Spin Dip Pizza

Aaannnddd, I'm back!

Did you miss me???

Wanna hear a funny story?

About 3 months ago, we moved...  and I had this whole big blog dilemma - my blog's name is Kitchen Hell because cooking in my tiny kitchen was hell!  But the new apartment?  we pretty much bought it 50% for the kitchen, 30% for its proximity to the Greenmarket and 20% for the view...  Notice that means that 70% of why we bought this particular apartment is food related...  which means hell no more, right?

Yeah, that's what i thought...  Turns out, I was a bit too optimistic in that full elimination of hell...
because now we have a whole host of new problems to deal with...  Cabinet shelves that fall down, cabinet hinges that all need to be replaced (unless we enjoy having our cabinets held closed by packing tape), cabinets that were poorly designed...  (I mean, I love my huge pantry, but, um, if i put a box of pasta 21" back, i'm never seeing that pasta again...  why would someone build something that deep without roll-out shelves???)

And then there's the one that makes me want to smack myself in the face for even thinking it, but...  I've learned that i really, really liked having all of my pots & pans hanging on the wall behind me...  it was SO easy!!!  now with all of this cabinet space, things are buried and getting to that frying pan requires that i disassemble the entire cabinet...  which will need to be done again when we want to put it away...

first world problems, i know...

but those first world problems combined with a longer commute (and therefore a later getting-home-time) and not having the greatest grocery store on the planet just a block away (oh fairway, how i miss you!) means my motivation has been lacking, to say the least...

However, in the past week or two, the entirety of tumblr has been talking about this spinach artichoke pizza from How Sweet Eats...  And since last night was my shift at the co-op (oh yes, we ARE those people, thankyouverymuch!) I knew that i'd be motivated after seeing everyone else's purchases, plus I'd be right there at the best grocery option around and could pick up everything I needed...

And it didnt require too many pots & pans...

Finally, the perfect storm of possibility...

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Spin Dip Pizza
courtesy of me, as adapted from How Sweet Eats
Click here to import directly into Pepperplate

1 whole wheat pizza crust

1 (14 oz, pre-draining) can of artichoke hearts
2/3 c ricotta cheese
8 oz fresh mozzarella, chopped/crumbled, divided
4 oz grated parmesan cheese, divided

2 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 shallots, minced

3 to 4 plum tomatoes, diced
5 oz baby spinach

salt & pepper

***

Preheat oven to 450°.
Prepare pizza tray and set aside.
Toss/stretch crust to desired size/shape and place on pizza tray.

Place ricotta, 1/4 c parmesan and 1/2 c mozzarella in a medium mixing bowl.

Drain artichokes and roughly chop. Wrap in paper towels and squeeze to eliminate moisture.
Add artichokes to cheeses and stir to combine. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet w/ 1 tbsp olive oil over med-low heat.
Add in shallots with a pinch of salt and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add in tomatoes and allow to cook for another minute or two.

Add spinach, tossing to coat and cook until spinach is wilted.

Remove from heat and add spinach mixture to the bowl with the cheese/artichoke mixture. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Drizzle pizza dough with 1 tbsp olive oil.

Spread cheese/spinach/artichoke mixture evenly over top.

Cover with remaining mozzarella and parmesan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is golden and bubbly and crust is a bit crispy.

Allow to sit 5 mins before serving.

Pasta e Fagioli

growing up, the italian side of my family was pretty influential...  a few generations removed from italy, i was quite american, as my my dad married a non-italian girl making him pretty american (and obviously, that girl he married wasnt italian), but then there were my grandparents...  neither was born in italy, but i believe their parents were, so they'd grown up pretty italian.  and marrying eachother, they carried some of that into their own household.  which means once i was old enough to spell, they would speak italian around me so that i didnt understand...  (in hindsight, this excluded my mom as well...  hmmm...)

anyway, despite my lack of any semblance of fluency in italian, there are certain words that i learned quite differently than you probably did...

we all know what mut-za-rell (mozzarella) is, but do you know what a ri-gut is?  how about mana-gut?  how about Jordan's favorite - gan-ool?

No?  well, thats how my italian grandmother says ricotta (though, actually, we mostly called it pot cheese, which is apparently a cousin of ricotta...), manicotti and, jordan's favorite - cannoli...

and thats how i said all of those things until probably some time in high school when i discovered the Olive Garden or something...

anyway, whats my point?  Oh, i'm getting there - i promise...  anyway, when i was in high school, my father used to make us pastavazool...  and just like manicotti and canolli before it, i had no earthly idea that it was not spelled the way it sounded.  in fact, i dont think that i knew that it was something that anyone other than my family ate.  i mean, it was called pastavazool for chrissake - my dad must have made that up, right?  that word cant be real, can it?

So imagine my non-italian high-school boyfriends amusement when we were at his house one day, raiding the pantry, and i pulled out a can and asked him what 'pasta E fag-e-oli' was...  he's all - 'are you kidding?  your dad makes it all the time!'  and i'm all like, 'HUH?  thats how you spell that???  for real???  how in the world is pasta e fagioli possibly pastavazool???'

anyway, i dont know that i'd had pasta e fagioli since high school but during this past week, when it was snowing - YET AGAIN - i wanted something warm and hearty...  and i got pasta e fagioli in my head and went recipe searching...  yet nothing i found was really right.  pasta e fagioli translates to 'pasta with beans', so why was i finding so many recipes with MEAT in them?  or weird spices?  or no tomatoes?  or - the weirdest one of all - pureed beans?  wha-?  none of them lived up to my memory, so i set out to create my own...  a little from here, a little from there and a lot from my memory...

In the end, i dont know how close i was to what my dad used to make, but what i came up with is definitely "pasta with beans", heartier than a soup, 100% vegetarian (and would be vegan if you skip the parmesan on top) and exactly what a cold, snowy night calls for.

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Pasta e Fagioli
courtesy of me
click here to import recipe directly into Pepperplate

~ 2/3 of a box of ditalini pasta

1 - 2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 of a vidalia onion, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 small celery heart, diced
4 cloves garlic, smashed & roughly chopped

1.5 tsp minced fresh sage (or .5 tsp dried sage)
1.5 tsp minced fresh oregano (or .5 tsp dried oregano)
1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried thyme.  dried rosemary isnt so great...)
1 tsp dried basil (or 1 tbsp fresh basil)

1 can stewed tomatoes (not drained)
2 c vegetable broth, divided (feel free to use chicken or beef broth if you are not vegetarian)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can cannelini beans
1 can red kidney beans

~ 12 turns of a pepper grinder - probably about 1/2 tsp if you do not have freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
2 - 3 dashes tabasco (optional)

***

These directions are incredibly flexible.  Below i'm giving you approximate cooking times, but all were determined by how long it took me to get to the next step...

Prepare pasta - cooking ~ 3 minutes less than the time indicated on the box for al dente pasta.  Set aside.

In a large, heavy pot (i used this one) heat oil over medium - medium-high heat until it shimmers

dump in the onion, stir briefly to coat all with oil and let it cook while you chop up your carrot, celery and garlic.  (for me, this was about 5 minutes...)

Add the carrots, celery and garlic & stir to combine.  let it cook while you start chopping herbs - again, probably about 5 minutes.  The veggies will be soft and might start to brown every so slightly.

Add the chopped herbs.  I used the fresh/dried combination shown above because its what i had on hand...  see my notes above about exchanges you can do between fresh & dried herbs...

mix and cook ~ 1 minute

Add the stewed tomatoes & their juices along with 1 c of the broth.  Break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon and allow to cook ~ 5 minutes.

Briefly remove from heat and puree ~ 1/3 - 1/2 of what is in the pot.  You want to break up any large chunks of anything but not reduce it to mush...  You can do this in a blender, food processor, with an immersion blender - whatever works for you - just be careful as the liquid is hot!

return the entire thing to the pot and return the pot to medium heat...

simmer 2 - 3 minutes.

add the drained diced tomatoes, the remaining cup of broth & both cans of beans (dont forget to rinse them)
along with ~ 12 turns of the pepper grinder (in a cooking class we took at Miette Culinary Studio we learned that fresh pepper should be used in a ratio of 3 turns of the grinder per serving as this is what most people will ask for in a restaurant.  I always like to leave a little room, so i dialed it back to the equivalent of 4 servings worth of pepper because you can always add more later...  and jordan did...)

add the crushed red pepper & tabasco, if desired.  stir to combine and allow to simmer another few minutes.

Add the not-quite-cooked pasta, stir to combine and allow to simmer ~ 5 more minutes.  Taste the pasta to ensure that it is cooked through and once it is, remove from heat.

Serve with freshly shaved parmigiano reggiano (if you have it or any other grated cheese if you dont) and crusty bread.

reheating note:  this reheats fantastically.  I packed some up for lunch - added a generous amount of parmesan cheese to it while it was still cold - and reheated it in the microwave at work for about 2 minutes, stirring once.

Heirloom Tomato Sauce

(formerly titled 'getting the italian out')

in less than 6 months (crap, only a few days longer than 5 months!), i'll be married.  that is not so shocking to me as i think that i already feel married to the meat-eater...  however, what is shocking to me is that, assuming i change my name (which is the current plan), i'll be losing a huge chunk of my identity.  the identity that, despite being 1/4 irish and 1/4 english, has always been italian.

With that in mind, i'm going to make the most of these final months as an italian-girl-from-central-new-jersey(yes like the jersey shore kids)-who-used-to-work-at-merry-go-round(omg! those cavariccis go SO well with that IOU sweatshirt!!!!  yes i work on commission, why do you ask?)-and-drive-a-mustang-with-louvers-and-a-big-fat-oakley-sticker-on-it and see if i can manage to live up to every stereotype that identity deserves.

so this is another tomato sauce recipe...  because what italian girl doesnt have at least 5 of these up her sleeve?  

this one was created from a fairly innocent place though - no sopranos wannabe moments or anything - just the fact that winter CSA included lots and lots of farm-jarred items, the best of them being heirloom tomato puree.  which is way too good to just throw over angel hair and too delicate to poach eggs in.  This recipe seems to really highlight the awesomeness that is that puree.

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Heirloom Tomato Sauce

courtesy of me

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

2 - 3 cloves of garlic - minced

pinch or two of crushed red pepper (optional)

1 jar (24 oz) heirloom tomato puree (if you can get it from Norwich Meadows Farm, you should!)

2 tbsp tomato paste (do not use the double-concentrate stuff - its too strong for the heirloom puree)

salt & pepper

***

Place olive oil, butter, minced garlic and pinch of red pepper (if using) in heavy pan over low heat. 

Saute for 10-12 minutes, watching to ensure that garlic doesnt burn.

Once garlic starts to turn a bit brown and oil/butter are well combined, remove from heat and pour in tomato puree. 

Add salt & pepper to taste. 

Return to heat and turn up a bit to med-low, bring to a simmer and simmer for ~ 5 - 10 mins. 

Stir in tomato paste. 

Continue to simmer about 20 mins, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened a bit.

I'm italian, so what i'm about to say must be true

i have the best tomato sauce recipe ever.

sorry grandma, but this stuff? this stuff that i did NOT spend all day and night cooking? its the best i've ever had.

I threw it together based on a recipe i saw on Sarah Nett and a roasted tomato soup i made a while back and oh.my.god. i want to marry this sauce...

(ironically, i didnt think it was the best match for the carrot gnocchis because it was just a bit too flavorful and they need something a bit lighter, but its the best for everything else i've ever had, ever.)

can you tell i'm in love?  seriously - I might have to break up with the meat eater so that i can be legally united with this sauce next october instead of him.  (sorry kid.  but how does Mrs. Kristen Tomatosauce sound?)

it took less than 5 minutes to prep, 45 to roast and then another 2 to process. and thats it.
do yourself a favor - grab a couple of mason jars and get ready to save the leftovers because you arent going to want to waste any of it...  (see suggestion for faux-parm at the bottom of the recipe)

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Roasted Tomato Sauce
Courtesy of me

1 large can (28 oz) crushed San Marzano tomatoes
1 small onion - chopped
4 - 5 cloves of garlic - crushed and halved
dried basil
dried oregano
salt
pepper
~3 tbsp olive oil


Preheat oven 450°

Spread crushed tomatoes (including juices) on lightly greased roasting pan
Sprinkle onion and garlic pieces around evenly
Shake basil and oregano over the top.  There should be enough that you can clearly see both and still clearly be able to see all of the other ingredients too
Salt and pepper based on your tastes (i like both, so i was pretty generous)
Drizzle olive oil over top of the tomatoes.  Not every spot needs to be covered and the oil should never be thick.  i slowly drizzled it back and forth, olive oil 'rows' about an inch or so apart.

Roast in the oven for ~45 minutes.

Once it is done, remove from oven and grab the pureeing apparatus of your choice (I used an immersion blender, but you could use a regular blender, food processor, mini-chopper - all would probably work fine) and process the sauce to your desired consistency.  I like a chunkier sauce so i only barely processed it - just enough to break up and chunks of onion or garlic but still leave me with some nice tomato pieces.

Serve over pasta.

Or, on a short-for-time night, use over top of chicken patties (real or vegetarian) with some mozzarella to make a quick faux-parm. (<- last night at my house, thankyouverymuch! :) )

vegetables without even trying

Last month one of those stupid girly magazines that i feel the need to buy had some diet tricks in it.  Most of them are things you've either heard before or would never do, but there was one that stuck in my head and that i actually ripped out and hung on the fridge - fill half of your plate with veggies.

Its a great idea, really.  Veggies are good for you.  and they have less calories than most other food.  double bonus.  so any time we cook now, we think about this - how much of our plate will be vegetables?  If it isnt enough we automatically add a salad in to the meal.

So, why am i telling you this?  mostly cause its backstory...

Front-story...  so winter CSA is always interesting.  I'm actually liking this year a lot - the assortment of stuff we've been getting has been pretty kitchen-hell friendly and we've come up with some great recipes to use stuff like the heirloom tomato puree.  Sure, there's still stuff that we forget about and bury in the back of the fridge until something starts to smell but baby-steps, ok?  

so anyway, last month we got some carrots.  something like 4 lbs of carrots.  add that to the pound or so that we still had in the fridge from the month before and we were pretty much overrun...  given that we're mostly green vegetable eaters, we just dont always think of the carrots but they're a stupid thing to waste and so i made it a mission to find some carrot recipes.  So a couple of weeks back, i stumbled across My Culinary Sanctuary - Sarah Nett and found a recipe for roasted carrot gnocchi.  sounded interesting - sounded different - and certainly would use some carrots.  score.

Since sundays are pasta night around here, the meat eater suggested we do the gnocchis this weekend (yes, technically not pasta...  get over it)...  After i spent most of the day breaking and fixing my brand new bike, we were finally ready to tackle them.  only i kept wondering what vegetable we should make to have on the side.  and then realizing how completely idiotic that statement was, only to forget and wonder about it again 15 minutes later.  

stupid glamour article!

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Roasted Carrot Gnocchi
Adapted by me from Sarah Nett

Note:  you're going to have doubts while making this.  we did.  right up until the part where we roll the gnocchi out and cut them up and realized we had about 32 pieces.  Which isnt a ton but is enough for a light dinner for two if served with enough bread, wine and maybe a salad - you know, to make sure you get more veggies...

3/4 pound carrots, peeled and chopped into pieces

1- 2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons butter, divided in half
2-3 tablespoons onion, minced

5 tablespoons flour + a bit more on reserve
1 egg
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese + a bit more on reserve
Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of salt
Fresh black pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

Spread carrots over a cookie sheet and lightly coat them with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired.  Roast at 400 until carrots are soft and caramelized (about 30 - 40 minutes).  Set aside to cool.

While carrots are roasting,  put 2 tablespoons of the butter and all the chopped onion in a medium skillet and turn on the heat to medium. Saute onion about 5-7 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in remaining butter.  Set aside.

At this point, put a large pot of salted water on the stove and turn on high.  (this is how you'll cook the gnocchi)

Once carrots and onions/butter are both ready and cool enough to handle, place all into a food processor and puree.

Remove carrot/onion mixture from food processor and place in a bowl.

Mix in flour, egg, parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

It should now be a wet dough.  If you cannot pick it up and make a ball, add more flour and more parmesan, in equal parts, 1/2 tablespoon each at a time. (note: we added one more tablespoon each of flour and parmesan at this point)

Remove from the bowl and place it onto a floured surface.  (If you live in an apartment with a tiny coutertop, you may need to split the dough into 1/2s or 1/3rds at this point)

Roll dough out into long tubes, about 3/4 of an inch thick.  Using a floured butter knife, cut into pieces, about 1 inch long each.  Either roll under a fork to get the typical gnocchi markings or just push your index finger in to make a little divot.  (The ridges are only there to hold sauce and a finger divot works just fine...)

Once you have cut all of your gnocchi, carefully drop into boiling water. When they float to the top, time for one minute longer and then remove with a slotted spoon.  (we did this in batches as our pan is small)

Top with a light tomato sauce (though i think brown butter and sage would ROCK on these as well) and more parmesan, if desired, and serve with crusty baguette.