stretch to 17×12.  Place in pan making rim at edge.  Bake at 450 for 8 mins.  Spread with sauce, cheese and toppings.  Bake 10-12 min more or until brown.

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease 2 baking sheets and set aside. In a small bowl, stir togehter the ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheese. In another small bowl stir together your diced ingredients.  On a lightly floured surface, with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough to slightly less than a 1/4″ thickness. With a 2 1/2 inch round cutter or drinking glass, cut the circles of the dough. Place a scant teaspoon of the ricotta mixture and small spoonful of the diced ingredients on the circles. Fold the circles in half and seal the edges by pressing with the tines of a fork. Place the filled calzones on the prepared baking sheets. Prick the tops with a fork to allow steam to escape. Brush the tops with the milk. If you want you can then sprinkle the tops with Italian Seasoning or Parmesan.  Bake in the 375 oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat your sauce. Remove the calzones from the baking sheets. Serve immediately with the tomato sauce for dipping.
This recipe originally came from Better Homes and Gardens.  I have changed it to suit my evil purposes.

Technorati Tags: Italian, appetizers, holiday food, mini calzones, party food

Via Apartment Therapy

Strozzapretti with Pecorino, Prociutto and Something Green
serves 4

1 lb Strozzapretti pasta
1 cup chicken stock
6 egg yolks
1 cups freshly grated pecorino romano cheese, plus 1/2 cup chopped
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon good quality, flaky salt
3 heads Belgian endive, chopped cross-wise to within 1 inch of stem, or total 2 cups chopped green (herbs, cooked kale, chard, etc.)
1/4 lb prosciutto, torn into bite-sized pieces.

Set a large pot of water to boil. In a small saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a simmer over low flame.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine egg yolks, Pecorino, pepper, and salt. Whisk gently. Add endive.

When the pot of water reaches a boil, add a good shake of salt and cook pasta to al dente. Drain it quickly and toss into the bowl with the egg mixture, allowing some of the pasta water to mix in. Pour the simmered stock over the pasta and toss everything together gently.

Divide between four warm pasta bowls and lay a nice handful of prosciutto across each portion. Serve immediately.

Dough:

• 1 c. milk
• 3 c. bisquick
• 1/4 c. mayonaise

Cook pork and onion over low heat until meat is no longer pink.  Cool.

Drain spinach, add to meat and onions, with rest of the ingredients.

Spread half of dough on greased cookie sheet.  cover with meat mixture.  Spread rest of dough over mixture.  Brush with a beaten egg yolk, if desired.

Bake 25 to 30 min at 400.  Cut in squares.  Serve hot or cold.  Very good as a main dish, accompanied by salad.

–Josephine F. Olsen Cape Elizabeth, Maine from the 1958 Maine March of Dimes Cookbook

–

I loathe canned spinach, so I would use frozen or fresh, and I am kinda grossed out by the mayo in the crust bit.  I am wondering what that does for it.  Hmm.

Technorati Tags: Italian food, meat pie, church cookbook recipes, march of dimes recipes, maine recipes, 1958 recipes,

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 ounces cooked ham, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups low-fat (1 percent) milk
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 ounces reduced-fat bar cream cheese
• 10 ounces spinach linguine
• 1 head broccoli, stems peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick, florets cut into bite-size pieces
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a 3-quart heavy-bottom saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add ham, and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute.
2. Stir in milk, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until mixture is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in cream cheese; cook until melted, about 1 minute.
3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions, adding broccoli during final 3 minutes. Drain; transfer pasta and broccoli to a large bowl. Add cream-cheese sauce and Parmesan, and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

From Martha Stewart Everyday Food

Technorati Tags: yum, get in my mouth, pasta, i’m hungry

1. Dissolve yeast in 1?4 cup lukewarm water in a large bowl. Set aside until yeast begins to activate (it will foam a little), about 10 minutes. Combine flours and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Add 1 cup of the flour mixture to yeast and stir well with a wooden spoon or your hands. Mix in 1?2 cup water, then add another cup flour mixture and continue to stir. Add remaining 1 cup flour mixture, then gradually stir in about 1?4 cup water and mix well. The dough should be fairly soft, but not too wet.

3. Turn out dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead with the heels of your palms until it has a smooth, uniform texture, about 10–12 minutes. Divide dough into 2 even balls. Coat the insides of two medium bowls with 1?2 tsp. olive oil each. Place dough in bowls, cover bowls with damp cloths or plastic wrap, and set aside to rise until doubled in bulk, about 2 1?2–3 hours.

4. Place pizza stone or unglazed tile in oven and preheat at highest setting (not broil). Sprinkle a baker’s peel or inverted baking sheet with cornmeal. Punch down dough from one bowl, make a ball, and flatten it on the pan. Taking care not to overwork dough, stretch it into a thin 12″ circle with a slightly raised edge. Add Margherita or Marinara toppings and slide onto hot pizza stone.

5. Bake until crust is golden brown and crisp, about 12–15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare second pizza. Remove first pizza from oven and bake the second on the same stone. Drizzle a little olive oil on each and serve.
This recipe was first published in Saveur in Issue #7

Technorati Tags:   pizza dough, make-ahead, Italian, quick recipes, easy recipes          

Vegetables
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (1-pound) celery root (celeriac), peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound turnips, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

For brasato:
Adjust rack to lower third of oven. Preheat to 300°F. Simmer wine in large saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1 cup, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large wide pot over medium heat. Sprinkle roasts with salt and pepper. Add 1 roast to pot and cook until brown on all sides, about 13 minutes. Transfer to large plate; repeat with remaining roast. Spoon fat from pot Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. sauté over medium-high heat until vegetables begin to brown, about 6 minutes. Add tomato paste; stir 1 minute. Add broth; bring to boil. Add sage, parsley, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Return roasts and any accumulated juices to pot, tucking roasts to fit in single layer. Pour reduced red wine over; cover.

Transfer roasts to oven and braise 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn roasts over. Cover and braise until roasts are tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes longer. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cool, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm in 350°F oven until heated through, about 30 minutes.

Transfer roasts to cutting board; tent with foil. Strain braising liquid into medium saucepan, pressing on solids in strainer. Spoon fat from surface of braising liquid; keep liquid warm.

For vegetables:
Melt butter with oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add celery root, turnips, and carrots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. sauté until browned in spots, about 8 minutes. Add 1 cup braising liquid from pot roast. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to high, and bring to boil. Stir in sugar. Add sage and parsley and cook until sauce is reduced to glaze, stirring often, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Cut roasts into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices on platter. Spoon vegetables around roast. Drizzle some of braising liquid over meat and serve.

Technorati Tags: brasato, italian pot roast, i want to get fatter food, ways to waste a bottle of wine

bon appetit Feb 2007

—

The Boyband is Italian and every once in a while I am nice and sacrifice a bottle of wine for this.  A WHOLE bottle of wine.  ack.

SAUCE

• 1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp garlic or onion powder
• 1/8 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients and let stand for one hour.

PIZZA

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water, 105-115 degrees
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 T. salad oil
• 3 1/2 unbleached flour (unless you like bleach then all-purpose is fine)
• 2 more T. salad oil
• Toppings

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large mixing bowl. Stir in sugar, salt, 3 T. oil and 2 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turn greased side up. Cover; let rise in a warm place 45 minutes. Heat oven to 400. Grease 2 sheet pans (15 1/2 x 10 1/2 by 1 inch), with 2 T. oil. Punch down dough; divide in half. Roll each half into rectangle, 16×11. Place rectangle in pan. Bake crust five minutes. Spread 1/2 c. sauce over each pizza; cover each with whatever toppings you want. If using more than one topping, arrange meat over sauce, then vegetables, then cheese. Bake 20 mins. Makes 2 pizzas.