Napoletana Pizza Dough

                        1       2       3       4 dough
90% All Purpose Flour 143 g   319 g   479 g   638 g 
10% Whole Wheat Flour  16 g    32 g    48 g    64 g 
 1.5% Salt            2.3 g   4.7 g     7 g   9.3 g 
 1% Yeast             1/4 tsp 1/2 tsp 3/4 tsp   1 tsp 
70% Water (room temp) 111 g   222 g   333 g   444 g 

Mix dry ingredients.
Add water.
Mix until well combined but still a bit shaggy. 
Rest 10-15 mins.
Fold and push dough in on itself while still supple, stop if dough starts to tear.
Cover (to prevent drying), rise for 1 hr.
Place in fridge over night (up to 2-3 days).
In the AM, remove from fridge, cut into 270 g balls.
On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball in on itself until the outside surface is tight.
Coat each ball in olive oil or lay in a light bed of flour.
Balls should not touch each other.
Cover and return to fridge but remove 1-2 hrs before cooking time.
Put a layer of flour in a bowl, lay a dough in the flour, press into a fat disk. Gently pull and stretch out to 12-13" diameter, grasp by the thickest parts and hang gently, trying not to over-stretch the thin parts lest they tear.
Tears can be sealed back together especially if not too floury.
Lay on parchment and cover with toppings, be sparse for best results.

Put delicate (fresh basil) or precooked (pepperoni) toppings under cheese to protect from heat.  Wet ingredients (fresh tomato, raw vegetables) should be on top.
Bake on a stone or sheet pan in a well preheated oven as hot as possible (550 degF). Using the broiler is an option.

Recipe can be scaled up as needed.
Cut back on yeast as quantity gets larger.

Gypsy Soup

Adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen

Olive oil for sauteing

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, passed through a press

3 smallish sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped, membrane and seeds removed

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

4 cups water

Seasonings:

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch of cinnamon

Pinch of cayenne

2 bay leaves

1 Tablespoon tamari

In a large heavy pot, warm the oil and saute the onions, garlic, celery and sweet potatoes for 5 minutes. Add the seasonings--except for the tamari--and the water. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables and the chickpeas and continue to simmer for 10 minutes more, until the vegetables are as tender as you'd like. Stir in the tamari and adjust the seasonings.

* For dried chickpeas, you will need 3/4 cup, which should be soaked at least 3 1/2 hours, but preferably over night. To cook them, fill a pot with water to 1" above the soaked chickpeas and cook, mostly covered, for 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

* You can substitute any orange or green vegetable, like carrots, squash, peas or green beans. I like to use butternut squash and kale. Make sure the kale is cooked thoroughly.

Pan-Fried Sole with Lemon-Butter Sauce

Fried in butter. Need I say more?

8 Sole fillets
1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt (or seasoning salt)
1/4 tsp black pepper
7 tbsp butter
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

Mix the flour with salt and pepper in a shallow dish (or use a plastic bag). Dredge the fillets in the flour mixture. Heat a large skillet on high heat and add 3 tbsp butter when the pan is hot. Saute the fillets in two batches, two minutes on each side or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate to keep warm.

Add remaining 4 tbsp butter to pan and cook until golden brown. Add lemon juice, bring to a boil. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle warm sauce over cooked fish and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

Thea's Greek Shrimp Stew

From Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair

Good served with bread and salad, pretty easy and really tasty.

1 Tbs EVOO
2 onions, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 C chopped or diced tomatoes
1 C tomato sauce
2 tsp whole-grain mustard
3 Tbs fresh dill (1 Tbs dry)
1 tsp honey/agave/brown-rice-syrup
1 lb cooked shrimp
1/4 lb feta cheese, crumbled
1 C chopped parsley

In a large pot:
Heat the oil
Add onions, salt, garlic; saute until soft.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, mustard, dill & syrup; simmer 20 min.
Five min before serving, add shrimp, feta & parsley
Stir and serve.

Golden Sourdough Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups of unsifted flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup of buttermilk
1 cup of sourdough starter mix

In a bowl combine flour, soda, salt, baking powder, cut in butter with pastry blender until like corn meal.

(At this point, you can put it in the fridge overnight so it's faster in the morning.)

Blend sourdough and buttermilk, stir into crumb mixture with fork to soft dough.

Turn out onto floured cloth; knead 30 seconds. Roll out into 1/2 inch thickness, cut into biscuits with 3 inch cutter.

Place on greased baking sheet, brush with melted butter and put in warm place to raise for 30 minutes covered with a towel.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden in 425ºF. oven. Good with honey and butter.

Lussekake ( St. Lucia Buns)

Pat T's recipe for traditional Swedish saffron buns. Growing up my (Casey's) family always had these when we visited the T's at or around Christmas. This year we hosted my Dad and step-Mom for the holidays. It was the first time we've "done" Christmas all ourselves, so I finally got around to making saffron buns myself and they turned out great (see end for pics). They will definitely be a Christmas/winter tradition for my family from now on.
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This calls for lots of saffron which is expensive (it works out to more than the cost of gold) - have some sent from home or be prepared at the market - not all grocery stores carry it . It sometimes comes in little vials of .2 grams - you will need at least two of these for one batch of rolls. William Sonoma carries a better quality in a lager amount.
{lately Whole Foods carries saffron in packets of .2 grams for a decent price}

Need 6 to 6 1/2 cups of unbleached flour;

GETTING READY

Place in Bowl or Cuisenart 4 cups of unbleached flour and 2 packages of yeast - quick rise if possible);

Place the following in a pan and heat until the margarine melts, keep warm:
1 1/2 cups milk (1 %)
3/4 cups sugar
3/8 cup water
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cups margarine;

Crush enough Saffron Threads to make 3/4 teaspoons of saffron dust - some of the threads won't crush well but that is ok. I put the threads between waxed paper or just paper will work and roll a rolling pin or heavy can over them.

Add 3 Tablespoons of boiling hot water to the saffron and let stand;

Crack and separate three eggs - you need 3 yolks only --

{you can use the whole egg - then use 2 only but the rolls will be lighter - I haven't tried egg beaters yet but it would be worth it to try it.
Note - if you have no uses for the white and put them down the drain, run a lot of water immediately and some soap or you will clog the drain}

Chop 1/2 cup or more of pecans; measure out 1/2 cup of raisins.

MIXING EVERYTHING

To the flour and yeast; add the milk mixture; the saffron/water; the eggs; Beat until the batter is smooth and elastic.

Add the 5th cup of flour to make a stiff dough. ADD in the nuts and raisins.

Put the remaining flour on a board and knead the dough until it it smooth and satiny. {or in the cuisenart just keep pushing the buttons }

Place the dough in a greased bowl, turn to grease the top and cover and let rise in a warm place for about 45 to 60 minutes.

FORMING the ROLLS

Punch down. Cut the dough first in half and continue doing this until you have 48 pieces. Cover the pieces while you work.

Roll out a piece into a long strip (like you do with clay). Then coil the strip one of two ways: You can coil both ends in - like in the letter "C" or one in and one out like in the letter "S".

I place them on a greased cookie sheet at this point and let them rise for 30 minutes.

But for larger rolls you can put two C's back to back; or cross two S's for either something that looks like a pin wheel or like a fancy X depending on which direction the coils face.

These are all traditional shapes.

Brush the rolls with a mixture of 1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon of cold water just before baking.

Place in 375 degree oven for about 12 to 15 minutes.

Cool on racks.

Pictures:
measuring/crushing the saffron:










In January we spent a weekend of snowy fun at Jay and Mary Davis' cabin in Bear Valley with the King/Davis family and their boys (Morgan's cousins) so I made the buns again.

Here is what happens when you let the dough rise for a long time at high altitude:


This could almost be an image from my own childhood in Syracuse. Morgan enjoying a saffron bun in the snow:

Wheat Germ Casserole Bread

1 1/2 c whole wheat flour

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

2 tsp salt

1/2 c wheat germ

2 pkg yeast

2 T oil

1 1/3 c warm water

2 T molasses

Soften yeast in 1/3 c warm water. Stir to dissolve.

In large mixing bowl, stir ww flour, salt and wheat germ.

Add yeast, remaining cup of water, oil and molasses and beat at med. speed until smooth. Mix in enough of remaining flour to make a stiff batter.

Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled (~45 min. or longer)
Stir down and beat vigorously by hand for about 30 sec. Turn into greased 1 1/2 qt. round casserole.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 min. or until done. Remove immediately from casserole.