Pita Bread
I spend a lot of time talking about how I don't bake. Part of it is my disinterest in most sweets (can we have french fries for dessert instead?) and the other part is the precision and the measuring. I like to cook by smell. And yet, I made pita bread. This was part of this weekend's big time falafel dinner - a series of recipes on my blog Saturday's Mouse. I read through maybe 20 pita bread recipes to get here, and many said that you can't really make pita at home and that the traditional way required an oven hotter than home ovens were capable of getting. I figured if it didn't work, I'd have some sort of flatbread that would be just fine, and if it REALLY didn't work, I had tortillas in the fridge. Spoiler alert - it totally worked. I pretty much used a recipe this time - this recipe here at The Fresh Loaf. This is more than "inspired by" or "based on" this recipe - this is how I made it. New bread, yo, I'm gonna follow something. A couple of the recipes put me off by asking for 3 hours of rise time. I don't have three hours. So I planned to make this one that requires 90 minutes - but things got in the way and I actually gave it closer to 2 and a half hours to rise. I guess I have three hours after all. I started with the yeast proofing in the some warm water. I pulled 1/4 cup of water from the total needed for the recipe, and let my yeast sit in there until it bubbled a bit. I put the flour in the mixer (you can do this by hand). I used 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat. The worry with using all whole wheat is that your breads can get tough. 
I added the salt 
and olive oil 
and honey 
and finally the water, including my proofed yeast. 
I stirred it with a spatula 
until it came together like it started to want to be a dough. 
And then I got to mixing. 
Ten minutes by hand, or ten minutes in the mixer set on 1. When it was all one thing, it was ready. 
I shaped it into a ball, 
and put it in a bowl that I had coated in olive oil, and gave it a few tosses in that oil. 
I dampened a towel with warm water and wrapped the bowl in that, and then stashed it in my china cabinet. When I'm letting dough rise I either go for the china cabinet method, or if I have the heat on, I put it in the basement near the boiler. No heat, so china cabinet is fairly warm. 
The recipe calls for 90 minutes of rise-time, but I got distracted by the rest of life and came back to it after a little more than two hours. It had more than doubled in size. 
This is a good time to get to pre-heating. I was worried my oven wouldn't get hot enough, but with about 20 minutes advance prep at 500 it was just fine. I preheated a baking sheet as well - many recipes recommend a pizza stone, and I bet that'd be great, but I don't have one. I tore it the dough into eight pieces, and rolled each one into a ball like this 
and then flat with the rolling pin. I wasn't good about keeping them round - but I'd recommend putting some effort into that. Roll horizontally, turn the dough 90 degrees, roll horizonally, turn the dough 90 degrees, etc. 
Once it was flattened, I ...ok, I got off track. I let them sit all shaped and ready for a while, and when I put them into the oven they got all droopy and misshapen and they came out unpoofed. This made a fairly tasty flatbread, but was not at all a pita. 
Sous Chef Brian (my husband) to the rescue. He floured the cutting board quite a bit, re-rolled them out into perfect discs and they went in. I guess the added flour really helped (or maybe the perfect shape). 
Look how poofy! And totally hollow inside. Here's one in action! 
I froze the leftovers and they defrosted as good as new, so I'm definitely going to make some extra of these next time to keep around. I'm not going to post the step-by-step recipe, because I used exactly the ingredients from someone else's - go to The Fresh Loaf for the details. This recipe is cross-posted at Saturday’s Mouse, where I’m working on making food out of food.
Thyme and Onion Wheat Crackers
I like a cracker that is robust enough to be eaten independently, but not so much that it might clash with my hummus or the ridiculous feta-spinach spread I've been into lately, or whatever other application I might want to use it for. This cracker does that. I also want a cracker to be made of real food - this cracker does that too.
It's based on a number of recipes that have floated by lately, plus enough savory flavor to stand on its own, with some extra wholesome mixed in.
This is where I started: whole wheat flour, bread flour, wheat germ, flax seed, onion powder, black pepper, honey, thyme, salt and olive oil.
I got the dry goods together (everything above except olive oil and honey). I preheated the oven to 375.
And mixed in the wet. I put a cup of warm water in a bowl and mixed the honey into that, then added the olive oil and merged it with the dry goods.
I mixed it by hand, just until it came together, split it in half, and rolled it out onto parchment paper. Many recipes I've seen call for running the dough through a pasta press. I don't have one, but I can totally see why you might want to use one. I got it to a pretty consistent 1/6th of an inch thickness, but if you can go thinner, you'll notice the improvement. I cut it into crackers (something like 3/4 inch squares, mostly) with a pizza cutter. The really rough edges got recycled into the second batch.
I made fork-pricks in the tops and sprinkled on some additional sea salt.
And moved the parchment to a baking sheet. The crackers went into the oven for about 30 minutes, rotating halfway and with some fairly obsessive checking in the last 10 minutes. The crackers around the edge of the pan browned around the edges more quickly than those in the center, so they were pulled out at about 22 minutes. The crackers are done when they're crispy all over and just starting to turn golden on top. Timing will vary based on the thickness of the crackers.
These should keep for a few days in a sealed container. I happened to have a good bit of frozen thyme on hand from last year's CSA haul, but these would be good with a number of different flavors - garlic, rosemary, sesame seeds, etc.
Thyme and Onion Wheat Crackers
- 1 cup bread flour
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup flaxseed
- 1/4 cup wheat germ
- 1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (plus some for sprinkling on top)
- 3 tablespoons fresh or frozen thyme
- 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 cup warm water
Preheat the oven to 375.
Mix the dry ingredients (the first eight) together. Dissolve the honey in the warm water, and add that and the olive oil to the dry ingredients. Mix with a fork then with your hands until just combined. Divide the dough in half.
Roll half the dough out on a sheet of parchment to an even thickness, aiming for less than 1/6 of an inch. Cut into 3/4 inch squares with a pizza cutter, and dot the tops with a fork. Sprinkle on additional sea salt.
Bake 10 minutes and rotate the pan. Bake another 10 minutes and check the edges - remove any crackers that are already done (crispy and golden). Keep an eye on them for another 10 or as long as it takes until the middle crackers are crispy.
This recipe is cross-posted at Saturday's Mouse, where I'm working on making food out of food.
Thyme and Onion Wheat Crackers
Crackers have been a hot topic around my house lately. My favorite whole wheat cracker seems to have been discontinued, and I've seen a variety of recipes in the past few months, but I barely bake, and I certainly don't make crackers - right? Well it turns out they're fairly easy to make. I like a cracker that is robust enough to be eaten independently, but not so much that it might clash with my hummus or the ridiculous feta-spinach spread I've been into lately, or whatever other application I might want to use it for. This cracker does that. I also want a cracker to be made of real food - this cracker does that too. It's based on a number of recipes that have floated by lately, plus enough savory flavor to stand on its own, with some extra wholesome mixed in. This is where I started: whole wheat flour, bread flour, wheat germ, flax seed, onion powder, black pepper, honey, thyme, salt and olive oil. 
I got the dry goods together (everything above except olive oil and honey). I preheated the oven to 375. 
And mixed in the wet. I put a cup of warm water in a bowl and mixed the honey into that, then added the olive oil and merged it with the dry goods.
I mixed it by hand, just until it came together, split it in half, and rolled it out onto parchment paper. Many recipes I've seen call for running the dough through a pasta press. I don't have one, but I can totally see why you might want to use one. I got it to a pretty consistent 1/6th of an inch thickness, but if you can go thinner, you'll notice the improvement. I cut it into crackers (something like 3/4 inch squares, mostly) with a pizza cutter. The really rough edges got recycled into the second batch.
I made fork-pricks in the tops and sprinkled on some additional sea salt.
And moved the parchment to a baking sheet. The crackers went into the oven for about 30 minutes, rotating halfway and with some fairly obsessive checking in the last 10 minutes. The crackers around the edge of the pan browned around the edges more quickly than those in the center, so they were pulled out at about 22 minutes. The crackers are done when they're crispy all over and just starting to turn golden on top. Timing will vary based on the thickness of the crackers.
These should keep for a few days in a sealed container. I happened to have a good bit of frozen thyme on hand from last year's CSA haul, but these would be good with a number of different flavors - garlic, rosemary, sesame seeds, etc.
Thyme and Onion Wheat Crackers
- 1 cup bread flour
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup flaxseed
- 1/4 cup wheat germ
- 1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (plus some for sprinkling on top)
- 3 tablespoons fresh or frozen thyme
- 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 cup warm water
Preheat the oven to 375. Mix the dry ingredients (the first eight) together. Dissolve the honey in the warm water, and add that and the olive oil to the dry ingredients. Mix with a fork then with your hands until just combined. Divide the dough in half. Roll half the dough out on a sheet of parchment to an even thickness, aiming for less than 1/6 of an inch. Cut into 3/4 inch squares with a pizza cutter, and dot the tops with a fork. Sprinkle on additional sea salt. Bake 10 minutes and rotate the pan. Bake another 10 minutes and check the edges - remove any crackers that are already done (crispy and golden). Keep an eye on them for another 10 or as long as it takes until the middle crackers are crispy. This recipe is cross-posted at Saturday's Mouse, where I'm working on making food out of food.
Great Apps, part 2: Applications
- The Food Matters Cookbook - Mark Bittman
- Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe: 140 New Recipes from New York's Acclaimed Restaurant
- Passionate Vegetarian
- II Viaggio Di Vetri: A Culinary Journey (by Philadelphia's own Marc Vetri)
- Horizons: The Cookbook (from Philadelphia's own Horizons restaurant)
- How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table (the science behind cooking)
- How to Read a French Fry: And Other Stories of Intriguing Kitchen Science (more of the cool science behind food... the kind of stuff you get from Alton Brown on Good Eats... only more of it.)
- Cook's Illustrated
Great Apps, part 2: Applications
- The Food Matters Cookbook - Mark Bittman
- Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe: 140 New Recipes from New York's Acclaimed Restaurant
- Passionate Vegetarian
- II Viaggio Di Vetri: A Culinary Journey (by Philadelphia's own Marc Vetri)
- Horizons: The Cookbook (from Philadelphia's own Horizons restaurant)
- How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table (the science behind cooking)
- How to Read a French Fry: And Other Stories of Intriguing Kitchen Science (more of the cool science behind food... the kind of stuff you get from Alton Brown on Good Eats... only more of it.)
- Cook's Illustrated
Great Apps, part 1: Appetizer edition
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp maple sugar/brown sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/3 to 1/2 head of cabbage
- 1 carrot julienne fine
- handful of radishes matchsticked
- other radish of your liking
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- handful of shelled peanuts
- handful of lettuce/salad mix
- 2 large eggplants (about 2 1/2 pounds)
- 2 large garlic cloves, slivered
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or 2 tsp dried crumbledd
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- Red leaf lettuce
- 4 tomatoes, sliced
- Pita bread
- chopped fresh oregano
- tofu
- cilantro
- scallions
- garlic
- oil
- horseradish
- lime
- salt and pepper
- 3/4 pound pitted black olives, such as Kalamata
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon cognac or brandy
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 2 cups canned chick peas, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup tahini
- ½ lemon, squeezed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic, halved
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pinch paprika
- Fried chick peas
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- Olive oil for frying
Great Apps, part 1: Appetizer edition
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp maple sugar/brown sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/3 to 1/2 head of cabbage
- 1 carrot julienne fine
- handful of radishes matchsticked
- other radish of your liking
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- handful of shelled peanuts
- handful of lettuce/salad mix
- 2 large eggplants (about 2 1/2 pounds)
- 2 large garlic cloves, slivered
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or 2 tsp dried crumbledd
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- Red leaf lettuce
- 4 tomatoes, sliced
- Pita bread
- chopped fresh oregano
- tofu
- cilantro
- scallions
- garlic
- oil
- horseradish
- lime
- salt and pepper
- 3/4 pound pitted black olives, such as Kalamata
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon cognac or brandy
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 2 cups canned chick peas, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup tahini
- ½ lemon, squeezed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic, halved
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pinch paprika
- Fried chick peas
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- Olive oil for frying
Homemade Ricotta
First, heat 1 quart or 4 cups of milk over medium high heat and stir constantly.
As it comes to a slow boil, add the 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
Continue stirring until you start to see it curdle (about 2 minutes).
Then pour the mixture into the strainer that is lined with the cheese cloth. Let the liquid discard for a few minutes then hang the cheese cloth for about an hour (I tied it to my faucet above my sink).
Transfer the curds to a covered container and keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to use. I used mine in a chocolate ricotta mousse for Valentine's Day. Makes about 8 ounces.
Please note that I altered the recipe from The Italian Dish so if you decide to make your own, use one or the other to avoid any mishaps.
Homemade Ricotta
Have you ever tried making homemade ricotta? I found a recipe on one of my favorite food blogs and tried it out. It was so easy and delicious! All you need is milk, lemon juice, salt, and a cheese cloth. 
First, heat 1 quart or 4 cups of milk over medium high heat and stir constantly. 
As it comes to a slow boil, add the 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice. 
Continue stirring until you start to see it curdle (about 2 minutes). 
Then pour the mixture into the strainer that is lined with the cheese cloth. Let the liquid discard for a few minutes then hang the cheese cloth for about an hour (I tied it to my faucet above my sink). 
Transfer the curds to a covered container and keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to use. I used mine in a chocolate ricotta mousse for Valentine's Day. Makes about 8 ounces. Please note that I altered the recipe from The Italian Dish so if you decide to make your own, use one or the other to avoid any mishaps.
Pizza night
Dan and I had some friends over for recently for dinner, and while that’s usually an excuse for me start ripping through cookbooks and narrowing down the endless list of recipes I’ve been meaning to try, all I wanted to eat was pizza. I’d been sick all week, had just spent the morning at those not-to-be-named big box home supply stores on South Philly picking out bathroom tile and shower heads, and it was a cold Saturday night. I wanted pizza. Totally fair, right? But could I order up a couple of pies from Marra’s or FrancoLuigi’s and not feel like I was shirking my hostess responsibilities? Was that totally lame? How do I reconcile my pizza passion with wanting to provide a fun, tasty, home-cooked meal for my guests? The answer came to me in a cloud of Theraflu and gray floor tiles: Make-your-own pizza party.
Brilliant. It would be fun, creative, and delicious – totally perfect for a Saturday night with friends.
To start, roll out some dough – store bought or hand made – into personal sized pizzas. We pre-baked ours on a pizza stone at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
The toppings are the real fun part – so use what you like. Based on what was hanging around in our cupboards, we laid out: heart of palm, crispy tempeh bacon, red onions, kalamata olives, steamed broccoli, sautéed mushrooms, tomato sauce, pea shoot and walnut pesto (vegan, see below) and mozzarella cheese (of both the whole milk and vegan varieties). We didn’t have any on hand, but roasted brussels sprouts would have been a slammin’ addition to the topping bar. I love them on a pizza mixed with a little veggie bacon.
When guests arrive, invite them to take a pizza shell, add desired toppings, and put back in the oven for 10 – 15 (we did up to 20 minutes (depending on how crispy you like your crust).
We served the pizza with a green salad, (though in this case, I think the salad was just an excuse to toast up some gigantic croutons) and some cookies and cream (vegan) cupcakes.
And the recipes:
Pea shoot and walnut pesto:In a food processor or blender combine pea shoots (roughly 2 handfuls), basil (again, 'bout 2 handfuls), garlic (2-4 cloves) and pulse until roughly combined. Add toasted walnuts (I used about half a cup) and pulse until walnuts are just chopped and incorporated. With motor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil; blend until well combined. Scrape pesto into a bowl.
Green salad with roasted tomatoes and croutons
For the Dressing
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 2 -3 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tsp. mustard
- ½ tsp. sugar
- Large pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil
For the Salad
- 5 or 6 slices good bread, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used focacia)
- Olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Good balsamic vinegar
- 12 tomatoes – cherry, strawberry, or roma
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 12 basil leaves, julienned or torn
- 3-4 handfuls lettuce leaves
- ½ cup ricotta salata or feta broken into big crumbles (optional)
Make the Dressing
Mix shallot, lemon juice, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper in a wide mouth jar or other salad dressing making vessel. Add the olive oil to taste. Cover and shake or mix like hell with a whisk or fork. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
Make the Salad
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Place the bread cubes on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle a large pinch of salt over top and a few grinds of black pepper. Toss well with your hands. Place in the oven and bake until starting to turn golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside to give time to firm up a bit.
Turn the oven up to 425ºF. Slice each tomato in half. Set aside a few of them of them and seed the others (though I didn’t take the time to seed mine and it was just fine…). Place on small baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, sugar (to help with caramelization), salt and a couple grinds of pepper. Toss gently with your hands. Carefully drizzle on just a bit of balsamic vinegar. Bake until dark, caramelized and slightly collapsed, about 25 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Place the croutons in a salad bowl. Scrape the tomatoes and any juices over top. Chop up the raw tomatoes and add them to the bowl along with the basil and the lettuce. If using cheese, scatter it over top. Dress the salad according to your taste, and toss carefully. Add more dressing as needed.
Recipe for the vegan cookies and cream cupcakes can be found at the Peas & Thank You blog, a great resource for all kinds of vegan ideas. In fact, here I am with the computer on the kitchen island following that recipe: