Mediterranean Calzone

Yeah, when in doubt: encrust delicious ingredients in a bread product. Can't fail.

Crust: (Makes enough dough for 3–4 large calzones—easily halved)

2 c. warm water

2 Tbsp. yeast

2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 c. olive oil

~ 6 c. all-purpose flour

1. Combine water and yeast in a large bowl or stand mixer (much easier, but you can knead by hand, too). Let activate for about five minute.

2. Add kosher salt, olive oil, and two cups of the flour. Mix thoroughly. Add more flour, one cup at a time, and mix until the dough is smooth and elastic but not too stiff. Knead a minute or two in a stand mixer, or for about ten minutes by hand.

3. Let rise to double (if you have time . . . if not, you can cheat and go straight to the calzone making), or about one hour.

4. Split into four hunks of dough.

5. Roll out one dough ball into circle about 1/2 in. thick and about 10 inches in diameter.

Stuffing:

Pesto or marinara sauce

Artichoke hearts, chopped

Kalamata olives, sliced

Spinach, sweated on the oven in a bit of olive oil and salt

Mozzarella and any other melting cheeses you like (I used Gruyere—parmesan or parmigiano reggiano would be great, too)

Feta cheese

1. On the circle of dough, apply a circle of sauce, leaving at least an inch of naked dough on the edge.

2. On approximately one half of the dough, apply toppings as your little heart desires. Don't overstuff, or you will have difficult sealing the crust. You can riff on a traditional calzone like I did, or stick with pepperoni and cheese or sausage and cheese, or whatever.

3. Beat an egg in a small bowl, and with a pastry brush, apply a bit of egg on the edge of the dough to help seal.

4. Bring the side of the dough unladen with ingredients to join the other edge, forming a pocket.

5. Press the edges firmly together. You can use a fork to mash the edges together, or curl up the edges in a curly pattern. You just want to keep all the yummy ingredients inside.

6. Bake on a preheated pizza stone in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

7. Calzones can be refrigerated and eaten later, but allow to completely cool (will take at least an hour) before wrapping and refrigerating. Reheat in a 350 degree oven for 5–10 minutes or so.

Sugar Spiced Almonds

I made these for a yummy snack to eat on New Year's Eve. These are not your typical candied nuts-- the combination of spices is super good. Give these a try!

1 egg white + 2-3 t. cold water

1/2 c. sugar

1 3/4 t. cayenne pepper

7/8 t. garlic salt

7/8 t. chili powder

1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes

3 1/2 c. almonds

Put the almonds in a big ziploc bag. Beat the egg white and combine with the cold water, then pour in the bag and shake to coat the nuts.

Mix the spices in a small bowl before pouring in the bag and shaking again to coat.

Grease a rimmed cookie sheet or line with foil. Preheat oven to 250.

Spread almonds in a single layer on pan and roast in the oven for an hour, stirring every 15-20 minutes. Cool on pan before storing in an airtight container.

7(ish?)-Layer Greek Dip

Hubba hubba. This is scrumptious. Why didn't I think of this myself? It's a riff on the more traditional 7-layer Mexican dip. I think I like this one better. (Heresy, I know.)

Ingredients:

8 oz. block cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese

1 tsp. dried dill weed

2 tsp. lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 1/2 c. (12 oz.) hummus (can be store purchased or homemade)

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced

3 med. tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/2 c. chopped kalamata olives

1/3 c. chopped green onions (about 3 full green onion stalks)

1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese

1/8–1/4 c. chopped flat leaf Italian parsley

Directions:

With an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese, dill weed, lemon juice, and garlic. Spread this layer in the bottom of a pie dish or a half-sheet pan. Spread the hummus layer next. In order, layer on the cucumber, tomatoes, kalamata olives, green onions, feta, and parsley. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours. Serve with pita chips, pita bread, or even tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Chickpea Tagine

Our food co-op brought in an assortment of root veggies this week, and fortuitously found a recipe that incorporated many of them while cruising the Food & Wine recipe search. (Note: It's awesome. You can search by ingredients for recipe or for multiple ingredients.)

Anyway, this chickpea tagine was great. It's a thick veggie stew with Moroccan flavors.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. dried chickpeas (AKA garbanzo beans) (allow time to soak overnight and drain if using dried) or use 1 can prepared chickpeas (what I did! Much easier)

1/4 tsp. saffron threads (I used the much less expensive Spanish variety available at Caputo's)

1 quart plus 2 Tbsp. water

1 large onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp. ground cumin

One 3-inch cinnamon stick

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice

2 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice

Once 14.5 ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped

Salt

2 small zucchini, diced

1 Tbsp. minced preserved lemon rind (I used lemon jelly with preserved lemon rind . . . it worked fine)

Freshly ground black pepper

3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro leaves

Yogurt and harissa for serving (I didn't have harissa, so I used piment d'espelette . . . could probably use cayenne in a small amount)

DIRECTIONS:

1) If using dried chickpeas, cover the chickpeas with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until tender, 45 minutes. Drain. Skip this step if using canned chickpeas.

2) In a bowl, crumble the saffron in the 2 tablespoons of water; steep for 10 minutes.

3) In a large pot (at least 3 1/2 quarts), melt the butter and let brown. Add the olive oil and heat for 30 seconds. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter and oil over moderate heat until golden; 8 minutes. Add the cumin, cinnamon stick, and crushed red pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add the saffron water, chickpeas, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, the quart of water (4 cups), and a large pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the squash and potatoes are tender, 30 minutes.

4) Add the zucchini and the preserved lemon; simmer until the zucchini is tender, 5 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick. Season the tagine with salt and pepper and stir in the cilantro. Serve in bowls with a dollop of plain yogurt and harissa.

Yum.

Better than the Bakery's Blueberry Muffins

If you like muffins, you absolutely must make these. Incredible is my word of choice.

They are meant to be made in an oversized muffin tin so as to give you really big muffins, like the kind you get at a bakery (or Costco). :) I made mine in my normal muffin tin, filled to the brim, and they are huge and delicious. I doubled/modified slightly the original recipe, and I will just put the measurements I used here for your enjoyment.

Muffins:

3 c. flour

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 t. salt

4 t. baking powder

1/3 c. canola oil

1/3 c. applesauce (or just double the oil if you don't have applesauce)

2 eggs

2/3 c. milk or buttermilk

2 c. blueberries

---

Topping:

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. flour

1/4 c. butter, cubed

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Grease muffin cups liberally.

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add liquid ingredients and mix until just combined. *Be very careful not to over mix.* Fold in berries. Your batter will be verrrry thick. This is normal and probably what makes these muffins so dang good.

Fill your muffin cups to the top. Sprinkle on the crumb topping.

Bake 18-23 minutes-- depending on your oven. Trust your judgment if you know your oven seems to bake faster, etc.

Enjoy.

Onion Soup of Dubious Nationality

It's not technically French because if it were, it would be much more fussy.

1 Large yellow onion
2 TBS of butter
1 TBS olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/4 C sherry
3 quarts of beef broth
kosher salt to taste

Crusty bread
Snooty cheese of your choosing (Munster is actually amazing on this)

Slice the onion into strips. Sautee over medium heat with butter and olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add garlic and thyme and sautee for a minute before adding the broth and sherry. Simmer for 15 minutes until onions are tender. Season with salt and more garlic if necessary.

Unless you have 12 oz. oven proof straight-sided bowls hanging around don't attempt to serve this the French way (with cheese dripping down the side of your bowl, fresh out of the broiler). Cool. It's much easier to serve like so: Cover your bread slices with shredded cheese, throw 'em on a cookie sheet, and broil for 5 minutes until crusty and browned. Plop atop your soup and enjoy.

Smoky Tomato Soup with Maple Candied Bacon

Sometimes, normal tomato basil soup can get a little boring.

And kids, this tomato soup recipe is anything but boring.

The recipe is from Naomi Pomeroy, award-winning chef and proprietor of Beast in Portland, Oregon. She prepared the hands-down best piece of lamb I've ever eaten, with a polenta pudding on the side, in a savory plum and balsamic vinegar sauce. I feel like Homer Simpson when I describe this dish. Cue uncouth drooling here.

The soup has bright citrus notes from freshly-squeezed orange juice, smokiness from the smoked paprika, and a spicy kick from the pimente d'Espelette (available at some speciality grocers . . . if not available, I would substitute cayenne, but less if you are squeamish about spice). I have made the soup both with and without the maple candied bacon if I'm trying to avoid killing myself with saturated fat. We had a bit of trouble with the bacon last time as our oven just doesn't seem to get hot enough for it to cook in any reasonable timeframe.

Just make it and enjoy.