Category Archives: Recipes

Food for Thought

Rosemary Potato Pizza Recipe

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On our last trip to Italy, my wife and I went on a quest for the perfect potato rosemary pizza. We had enjoyed this local cuisine at the many small bakeries in the towns and cities of Tuscany. After trying a few variations, we decided on procuring the recipe from a small shop in the town of Pisa, where pizza was invented and named after. Pisa Pie. As in “I would like a Pisa Pie to go, prego”.(please)
I engaged the cashier/chef with casual conversation and discovered to our good fortune that she was new on the job, and was referring to a vintage hand written recipe while making the potato pizza. As a distraction, I had my wife start a small fire in trash can in the far corner of the shop. Right on cue, the chef looked away and I snatched the recipe and ran for the door. My wife was detained for a while until they finally believed she had mistaken the trash can for a ashtray, after all, even the stray cats in Italy are avid smokers. After the initial shock that I had married an arsonist subsided, and with recipe in hand, I knew we had the means to replicate the savory pizza pie!
When we arrived back to our hotel, I used a complementary community computer and decoded the ancient Italian words only to discover it was not so ancient and was actually contemporary a shopping list, not a recipe.
Plan B.
After donning a simple, but effective disguise, I went back to the shop and asked for the recipe, which they were more than happy to tell, and here it is. Due to the fact that I do not have time to learn Italian, I have taken the liberty to translate the recipe into what I believe to be “The King’s English”, or some form of it.
They made theirs in large baking pans, which I consider too industrial for my taste, and as such, I fell back on the tried and true method of the 12 inch cast iron skillet.

Rosemary Potato Pizza Recipe

Ingredients

Pizza Dough*
1 Russet Potato
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp fresh chopped Rosemary
sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste

*Make your favorite pizza dough. Mine just happens to be the exact same recipe as the pre-made down at Trader Joe’s. So…..do I do ALL the work?
Again,I think not. Buy package and divide into two. You can make 2 skillet pizzas from one TJ package. If you want a scratch pizza dough recipe, my friend Maria sent me a great one. (at bottom of post)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Spread dough out in preheated 12 inch skillet. (heat skillet on top burner for one minute) Spread mozzarella cheese on dough. Peel, and thin slice potato,(about 1/8 inch slices) cover potato slices with cheese. Brush on olive oil, add a dash of salt and pepper, add chopped rosemary. Bake in oven for 18 minutes.(15 if you use Maria’s recipe, that will make great crust, but the potato will be Al dente. As such, maybe raise the rack?) Enjoy!

Word to the wise.
That skillet gets real hot, have a care when handling it!

PIZZA DOUGH
•    2 cups flour
•    1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
•    1 cup warm water
•    2 tablespoons olive oil
•    2 teaspoons white sugar
•    1 teaspoon salt
Blend yeast in water and add  the sugar and olive oilPut 2 cups of flour in large glass or plastic bowl then add the wet ingredients and stir with a fork. ,  when the flour is wet then add your  1 tsp of salt.  (In Italy we say salt is added far away from the yeast)
When you have a ball you can put it out on your counter dusted with flour and begin to knead the dough until  is pliable and not sticky,  add flour if need be. (This should only take a few minutes) put back into bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in your oven with just the oven light on.  .   Let raise until double the size.

For Schiacciata
Take sheet pan and oil the bottom with olive oil (using your hands)  Then  with your fingers poke the dough to make dents.  Once you have done this drizzle ½ to ¾ cups olive oil letting oil go into dents and sprinkle salt on top.   Bake in 450° oven until brown
Buon appetito!

Ciao, Maria

American Pie Recipe

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One of my family’s favorite recipes, handed down from generation to generation, is American Pie. This dessert pizza is not only a visual treat, but a gastronomical delight as well! The smell of freshly baked pizza wafting through your home will stir the appetites of the entire household.
Our forefathers first made this pizza just after the Revolutionary War, thus the circular shape of the stars in the original recipe of that time. We have traditionally baked this as an addition to our Fourth of July brunch, and it goes very well with a mimosa.
There were many early attempts to mass produce the American Pie pizza, but without the use of modern refrigeration, all were met with utter failure. The U.S. Postal Service has long discouraged mailing perishable items by mule, horseback or freight (with the exception of Christmas fruit cakes, which have a half life of 50,000 years).
With the advent of the Pony Express, the American Pie pizza could survive a two-day ride without too much dilapidation and loss or increase of flavor (increase in flavor is not good, far worse than loss).
Its popularity waned, and the recipe was almost lost to the ages. Now it is up to a hardy few culinary alchemists such as myself to carry on the American Pie tradition.
It’s as American as a mimosa!

American Pie Recipe
Ingredients
» Pizza dough (see note)
» 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
» 2 cups fresh strawberries
» 1 cup fresh blueberries
» 2-3 slices Monterey Jack cheese (or Swiss)
» 4 tablespoons sugar
» 1 mimosa
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees.
In a 12-inch skillet, spread pizza dough to edges. Add mozzarella cheese.
Slice strawberries in half, roll around in a little sugar for taste, and arrange as stripes on pizza.
Add blueberries to one quarter quadrant.
Cut Jack cheese into strips and a few small stars (or one big one) and set aside.
Bake in oven for 17 minutes. (15 if you use Maria’s recipe)
Remove from oven, remove from skillet, add “star(s)” on blueberry field. They will melt and keep basic shape.
As the strawberries may bleed a little (how patriotic!), slice more cheese into strips and add to top between strawberries, and let rest for at least four minutes.
Slice and serve with your mimosa!
Devour the American Pie immediately, as if it was the last pizza on Earth, for tomorrow it will look like that. Cooked strawberries do not appear as attractive on day two, and this pie is best eaten right out of the oven.
Note: Make your favorite pizza dough. Mine just happens to be the exact same recipe as the pre-made down at Trader Joe’s. So … do I do ALL the work?
I think not. Buy package and divide into two. You can make two skillet pizzas from one TJ’s package.

If you want a scratch pizza dough recipe, my friend Maria sent me a great one.

PIZZA DOUGH
•    2 cups flour
•    1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
•    1 cup warm water
•    2 tablespoons olive oil
•    2 teaspoons white sugar
•    1 teaspoon salt
Blend yeast in water and add  the sugar and olive oil. Put 2 cups of flour in large glass or plastic bowl then add the wet ingredients and stir with a fork. ,  when the flour is wet then add your  1 tsp of salt.  (In Italy we say salt is added far away from the yeast)
When you have a ball you can put it out on your counter dusted with flour and begin to knead the dough until  is pliable and not sticky,  add flour if need be. (This should only take a few minutes) put back into bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in your oven with just the oven light on.  .   Let raise until double the size.

For Schiacciata
Take sheet pan and oil the bottom with olive oil (using your hands)  Then  with your fingers poke the dough to make dents.  Once you have done this drizzle ½ to ¾ cups olive oil letting oil go into dents and sprinkle salt on top.   Bake in 450° oven until brown
Buon appetito!

Ciao,Maria

Meatloaf in Bread Recipe

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I don’t know where I came by this recipe. Maybe in a newspaper article, a television program, or a dream. Ahh, to dream of meatloaf! Anyway, we love it, and it’s relatively easy to prepare. All the ingredients can be acquired at any grocery store. Presentation is everything, and this dish looks great! Nothing like the sound of “definite family approval” for this dish. (Lots of ooohs and ahhs.)
In our family, the individual loaf or loaves can be specifically made to suit the diner. In place of sun-dried tomato, try throwing in a few slices of jalapeno. For me, I like the way it burns on the way down. (Just be sure that you mark the one that is specifically for you, so you don’t poison your family. No matter how good it looks, if their heads are on fire the meal will be a flop and never be forgotten.Funny how we remember the worst meals of our lives like we tried to eat them yesterday.Fear not! This will not be the case!

Meatloaf Recipe
Meatloaf Loaves (say that tree times at the end of a cocktail party!)
Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 oz. minced garlic cloves
• 2 oz. butter
• 4 cups sliced mushrooms
• 4 round loafs of French bread
• 2 lbs. lean hamburger
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 packages of onion soup mix (dry)
• 2 packages of meat loaf mix (dry)
• 2 jars of tomato pesto
• 2 medium-large diced onions
• 8-12 oz. sliced Monterey jack cheese
• 1 jar of sun-dried tomato (in oil, drained)
• 6-8 oz. smoked mozzarella
• 1 12 oz. glass Merlot
Instructions
Preheat oven to 370 degrees.
On medium heat, in a large pan, heat the olive oil. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute. When it looks like it’s about to start sticking, add 2 oz. butter and 4 cups sliced mushrooms. Brown mushrooms and set to side.
With a sharp knife, take top off French bread loaves (kind of like the top of a jack-o’-lantern). Scoop out and crumble all bread inside into a large mixing bowl. Crumble “lids” and add to inside bread, meat, eggs, milk, onion soup mix, and meatloaf mix with your hands. Yes, I hate that feeling also. Just don’t think about it too much.
As there are four separate loaves, do the following for each.
Add about a quarter jar of tomato pesto to bottom of French bread “bowl.” Add a layer of Monterey jack cheese, then about a half inch layer of meat mix on top of that.
Again add about a quarter jar of tomato pesto, and a quarter jar of drained sun dried tomato, another layer of Monterey jack cheese, then about a half inch layer of Meat mix on top of that. This should now be at the top, or lip, of the bread “bowl.” Add a quarter of the mushroom mix, and a quarter of the grated smoked mozzarella to each.
The glass of merlot should have been consumed by the cook at this point.
Wrap the bowl in foil, leaving the top exposed.
Wrap the top loosely with foil so it won’t stick to the smoked mozzarella.
There will be leftover mix, so make a small “conventional” meat loaf, adding any leftover jack cheese to center, and cook same as below.
Place all four totally foil-covered loaves (so bread won’t burn) in preheated oven for about 45 minutes. Wrap bottom with one piece so top can be exposed, then wrap top with another piece. Remove top foil for the last 10 to 12 minutes or until the mozzarella has browned. Remove from oven, wait about 5 minutes, and serve. I like to slice it with a serrated knife, like a pie in quarters, or eighths.
Add salt and pepper to taste, but it’s fine without them.
Serve with dignity!
Turn your back, so your spouse can cover it in cheap ketchup. Go for another glass of merlot.
Makes four loaves.

Lasagne a la Kevlar Recipe

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A long while back we purchased a pasta maker, the kind you roll through with a hand crank, not the high falootin electric models used in Beverly Hills. This was a more Bakersfield model. Hard to operate, and unforgiving of mistakes.
My wife Carrie decided to make 100% homemade Lasagna, complete with 100% homemade pasta. Following directions from pasta recipe, and pasta maker,and the rest of the recipe, she assembled the tasty dish, and baked it in the oven for about an hour.
Rich Italian flavors enveloped the kitchen. We could hardly wait!
After a short period of letting the dish “rest”, (the same mount of time spent on grieving a dead goldfish), we dug in. I mean we really dug in. I have never had to use a chisel to extract food from a baking tray, but with most things in life, I would soon get used to the practice.
After extracting the Lasagna from the dish and forcing servings onto waiting plates, we finally got down to business.
Unbeknownst to me, Carrie had neglected to cook the pasta, and after baking, it had set up to the consistency of floor tile. When asked, “How is yours?”, I replied that “it’s a little crunchy, but real good!”
After penetrating the protective outer layer, it was delicious!
One of my first thoughts was to contact NASA and have them use portions to protect the Space Shuttle on re-entry. Or maybe contact the military to accommodate their body armor needs. I did not voice these ideas, and I am still very happily married.
I did have waking thoughts of troops wearing Lasagna into battle and in tight spots, having to eat their “armor”
This would in turn give a new meaning to “I got your back”, meaning I ate the Lasagna attached behind you.
The following recipe will not be military grade if you cook the pasta. I highly recommend that you do.

Lasagne a la Kevlar Recipe

IngredIents

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage in casings (package of ground will have texture issues)
• 1 pound lean (or not) ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup red wine for recipe
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt for sauce, 1/2 teaspoon for mushrooms
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 bottle red wine for chef
• 2 packages sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 40 garlic cloves
• 1 box lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

InstructIons

In a stockpot, cook uncased sausage, ground beef, onion and chopped garlic over medium heat until well browned. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and wine. Season with sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper and parsley. Simmer, covered, for about two hours, stirring now and then if you prefer it unburned.
Now is an appropriate time to open the chef’s bottle of wine.
In a large skillet, cook mushrooms on stove top until water has left them. Add a little salt, butter and garlic powder, and keep cooking until browned.
Wrap small group of peeled garlic cloves in a paper towel. Set inside a terra cotta garlic roaster. Nuke in microwave for two minutes. Repeat until all garlic is soft and slightly
browned, set aside. (Alternative method without use of special equipment: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking dish with foil. Put a handful of peeled garlic cloves in the center then drizzle olive oil on top. Fold up the foil packet and seal tightly. Bake for about 45 to 60 minutes or until soft.)
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for eight to 10 minutes per package instructions. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish. Ar- range noodles lengthwise over meat sauce, however many it takes; cut some with knife to fit.
Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese. Top with a third of shredded mozzarella cheese, slices or shredded. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Add layer
of mushrooms. Repeat layer, and add layer of whole peeled garlic instead of mushrooms on second layer, repeat third layer and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with nonstick foil (or to further countermeasure to prevent sticking), either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese. Ha!
Bake for 30 minutes. Re- move foil and bake an additional 30 minutes. Let it set for 15 minutes before serving.
Yum Yum!