my quaff and my makeshift rolling pin: our lady of rojo.
i love working from home. i've got an excel sheet open, but by 5:20, i've already pulled my ingredients and opened a bottle of questionable red. SO, first off...
focaccia
i'm not a baker. there's something about the recipe-dependent science of it that flies in the face of everything i love about cooking. however, i've been doing a little experimenting with pita lately (after you've had fresh baked pita, especially from the middle east, serving store-bought becomes something approaching a capital offense)...but i haven't managed to get it puffed properly yet. nonetheless, it's a pretty delicious flatbread, so i decided to come back to that problem later and adapt the better of the two recipes i've tried to something that doesn't require as much precision.
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon honey
1 packet yeast
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
a mess 'o rosemary
--> caveat, i didn't really pay much attention to these...so we'll see. (see notes for next time below before making this)
activate the yeast in the water (just a touch above your wrist's temp), and once it's a little frothy, dissolve in the honey and salt, and add the olive oil.
add the rosemary to the flour(s). sadly, i didn't have fresh rosemary, so i had to use dried. yum factor minus four. pour in the liquids and hand mix until it's no longer sloppy and sticky, but just kinda tacky.
knead for 10 minutes (or approximately 2.5 tom petty songs, as i'm currently measuring), until it's smooth and elastic. oil the dough and and and a bowl, put the dough in the bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise until it's doubled in size (90 minutes? sure, why not.)
punch down the dough, take it out, and divide it up into 6 or so balls (or however many mini-focaccias you'd like). knead the balls (HATHAT'SWHATSHESAID), and let them rest under the damp cloth for 10 minutes or so. preheat your oven to 375F. take them out, roll them flat to about a 1/4 inch (maybe a little thicker for the focaccia). then put the rounds back under the towel for another 10 minutes.
pop them on a lightly oiled baking sheet, brush with more olive oil (maybe some kosher salt? some garlic? little more rosemary? a little thyme?) and bake until lightly browned.
notes for next time
i always use some wheat flour. gives the thing some flavor. (as soon as i can get to our local produce/natural, vegetarian foods joint, i'm going to pick up some barley and spelt flours and give those a whirl too.) however, you definitely need to add some extra water and olive oil (or whatever you're using for fat). also: dried rosemary- FUGGEDABOUDIT. mine was really lacking for the fresh stuff. it could also use a little more salt. i found that the 1 1/2 teaspoons wasn't really enough for focaccia, although it works fine, taste-wise, for pita.
vegetarian chili
i often cook massive amounts of food, with whatever is to hand. so what i call "vegetarian chili" is an only-semi constant constellation of bean and tomato-based ingredients, thrown together. it is, however, pretty delicious. i'm noting the amounts that i happened to use this time, but they're totally flexible. although i didn't this time, you can add pretty much any kind of veggie you want, to make it super nutritious (spinach might be good).
1 cup quinoa; 1/2 cup amaranth (or any whole grains)
this is for texture (since there's no ground meat), taste, and (depending on what grain you use) added protein. i like the quinoa and amaranth mixture: both are high-protein, gluten-free new world grains, with nice flavors (quinoa is kinda grassy, and amaranth kinda toasty/nutty). be sure to soak them for a couple hours and/or rinse them thoroughly in a fine strainer, as the quinoa, especially, has a high saponin level (bitter, bowel-irritating coatings on the seeds). cook like rice with 2 parts water to 1 part grain, until the water is absorbed and the quinoa's curly germ has separated from the main seed.
2 large onions
chop and sautee with olive oil and salt until yellowy and soft, but not quite transluscent. i tend to go onion heavy, because i like onions. you may not...and i may judge you for that. if you do this in the bottom of the pot, you can minimize dished (which i like...)
add a 14.5 oz can of diced, unseasoned organic tomatos along with their liquid and a 14.5 oz can of red kidney beans, rinsed, and some frozen corn to the pot with the onions. if you, like me, like to have tomatos on hand, but hate watching them go bad if not used, buy canned, but spring for the organic. it makes all the difference. as for beans, you can use any, and i often use a mix. word is, the dried, bagged ones are cheaper and better, but i'm often too lazy to soak them before i use them...your call. also, i'm sure it would be extra delicious if, instead of using old, freezerburned kernels, you roasted the corn on the cob with olive oil and salt, and then cut the kernels in at the last minute.
now, season with chili powder, flaked red pepper, more salt, pepper, and copious amounts of garlic. i also throw in a mess o' cumin powder (like i do with nearly everything), because, in this case, i think it makes a nice mellow note under the spicier chili power and red pepper. cook as long as you want, adding the quinoa about halfway through, so it gets flavor too.
top with cheese, sour cream, cilantro...whatever you want. keep leftovers in the fridge...it only gets better as it sits.
super awesome, experimental desert
this was a collosal fail, mostly because winging it didn't really work...in any of the approximately 7 billion components involved. normally, i'd have no problem blogging said fail, but i think this had to do with execution, not concept, so i'm going to post it when i get the chance to try it again and do it right. don't worry, i'll detail my own mistakes so you don't repeat them...if you would be silly enough to. until then, you'll just have to remain in suspense. [note: if you were present for this spectacularly terrible culinary experience, don't ruin it for others/embarrass me in the comments haha.]
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