IT MUST BE SUMMER.....another way with Chard

I had grand plans to make spanakotiropita with some of the chard that keeps growing in our garden.  It's so great that we have more than enough to eat now while it is fresh, and plenty to prepare and freeze for the winter.  I thought this recipe was the perfect opportunity to use of one of the many packages of phyllo in my freezer than need to disappear.   I don't know what happened though.  When I opened the pack I had defrosted it was all stuck together and pretty useless so I tossed it out and had to come up with a plan, quick.  I had already prepared the chard and feta filling and had a house full of people expecting dinner at some point.  Then it hit me, CALZONES!  Yes.....so I whipped up a batch of pizza dough, grated some mozzarella cheese, and dinner was on it's way.

Rather than repeat myself, feel free to check out the recipes for Spanakotiropita and Pizza Dough on my blog.

THE BIG 3

     Just winding down from a day of lots of busy excitement as my little boy turns 3.  His birthday isn't actually until Thursday, but we celebrated it today with lots of fun and friends.  I look back at last year's birthday party and wonder how  I managed to do it all!  I pared down the extravagance big time this year due to the fact that we now have two little ones to tend to, but I tried to still keep it special and delicious. 

     As you may remember, I have committed to striving to live as plastic-free a life as possible, which means not buying products packaged in plastic or made of plastic.  So last year at birthday time I bought Chinese paper lanterns instead of balloons.  The beauty of these lanterns is that they can be used over and over again, and they add a nice festive touch to parties.  The paper theme continued over to the corner where we hung a pinata shaped like a sun wearing sunglasses.  I stuffed this sucker full of little wooden toys, chocolate coins, and fruit sticks.  I had an uneasy feeling this "pull ribbon" variety of pinata was a dud.  I was right, after pulling off all the ribbons the darn thing didn't open.  I had to seriously put a lot of effort into busting the thing open to get the candies out....oh well.

     Since Faegan is now three, I thought we could try letting the little ones make their own pizzas.  The dough and toppings were made in advance and ready to go for when the guests arrived.  After some outdoor play and a snack of popcorn with (unintentional) burnt butter, they went to work creating their very own pies.  My favorite was the pizza face, made by chewing away bits of pepperoni to make a smile and pupils.  

     The sweetest part of the party of course was dessert.  Today was a great opportunity to try making super large cupcakes with the pan I've had kicking around since last years aborted baking idea.  I thought it would be neat to give each kid their very own cake to eat instead of cutting into a traditional birthday cake.  My favorite maple chocolate cake recipe translated fairly well over to cupcakes, except they sort of sunk in the middle.  No matter though, they still tasted great, especially when served with a side of homemade honey ice cream.  

MAPLE CHOCOLATE CAKE

(makes one 6” layer cake or 9 large cupcakes)

¾ cup organic whole wheat flour

1 cup organic unbleached white flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

¾ cup organic cocoa powder

½ tsp sea salt

1 cup organic whole milk

½ cup organic vegetable oil (sunflower or safflower)

1 ½ cups local maple syrup

1 tsp organic apple cider vinegar

2 tsp pure organic vanilla

Method: Preheat oven to 350*.  Prepare two 6” round cake pans by greasing them with some oil and then lining with parchment paper cut into rounds.  Sift all dry ingredients together into a bowl.  Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat, and then stir in the cocoa powder until dissolved.  Whisk the oil, maple syrup, vinegar and vanilla into the cocoa mixture.  Stir the wet ingredients into to the dry.  Pour into prepared cake pans and bake in 350* oven for 45-60 minutes in cake pans and for 22 minutes in the cupcake pan.  Allow to cool on a  baking rack for 10 minutes before removing cakes from pans.  Cool completely before icing.


MAPLE CHOCOLATE ICING


1/2 cup organic cocoa powder, sifted
100 g organic unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp pure organic vanilla extract
1/2 cup local maple syrup


Method:  Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric stand mixer.  Add the vanilla and maple syrup.  Slowly stir in the cocoa powder.

HONEY VANILLA ICE CREAM

4 organic egg yolks

1/2 cup local honey

1 cups organic cream

1 cups organic whole milk

1 tsp organic vanilla

Method:  Whisk the egg yolks with the honey.  Set aside.

In a saucepan over medium low heat, bring cream and milk to a simmer and then gradually whisk into the egg mixture.

Return the entire mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.  Stir in vanilla.  Cover and refrigerate until cold.  Stir and transfer into an ice cream maker.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH PIZZA

Today was the last day of local butternut squash for us.  To honour this special day I sent the squash out with a bang by creating a very lovely and tasty pizza with it.  It tasted really great for breakfast, but you can make it anytime at all (in season of course).

BUTTERNUT SQUASH PIZZA with Gouda, Mushrooms and Fresh Thyme

1 organic whole wheat pizza dough (http://prasada-eatingisdivine.blogspot.com/2009/10/pizza-night.html)

1 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and grated

1/2 cup organic gouda, grated

1/2 cup organic mozzarella, grated

1 cup sliced organic mushrooms

a few sprigs of fresh thyme, removed from stems or dried thyme

1/2 cup organic pizza sauce

sea salt and pepper to taste

Method: Preheat oven to 450*.  Spread the pizza dough out into a greased cast iron skillet.  Top with the tomato sauce, some of the cheese, then the squash, mushrooms, the rest of the cheese and then sprinkle with thyme, sea salt and pepper.  Bake in oven for about 10-15 minutes.

CORN BREAD SLOPPY JOE

     Every now and then I feel like I am stuck in a rut when it comes to the ingredients I buy to cook with.  Our freezer is chock full of frozen organic meats which is very nice and very handy, but when it comes to chicken all we have are whole chickens which can be limiting when you're in the mood for something different.  So this weekend I decided to pick up some Holdanca Farms Pastured Perfection Ground Chicken.  I have to say I think this is the first time I've ever bought ground chicken if you can believe it. 

    Flipping through my cookbooks I came across this recipe and man was it ever good.  After making it though there are a few things I'd change in addition to my interpretation of the original.  I didn't have any tomato sauce so I used half tomato salsa and pureed canned tomatoes for the other half.  I also added the spinach and carrot and omitted the green pepper because they're not in season and I didn't have any.  Since I love my own cornbread recipe so much I substituted making it from scratch rather than using a boxed corn muffin mix, while at the same time omitting the fresh corn kernels because I didn't have any of those either.  The original recipe also calls for way more cornbread, as you can see in the photo.  Scott and I both ended up cutting the bottom crust off so we could have thinner pieces and it was way better that way so the recipe I've included uses a smaller batch.  Enjoy!

 BBQ SLOPPY CHICKEN PAN PIZZA

(adapted from Rachel Ray 365: No Repeats)

1 cup organic finely ground cornmeal

1/2 cup organic unbleached flour

1/2 cup organic whole wheat flour

2 Tbsp coconut sugar or maple syrup

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup organic milk

2 organic eggs, lightly beaten

3 Tbsp melted organic butter

2 Tbsp e.v olive oil

1 pound ground pasture raised and/or organic chicken

3 cloves organic garlic, smashed and chopped

1 organic onion, chopped

4-5 cups organic frozen or cooked and chopped fresh spinach

1 organic carrot, shredded

sea salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp organic chili powder

1 1/2 tsp ground organic cumin powder

2 tsp hot sauce

1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 cup tomato sauce or salsa

3 Tbsp local honey

10 oz shredded organic cheddar

3 Tbsp chopped organic cilantro

Method:  Preheat oven to 400*.  In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flours, baking powders, sea salt and sugar.  Mix in the eggs, milk and butter.  Rub some olive oil into a large cast iron skillet, pour in batter and bake until the cornbread becomes light golden in colour 12-15 mins.

     Place a second skillet over medium high heat and the 2 Tbsp of olive oil.  Add the chicken and break it up with a wooden spoon.  Once the chicken begins to brown, add the garlic, onion, spinach, carrot and season with salt and pepper, chili powder, cumin and hot sauce.  Cook for 5 minutes then add the worcestershire, tomato sauce, and honey.  Stir to combine and reduce the heat to low.  Simmer until the cornbread is ready.  Adjust the seasonings to taste.

     Remove the cornbread from the oven and cover it with the chicken, then sprinkle with the cheese.  Put the pan back into the hot oven and cook for 5-10 minutes longer to melt the cheese. Remove from oven and top with cilantro and serve.

Memories

When I was growing up my mom used to buy the greatest crusty Italian bread from a little place called Calabria Bakery.  Every now and then I would be in the car with her when she was shopping and she would treat me to some amazing Broccoli Pizza hot from their ovens.  So tonight I decided to replicate that pizza to the best of my ability.  I also made one of my favorite pizza combos of Artichoke and Basil Pesto, something my mom and I used to make growing up too.  I don't think I need to provide the recipe for the Hawaiian Pizza I made.  It was a great way to use up the rest of the ham from yesterday's Eggs Benedict.  But I will mention that in an effort to reduce the amount of plastic and packaging I buy, I decided to buy a fresh pineapple instead of going for the cans.

     I also wanted to mention how excited I am that I found some fresh greens at Ted Hutten's vegetable stand this week.  I overheard him telling another vendor about the mache that was ready, only to discover that it was kind of a hot commodity and you had to ask for it to be brought out from under the table (it's secret hiding place)!  My mom will be so jealous to hear that I am eating some of that, it's her favorite salad green.  He also had some spinach and mixed greens.  

BROCCOLI PIZZA Calabria Bakery Style

1/2 head organic broccoli, lightly steamed and chopped

1 organic onion, chopped

1 cups organic mozzarella, shredded

1/2 cup shredded romano cheese

1/2 cup organic mild cheddar, shredded

1/4 tsp sea salt and pepper

4 Tbsp olive oil

1 organic pizza dough (http://prasada-eatingisdivine.blogspot.com/2009/10/pizza-night.html)

Method:  Preheat oven to 450*.  Spread pizza dough out onto a pan.  Combine the broccoli, onion, cheeses and salt and pepper.  Drizzle with the olive oil and toss.  Press this mixture onto the dough and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the bottom browns lightly.

ARTICHOKE AND BASIL PESTO PIZZA

1 organic pizza dough 

3 Tbsp hemp seed/basil/miso pesto (http://prasada-eatingisdivine.blogspot.com/2009/10/paninni.html)

1/2 can artichoke hearts, drained and cut up a bit

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups organic mozzarella cheese, grated

Method:  Spread the dough out into a pan.  Spread with the pesto, followed by a spreading a drizzle of olive oil.  Sprinkle some cheese, add the artichokes and then sprinkle the rest of the cheese.  Bake for 10-15 in the preheated 450* oven.

Apple Cheddar Pizza

We've been eating more pizza than usual now that I sell pizza dough.  Today's creation required me to come up with something that didn't require tomato sauce or mozzarella.  

APPLE CHEDDAR PIZZA with Red Onion

1 organic whole wheat pizza dough, pressed into a pan

1 organic cortland apple, sliced thinly

1/2 cup organic old cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 of an organic red onion, sliced thin

Method:  Preheat oven to 450*.  Sprinkle the dough with the cheese, and top it with the red onion and thin slices of apple.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crust begins to get golden.

Winter Salad

Lately our salads have been coleslaw type salads made with cabbage because that's what is available this time of year in Nova Scotia!  To switch things up a bit I decided to use up an avocado that was perfectly ripe on our counter to make a salad using frozen green peas.  Last year I actually froze some local green peas, but I have to admit these ones are regular supermarket peas, prepared in an unusual manner.  Can you believe I was able to buy tomatoes this time of year at the Farmer's Market?  Norbert is amazing.  He had yellow, green and red peppers too!

PEA SALAD with Grated Carrot, Avocado and Tomato

2 organic carrots, grated

1/2 organic avocado, cubed

1/2 organic tomato, cubed

1 cup frozen peas, cooked

1/2 Tbsp umeboshi vinegar

1/2 organic lemon, squeezed

drizzle of organic sesame oil

black pepper

Method:  Combine all ingredients and toss.

I've started a new business called Earth's Oven Organic Bakery (www.earthsoven.etsy.com).  I sell at the Halifax Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings.  We offer lovely baked goods, and as a special item, Organic Whole Wheat Pizza dough.  I had one left over at the end of market day so we are having it for supper......this is just a picture of the basics.

Pizza Night

Seeing as last night's pizza plans got sidetracked, I decided to make this afternoon all about pizza. This morning's trip to the Halifax Farmer's Market resulted in some great ingredients for project pizza.  The first thing I spied when I arrived at the market were some HUGE wild caught shrimp from Mike's Fish Shop.  I picked up six and headed over to Norbert's where I bought some lovely chard and peppers.  Last week I had purchased some organic pepperoni from Angelhoeve Farm and was excited to finally put it to the test on our pizzas.  I am in the midst of a bacon craze and so picked up some more of that as well.  Four different pizzas, four taste adventures.

WHOLE WHEAT PIZZA DOUGH

2 cups warm water

1 Tbsp instant yeast

1 Tbsp local honey

4 cups organic whole wheat flour

1-2 cups organic unbleached white flour

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

4 Tbsp olive oil

Method:  Combine the honey and warm water in a large bowl.  Dissolve yeast in warm water.  When frothy, stir in salt and oil.  Gradually add in each cup of flour, stirring.  When it becomes hard to stir with a spoon, start to knead with your hands.  Then bring it out onto a floured countertop and knead for about 5 minutes.  Keep adding flour until the dough kneads without sticking to the counter.  Place into a greased bowl covered with a plate or saran wrap and let rise about 1 hour.  Punch down and divide into 4-5 ball of dough.

     Grease 4-5 cookie sheets and/or cast iron skillets and sprinkle with about a tablespoon per pan of organic cornmeal.  Spread each ball into a thin pizza crust.

BACON PESTO PIZZA with Wilted Chard and Onion

4 strips organic or pasture raised bacon, fried lightly and chopped into bite sized pieces

2 Tbsp basil pesto

3 leaves of chard, chopped

1 onion, sliced into thin wedges

1-2 cups organic mozzarella

Method:  Saute the onion in some olive oil until they begin to soften.  Then add the chard and saute until wilted.  Set aside.

Assembly:  Spread a crust with the pesto, followed by the some cheese, the chard/onion mix and then the bacon.  Top with remaining cheese.  Bake at 450* for about 10-15 mins.

SHRIMP PIZZA with Wilted Chard, Onion, Rose Sauce and Capers

6 large wild caught shrimp, cut in half lengthwise

1/2 cup organic rose tomato sauce

some of the wilted chard and onion from previous recipe

1 Tbsp capers

organic mozzarella cheese

Method:  Spread a crust with the sauce, some cheese, the chard/onion, the shrimp and capers and end with the remaining cheese.  Bake at 450* for 10-15 mins.

PEPPERONI PIZZA with Mushrooms and Olives

1 organic pepperoni stick, sliced thinly

1 cup organic mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/4 green and black olives

1/2 cup organic tomato sauce

organic mozzarella cheese

Method:  Spread crust with the sauce and some cheese, followed by the pepperoni, mushrooms, olives and remainin cheese.  Bake at 450* for 10-15 minutes.

VEGETABLE PIZZA with Zucchini, Peppers, Mushroom and Olives

1/2 organic red pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 organic green pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 cup organic mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 cup black and green olives 

organic mozzarella cheese

organic tomato or rose tomato sauce

Method:  Spread sauce on a crust, followed by some of the cheese, veggies and end with remaining cheese.  Bake at 450* for 10-15 minutes.