Thin-Crust Skillet Pizza

Hey everyone!  I know it's been awhile.  I've been traveling the world, going to trade shows, developing my own cooking show on TLC and starting my own restaurant. 

Just Kidding.

I know you've probably been frantic about where I was since you are aware of my tendency to injure myself.  Don't worry my fellow chefs, all is well in the kitchen.  I've just been {enter excuse here}.

This week I made a Skillet Thin Crust Pizza.  My dad accidentally left a Cook's magazine at my apartment full of skillet-made recipes.  I think this is a conspiracy to get me to try these, like them, and then make them for him.  It would only be more obvious if he marked the pages of the recipes he was "going to try to make himself".

The thought of making a time-consuming tasty dinner like pizza all in a stove-top skillet in under 30 minutes sounded great!

First, I diced 4 medium tomatoes, salted them, and let them drain on a paper towel for 10 minutes.  I suggest putting the salt in the dough instead of tomatoes.  It'll give the crust more flavor... or do both.  I don't care.  I'm not the boss of you.  (Or, am I?)

Next, I mixed 1 cup of fat-free shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan and 1/2 cup of chopped basil.  Don't use fat-free cheese.  You'll see.

While that drained I started the dough.  1 cup flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, sugar and add the salt here if you want.  Mix ingredients in a food processor.  My food processor decided it didn't want to work.  It's fine, I'll just transfer it to the blender.  I think this is where it went wrong.  Most of my ingredients fell on the floor during this process. 

While blender-ing you slowly add in 1/3 cup of beer.  I opened a Sam Adam's Light when I started the recipe but had to open another by the time I got to this step.  After the beer... 7 tbsps of olive oil.  SEVEN?! I think I could've put three and we would've been OK. 

Flour hands and counter (and floor and chair and stove if you have containment issues when it comes to flour), roll dough into a tight ball and loosely cover with saran wrap for about 10 minutes.  When the dough is ready, slice in two and roll out into 9-inch circle. 

Now, heat some olive oil in a skillet till it just starts to smoke.  Add dough and make sure to poke holes in any bubbles.  This is the fun part!

Cook until bottom is golden-brown and then flip!  They made the flipping part look easy but my crust did not want to stay together because it was ultra-flaky.  I like flaky so it worked for me. 

After you flip, immediately add 1/2 the cheese and tomatoes and put the lid on so the cheese will melt in the time the bottom browns. 

This is where we run into issues with the fat-free cheese.  Because it is made from... ?... it doesn't melt in the heat our ovens and stoves produce.  Nuclear energy might be able to melt it.  Maybe.   Finished product:

I definitely want to try the crust again but experiment with my own toppings.  I didn't think it had a whole lot of flavor.  Maybe I'll try putting meat on it as well, though that would require another skillet. 

Let me know if you guys try it and how it works for you!

Agnolotti: Foodie's Word for Ravioli

Hello Everyone!! 

No PHYSICAL accidents this week to tell you about!  However, my clumisness took a turn for the worst.  If you know me at all then you know I must have my glass of wine within arms reach while I'm cooking (It helps bring out my inner sous chef). I elbowed my wine glass onto the stove.  I know it looks like murder.  Let us take a moment of silence for the loss of my perfectly perfect glass of Blue Fin Pinot Noir.

Now, let's pour another glass of wine and get started!

This week I made agnolotti from scratch.  It looks like ravioli, it tastes like ravioli, therefore I will call it ravioli.  If you recall, I made my own pasta from the Ratio book I got for Christmas.  What's great is the author tells you how to make pasta dough and then gives you ideas on what to do with it.  There are many recipes in the back for different fillings, as well.  I chose the chicken and herbs filling.  My parents got me a Fluted Pastry Wheel for Valentines Day and I really wanted to use it on this! 

First, I made the dough.  9 oz of flour and 6 oz of egg.  I ended up with 9 ozs of flour and 3 eggs were 5 ozs so I added a bit of water to the mixture.  Check out my Pasta Post to see more details on the ratio and how to prep the dough.  After cutting the dough into 4 and rolling it out - you have 4 sheets approximately 18 in x 4 in.  I just kind of rolled it out until it was really thin.  Then, I used my pastry wheel and cut away. 

Note my fingers at a safe distance from the cutting tool.  Bravo!



After I made my little squares I tubed the filling in.  The recipe for the filling was from the book but you can find anything online.  The one I used was chicken and herbs.  1/2 lb of chicken thighs diced, 1 tsp of chives and tarragon, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper, 1/2 cup of cream... mixed in a food processor. 

I egg-washed the squares so they would stick together, put the slices on top of each other, and then pinched the sides.  They actually looked like ravioli!!

Alas, I did not learn my lesson from the last time I made pasta and made my squares a bit big.  When I boiled them... they expanded.

After making this all from scratch, I popped open a jar of the finest $2 (2 for 1 at Publix!) tomato sauce and heated it on the stove.  Don't judge me, we can't all be Martha Stewart. 

In the end, it was fantastic!!! Great flavor and they just looked so cool!  I highly suggest people try this with different fillings.  It's not that difficult and kind of fun.

xoxo Peace, Love, and Good Food!

My Adventures in Making Pasta

I just moved into my own apartment and started a new job.  I'm 23 years old and I live paycheck to paycheck (but who isn't!?).  I had under $100 in my checking account yesterday and I decided to spend $14 on three bottles of wine at Trader Joe's because I obviously have my priorities in line.  The cheapest thing at the grocery store you can buy is pasta and at my Publix it is 77 cents a box.  In order to afford my cheap TJ's wine I have to cut back somewhere else and this week it's pasta.  Yes, I made my own pasta.

It started with the book "Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking" written by Michael Ruhlman.  I'm going to go on a bit of a rant about this book.  I'm a little bit of a nerd and love knowing the science and numbers behind things.  This book breaks down every basic kitchen staple (and even more complicated things like pate a croux) into ratios.  Basic pasta dough?  3 parts flour : 2 parts egg.  BOOM.  DONE. 

First of all check out my cool new gadget.  Most ratios are broken down by WEIGHT and not VOLUME so this purchase was necessary although he does break it down by approximate volume in the recipes, as well.

Ok sooo... I already gave you the recipe.  3 parts flour : 2 parts egg.  For two large portions I used 9 ounces of flour and 6 ounces of egg (3 large eggs).  Part of the reason I wanted to try this particular recipe so badly is because they say its fun.  You literally put your flour in a mound (mine in a bowl because of counter space) and put the eggs in the middle and stir around with your fingers!

After you mix it well you knead it for 5 to 10 minutes until smooth.  Fold over and push down with the heel of your hand.  The dough then needs to rest wrapped in plastic wrap for 10 minutes.  Once it is done "resting" you cut into four equal pieces and " roll them to desired thinness and cut".  Alright.  This is where I got lost. 

First of all, oops, I don't have a rolling pin.  I got a bit creative and used a double-shot glass...  classy, yes, but I'm not giving up now! 

Second, I figured I didn't need a fancy cutting machine for my pasta.  I'll just cut it with my knife.  Ok, it'll be a little thick but maybe it will taste like fettuccine?

Third, THAT'S WHERE IT ENDS.  Now what?!  Do I let it dry?  The book stops talking about anything else relative to COOKING the pasta. Anytime I go to Italian restaurants they have dried pasta sitting in jars.  The pasta I buy for 77 cents is dried.  Am I allowed to just cook it right now or do I have to wait weeks to use these giant flaps of pasta?

Well, I put my big-girl decision-making panties on and I popped those suckers into the boiling water.

... and it expanded.  Brains for dinner anyone??

OK so it doesn't look that appetizing.  In the end it kind of tasted like gnocci but I blame that on how thick it was and not the ratio/recipe.  I ended up covering it with a sauce I made several weeks ago and froze (Giada DeLaurentiis) and some fresh ground beef.  Maybe I'll try this again when I have the tools for it.  Until then, I'll stick to 77 cent boxes of pasta. I hope you all try this and let me know how it goes!