Veggie Pizza - whatever is in the fridge

Something that I have loved learning from being a freshie in the restaurant industry is learning how to use whatever you have in the store. If one special isn't selling on fish, we'll change the special the next night. Or make salmon cakes. Or if we have extra risotto from the night before, we make fried risotto balls as an appetizer special. The list goes on. It has been a helpful practice to develop at home - I am so finicky some weeks and I don't have an appetite, other weeks I go out with my friends too often and I don't hit the grocery store, or old groceries are sitting there going bad. Today I needed lunch and the smartest lunch is a lunch that you've already paid for, at the grocery store.

I had half of the pizza dough from last week's margherite as well as some cut veggies from a primavera I made for lunch earlier this week. Some marinara I saved from raviolis, a garlic clove, an overripe tomato, and some fresh mozzarella also left from the margherite. A little bit of Parmesan, which exhausts my cheese supply (sad), and some dehydrated mushrooms I bought last week and never used. Mushroom trick: I have always marveled at how quickly mushrooms go bad. I do most of my shopping at Publix, which breaks down their cardboard boxes of mushrooms and packs them into tiny plastic containers, tightly wrapped with plastic. I inquired about why my mushrooms go bad so quickly (slimy fishy) and why our cardboard-stored mushrooms at work last for a long week. The answer? Mushrooms need to breathe, and moisture makes them go bad. If they are stuck in a plastic container tightly wrapped (like we do for everything else to keep O2 out), they will sit in their own moisture and go bad. The solution? Take off the plastic wrap and leave them open air (thus the dehydration of my little guys) or better yet, throw them in a paper sack.

I am definitely taking a risk with the old marinara - highly acidic and highly basic foods are the first to go bad (thus, soft cheese. On the other end of the spectrum, tomatoes). But it smelled fine and let's be honest, it was probably packed with so many preservatives that marinara could live on in my refrigerator for a year and still be fine. So, I'll let you know in about 8 hours when the foodborne illness sets in (or not. hopefully not).

On top of my pizza went marinara, chopped garlic, sliced red onion, sliced green and red peppers, sliced mushrooms, a diced tomato, some fresh mozzarella and some shredded parmesan. Anything like this can be made from your leftovers and dwindling food supply - throw some things together that you enjoy together, add a tomato sauce base or an olive oil/salt and pepper/garlic base, and you can have a tasty little pizza without wasting a thing.

Up next: HOMEMADE PICKLES!

Pizza Margherite with Sangiovese

Just because I love to cook, and cooking is my job, does not mean I am good at keeping groceries in the house, or taking the extra 30 minutes to prepare a good meal at home. In fact, I am terrible at the day-to-day cooking. Thankfully, my job allows me to prepare my own meals at work and that helps, or I have lots of lunch dates with friends. But as I get older, strive to stick harder to my budget, be health conscious, AND try to develop myself in the culinary arts, I find that it is growing increasingly more important to take the time for meals at home.On top of that, I am so lucky to be in a program that offers a Wine & Spirits class on a truly comprehensive level. My professor, Dr. Strick, is an incredible instructor and has spent years traveling, tasting, and getting certified in wine education. So as an incentive for tasting more wines and drinking lots of LDL-lowering red wine, I have decided to budget for a daily glass - or two ;) - of red wine.

My first endeavour in food and wine pairing was two nights ago, with a craving for pizza margherite (olive oil/garlic base, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and tomatoes) and a complementary glass of red wine. I am not a huge red wine fan - the tannins, which are on the skins of every grape variety but only remain in the fermentation process for red wines, really pucker my mouth up ("dry" wine) and leave me feeling puckery, dry, cottonmouth-y. I don't like that feeling at the end of a night regardless of how much oaky nutty smokey goodness might be in that glass. So my choice of wine in varietals that I am familiar with is the Pinot Noir - sort of "in the middle" of the red wines, a little sweeter, not so dry, but full of flavor still. With all of this information, the gracious wine pro at Green's suggested I try an Italian varietal of grape, the Sangiovese. I enjoyed it with my pizza and boy was it yummy. A little dark fruity taste and perfect in between bites. Traditionally in Italy, each bite of a meal is spaced with a sip of wine, which helps you taste and the wine AND the food better in each bite. Mmm. What a way to enjoy good food and good wine.


So - for the pizza: homemade or store-bought dough (I always buy Publix Bakery's dough and I always regret it. It never rolls out like I like, the gluten always breaks and it is just frustrating. Just make your own), tomatoes (sliced, diced, however you prefer. I prefer diced - I also like to squeeze my tomatoes in my hand to let some of that water out so it does not cook out in the pizza and make your pizza watery or soggy), fresh basil and fresh mozzarella (in water, add a touch of salt to bring out the flavors).

Roll out your pizza dough, rub down with minced garlic, olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Par-bake crust (accordingly) and then top with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, diced or shredded. A trick for fresh mozz is to stick it in the freezer for a short bit, probably just as long as you are getting your crust together and prepping your tomatoes and basil, and it will harden just a bit to make cutting, grating, slicing, etc. easier. Chiffonade some fresh basil but save until the end to retain full fresh flavor. Bake about 25-35 minutes at 375 (400 if thinner crust, but shorter cooking time) and after you pull it out, add the chiffonade basil, let it rest and then cut into it and enjoy with that glass of Sangiovese.

Summer Pasta Salad

One thing I have been aiming to do in my eating is to make sure my vegetables aren't losing their enzymes and their nutritious qualities. I have said before that I read once that 118 degrees is the maximum temp for veggies to retain their health benefits. Yesterday I needed a quick lunch before hitting the road to see Veronica and Isaac and I had Piccolini (tiny farfalle) in my cupboard and some veggies in my fridge. I cooked the pasta and strained it, then tossed in light olive oil, some minced garlic (2 cloves), diced tomato (1 vine ripe tomato), a few sliced baby portabellas (maybe 4 or 5) and some spinach (a handful, chiffonade). Don't forget the s & p. I also had some sliced Boar's Head Havarti from Publix deli so I roughly tore it into little pieces and tossed - it was perfect! The veggies were just warm from being mixed with the freshly cooked pasta but they weren't COOKED. Still had full taste, full nutrients, and my oh my it made for a tasty summer side to a turkey sandwich. Today I had the pasta as my main course with a bowl of fresh cherries on the side (on sale at Publix for $2.49/lb). Try it!

Mussels, Clams & Shrimp in a white wine lemon sauce with bruschetta

I have to confess that I haven't been grocery shopping in about a month. My internship has monopolized my time, and it has left me only sleeping in, drinking 2 cups of coffee during a normal person's lunch time, and grazing on Genoa salami/kalamata olives/grilled vegetables throughout the afternoon and then drinking late at night or doing more grazing on whatever I have in my house. Which, lately, has been toast. Or a late night trip to Waffle House or Sonic with my friends (and no, this is not a diet for weight loss). So today I rose earlier than usual to start organizing my house and preparing it for our move in late July. I actually showered, and worked while I waited for my chef to call me into work or not (thankfully, not!). So around 3:30 I made my first trip to the grocery in too long to buy breakfast items - fruit, yogurt, bagels and cream cheese - in hopes that I might find regularity to my waking/eating/living schedule. I also splurged on mussels, clams, shrimp, French bread and a tomato.

I have two best friends who eat the way I do - picky and pretentious (depending on your standard), and with absolute enjoyment. Unfortunately, one of those best friends is allergic to shellfish (which I know she would love if her body let her). Fortunately, the other adores shellfish and was available to let me run experiments on her tonight. So I put my internship to good use and tried to re-create a fusion of several dishes I have never made but have observed on numerous occasions at Villa Tronco.

The full menu: Bombay Gin and tonics with lime, Bruschetta on grilled baguette slices, and shellfish in a spicy white wine and lemon sauce ------ mmmm (if I do say so myself).


Bruschetta

Half of a beefsteak tomato, diced small
Roughly chopped basil
parmesan cheese
s & p
balsamic vinegar
Slice baguette and dab in olive oil and salt and pepper. Grill on both sides and top with bruschetta.



Shellfish in white wine & lemon sauce (for 2)

Linguine (1/2 lb.)
Mussels (live or frozen; 8 total - 4/person)
Littleneck clams (live or frozen; 4 total - 2/person. I would have enjoyed 2 more)
Peeled/deveined fresh shrimp (fresh or frozen; 8 total - 4/person)
Lemon (for fresh juice. 2 wheels per person)
Crushed red pepper
White wine
minced garlic (2 cloves)
Butter
Vegetable oil
s & p
flour (for dredging shrimp)

Boil water in a pot for linguine, season water. Cook linguine then coat with olive oil after straining.

Meanwhile, heat oil (maybe 2 T) and butter (1 T) in saute pan over medium high heat. Don't use olive oil, which has a high smoking point. Instead, use a vegetable oil (which has a low smoking point) with butter in order to take the dish to higher temps without burning butter). Dredge shrimp in flour and saute on one side until cooked about halfway up from bottom (translucent flesh becomes white and firm on body of shrimp). Add mussels & clams to saute pan and flip shrimp; sprinkle with salt and pepper, minced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Add generous pour (maybe 2-3 cups) of white wine and cover with lid (or in my case, cookie sheet) to steam shellfish and enable the shells to open up and cook. When clams and mussels open up, keep pan on medium high heat and let cook until wine has reduced to a thicker and more condensed sauce.

Plate linguine noodles in bowls and first portion mussels, clams and shrimp to bowls. Then pour sauce over each serving and top with chiffonade basil.