Pizza Patate

My husband and I have a wonderful tradition: we visit bakeries on trips, and we buy bread to bring home with us. The tradition began in New York City, the magical place where we fell in love.  On that fateful trip, we discovered Russ and Daughters, a Jewish deli where we bought a dozen bagels to put in our freezer.  We found Orwashers, a bakery on the Upper East Side that has been baking bread for almost 100 years.  Our last stop was more intentional; it was Sullivan Street Bakery.  I had wanted to visit Jim Lahey’s shop for a couple of years, ever since I had begun baking his breads and pizzas.  His book had been a big inspiration for me since it changed the way I thought about home baking.  His Dutch-oven method had enabled me to make bakery-quality bread in my apartment, despite having a finicky electric oven.  I was in love.  Being in his bakery solidified that. 

Baking pizza is a big passion of mine.  I have played with many different styles of pizza, and every time I go back to Jim Lahey’s original pizza method.  He has since come out with a second book, My Pizza where he changed his recipe and methods; both are great, but I have realized I am definitely a pan girl. 

Fast forward to last summer when we spent a month in Rome.  Before we left on our trip I was reminded by one of my father-in-laws that Jim Lahey did his apprenticeship at a bakery in Rome.  I was excited to go where it all began.

It surprised me that a city as large as Rome would have a unique baking style. It’s not like in New York where there are bakeries from many different ethnicities.  Another big difference in a Roman bakery is that their pastry shops are separate.  Italian bakeries will have some sweet things, but they will be more subtle.  For example they may have a few types of cookies on display.  The serious sweets are found in the patisseries. 

Every bakery in Rome had loaves of bread, some rolls, and in the front of the stores are long, rectangular slabs of pizza and thick cut focaccia bread.  Some had layers of mushrooms, while others were studded with green olives, and plump, roasted tomatoes.  There was always one type with just cheese and thick tomato sauce oozing out over the edges.  Once I saw the Roman bakeries, I understood where Jim found his inspiration for his bakery; it felt like coming full circle.  I knew I would go home and expand my repertoire. 

One of Jim’s pizzas is called Pizza Patate; I had always wanted to make it.  Last weekend we had a fall party and we remembered the recipe for Pizza Patate.  We had some Yukon Gold potatoes on hand, and we almost always do our own breads for parties.  The pizza is baked in an oiled half-sheet pan, and it has a wonderful texture that is both chewy and crunchy.  The thinly sliced potatoes are the perfect ratio to the dough, and the rosemary and onion are nice complements to the big picture.  We had many items on our spread at the party, but the Pizza Patate stole the show. 

Adapted from Jim Lahey

Dough Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups or 300 grams room temperature water

2 ½ teaspoons or 10 grams active dry yeast

3 ¾ cups or 500 grams bread flour

1 1/3 teaspoons or 8 grams kosher salt

High heat cooking oil, such as grapeseed or avocado, for the 13x18 half-sheet pan

Topping Ingredients:

1 quart or 800 grams lukewarm water

4 teaspoons or 24 grams sea salt

6-8 or 1 kilo Yukon Gold potatoes (we used part red French fingerlings, and that turned out to be a pretty color contrast)

1/3 cup cooking oil

1 cup or 100 grams diced yellow onion

½ teaspoon or 2 grams freshly ground black pepper

1 sprig fresh rosemary

The potatoes for this can be prepped up to a day ahead, but you could also prep them while your dough is rising.  For the potatoes: Slice them thinly on a mandolin or about 1/16^th of an inch by hand with a very sharp knife.  Soak them in the salt and water for at least 1 hour.  Before you are going to top the pizza, dry the potatoes well on paper towels.  Mix the potatoes with the oil, salt, pepper, and onion. 

Allow two hours for the dough.  Mix together the ingredients for about 30 seconds.  Try and stir going the same direction in the bowl in an effort to not break up the developing gluten strands.  If the dough is not coming together because it appears dry, hydrate the dough a tablespoon at a time.  When the dough is fully hydrated and mixed, cover the bowl with saran or a flour sack towel for 1 ½ hours. 

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  Lightly flour a prep surface.  Using a bowl scraper, turn the dough out onto the counter.  Flour your hands as needed, and working your way around the dough, form into a ball.  Flour the top of the dough and cover for 30 minutes. 

Using a pastry brush, oil the pan, including the sides.  Turn the dough, flour side down, onto the pan.  Gently nudge the dough into the pan, stretching it evenly throughout.  Spread the potatoes over the surface of the dough, coming all the way to the edges.  You can put more potato around the periphery since the edges cook faster than the middle.  Scatter the rosemary over the top.  Bake for 30-35 minutes. 

Let the pizza cool a bit before cutting into it.  I used a sharp serrated blade in lieu of a pizza cutter for this pizza, and I took my time cutting, so I didn't disturb the topping too much.  Good luck! This is a recipe that does well with slow and steady, and also your guests are going to love you.  

Pasta with Red Sauce

Every family has a rotation of meals.  When I was growing up one of my favorites was spaghetti night.  I was raised in America’s Dairyland, so we always had a jug of milk on the table during family dinners.  I loved taking a big swig following careful swirls of pasta draped in meat and tomato sauce; laced with grated parmesan cheese.  It was the life. 

Recently I read The Paradox of Plenty.  Following the big immigration boom of the late 19^th century, ethnic groups received a lot of societal pressure to mainstream their diets to a more homogenized, American cuisine.  This caused them to abandon various spices and sauces their ancestors used. 

However, the Italians were the group most resistant to the change.  As they clung to their heritage they began to infiltrate American cuisine.  Thus, when we go to the grocery store today, we see aisles dedicated to Italian-style cooking.  Not many people realize prego means ‘of course’ in Italian. 

Over this summer past, Ariel and I had the fortunate opportunity to live in Italy for five weeks.  During that time we were able to immerse ourselves in Italian food culture, and we were able to see just how inauthentic our American version of Italian cooking was: most notably our use of store-bought, pre-prepared sauces.  While it’s true that store-bought sauces save time, when we weigh out the amount of unfamiliar ingredients with the amount of time saved, I can’t help but wonder: at what detriment are we saving time?   

Like many Americans I have been seduced into buying jarred, pasta sauce.  Surrounded by products promising an easier life it is hard to not succumb to that message.  I developed a sauce one night when I was craving something comforting and affordable, so I utilized the ingredients we had on hand.  As I was cooking I wondered why I don’t do a quick tomato sauce more often.  It was indeed quick, and significantly more satisfying than the premade, jarred alternative.  Also I still felt like I had time left in the evening: a well-earned bonus.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. cooking oil (we are currently using avocado oil for sautéing) 

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

½ pound crimini or button mushrooms

12 oz. ground chicken (Feel free to substitute for ground beef or a meatless protein) 

14.5 oz diced tomatoes

8 oz. tomato sauce

1 sprig fresh oregano leaves, chopped

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

Salt to taste

4 oz. dried pasta (we used fettuccini) 

Optional: 2 oz. freshly grated mozzarella and grated parmesan

Over medium heat, sauté the onions in the butter and oil.  When they begin to soften add the garlic and mushrooms.  As the mushrooms begin to cook, add the ground chicken.  When the ground chicken is broken up and thoroughly cooked, add the tomatoes, sauce, and both types of oregano.  As the sauce reduces, salt to taste. 

Meanwhile cook the noodles to package instructions, and drain (do not rinse the pasta once it is in the colander) Separate the noodles into two bowls, and smother with sauce. Top with the cheeses you desire.  Prego!

Lentil Loaf

Around our house we embrace our omnivore sensibilities; we have not fallen into many repeated food patterns, and we tend to cook a diverse menu every week.

Recently we had our friend over for her birthday dinner.   She enjoys a vegetarian diet, but she also eats fish. We enjoy seafood so it seemed a natural place to begin the brainstorm for our menu.  As we considered our student budget, and the market price for salmon, we transitioned into thinking about vegetarian dishes.  That was when I began considering a vegetarian "meat" loaf.

During a quick internet search, we found a recipe that looked good.  I carefully read the ingredients aloud, as if to imagine them in our fridge and pantry as I made my way down the list.  I finished reading, and it was unanimous: Lentil Meatloaf it was!  We had everything we needed to make it.

The special feature of this loaf is the glaze that gets brushed over the top before it gets put into the oven.  The glaze is made from ketchup, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar.  It is naughty enough to make this healthy loaf snazzy, and yet subtle enough to not overpower the delicious ingredients.

This recipe is an adapted version of the one I found on the blog Eat, Live, Run.  It was a joy to make throughout the entire process.  Perhaps it was because the ingredients were so wholesome.

Ingredients:
1 cup green lentils
3 cups vegetable broth
1 large onion, medium dice
1 stalk celery, small dice
1 large carrot, grated
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 eggs
1 Tbsp fresh sage
2 tsp kosher salt
cracked black pepper

For the glaze:
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350.  In a pot, simmer the lentils with the broth for about 25 minutes, until they are tender and the broth is absorbed.  Meanwhile, toast the walnuts in a 350 degree oven for about six minutes, and chop them when they have cooled.  Saute the onions and celery until they are soft.  Add the carrot, sage, salt, and pepper, and continue to cook the mixture for a few more minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat.  Let the mixture cool for a few minutes (you don't want the eggs to cook), and then add the eggs, walnuts, and panko.  When the mixture is complete, press it into a greased loaf pan.

In a small bowl mix the ingredients for the glaze together.  Using a pastry brush, spread the glaze onto the top of the loaf.  Bake for 45 minutes, and pop it out onto a platter, and slice it.  We paired our lentil loaf with au gratin potatoes, steamed baby broccoli and Brussels sprouts, and spinach salad.  It was a wonderful dinner.  We vowed to make the lentil loaf again really soon, maybe for our next vegetarian guest.