Sheep’s Milk Ricotta & Sausage Pizza

Mar 182011
 
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 Are any of you making your own pizza? Once I got my technique down, I find it easy to do. I make it healthier then the stuff I order. I can tailor each pizza to every one’s individual tastes and most importantly, I save sooo much money.

I typically make pizza when Gabriel has a friend over. I figure that a six year old will usually enjoy pizza that he can put all the toppings on himself versus the cassoulet or some other funky dish I have made. Gabriel is used to this, but most of his friends are not. He does have one friend, Paddy, that will try anything with gusto that I put in front of him. He then declares if he likes it or it is not really his style. He wins my heart every time. Gabriel can make his with his soy cheese and is just like his friend. I can not tell you how many “pizza parties” Gabe can not participate in because of his allergy to dairy. We are good at finding solutions, but I tell on his face it bugs him a little every time.

I am blessed to have a great local source for such a beautiful product. Sheep’s milk ricotta. It is the same source that I get pecorino romano(which is made from sheep’s milk as well). I came up with this pizza because it is the perfect way to show off these amazing ingredients. Every bite of this pizza is perfectly balanced. Feel free to buy ricotta at the grocery store for this, but make sure it is whole milk ricotta. It tastes so much better then the low fat or fat free versions. They are horrible tasting. Matter of fact, they are worse then horrible. Just don’t do it. You could also use Parmesan cheese instead of the romano. I have made my own pizza dough, but have also used Trader Joe’s brand of fresh dough.  Which ever works for you.

Serves 5
  • 1/2 pound Italian sausage, mild or hot
  • 1 cup sheep’s milk ricotta
  • 1 cup pecorino romano, finely grated
  • 3 gloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 pound pizza dough, traditional or whole wheat
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 ounces baby arugula, washed
  • 1 lemon, juice of
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • anchovy fillets, optional

  1. Put pizza stone on the middle rack of oven. Preheat oven to 500F.

  2. Remove sausage from casing and brown crumbles until cooked through. Drain on paper towel. Note: I like to have the mild sausage when I am having the more traditional crust. Everything is light and airy. When I chose the whole wheat crust, I like the hot sausage with it for more of a rustic taste. Your call. I like both.

  3. In a bowl, mix ricotta, pecorino romano, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Set aside.

  4. I place the cup of cornmeal at the top of my work surface, so I can add it to my work surface easily. Divide dough into five equal parts. Generously flour work surface with cornmeal and roll out dough, rolling the cornmeal into the dough as you make it super thin. I go for a sorta circular shape and call it rustic. I can never seem to be able to make it circular, so rustic it is.

  5. On a upside down baking sheet, I place more cornmeal, then place on the rolled out dough. Now I start assembling. Ricotta mixture spread out over dough, then sausage crumbles and finish with a drizzle of olive oil on top.

  6. With the help of a spatula to guide you, your assembled dough should just slide right onto the stone in the oven. It takes about 3-5 minutes. I always look for that bottom of my pizza to be crispy and golden. I also like it when it gets a few brown edges. Pull it out when it looks just right to you.

  7. As the pizza is cooling a bit, (Okay, how many times have you gotten a upper mouth burn from trying to eat your pizza too soon?) mix your arugula with a squeeze of lemon, drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper to your taste in a small bowl. Toss together and place on top of pizza.

  8. I enjoy putting an anchovy fillet on the top, but I am rare in my group of friends. Now my siblings would all ask for the anchovy… enjoy.

My friend, Elizabeth, is a fabulous cook and food blogger. She makes pizza for her husband, Larry, every Friday night. What a simple, comforting way to spend the evening. I hope to someday join them out in San Diego on one of their Friday nights. Meanwhile, I am starting my own traditions.

Pull up a chair, Elizabeth

Quick Drop Biscuits

Dec 202010
 
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Biscuits always have a place at the table. Everyone loves them, but people hardly ever have them. I wholeheartedly believe if people knew how fast and easy it was to make a drop biscuit, no one would ever buy that stuff in a can. The canned biscuit has this  metallic aftertaste to it that I can not bear as well.

They go with a variety of different food. I will serve biscuits for breakfast with sausage and gravy or eggs. I will serve biscuits at lunch with a brothy soup. I have served biscuits for afternoon tea with homemade preserves. I serve biscuits for dinner with any homey meat dish or summer salad.

Every time I place the biscuits on the table, I get the same reaction.” Ohhhh, homemade biscuits.” It sets the tone for the rest of the meal.  With my son’s allergy to dairy and eggs, I have switched it up a bit with vegan shortening and rice milk and no one is the wiser.  I will also make them with whole wheat pastry flour.

Gabriel loves them so much that one time when they were being passed around the table, he took three on his plate. We all laughed as I told him he had to put two of them back. He said, “But they will eat them all.”


Quick Drop Biscuits (Variation from Joy of Cooking)

Makes about 12

Preheat  oven 450F

1 3/4 cup sifted all purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 t. salt
1 T. double acting baking powder
6 T. chilled butter or shortening
1 cup milk / rice or soy milk

1. Sift flour, salt and baking powder together in a large bowl.
2. Cut butter or shortening into dry ingredients until the consistency of cornmeal.
3. Add milk and stir in gently. Only about 10 turns.
4. Drop biscuits on ungreased baking sheet.
5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Variety in biscuits:  I have added roasted garlic and chives to the flour mixture before the milk is added. I have also added blue and cheddar cheese. Both are delicious.

Vegan shortening: I prefer Earth Balance sticks. It is a cholesterol-free shortening that works well in baking. I have used in pie dough as well.

Pull up a chair, Elizabeth

Pumpkin Ginger Scones (Vegan version)

Nov 232010
 

Scones… I have to admit that I have love/hate relationship with them. Oh, they look so appealing to me. Maybe it is because I know that they have tons of creme and butter in them. That usually gets me every time, but then I take a bite of a scone and they are just too dry and crumbly. Scones are just the wrong texture for me. Okay, I am admitting it. I love the idea of something made specifically made to go with the perfect cup of coffee or tea. Something of substance that I can even dip in my mug. So I set out to create a scone that I would love to eat.

My son’s food allergies has definitely pushed me to work with different ingredients and strive for food that is something everyone will want to eat.  The delightful surprise is the delicious food that is usually a great deal healthier. I just think about it is just one more way that my son has pushed me in a direction that I had not expected, but with a joyful outcome since he has entered the world.

So for this holiday of thanks, I offer up a cake like scone in honor of my delight, my son, Gabriel.

Makes 10-12 scones

Preheat oven to 425F

½ cup sugar
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 ½ bread flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
½ cup earth balance (vegan butter)
2 cup pumpkin puree

Directions:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Cut in butter with pastry cutter.
3. Add in ginger and pumpkin. Combine well.
4. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead dough a few times.
5. Push into a circle or rectangle and cut pieces.
6. Place on baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes.
7. Let cool completely before icing.

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoon maple syrup
1-2 tablespoon rice or soy milk

1. Whisk together ingredients. Drizzle over scones.

Enjoy!

Pull up a chair, Elizabeth

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Feb 242010
 

Okay, okay, okay… I know whole wheat muffins are usually horrible, but I think that I found a recipe that I actually like and will make again. It started when I was reading Mark Bittman’s recipe for whole wheat muffins and my son said that he had never had a muffin in his entire life. I thought, of course, he hadn’t with severe dairy and egg allergies. Well, I converted Mark’s recipe to a vegan one, so my son could eat it.

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 to 1 cup sugar (I use beet juice sugar, which drops the calories and glycemic index)
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 cup mashed or pureed banana, sweet potato, apple, zucchini, pear, etc.
1 1/2 t. egg replacer (available at Whole Foods)
1/2 cup + 2T. soy milk (vanilla)
2 T. vegetable oil

1. Mix dry ingredient first, then add wet. I used mashed pear for my fruit and a handful of blueberries tossed in flour after everything was mixed.
2. Baked for about 20 minutes at 375F.

This recipe made 14 cupcakes making every muffin about 100 calories, when I did the nutritional breakdown on it. Better yet, my son loved his first muffin. He actually requested I put some in his lunch box.

Fun with Bread Machines.

Sep 062009
 
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I can not tell you what made me first buy a bread machine, but I had my doubts. I knew that I did not want to spend a lot of money. I heard a lot of people say that they used it for a little while, then never used it again. So I went to Craig’s list and found a brand new one for $20. Yes, you heard me right, $20. I looked everyday for a week and a bride that had gotten a bread machine for a wedding present was willing to barter. She had never even opened the box. That was three years ago.

The fanciest thing that I make in the machine is the sticky cinnamon apple buns that are above. I make whole wheat bread, pumpernickel bread, oatmeal bread. The key is to use the book that comes with the machine. It will guide you through it all. They also sell cookbooks for breadmachines.
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I make hot dog and hamburger buns and save so much money. I went through a couple of 5 lbs. bags of bread flour for five dollars and decided to go for the fifty pound bag at Costco that sells for $15. I just put it in a new tall plastic garbage can that fits perfectly in my pantry. I also bought a huge bag of yeast for $3 at costco instead of the packets for approximently the same price from the grocery store. This brought my cost down per loaf of bread to about .25. Now I usually pay $2 to $4 per loaf in the grocery store. I love saving that kind of money, especially on a better fresher product.

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This grilled flat bread is pizza dough that has been brushed with chimichurri sauce before I put it on a hot grill pan. I make pizza all the time for my son and his friends. I let them make their own individual pizzas and it has proven to be a big hit. I love that it does not cost me a lot.

I just think that having homemade bread for your family and quests is something unexpected and special. The house fills with the wonderful smell of fresh baking bread and you feel cared for immediately. Consider pulling your machine out or buying one and you will not regret it. You will save money, have a better piece of bread, and it will not have to make that last minute run to the store for bread.

Note: On bread storage… fresh bread gets hard in a day. Whatever I do not use, I put in the freezer the day I bake it. It should not go in the fridge! If you want day old bread for certain dishes or to dry it out for bread crumbs, it should be done at room tempurature.

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