Homemade Soft Pretzels

My Boyfriend, Brian, requested this snack. It's the first time I've ever made pretzels and they came out surprisingly well. I was planning on serving these with a honey mustard cheese sauce but I forgot necessary ingredients for the sauce. I attempted one batch and it came out awful! Hahah. I decided to throw away the sauce and enjoy the pretzels plain. This recipe makes 8 medium size pretzels. Mine came out tasting great but looking so ugly haha. I would definitely recommend watching a pretzel twisting video before starting.

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt

Directions

1. Combine the water and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. 

 

2. Add the flour, salt and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. 

 

3. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

4. While the dough rests go ahead and make your serving sauce if you plan on making one.

 

5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

6. Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

7. In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

8. Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Teriyaki Chicken

I found this recipe in Food and Wine Magazine and it's by Chef Nobu Matsuhisa. 

This teriyaki chicken was super simple to make. I literally combined 5 ingredients in a pan and then put that finished sauce over the cooked chicken. If you were in a rush you could use a precooked rotisserie chicken.

Note: Make sure to use the low sodium soy sauce otherwise your reduced sauce will be a little salty.

I served my chicken with white rice and some stir-fried broccoli, carrots, bell pepper, onion, and snow peas. I grabbed a bag of pre cut stir fry veggies from the store, sauteed them over medium high heat with a few tbsp. of soy sauce and butter. Stir until cooked through and serve with your chicken.

Ingredients:

1 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup low-sodium soy suace
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons sake
four 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
canola oil

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan combine the chicken stock with the soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and sake. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer until the teriyaki sauce is syrupy and reduced to 1/2 cup, about 20 miunutes.

2. Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Add the chicken and cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until browned on both sides and cooked through, 8 to 9 minutes. transfer the chicken to plate and let stand for 5 minutes.

3. Cook your veggies or other side dishes.

4. When ready to eat, place your rice and veggies on the plate, place the chicken on top and drizzle a little of the teriyaki sauce on top. Enjoy!

Proscuitto and Smoked Mozzarella Stromboli

 

I'm sorry to all of my fans (if there are any of you still out there). Life has gotten ridiculously busy and I haven't had time to post the new things I've been cooking. 

 

I was watching a recipe of Best Thing I Ever Made on food network and saw this recipe for stromboli. I thought, "how could bread baked with cheese and meat on the inside be bad?". And I was right! The fresh bread and the melting cheese was worth the 3 hours it was to make it. Make this recipe only if your bored or if you have a lot to get done at your house. 

 

I switched up the recipe from the show to fit my tastes. Originally the  recipe called for Genoa Salami instead of proscuitto but I thought the proscuitto was more widely available. The next time I make this I'm going to try the extra toppings of herbs and tomatoes. :)

 

Ingredients
Dough:

1 tablespoon dry yeast
Extra-virgin olive oil
5 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons salt

Filling:

2 cups grated smoked mozzarella
Salt
1/2 bunch fresh basil, leaves chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces proscuitto, sliced thin
Extra-virgin olive oil

Toppings:

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt, such as Maldon
1/4 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

For the dough: Whisk together 2 cups cold water, the yeast and 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Put in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Mix on speed 1, or low speed, for 5 minutes. Add the flour and continue mixing for an additional 5 minutes. Then turn the mixer to speed 2, or medium speed, and mix for 5 minutes. Add the salt until incorporated. Add 1 tablespoon oil at the end of the 5 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a large hotel pan greased with oil. If you don't have a hotel pan, you can use a large bowl; just make sure there is ample space for the dough to double in size. Put a little oil on top as well, about 2 tablespoons.

Wrap all the way around with plastic wrap and put on top of the oven (or other warm, draft-free area) with something in between, such as a kitchen towel or a baking tray, for about 1 1/2 hours. The dough will double in size.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

When ready, transfer the dough to an oiled table or flat surface. Form into a log to make it easier to portion, and cut into two equal pieces. Cover with plastic so it doesn't dry out. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

Lightly brush a baking tray with oil. Spread out the dough on the oiled countertop with the palms of your hands, don't use your fingertips. It should be even all the way around, with no fat edges.

Place half the fillings on one piece of dough in the order listed: mozzarella, salt, basil, garlic, pepper and salami. Fill two-thirds of the surface, leaving the bottom third and a little on the sides empty. Roll the dough over twice, seal the sides with your palm, fold over the bottom and then the sides. Transfer to the oiled tray. Rub a little oil on top. Repeat with the second portion of dough. Put the rosemary, sea salt and tomatoes on top. Cover the tray with plastic and let sit for 15 minutes to rest.

When ready, put a pan of ice in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove. Place the tray in the oven and bake for a total of 45 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn 180 degrees. Bake another 20 minutes, then turn again and bake the remaining 5 minutes.

Transfer to a new baking sheet lined with parchment. Allow the loaves to cool. Slice and serve

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/scott-conant/scarpetta-stromboli-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Chicken and Pasta Bake

This was a new recipe I wanted to try when someone said they wanted pasta for dinner. I wanted something that I could make mostly ahead so I could enjoy hanging out. You could put this all together in about an hour.  If making ahead you can put everything together in the buttered dish, cover it tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you're ready to bake it. Just follow the same baking instructions as you would below.

I served my pasta with a simple side salad of mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette. It added a nice freshness to the dish since the pasta is so rich.

Ingredients

1/2 lb whole wheat rotini pasta (or any small pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
1/4 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed San Marzano tomatoes

1/4 cup of cream
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs(combo plain and panko)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

2. While the water is coming to a boil, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes.

3. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta.

4. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper to the bowl. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish.

5. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter.

6. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Easy Garlic Bread

 I wanted to make a simple garlic bread to go with my pasta dish. I love being able to scoop up delicious sauce while I eat my pasta. To make it really garlicky I added both roasted and powdered garlic. Roasting the garlic in this recipe helps remove the harshness of the garlic. Make sure to have the butter at room temp so it's easy to incorporate all the garlic and spread it on the bread.

Ingredients:

5 cloves of garlic, roasted
2 tbs. butter, at room temp
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. mozzarella cheese, shredded
salt and pepper
1 french roll, split in half lengthwise

Directions:
1. Roast garlic: place the cloves of garlic onto a square of aluminum foil. drizzle olive oil onto garlic and season with a pinch of salt. Wrap up package of foil so liquid doesn't come out. Place in a 350 oven for 20-30 minutes or until garlic is soft and golden brown. Allow to cool and squeeze out of papery skin.

2. Combine everything together, except cheese, in a small bowl. use a fork so you can mince the roasted garlic while you stir.

3. Split your bread and spread with butter. Cover with cheese.

4. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until bread is golden brown on top.

Pineapple and Onion Chicken

This chicken with pineapple and onion dish is something I used to eat as  a kid that was created by my babysitter. The sweetness from the onions balances well with the acidity of the pineapple. To mix it up and make it more "chef-y" I decided to top it with a quick pineapple salsa. I used some of the canned pineapple for the salsa. It tasted good but lacked the bright color of a fresh pineapple so it's up to you which pineapple you'd like to use. 

Chicken Marinade:

1 can pineapple chunks and liquid
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbs. soy sauce
1 tsp dry thyme
1 tsp red pepper flake
zest of one lemon
1 tsp. honey

Pineapple Salsa:

2 pinapple rings, caremelized in a saute pan
1 small piece onion, carmelized in a saute pan
1 tbs. chopped chives or cilatnro
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. lime
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients for marinade in a plastic bag. Stir  well and then add chicken. Remove as much air as possible from bag so marinade has maximum contact with the chicken. Allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours and up to 8.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove chicken from marinade and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake chicken until it reaches an internal temp of 150-155, about 20-30 minutes.

3. While chicken cooks prepare salsa and any side dishes you like. For salsa: Chop all ingredients into a fine dice and combine together. Stir and allow to sit for a few minutes so the flavors meld.

4. Remove chicken from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serve everything together. For a fresher/brighter taste I like to squeeze a little lemon or lime on top of the chicken right before serving. 

Birthday Braised Short Ribs

My birthday was a few days ago so last night I decided to make some braised short ribs to celebrate. I love the taste of braised beef. It's something that is really cheap to buy but takes forever to cook so I usually only make it for special occasions.

I used my old short rib recipe but with a few twists. Here's the link to the other recipe:

http://kleinanddine.blogspot.com/2010/05/beef-short-ribs-and-mashed-potatoes.html


Updates:

1. Allow the dry rub on the short ribs to marinate for as long as possible. You could even do this the night before and store the ribs in plastic wrap.

2. When cooking the veggies: cook over medium heat  and allow veggies to sweat down and get soft.

3. When adding wine to the pan, allow wine to reduce by half before adding beef stock or water. This really helps concentrate the flavor.

4. Once ribs are finished, instead of blending all of the braising liquids together I decided to strain the liquid. This made a much more luxurious sauce then the blender. If the sauce isn't thick after straining out veggies, cook it over high heat and allow it reduce to the thickness you like, stirring every few minutes so it doesn't burn.