Archive for March, 2009
Roasted Root & Ricotta Pizza
Pizza nirvana, in my opinion, is hard to come by, but when you do, it’s just the best darn food you can possibly imagine. I think I was spoiled by my trip to Italy when I was 20. In the autumn air, I wander the streets of Florence with no particular agenda other than to savor every moment. In the beautiful old-world charm of this Italian favorite, I had my first slice of the mother land’s pizza.
First off, it was huge! Really huge! The diameter of a car tire, or so my mind’s eye remembers. I know for sure that I was shocked – absolutely dumbstruck – that this was the size of pizza every individual in the little restaurant was getting. No going “halvesy”. You ate your pizza like a big hungry man. And devour it without a shard of proper ladylike manners I did!
The crust was so thin and crisp. The sauce perfectly balanced with garlic and basil. The bubbly mozzarella was no doubt fresh as it could be. Because the crust was so thin and the toppings so minimalist (in the best sense of the word), when I finished and pushed back my chair, I felt “just right” – not too full but most definitely completely satiated. Shortly after that I bought my first original piece of artwork from a painter along the banks of the Arno River and felt immensely happy with my travel adventure.
Once back in the States, I did my best to replicate that experience, trying several pizza recipes and kneading the dough under the Florence watercolor I’d hung in my kitchen as inspiration. I’m embarrassed to admit, dear readers, that I was a really bad pizza maker. The texture of the dough eluded me and always came out, well, soggy. I basically gave up on homemade pizza for several years until Deb, at Smitten Kitchen, nudged me out of my misgivings with her many tempting pizza posts and a very simple dough recipe.
As it turns out, the trick to entering pizza nirvana, begins with a touch of honey and dough rolled so thin you can practically see through it. Once you’ve got that, you can’t go wrong. But, it turns out, you can improve upon perfection. Now, I’m not going to be so bold as to say this recipe for Roasted Root & Ricotta Pizza is better than that being made by little eateries in Florence. But… However… You see… On the other hand….
It’s really really really good. Not a “minimalist” pizza by any means, this crispy crust gets loaded with aromatic and smoky roasted potatoes, rutabaga, onion, garlic, and even carrots, not to mention creamy ricotta and melty mozzarella. Mama mia, am I hungry all of a sudden!
Zesty Roasted Rutabaga and Carrots
What an interesting time of the year it is. There’s so much diversity in the weather – shorts one day, winter coat the next, and goulashes and an umbrella the day after. I’ve been enjoying this little adventure in atmospheric pressure, though I hope the snow is gone for good now that my tulips and alliums are pushing up through the aromatic spring earth.
One thing that isn’t full of diversity right now is my diet. All I’ve got left to play with in the kitchen are the same four root vegetables: rutabaga, carrots, potatoes and onions. Luckily, I happen to really like these long-lasting staples of the winter pantry. But even I get a little bored sometimes and wish for a new twist on the old favorites.
Searching around on one of my go-to resources for new recipe ideas, All Recipes, I saw this fun take on roasted vegetables, Zesty Roasted Rutabaga and Carrots. The lemony zing is deliciously sublime, and the overall dish is quite beautiful with its bright colors and flecks of dill. It makes a great side dish for a hearty dinner or an easy take-along for lunch since it’s as lovely at room temperature as it is warm.
If you or someone at your table is new to rutabaga, this is a great preparation to introduce this vitamin-packed root. The orange flesh speaks to the high levels of carotene (vitamin C) that come with every delicious bite. The rutabaga I used for this dish was in my crisper drawer since October and it was as fresh as the day it was picked. Who ever said beauty fades?
Sweet and Savory Millet Pilaf
I drafted up and made this recipe quite awhile ago, back when the days grew dark by five o’ clock and the thermostat in the house just couldn’t seem to keep up with the chill of the winter air. A big warm plate of Sweet and Savory Millet Pilaf was just the thing to have back then. It’s a shame, really, that it’s taken me this long to get the post dusted off and polished for your visit. A few cold days may still be ahead of us, but winter and her warm hearty dishes are on their way out. I know my mind is certainly drifting towards bright blue skies with cottony clouds drifting on balmy breezes, all of which I’ll deliciously enjoy while laying on my back in warm sweetly scented green grass that tickles my knees. Mmmmmm…
Not to distract from this lovely dish a second longer lest the seasons change permanently even as I type, let me tell you about this pilaf. It too, like the harbingers of spring, is full of rich aromas – heady cinnamon and nutmeg combining with bright ginger and orange. The millet is a wonderful ancient grain that really doesn’t get enough face time, both in my kitchen and in modern cooking in general. It has a nutty flavor that completes this dish in a way that rice or orzo never could.
Ah, and let’s not forget the stars of the show: carrots and cherries. The carrots are of the dwindling bunch harvested from my garden last fall. Cut into “coins”, they both brighten and lighten the final dish. The cherries, dried by and procured from a local fruit vendor at the Headhouse Market last summer, are plump and intoxicating (in taste only) once simmered in the wine, orange zest and ginger. I was so enamored with this particular combination that I later repeated it for a warm ice cream topping.
Celeriac and Ginger Soup
Hey, would you look at this! There’s a food post on SFTF again! And here you’d thought it had become a gardening blog. Truth of the matter is that the local food pickin’s are slim here in March when we’re just shy of getting the season’s first lettuce and baby greens. I’ve had to look to my shrinking stash of root vegetables to carry us through the last few weeks of “winter”. Even if it is 70 degrees outside my front door today here in Philadelphia, it’ll be awhile yet until there’s much fresh eating to be had from the garden and at the farmers markets.
See that ugly duckling up there? The one in the upper left? I swear it’s quite tasty, even if it’s not pretty! Celeriac root became a favorite over the course of this winter. I’ve recently been converted to mild anise flavors in my food and tea even though I hated, to the point of gagging, the taste of black licorice when I was a kid. Since I was so repulsed by anise in the past, I really hadn’t give celeriac much of a shot since I’d heard it tasted a bit like licorice.
Once I gave it a try, celeriac (also called celery root because it’s celery family member grown for its root, not stalks) turned out to have very little anise flavor (at least the ones grown at the farm). Instead I find it rather nutty and a little biting like celery sometimes is. I’m muddling up describing it for you, I know, but I hope you’ll be intrigued enough to grab one of these scruffy roots next time you see it to give celeriac a chance to prove it’s what’s on the inside that counts.
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