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Inspiration for wholesome weeknight & weekend cooking.

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Turkish Chicken

We eat chicken at least once a week and we got so tired of my boring baked chicken preparation.  Now that I’ve discovered this wonderful Turkish Seasoning from Penzys Spices, we have an easy and tasty way to make chicken that we all look forward to.  Follow the simple marinade and refrigerate in the morning or in the afternoon, and cook the chicken how you like (bake, saute or grill).  The marinade should work on lamb and beef just as well as it does on chicken.

Turkish Chicken

Recipe adapted from Penzeys catalog.

Turkish Chicken

Ingredients:

Turkish Seasoning by Penzeys Spices

1 pound chicken (we prefer boneless, skinless)

Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Mix 1 tablespoon olive oil with 1 tablespoon Turkish Seasoning and rub over chicken.  Let marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or all day.  Bake in oven at 375 or 400 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through (insert knife into thickest part of chicken and chicken will no longer look pink and the juices should run clear).  Alternately, sauté in skillet (or grill) over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes per side or until chicken is just cooked through (insert knife into thickest part of chicken and chicken will no longer look pink and the juices should run clear).  Let the meat rest for a few minutes (so it retains its juices) before serving or slicing.

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Pear Pizza

I love brick oven pizza – the crust is so light and crunchy and the toppings take center stage.  When I saw this recipe in the Wall St. Journal for making pizzas at home, I thought it would be fun to try.  This is not an easy weeknight dinner, but this is doable over the weekend (and can be a fun “hands-on” dinner party idea) – and best of all, you can make parts of it ahead of time.  You can make the sauce up to 4 days ahead, the dough up to 3 days ahead (or frozen up to a month ahead), and the rest is easy.  Three quick notes — 1) take the fresh mozzarella out of its liquid the day before you make your pizzas so it doesn’t soak your pizzas, 2) the dough might need a bit more cold water when mixing (up to 1/2 cup), and 3) I substituted pancetta for the guanciale.  I did not have a pizza stone and my pizzas turned out just fine.  You will be amazed at how good these artisanal pizzas are – made in your own kitchen!

Pear Pizza

Recipe from The Wall Street Journal (article by Sarah Karnasiewicz and recipes adapted from Marc Vetri’s “Rustic Italian Food”)

Romana Pizza Dough

Marc Vetri’s simple recipe produces a hearty-yet-thin Roman-style crust that is easy to execute at home. Makes 6-7 12-inch rounds.

Ingredients

6 cups high-protein flour (or unbleached all-purpose flour),

plus extra, for dusting

2 tablespoons sugar

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2¾ teaspoons packed fresh cake yeast (or 1 teaspoon instant yeast)

2½ teaspoons fine sea salt

What To Do

1. Put flour, sugar, oil and 1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons cold water in bowl of a stand mixer. Crumble in yeast. Using dough hook, mix on low speed until everything is moist, about 4 minutes, scraping bowl as needed with a rubber spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and mix until dough clings to dough hook, about 4 minutes. Add salt and mix until dough is very soft and stretchy, another 3 minutes.

2. Cut dough into 6 or 7 equal pieces and roll into balls (about the size of a softball) on unfloured board. Arrange balls on baking sheet and scatter a little flour on top of dough. Cover entire sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

3. Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Working one at a time, flatten ball on a floured work surface. Hold disk in the air and circle your fingers around the edge, pinching gently around the edge to make a border. It’s easier to start stretching dough in the air instead of on a work surface, because gravity will pull and stretch it. Once it’s about 8 inches in diameter, place dough on floured work surface and pat it out with your fingertips, from the center toward the edge, to fully stretch. Gently push your palms into center of the dough to stretch it toward the edges. Pat and stretch to a round about 12 inches in diameter and 1/8-¼ inch thick. Top as you like and bake.

Make ahead: Cover and refrigerate dough for up to 3 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw and bring to room temperature before rolling out.

Basic Pizza Sauce

Don’t skimp here. Since this base has only four components, flavorful tomatoes, quality oil and fresh herbs make the difference between a so-so and a sublime sauce. Makes about 2½ cups, about 4 pizzas’ worth.

Ingredients

1 (16-ounce can) peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

½ bunch fresh basil

What To Do

Purée everything with an immersion or upright blender. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Make ahead: You can refrigerate the sauce in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Instructions For All Pizzas:

• Remove all but the bottom rack in your oven. Set baking stone on remaining rack.

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees for at least 30 minutes before baking. If you have convection, turn it on to help brown and blister the bottom of the pizza.

• Place dough on a well-floured rimless baking sheet. Ladle 2/3 cup sauce into the center of the dough round, then spread from the center to the edges by moving the ladle in widening concentric circles.

• When recipe calls for fresh mozzarella, slice cheese into 2½-inch-thick rounds, then break each up into 2 pieces and scatter over pizza.

Featured Pizza: Sliced Pears, Guanciale, Provolone, Mozzarella and Mixed Herbs

This pie is all about contrasts: salty guanciale, sweet pear, mild mozzarella and sharp provolone.

Scatter half a very thinly sliced pear, ¼ cup diced provolone, ¼ cup fresh mozzarella and ¼ cup finely chopped guanciale onto dough. Slide pizza onto hot stone and bake at 500 degrees until cheese melts and crust is golden brown, 5-7 minutes. When pizza comes out of oven, scatter 1 teaspoon mixed herbs (try parsley and thyme) on top.

—Recipes adapted from Marc Vetri’s “Rustic Italian Food,” Ten Speed Press

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Parma Pizza

I love brick oven pizza – the crust is so light and crunchy and the toppings take center stage.  When I saw this recipe in the Wall St. Journal for making pizzas at home, I thought it would be fun to try.  This is not an easy weeknight dinner, but this is doable over the weekend (and can be a fun “hands-on” dinner party idea) – and best of all, you can make parts of it ahead of time.  You can make the sauce up to 4 days ahead, the dough up to 3 days ahead (or frozen up to a month ahead), and the rest is easy.  Two quick notes — 1) take the fresh mozzarella out of its liquid the day before you make your pizzas so it doesn’t soak your pizzas and 2) the dough might need a bit more cold water when mixing (up to 1/2 cup).  I did not have a pizza stone and my pizzas turned out just fine.  You will be amazed at how good these artisanal pizzas are – made in your own kitchen!

Parma Pizza

Recipe from The Wall Street Journal (article by Sarah Karnasiewicz and recipes adapted from Marc Vetri’s “Rustic Italian Food”)

Romana Pizza Dough

Marc Vetri’s simple recipe produces a hearty-yet-thin Roman-style crust that is easy to execute at home. Makes 6-7 12-inch rounds.

INGREDIENTS

6 cups high-protein flour (or unbleached all-purpose flour),

plus extra, for dusting

2 tablespoons sugar

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2¾ teaspoons packed fresh cake yeast (or 1 teaspoon instant yeast)

2½ teaspoons fine sea salt

WHAT TO DO

1. Put flour, sugar, oil and 1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons cold water in bowl of a stand mixer. Crumble in yeast. Using dough hook, mix on low speed until everything is moist, about 4 minutes, scraping bowl as needed with a rubber spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and mix until dough clings to dough hook, about 4 minutes. Add salt and mix until dough is very soft and stretchy, another 3 minutes.

2. Cut dough into 6 or 7 equal pieces and roll into balls (about the size of a softball) on unfloured board. Arrange balls on baking sheet and scatter a little flour on top of dough. Cover entire sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

3. Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Working one at a time, flatten ball on a floured work surface. Hold disk in the air and circle your fingers around the edge, pinching gently around the edge to make a border. It’s easier to start stretching dough in the air instead of on a work surface, because gravity will pull and stretch it. Once it’s about 8 inches in diameter, place dough on floured work surface and pat it out with your fingertips, from the center toward the edge, to fully stretch. Gently push your palms into center of the dough to stretch it toward the edges. Pat and stretch to a round about 12 inches in diameter and 1/8-¼ inch thick. Top as you like and bake.

Make ahead: Cover and refrigerate dough for up to 3 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw and bring to room temperature before rolling out.

Basic Pizza Sauce

Don’t skimp here. Since this base has only four components, flavorful tomatoes, quality oil and fresh herbs make the difference between a so-so and a sublime sauce. Makes about 2½ cups, about 4 pizzas’ worth.

INGREDIENTS

1 (16-ounce can) peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

½ bunch fresh basil

WHAT TO DO

Purée everything with an immersion or upright blender. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Make ahead: You can refrigerate the sauce in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Instructions For All Pizzas:

• Remove all but the bottom rack in your oven. Set baking stone on remaining rack.

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees for at least 30 minutes before baking. If you have convection, turn it on to help brown and blister the bottom of the pizza.

• Place dough on a well-floured rimless baking sheet. Ladle 2/3 cup sauce into the center of the dough round, then spread from the center to the edges by moving the ladle in widening concentric circles.

• When recipe calls for fresh mozzarella, slice cheese into 2½-inch-thick rounds, then break each up into 2 pieces and scatter over pizza.

Featured Pizza: Parma Pizza

Piled with arugula and slices of salty prosciutto, this pie is like the love child of a pizza and a salad.

Scatter ½ cup cubed fresh mozzarella and ½ cup cubed fontina cheese on dough. Bake on pizza stone at 500 degrees until crisp. Mix together 2 cups arugula, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon Sherry vinegar and salt and pepper, to taste. When pizza comes out of oven, put arugula mixture on top and garnish with 4 thin slices of prosciutto.

—Recipes adapted from Marc Vetri’s “Rustic Italian Food,” Ten Speed Press

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Farro Salad with Roasted Squash, Radicchio & Sage

This is such an amazing salad!!  My friend Nicole does catering and cooking classes in San Francisco (Savory Pear) and she came up with this brilliant creation.  She says it gets even better the next day, so a great “make ahead” dish.  To save time, I often buy the container of butternut squash that has already been cut up (but use immediately – it doesn’t last that long!)

Farro Salad with Roasted Squash, Radicchio & Sage

Recipe from blog Savory Pear in the November 2012 Newsletter.

Farro Salad with Roasted Squash, Radicchio & Sage

Ingredients:

1 medium sugar pie pumpkin, butternut squash, delicata squash, or kabocha

1 cup olive oil, divided

1 cup semi pearled farro

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 medium head of radicchio, cut into 1/4 inch ribbons

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 bunch sage

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.  Peel, seed, and cut the squash or pumpkin into 1/3 inch cubes.  Toss with 1/2 cup olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper.  Spread into a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Roast for 20-30 minutes until a toothpick inserts easily and the squash or pumpkin is nicely browned.  Let cool.

Place the farro in a large pot of lightly salted water.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the grains are tender, 15-20 minutes.

While the farro is cooking, combine the vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some fresh ground pepper in a small bowl and slowly whisk in 1/2 cup olive oil.  Drain the farro and add to a medium or large bowl.  Toss in the vinaigrette (you might not need to use it all) and add radicchio, tossing well and allowing it to wilt slightly.

Heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a saucepan to 350 degrees.  Add 5-6 sage leaves at a time and fry until crispy, 20-30 seconds.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  Repeat with remaining sage.

Just before serving, toss in the roasted pumpkin, crumbled fried sage, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6

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Herbed Israeli Couscous

I love this simple and versatile side dish.  The texture of Israeli couscous is fun and the fresh herbs make it beautiful and tasty.  I’m not a big fan of tarragon, so I substitute with sage (since I grow it).  If your couscous is at all sticky (mine was), just add another drizzle of olive oil and work through it w/ a spoon, breaking up any clumps.  This can be served warm or at room temperature.

Herbed Israeli Couscous

Recipe from The Culinary Institute of America’s Gourmet Meals in Minutes.

Herbed Israeli Couscous

Total Time: 25 minutes

Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups israeli couscous
  • 4 cups chicken broth or 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon tarragon, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions

  1. Heat the olive oil in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the couscous and sauté, stirring constantly, until well coated and aromatic, about 2-3 minutes.
  2. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until just tender, about 10-12 minutes.
  3. Add the herbs and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
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Pasta with Kale, Kalamata Olives, Dried Cranberries, Toasted Garlic & Feta

This is a wonderful and interesting dish – a great option for a vegetarian night.  There are so many tastes (and textures) going on: salty feta and olives , sour dried cranberries, bitter kale, sweet red onion, and aromatic garlic.  I could eat this once every two weeks — and I don’t know why I don’t!  It’s great with linguine, but also great with healthier penne (we often use Barilla Plus or Barilla Whole Grain). In this photo I tried a brown rice penne from Trader Joe’s which was also good.  Two notes: 1) whole wheat pastas don’t reheat that well (so chewy!) just in case you plan to make enough to have leftovers and 2) I thought 5-6 cloves of garlic was plenty (recipe calls for an entire head).

Pasta with Kale, Olives and Cranberries

Recipe from the blog Two Peas and Their Pod.

Pasta with Kale, Kalamata Olives, Dried Cranberries, Toasted Garlic & Feta

Yield: Serves 6-8

This pasta dish is also known as “crazy spaghetti” because it is crazy good-a family favorite!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 head garlic, cloves peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 large bunch of kale, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
1/2 cup water
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound spaghetti or other pasta (we use whole wheat)
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, cut into slivers-pits removed
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook garlic, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer garlic with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Cook onion in the remaining oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add dried cranberries and cook until plumped, about 1 minute.

2. Add kale leaves into onion mixture with water and 3/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook, covered, over medium-high heat until almost tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a pasta pot of boiling salted water until aldente. Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water and drain pasta.

4. Toss pasta with kale, Kalamata olives, and 1/2 cup pasta water. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle feta cheese and garlic chips over the pasta dish and serve warm.

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