Whole Grain Bread

We go through lots of bread in our family. We make oodles of pbj sandwiches. We love toast. We love grilled cheese. And sometimes we splurge and buy some deli meat for some "meat sandwiches" as my husband lovingly calls them. So, lately I've taken to making my own whole grain bread. It saves a little money and tastes so much better than even the kind we can buy at Whole Foods. One batch will make two loaves and will get us through a week of meals . . .that is if I don't eat a whole loaf fresh out of the oven and slathered with butter!

The recipe I use comes from Cook's Illustrated. They call it a Multigrain Loaf. The first time I made it I followed the recipe exactly. I had no problems working the dough or shaping it but I couldn't get the oats to stick to the dough. They told me to use water or nonstick spray but most of my oats fell off before it was baked. The few that did stick fell off when I took the loaf out of the pan. Argh! Also, I used 3/4 cup of sunflower seeds added into the dough at the very end of kneading. Eew! These imparted a strangely stale flavor to the bread. So, now I nix the oats and the sunflower seeds. It turns out just right and so yummy.

Squash Ricotta Pizza

My husband is a traditionalist. Pizza, for him, means a crust, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and some toppings. He is not interested in veering from the typical American definition of pizza. I, on the other hand, am interested in pizzas with a variety of toppings. Even though I've never been to Italy, my understanding is that pizza is much more exciting and unpredictable than here. So, when I encountered a recipe for Summer Squash and Herbed Ricotta pizza I knew it was the perfect recipe for a night when my husband wouldn't be home for dinner. My son (also a traditionalist) got a personal size pizza topped with tomato sauce, mushrooms, pepperoni, olives, and mozzarella. I got a personal size pizza that looked like this.I made my own pizza dough, following a typical recipe. All-purpose flour, salt, yeast, warm water, olive oil. I kneaded it in my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer and then let it rise for about an hour. I divided the dough into four pieces, saving two for another day. For the toppings on my pizza, I cut one small summer squash into rounds and tossed them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. I roasted these in the oven for about a half hour at 400 degrees. Then I cut half an onion into thin slices and sauteed them on medium heat until they were nicely browned. To this I added one minced garlic clove and some salt. Finally, I mixed 1/4 cup of fresh whole milk ricotta with a tablespoon of fresh chopped basil, some salt and pepper. Then I smeared the ricotta on the dough, sprinkle a little shredded mozzarella, arranged the roasted squash, and plopped the onions on top. I baked this on my pizza stone for about 15 minutes. Before serving and cutting I sprinkled a little more freshly chopped basil.

This was a great pizza. The flavors and textures were meltingly wonderful. I would certainly make it again but I might add a few things. First, the herbed ricotta needed more fresh herbs, perhaps oregano or thyme to add an "Umph!" Also, maybe a little Parmesan mixed into the ricotta would boost the flavor as well. I also thought that some roasted mushrooms would make a great addition. Maybe some roasted zucchini or asparagus. Mmmmmmm. This was really yummy and filling and a great departure from the plain old boring pizza we usually make.

Twice Wild

This week is vegetarian week in our house, much to my five-year-old's dismay. Don't get me wrong. He LOVES vegetables. He just likes them plain and raw. So, you can guess he didn't like my choice of menu tonight. It was from Didi Emmons' Vegetarian Planet and it was called Twice Wild. Basically it consisted of a rice cake made from long grain rice, wild rice, beaten eggs, Parmesan cheese, and some flour. These get browned in some olive oil. A sauce of mushrooms, onions, carrots, thyme, garlic, white wine, sour cream and vegetable broth is served under it. Now, the rice cakes were fabulous! My husband gobbled them up, as did my 1-year-old. The sauce was another matter. First, my husband HATES onions. Without the strong flavor of meat to cover up the onion taste the sauce really did not appeal to him. The other problem with the onion was that I used Vidalia onions. They were just too sweet. Yellow onions would have been a better choice. Anyway, I think I would make this dish again but fiddle with the mushroom sauce . . . maybe toss the onions out altogether. I haven't quite figured out, yet, how to cook vegetarian dishes without them though. Any ideas?