Monthly Archives: March 2012

Flatbread: All-Purpose, All Delicious

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While vacationing in Arizona a couple of weeks ago, I attended a cooking class at Sweet Basil Gourmetware and Cooking School in Scottsdale. My friend, Pat Sinclair, and I pulled into the parking lot of the strip mall where the store is located just minutes before the class was to begin.

I grabbed my camera and my tripod from the back seat and we rushed into the store, passing by displays of gourmet food items, beautiful dishes, cookware and bakeware and shelves of cookbooks as we made our way to the back of the store where the kitchen classroom is located.

Shelley Sikora Holman, instructor for the Flatbread Fantasy class, stood in the kitchen looking cool as a cucumber wearing her tomato-red chef’s jacket. A copy of the cookbook she co-authored with Hallie Harron, “Tomatoes & Mozzarella,” was propped on an easel on the counter that separated her from her students.

I considered Holman an expert on all dough that is flat. I had visited with her by phone before I went to Arizona and learned that her cookbook, “Skinny Bread: 100 Amazing Ways to make Flatbread” will be released in late summer of 2012.

Holman explained to the class that flatbread has been around ever since there has been fire. On a trip through Europe, she enjoyed a variety of flatbreads. Each country had its own unique style of flatbread. That’s when she decided to write a cookbook focused on dough that’s been enjoyed by people all over the world for over 2,000 years.

Eleven students worked together in the kitchen, preparing recipes that will be included in that cookbook that’s in the hands of Holman’s publisher right now. My cooking partner, Roger, and I made flatbread bowls filled with a romaine and watercress salad. Holman gave me permission to use that recipe in my food column this week. You will find that recipe by clicking here.

Another team of two cooks prepared an appetizer using small rounds of pizza dough topped with bacon, watercress and tomatoes along with olives and goat cheese. It seems we never have enough appetizer ideas. These are nice for spring and summer since the mini rounds of pizza dough can be baked on the grill before topping.

Fresh, peppery watercress takes the place of lettuce on these two-bite pizzas. Holman suggests giving each pizzetta a couple of drops of anisette, a liqueur that tastes like licorice. I think they would be very tasty without the addition of the alcohol.

The class ended with a flatbread buffet. Flatbread was rolled, wrapped, turned into pockets and bowls and tarts and stuffed with tasty morsels of sweet and savory food.

You can learn more about Shelley Holman and find more of her recipes at her blog: backpocketrecipes.com

MINI BLT PIZZETTAS WITH AGED GOAT CHEESE

Recipe from Shelley Holman, author of the soon-to-be released cookbook, “Skinny Bread: 100 Amazing Ways to make Flatbread”

Makes 18 servings

  • 1 pound store-bought refrigerated pizza dough or substitute a homemade dough
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
  • 8 ounces Chevre goat cheese, cut into 35 thin wedges
  • ¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and quartered
  • 18 cherry or grape tomatoes, cut into quarters
  • 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • Crushed red pepper, optional
  • 1 bunch watercress
  • 2 teaspoons Anisette

On a floured work surface, roll out the pizza dough with a rolling pin until very thin.  Using a 3-inch cookie cutter, cut the dough into 18 rounds.  Brush the tops of the dough rounds with oil, salt and rosemary, (and crushed red pepper if using), pressing the herbs down to make sure that they stick.  Transfer dough rounds to a baking sheet and, using a fork, pierce the rounds to prevent bubbles.

You can grill or bake it – your choice!

Grill it: Heat your gas grill to medium-high.  Use tongs  and place dough rounds, herb side down, on grates and grill for 1-2 minutes. Brush the top of each pizzetta with oil.  Grill about another minute or until the bottom is crisp and golden brown.  Use a metal spatula to return the pizzettas to the baking sheet when cooked.  Top each with 2 pieces of cheese and evenly divided portions of tomato and bacon. Add a pinch of the crushed red pepper if desired.  Add watercress, along with a few drops of Anisette.  Return the pizzettas to the grill and continue to cook until the cheese is melted.  Transfer to a platter and serve while still warm.

Bake it:  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Follow the exact topping instructions as for outdoor grilling.

 

Drink green on St. Patrick’s Day — and I don’t mean beer

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A few weekends ago I listened in to several free call-in webcasts, all part of a two-day Conscious Foods Summit. It was the description of the event that caught my interest:

“The Conscious Foods Summit sessions cover the physical, emotional, mental and – yes, spiritual – benefits of eating healthfully. If you’re like most people on a path of transformation, you’re always on the lookout for ways to create more vitality that are good for the planet, too.”

Yes, I am always looking for ways to be the best me I can be. I listened to several of the live sessions. It was time well spent.

One of my Facebook friends, Jill Nussinow, also known as The Veggie Queen, presented a session titled: Why Eating Plants Can Change Your Life. The registered dietitian and cooking instructor convinced me that I must  invest in a pressure cooker. I’m one of those people who has always been a little squeamish about pressure cookers — they can explode, after all. Well, that’s what I thought. Jill Nussinow said she has used pressure cookers in the classes she teaches at Santa Rosa Community College for more than 20 years, and there has never been an exploding pot. I guess I’ll start shopping for my own.

Nussinow also inspired me to experiment with green smoothies, blended concoctions of vegetables and fruits, nothing like the protein powder and berry drink I usually make for breakfast.

My pretty green smoothie came together after a recent dinner at True Food Kitchen in Phoenix, Arizona. A list of natural refreshments on the menu included Kale-Aid, a mixture of kale, apple, cucumber, celery, lemon and ginger. It sounded like one of those green smoothies Jill Nussinow recommended drinking. I may have tried the health drink, but at the time I spotted it, I was already sipping on an Acai Pomegranate Mojito — a different kind of health drink.

I’ve been concocting a green drink of my own and I think it’s good. It must be. I saved some of my last batch in the refrigerator. This afternoon, when I needed a boost of energy, I went right to the refrigerator to get my powerful green liquid. It had disappeared. This evening, my husband confessed to drinking up the potent elixir before he went to bed last night. And he liked it. What?? It must be good.

It makes sense to drink green on St. Patrick’s Day. When you think of all of the health benefits this drink delivers, it makes sense to drink it everyday. It’s a great way to get some fruits and vegetables into your daily diet.

Sparkling Green Power Juice

  • 1/2 to 1 cup water
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 of a seedless cucumber, unpeeled, cut into chunks
  • 1 apple, unpeeled, core removed, cut into chunks
  • 6 chunks crystallized ginger, or to taste
  • 2 kiwi, peeled
  • 2 large kale leaves
  • 1 handful baby spinach leaves
  • Sparkling water, for serving

Place ingredients, except sparkling water, in blender in order listed. Turn on blender and puree mixture until smooth.

Pour through a fine mesh sieve and allow to drain into a bowl or pitcher. Cover juice and put in refrigerator to chill.

At serving time, pour juice into glasses and top off with sparkling water. Makes about 2 cups green juice.

Tip from the cook

The pulp that remains in the sieve can be spooned into plastic trays and frozen. Transfer frozen cubes to freezer-strength zip-top bag. Seal tightly and store in freezer. The cubes are a great addition of chilled cucumber soup made with yogurt for summer meals. In fall and winter, add frozen cubes to soups and stews for additional flavor and nutrients.

It’s not all about mushrooms at a Mushroom Club meeting — how about some Candy Bars?

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A few days before the Paul Bunyan Mushroom Club members were scheduled to assemble at my home for their monthly meeting, member Terry Schaedig sent me an email note. He explained that, along with everyone else who was coming to the meeting, he was planning to bring a dish to share. There was a problem, though. He needed crisp and buttery Nabisco Waverly crackers for the recipe. It seemed in the 10 years since he last prepared the recipe, Waverly crackers had disappeared from grocery store shelves. I hadn’t even noticed.

I did a quick check on the internet and discovered Nabisco no longer makes Waverly crackers. I suggested Schaedig use Keebler Clubs instead. I still had no idea what he was making with crackers. Maybe some kind of hardy mushroom topping piled on crackers?

Looking fit, happy, healthy and not one bit out of breath after pulling another member out of the ditch just down the road from my house, Schaedig came in with an aluminum foil-covered plate in each hand. With a wide smile on his face, he handed the plates over to me.

I lifted a corner of the foil covering one plate. As I peeked in, my eyes focused on a perfectly-cut square of layers of chocolate and yes, crackers. The sweet aroma of peanut butter mixed with butterscotch hit my nostrils. I began to salivate uncontrollably.

It was difficult to wait until dessert time to eat one of those bars that kept tempting me from the buffet of food contributed by all the members in attendance. It was a good thing lunch was the first thing on our agenda for that meeting.

One bite of one perfectly cut Candy Bar – think butterscotch, peanut butter, chocolate and crunch. Chewy. Just enough chocolate. And, nice crunch from buttery, crisp crackers. Schaedig told me that after a lengthy quest for Waverly crackers, he ended up using Club Crackers.  I’d say that was a perfect choice.

Schaedig told me the recipe came from his mother’s recipe box. “Mom made these when she felt the kids were deserving (very infrequently) or when we went on strike (at least once a day) and demanded fair labor practices, which included her homemade Candy Bars.”

After the group watched a DVD about mushroom identification and discussed a few items of Paul Bunyan Mushroom Club business, our meeting came to an end. I noticed some members grab a Candy Bar for the ride home. It was my lucky day. Schaedig left several for me. They didn’t last long.

Terry Schaedig shared the Candy Bar recipe from his mother’s recipe box. Lucky for you. And, lucky for me, Mushroom Club meetings aren’t all about mushrooms!

If you enjoy learning about mushrooms, foraging for mushrooms, eating mushrooms and eating things that aren’t mushrooms, you might like to get more information about the Paul Bunyan Mushroom Club. If you are interested, send an email to johnmike@charter.net.

Candy Bars

  • 8 ounces Waverly Crackers  (Terry’s note: good luck with this one — Club Crackers are a good substitute)
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup Butterscotch chips

 

Place a layer of crackers in the bottom of an ungreased 13- x 9-inch pan.  Melt butter in a heavy saucepan and add milk, graham cracker crumbs and sugars.  Bring to boil.  Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Pour half of mixture over crackers.  Add second layer of crackers.  Top with remaining crumb mixture and followed by a layer of crackers.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt chips and peanut butter and pour over crackers.  Cool and cut into squares.

Notes from the back of recipe card:

  • Crumble graham crackers pretty fine
  • The graham cracker mix gets too thick if cooked too long.  Try to get it to start boiling sooner.

Note from Terry:

I know I have added raisins in the past and there is a note that says you have to put in a lot for them to be noticeable.  But, hey, why put anything healthy in with this belly buster?