Cucina

Ingredients:

• tablespoon of dried yeast
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon of barley malt syrup or honey
• 1-2/3 cup of wholemeal (wholewheat) flour +1 cup of 00 or plain flour
• 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• For the glaze : 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon of water
• salt for sprinkling on top
• 1/2 cup of mixd pitted olives
• 1 chillie, sliced

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl dissolve yeast with 3/4 water, add flour, oil and barley malt syrup or honey. Mix for for a few minutes, then add the salt. If you think the dough is too dry, add the remaining water. Wholemeal flour can require a little extra moisture than regular flour.
2. Knead vigorously until it looks smooth and elastic, this will take about 10 minutes if doing by hand or 5 if enlisting the help of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.
3. Shape into a ball and rest for 20 minutes in a bowl, covered with a tea towel.
4. Stretch it with your hand to form a rectangle and fold into 3. This step will give strength and texture to your dough and is essential in order to obtain a soft, airy and chewy focaccia. Repeat one last time after 30 minutes.
5. Place the folded dough in an oiled oven tray, cover it with a tea-towel and let it prove for around 90 minutes or until it doubles in size.
6. Once the dough has risen, stretch it out to cover the tray and sprinkle the surface with seasalt.
7. Let it rest for another 30 minutes, then, using your fingertips, press the dough down onto the tray to create lots of little holes.
8. Drizzle the holes with the glaze and sprinkle with some more salt. Top with pitted olives and roughly sliced chillies.

Sausage Pie with Apples

Ingredients:

• 1 basic pie dough, rolled out and lining a 9 or 10-inch pie dish, or 8x8 baking dish, chilled (or one frozen pie crust)
• 2 large tart Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped (about half a cup)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3/4 lb sweet Italian sausage (bulk, or removed from casings)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups shredded fontina, provalone, and or asiago cheese
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line the inside of a pie shell with heavy aluminum foil, pressing the dough against the side. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove foil, poke the bottom of the pie crust with the tines of a fork to create air vents. Return crust to oven, bake for an additional 4 minutes, or until the crust just begins to brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the apples, onions, and sugar, cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. In the last 30 seconds or so, add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Transfer mixture to a separate bowl. Increase the heat to medium high and in the same skillet add the Italian sausage. Cook, stirring only infrequently, until sausage is browned on all sides and is cooked through. Remove from heat. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon to a dish lined with paper towels to absorb the excess fat.
3. In medium sized bowl, mix together the cheeses and beaten eggs.
4. Place sausage on bottom of pre-baked pie crust. Add the cooked apple onion mixture over the sausage. Pour the cheese egg mixture over the apple mixture and spread it so it evenly covers the pie.
5. Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Plum Cobbler

Ingredients:

• 8 or 9 plums or pluots (assorted colors, if possible), pitted and sliced
• 3/4 cup sugar PLUS 1 cup sugar for topping
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour PLUS 2 cups all-purpose flour for topping
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 stick butter
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. In a 9 X 13 baking pan, toss together the plums with the 3/4 cup sugar, the 1/4 cup flour, the cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon zest.
3. To make the topping, melt the butter over low heat. In a separate bowl, whisk together the 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pour the melted butter and buttermilk into the dry ingredients and then stir until a sticky, wet dough forms.
4. Then, it’s just a matter of dropping spoonfuls of the dough evenly over the plums, leaving a few plums exposed. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes, until the crust is light brown, the plums are bubbling, and (as I learned) a knife comes out of the doughy topping clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving; will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Turkey and meet Pie, Prepare for thanks giving!

Ingredients:

• 1 roasted turkey from the grocery store
• 1 Premade pie crust…I went with Marie Callendar’s.
• 1/2 -1 can of cream of mushroom soup … I went with the low sodium
• 1/2 cup of frozen organic peas
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup of chopped celery
• 1/2 cup of chopped onion
• 1/2 cup of chopped carrot
• 1-2 chopped and seeded jalapeños
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• Pinch of sea salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Pull all the turkey off the bone and remove skin. Chop turkey.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey and remaining ingredients. Press in to the pie crust. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
4. I had leftover delicata squash, so I layered some in the above pic. You can also top with some shredded cheddar cheese, crispy onions or even crumbled potato chips!

Chicken Kiev

You’ll Need

• 4 boneless chicken breast halves
• ¼ cup room temperature butter
• 3/4 teaspoon crumbled dried tarragon
• ¼ teaspoon teaspoon salt
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup dry breadcrumbs
• Melted butter
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Lightly butter 8-inch square baking dish.
3. Pound chicken to 1/4-inch thickness.
4. Combine 1/4 cup butter, tarragon and salt in small bowl and blend well.
5. Place equal portions of butter mixture in center of chicken breasts.
6. Fold ends over and tuck in sides, securing with toothpicks if necessary.
7. Roll chicken in flour.
8. Dip in eggs, then coat with breadcrumbs, covering completely.
9. Arrange in prepared baking dish.
10. Bake until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes, basting several times with melted butter, if desired.
11. Serve immediately.