Pizza Sauce

Pizza sauce is slightly different than basic Tomatoe sauce, because you need to pack great flavour into a scoop or two onto the pizza dough, sauce can make your pizza go from good to great or even fabulous! So here is my take on this great pizza sauce....

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped finely
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1-28 ounce can ground Tomatoes, preferably San Marzano Tomatoes
1/2 -6 ounce can of Tomatoe paste
2-3 tablespoons of fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons fresh oregano or 1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon salt or more to taste
1/4 tablespoon fresh ground pepper
Pinch of crushed chilies, (or more if making a sausage pizza)
Rind of Romano cheese

In a large pot, Dutch oven size, on medium heat, add the extra virginolive oil, when the oil is hot, but not smoking, (test by adding a piece of onion, if it spits a little the oil is hot enough), add the onion, stirring occasionally until it is soft, but not brown, then add the garlic, cook and stir until you can smell the garlic, then add the tomatoes, the 1/2 can of Tomatoe paste, stir well, turn up heat, bring to a boil, add the fresh herbs, (or dried herbs, if using), add the salt, pepper, and the crushed chilies, boil for at least 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, taste for salt, add more if necessary,add the Romano cheese rind,  turn heat to low, simmer for 20 -25 minutes, or until thick enough that the sauce doesn't run right off the spoon.remove the Romano cheese rind and dispose.
To use, make the pizza dough first, (recipe on my blog), while the dough is rising make the sauce, then let the sauce cool until room temperature, while you finish making and shaping the dough, then scoop at least 3/4 cup of sauce on a large size for a saucy pizza, add at least 1/2 cup Romano or Parmesan cheese next, more oregano, dried or fresh, then any other meat, veggie, then mozzerella, cheddar, Monterey Jack cheese, not too much, bake for 20-25 minutes, let stand for 5 minutes, cut then enjoy!

Pizza Dough

i have had great success with this recipe of pizza dough, everyone likes it, and it can be manipulated into a thick or thin crust.

Pizza Dough
Makes 4 or 5 extra large pizza

5 cups all purpose flour
2 cups semolina flour, or whole wheat flour, or bread flour, or just use 7 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon Sea salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon of active yeast, I use bakers yeast from Britain, (red, white and blue package) bulk foods
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 1/4 or 2 1/2 cups warm water ( hotter than body temp but not burning hot ~100 degrees) depending on the humidity in your kitchen, see note *

Into a large bowl, measure all of the dry ingredients, including the yeast, whisk all together, very well, then mix the oil and water into the dry ingredients. Use the handle end of a wooden spoon to mix the dough initially, when it starts to come together, but still a little ragged, dump out onto the counter, cover with the bowl and let rest for 10 minutes. Once the dough has had time to rest start kneading by pushing the dough away with the heel of your hands, fold over, pulling it towards you, then push away again with the heel of your hands, turn over, continue to knead until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky, if it is a little sticky, just flour your hands, and the counter a little, until the dough is smooth, about 8-10 minutes.
*The temperature and the humidity in your kitchen will affect the way the dough is, you may need a little more flour on the humid days and a little less on the dry days. I always use all but 1/2 cup of the flour, adding the rest in as needed, the same with the water in the recipe, use less on humid days and more on dry days.
At this point, you clean the mixing bowl, oil it with a little olive oil, then put the pizza dough in, cover with plastic wrap, set in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Punch the dough down, this releases the air bubbles and makes the dough ready to form into whatever shape you are making. Cut the big ball of dough into 4 equal pieces for extra large pans or 5 pieces for smaller pans.
Use you favorite pizza sauce and cheese, then add your favorite toppings. The pizza is always better if your pizza dough is at room temperature, when shaping it, the sauce is warm, add the Parmesan or Romano cheese next, then your favorite toppings, ending with another layer of cheese. Let the pizza sit for at least 20 minutes to rise again before baking it
Heat the oven to 425 degrees F, for about 30 minutes before baking your pizza, the oven needs to be hot, so don't be tempted to open the oven door while your pizza is in there.Pizza needs to bake at least 20-25 minutes, check after 20 minutes, turn the pan if necessary, enjoy!

Vegetable Burritto aka New York Goodwich

One recipe my girls (and even Ray) loved while they were growing up was a wrap that held a variety of grilled, steamed, and raw vegetables. It was very satisfying and tasted great! You could put it together a variety of ways to make it uniquely your own, but it always needed to have a cornichon, and barbecue onions (recipe follows).

6 10 inch flour tortillas, could be flavoured (spinach or Tomatoe), or whole wheat
6 cornichon pickles, sliced length ways
3 scallions, julienned
1 large yellow zucchini
2 green zucchini
1 head broccoli, cut into smal florets
Alfalfa sprouts
Shredded iceberg or romaine hearts lettuce
Diced tomatoes
Diced cucumber, peeled if desired
1 carrot shredded
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
Dijon mustard
Mayonnaise
Barbecue Onions
2 large onions, halved and sliced not too thinly
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup or less barbecue sauce

Grill the zucchini, cut into julienne strips, steam the broccoli, prep the rest of the vegetables. Heat a medium sized saute pan, add the oil, and the sliced onions, toss in the oil, let the onions get soft, and golden, add a little water if they start to stick, then add most of the barbecue sauce, the onions will absorb the sauce, they are suppose to be kind of dry, not saucy, add a little more BBQ sauce, if needed. Set aside. Line up all ingredients, heat a dry fry pan to heat up the tortillas, just a few seconds on each side, just to make them pliable, then add a teaspoon of mustard, a tablespoon of mayonnaise spread all over the warm tortilla, in the centre add a line each of lettuce, or alfalfa sprouts, sliced cornichon, grilled zucchini, shredded carrot, steamed broccoli, red cabbage, tomatoes, cucumber, then finally the barbecue onions, roll the veggies in the tortilla, tucking in the sides, until you have a Burrito style wrap, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, to catch the drips, then enjoy. They taste best when the veggies are still warm and cold veggies are crisp. Roll each of the tortillas up the same way, adding or subtracting veggies to your child's taste. You can also add shredded cheese, but just the veggies is very healthy and surprisingly satisfying and delicious!
You can keep these veggie burritos, wrapped tightly, refrigerated for at least 3 days, if you can hold them that long!

History Lessons

I am always interested in learning about historical events, and have read fact based historical fiction for years. Recently, I have been watching the Vikings series, on the History channel, and find it is historically correct.
It is widely known that facts from both World Wars and certain events in history involving the Americans, with or without the addition of Britain, Australia, Canada, France, and other European partner countries, and before the organization  of NATO, (which was set up in 1949),  have been altered to enhance American involvement, so that most Americans believe that they won all of the wars they were involved with, singlehanded .
Last year, Ray and I watched Oliver Stone's fascinating series, the Untold History of the United States, chronicling these major events, making an effort to straighten out the belief that America won the war....it is little wonder that his series has not been taken up for a second season.
As I said, history is very interesting, yesterday, we saw the movie the Woman in Gold, a true story about a family trying to reclaim paintings that had been stolen from them just before World War 2, by the Nazis and kept from them after the war by the Austrian Government. Thankfully, the family persisted through the many obstacles thrown at them, by the Austrian government, and others, and won the right to take their property back.
Even though this movie was a win for this family, it will never change the fact that their lives will never be the same, or that their lives were irrevocably changed by World War 2 and the atrocities suffered by the Jews and others in that war, and no amount of restoration/ reclamation will ever make up for what they lost.
History is a great teacher, we should try to learn the lessons of the past in order to avoid the same mistakes in the future.

Spring flowers

My daffodils and hyacinth have grown by leaps and bounds in the past couple of days, the daffodils have flower heads on them, and the hyacinth are ready to pop open! Tulips are also ready to flower, but we have a few cooler days, which retards the growth a little.
I just love this time of year, it feels like everything is being reborn, everyone I know feels happier and more free/ optimistic every day that the sun shines, and the temperature rises. Even our puppy, who is now 6 years old, and really not a puppy, springs up and down, playing and running with joy! He loves to play with his little squeaky dog, especially when he has had a good walk outside, just to tell me he had fun! Most of you know, that I rescued my shihtzu, Wookie from Niagara Humane Society, in September, when he was 18 months old, he was found a stray, he was very fearful of everything, especially of men in dark clothing(the dog catchers wear dark clothing and use treats to lure strays into the truck) so of course that makes sense, but Wookie wouldn't go to Ray, my husband, or any one of our m/ c friends, for a long time, especially if he/ she was wearing motorcycle gear! For the first couple of weeks I held him, soothed him, fed him by hand, because he only weighed 9 lbs, really too skinny for his size. By the time we had our family over for thanksgiving, he was more comfortable, but still hid after a time, until they went home. He has come a long way since then, recognizes everyone in the neighbourhood, loves all the girls, sits with Ray everyday, taking up half of Ray's lazy boy chair and really misses his Dad, when he goes for a m/c ride. But he's still my baby, cuddles with me every day, kisses me, especially when I have coffee breath and is a major joy in our lives, I couldn't!, wouldn't want to live without him! So take a moment, breath the fresh spring air and stop to look at the greenery sprouting up around you!

Dutch Meatballs, Meatballs!

When we talk about meatballs, I have dozen or so recipes that with a tweak here or there are gourmet enough to be a dinner party entrée. But none are so decadent and comforting as my take on a Dutch Meatball. Great anytime, they are luscious and any leftover meat is great sliced on fresh bread next day with your favorite condiment.
Some of the ingredients will be found in a Dutch/ International section of your grocery store, but you can also go to your local Asian food store for some of the ingredients.

Dutch Meatballs

2 lbs triple mix ground meat (equal parts ground beef, pork, veal), or
2 lbs medium ground beef (you need that unctuous juicy taste)
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
2 tablespoons Ketchap Manis
1 tablespoon fresh ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons milk
2 eggs
Flour to dredge the meatballs
1 stick butter,more if needed
1 medium onion, chopped, optional
2 cups of beef broth (if you use boullion cubes, adjust the salt in the recipe)

Mix the egg and milk together in a large bowl, add the Ketchap Manis, grainy mustard, nutmeg, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs; mix well, then add the meat, toss together, gently but thoroughly so the meat doesn't get too compacted. Roll into 1/2 -2/3 cup sized meatballs, I know they are large, but trust me, small ones will disintegrate while browning and you will end up with ground meat crumbs. At this point, you could wrap them up to cook later, just put in the fridge. When you are ready to cook the meatballs, put a couple of handfuls of flour on a plate and roll the meatballs in the flour, set aside. You may have 10-12 meatballs.
In a Dutch oven, or large braising pan that has a lid, melt 1/2 the butter, add the chopped onion, if using, sautéing until soft, then add a few meatballs at a time, don't crowd the pan and fry in batches, adding more butter as needed, until the meatballs are golden brown all over. once you have browned all of the meatballs,remove from the pan,drain the meat juice from the browned meatballs into the pan along with the 2 cups of good rich beef broth, stirring with the remaining butter in the pan, bring to a boil, boil at least 1 minute, then lower heat to medium low, add all the meatballs to the pan, stirring gently to coat each ball with the gravy, simmer gently about 25-30 minutes, turning the meatballs occasionally. Perfect with your favorite mashed potatoes, great winter comfort food. Or you can make a dynamite Dutch meatball Poutine, just heat up your favorite brand of frozen or make fresh, French fries, until they are crispy, put them on a plate, add your favorite cheese cut into bits, put a meatball or two, and some of the luscious gravy on top, enjoy!

Taxes taxes

Today is devoted to organizing receipts and doing taxes for both of us.....I would have done them already if we were getting a refund! In the meantime, I can admire the view from the window!

Oma's Baked Ziti

This recipe is for my grandson, Luc, he's at the age where he can start cooking a little, and we can enjoy what he prepares without a mix or box. When he was little, he loved the secret pops of cheese in this little casserole, and I made it often, but not often enough for him! So this one is for you sweetheart:

Baked Ziti

Oma's Basic Tomatoe Sauce
3 tablespoons of good olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped small
2 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz can ground Tomatoes good Italian type
14 oz can of San Marzano Tomatoes, chopped up
1/2 (14 oz) can of water
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme crushed between your fingers to release the flavour
      Or
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme left whole but washed and dried
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
A pinch of crushed chilies or more to taste
If you have a rind of Romano or Parmesan cheese, add it, but remove it before completing the recipe
Béchamel Sauce
2 cups milk
1 bay leaf
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup half and half or
1 can of evaporated milk 1 1/2 cups of cheese, mozzarella and white cheddar, marble or your choice
1/2 500 gram package of short penne or penne ziti Salted water
i>Topping
1 cup of cheese cut into half inch chunks 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs mixed with 1/2 cup of Romano powdered cheese 6 teaspoons of cold butter cut into tiny pieces

Prepare all veggies for the sauce, line the ingredients up for each step, as follows:'
Put a large pan of salted water to boil for the pasta, meanwhile, in another large pot heat the olive oil slowly on medium heat so it doesn't get too hot, add the onions, stir them around until they get soft, then add the garlic, when you can smell the garlic cooking, add the ground tomatoes, the San Marzano tomatoes, add a little water to the 14 oz can to rinse the Tomatoe residue then add the same water to the larger can to rinse that residue then add the "residue"water to the sauce. Stir well add the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and stir well. Let it come to boil, for a couple of minutes, then turn it down to simmer, add the thyme fresh or dried and the pinch of crushed chilies. Stir well, then let simmer stirring occasionally.
By now the water for the pasta is boiling, add the pasta to the water, stir it well so it doesn't stick together, turn heat to medium, cook until the pasta is just tender, not quite cooked, but still with a soft bite, (not crunchy), because it will cook more in the oven. Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water repeatedly, until the pasta is cool and has stopped cooking, leave it to drain. Remember to stir the Tomatoe sauce,taste for seasoning(salt and pepper and crushed pepper) add more to taste, remember who you are serving this to so that it's not too spicy.
Béchamel sauce, as follows:
Heat the milk and the bay leaf in the microwave, for about 7 minutes, until hot, but not boiling, remove the bay leaf,set aside, put the butter in another large microwave bowl, heat for 30-40 seconds, until it's melted, add the flour, salt and pepper, stir, then put back in the microwave for 1 minute, to cook the flour and butter a bit, add the hot milk, a little a a time stirring the mixture with a whisk to thoroughly combine,it will start to become thick, put the mixture back in the microwave to heat and thicken, for about 2 more minutes, remove stir in the cream, or evaporated milk and 1 1/2 Cups shredded cheese- mozzerella and white cheddar mix is preferable. Put the dish together as follows:Mix 2 cups of each sauce together, then pour the combined sauce over the pasta, mix thoroughly, add more sauce if necessary so the pasta mixture is saucy not dry, then pour into a large baking dish, which has been buttered and sprinkled with a few breadcrumbs. Add cubes of your favorite cheese into the mixture, all over the dish, sprinkle the top with a mix of breadcrumbs and powdered Romano cheese. Dot the top of that with little bits of butter. You can also make individual casseroles,follow the same method, buttering and spinkling each with breadcrumbs, then filling with the pasta mix they are easier to prepare and freeze for future enjoyment. You can then cover and put in the freezer now, bake from frozen in the future,but for now, bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes, check the top so it doesn't burn, (cover lightly with foil if it is getting too brown) until the casserole is lightly browned and its bubbly around the edges. Enjoy!

Forsythia and othe spring garden goodies

it has been at least two weeks since we have had a bit of warmer weather, I see some of my neighbors in our area already have early daffodils, even though we are in the warmest part of Ontario, my bulbs are facing the north side of the house...the front.......gets sun most of the day, but the garden grows more slowly than in my south gardens. It makes an ideal location though, for rhododendrons and azaleas, of which I have many, some very old and some put in last fall, I can hardly wait to see them blooming!
Forsythia are almost ready to pop, I have the tiny English bluebells blooming under the maple, and of the three hellebores I planted last spring, one is thriving and blooming, a lovely pale cherise on the outside and a lime to pale green flower.....when I can figure out how to upload the pictures, I will show all of the plants, gardens and my favorites in bloom.
In the meantime, winter must have been trying for my chipmunk friends, as the tulips I planted long ago on the top of the incline are now nearer to their underground home at the bottom! Nibble nibble all winter long....can't say I blame them! The little star of Bethlehem has jumped out of the flower beds to all over the grassy area in front, also the work of our underground friends! In the front of the house, I have only one crocus left, a lovely blue one that somehow got missed!
The grape hyacinth and regular hyacinth have flower heads on them also, so maybe by next week, we wil have a real show!

Dutch Girl Pad Thai

The latest dinner was a great Indonesian dish, which most of us know, the homemade noodle dish Pad Thai. The most important thing about homemade pad Thai is the sauce. Many people want to just purchase this sauce and throw together the ingredients, but taste and the elusive "umami" is more important than easy, sometimes.
The recipe for the best tasting pad Thai sauce is as follows:

3 tablespoons of concentrated tamarind pulp/ 1 cup of boiling water
1/2 cup of good fish sauce
1 cup of dark brown sugar
1 cup of water
2 teaspoons of sea salt
2 tablespoons of Mirren

Use the (1 cup) boiling water to soak the tamarind pulp, for at least 20 minutes to extract the most flavour, then using a small strainer pass the tamarind mixture through to a medium mixing bowl scrape the tamarind pulp from the bottom of the strainer as you press the water and pulp with the back of a spoon, keep squeazing the pulp until there is no more water, finish scraping the thinned out pulp at the bottom of the strainer, into the medium mixing bowl, discard the tamarind residue remaining in the strainer. Then mix in the rest of the ingredients, transfer all of this mixture to a saucepan, then bring to a boil, turn the heat down after 1 minute and simmer then for 10-15 minutes until the mixture is syrupy, not really thick, (about the consistency of real cream).
This will yield about 2 cups of pad Thai sauce, enough for 2 recipes of pad Thai. Or you could use the sauce to marinade chicken thighs in.....but that is another recipe idea another day......

The ingredients of my favorite pad Thai are as follows
2 eggs
4 scallions cleaned and sliced in the bias into small pieces
1 1/2 cups of fresh bean sprouts washed and dried divided
1/2 package of rice noodles medium soaked in hot water for 25 minutes then drained
4 ounces of shrimp
4 ounces of pork ( chop or tenderloin) or chicken breast, sprinkled with salt and pepper lightly
I use snow pea pods chopped, but you can use a bit of cabbage about 1/2 cup sliced thinly
3 small garlic cloves or 2 larger ones minced
2-4 tablespoons of canola oil or other oil that doesn't have a flavour that would interfere with the clean taste of your sauce
1/2 cup peanuts smashed with your mortar and pestle
Fresh cilantro or parsley for garnish
1 lime sliced into 8ths

Heat 1/2 the oil in a good sized wok, preferably or Dutch oven if you don't have a wok, add 1/2 the garlic and the meat or chicken, stir fry until the meat is slightly browned, add the shrimp, cook and stir until shrimp turn pink, remove, then if necessary, add a little more oil, add the onion, rest of the garlic, and cabbage, or snow peas, and the bean sprouts, stir frying and mixing well, then add the slightly beaten eggs, let the set a little bit, then stir them around until they are thoroughly mixed with the vegetables then add the noodles, stir all together until mixed, then add 1 cup of the pad Thai sauce, stir in the shrimp and meat stir all until thoroughly mixed, taste for seasoning, do not add too much salt, as you would upset the balance of the pad Thai sauce.
To serve, portion the pad Thai into 3-4 bowls, sprinkle each with a squeeze of lime juice, add peanuts, fresh bean sprouts, cilantro or parsley, garnish with a lime wedge. Enjoy!