10th Grade Spanish Assignment Inspires Pizza Recipe

Yesterday afternoon, my daughter prepared a tapas recipe she had downloaded from the internet, to serve to her Spanish class. Unlike most of her homework, which makes me feel stupid in the extreme, this assignment made me feel that it might be fun to return to high school. Tonight, with her leftover ingredients, I made a giant pizza version of her manchego and chorizo bites. Here's the recipe:

Pizza with Manchego, Chorizo, Tomatoes, and Honey
Serves 3 to 4

1 cup room temperature water
3/4 teaspoon instant yeast
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt
3 ounces thinly sliced Spanish chorizo
4 ounces shredded Manchego cheese
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon honey

1. Combine water, yeast, flour, and salt in workbowl of a food processor and pulse several times to form a rough dough. Let the dough stand for 10 minutes in bowl, and then process until smooth and elastic, 30 to 45 seconds.
2. Spray large mixing bowl with nonstick cooking spray and place dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and let triple in volume, 3 to 4 hours.
3. 45 minutes before baking, place a baking stone on middle rack of oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Spray a 12-inch round pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray. Press dough into pan, all the way to edges. Scatter chorizo over dough, then sprinkle with cheese and tomatoes.
4. Slide pan onto preheated baking stone. Bake until edges of dough are deep golden and cheese is bubbling, 12 to 15 minutes.

Food for Fines

I checked out Molly O'Neill's new book from John Jermain Library quite awhile ago and I just finished browsing its 600 recipes. Of course, it's overdue. But I was alerted yesterday by Save Sag Harbor (subscribe to their very interesting e-mail alerts by clicking here) that March is Food for Fines month at the library, and fines will be forgiven for anyone who brings in a canned goods donation for the Sag Harbor Food Pantry. So I'm going to drop off my book and this can of beans, before heading to Citarella's in search of a persimmon (no hope of finding a Black Sapote in Bridgehampton) for my pound cake.

Free Dinner With Friends

I walked into BookHampton in East Hampton today looking for a gluten-free baking book, and walked out with a free ticket to Guild Hall's 2pm screening of The African Queen. Maybe I will see you there, if you are a freelancer whose children are occupied with afterschool activities! And did you know that in addition to free films every Tuesday, Guild Hall is presenting the Naked Stage's production of Dinner with Friends, tonight, free of charge?

IGA Items of the Week

I remember once, years ago, when I was running low on Hershey's Cappuccino Crunch ice cream, I ran into the IGA to re-stock. As the usually reticent check-out person handed me my change, she said, "You sure do buy a lot of that stuff." Did this out-of-character comment mean she thought that I was eating too much ice cream? Just a little defensively, I told her that I couldn't risk running out, since the children couldn't live without it. It was only then that I started to wonder if she noticed other items I bought in disproportionate quantities, such as Smuckers peanut butter and Bonne Maman jam. But there is security in knowing that I always have something to eat. I've just returned from a week-long visit to my parents' house, and the refrigerator is empty. But I won't go hungry, with my peanut butter and jelly. I could even make these bar cookies (from my pantry desserts story, just out in this month's Bon Appetit!) to bring to Bay Street's Oscars broadcast tonight, without actually going shopping. For the recipe, click here.

Parsnips, Part 2

The IGA always has parsnips, but who knew they'd inspire two recipes in one month? My parsnip spice cake recipe went up on Zester today.

February Necessity: DIY Garlic Knots

It is February, and the people at Conca D'Oro are taking their annual vacation. How I miss the aroma of yeasty dough and sizzling garlic as I walk down Washington Street towards the IGA! To combat the Winter doldrums that affect so many of us when we realize we can't even get a slice of pizza in this village, I mixed a batch of pizza dough, cut it into strips, and made my own dough knots. When they came out of the oven I brushed them with garlic butter and sprinkled them with Parmesan and parsley. My kitchen smelled just like Washington Street on a breezy day in March. Here is the recipe:

Garlic Knots
Makes 16

1 cup room temperature water
3/4 teaspoon instant yeast
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt or kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

1. Combine the water, yeast, flour, and 1 teaspoon salt in the workbowl of a food processor and pulse several times to form a rough dough. Let the dough stand for 10 minutes in the bowl, and then process until it is smooth and elastic, 30 to 45 seconds.
2. Spray the inside of a dough rising container or large mixing bowl with nonstick cooking spray and place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise voluminously (the dough will triple or quadruple in size) 3 to 4 hours.
3. Place a baking stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Line a pizza peel or rimless baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the butter, garlic, hot red pepper flakes if using, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan and heat on medium-low until the garlic is just fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
4. On a lightly floured countertop, turn the dough out, sprinkle with flour, and gently roll into a 10-inch square. Use a pizza wheel or sharp chef's knife to cut each square into four 5-inch squares. Cut each 5-inch square into four strips.
5. Gently pull each strip to elongate slightly while tying into a knot. Place each knot on the parchment-lined peel, leaving an inch between each knot. Sprinkle the knots with flour, lightly drape with plastic wrap, and let stand 30 minutes.
6. Slide the knots, still on the parchment paper, onto the preheated baking stone and bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
7. Slide the knots, still on the parchment, onto a wire rack. Brush with the garlic butter and sprinkle with the cheese and parsley. Let cool 5 minutes and serve warm or let cool to room temperature before serving.

Valentine's Day 2011, Main Street, Sag Harbor

I've admired these inflatable hearts for weeks as I've rushed by Sylvester & Co. in the cold, but I stopped to enjoy them and take a photo during the lovely weather this afternoon. Happy Valentine's Day. XXOO