Busted!

If I hadn't overslept this morning I wouldn't have caught this little devil, the culprit of the bare patches in my front lawn.  I have been wondering for days now why these patches keep getting bigger in spite of all the money I'm spending on getting the lawn weed free.  Well, it turns out that Mr. Bunny has set camp inside the bushes that surround the cherry trees, just a couple of hops from the grass.  And he doesn't just pick here and there, he grabs huge chunks!

Look at that chunk!

In the meantime, the squirrels were continuing their feast under my neighbors's oak trees!

....and I am standing in the front door, in my nightgown, taking pictures and shoooing a rabbit.



Of course, none of this would happen if I were allowed to patrol the front yard....

    

Basic Pizza Dough In Minutes!

If you have been a follower or subscriber of Lindaraxa, my main recipe blog, you know how much I have always hated to bake crust.  Well, not anymore.  I have become a master dough maker simply by plunging right in and making one right after the other until I finally got the hang of it.  The fear is gone! Not only that, after years of buying ready made pizza dough,  thanks to this recipe,  I am now a very decent pizza dough baker. 

Summer is coming and the possibilities are endless.  Watch this video and go for it!



Time: 2 to 3 hours, mostly unattended, or less in a pinch
Yield: 2 pies, 4 to 6 servings.



Ingredients: 


3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, or more as needed, plus more for kneading
1 teaspoon fast-rising yeast (2 teaspoons if you’re in a hurry)
2 teaspoons salt, plus more for sprinkling
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as necessary
Rosemary, optional.


Directions: 


1. Put the 3 cups flour, yeast, 2 teaspoons salt and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a food processor. Turn the machine on and add 1 cup water through the feed tube. Process until the mixture forms a slightly sticky ball, about 30 seconds. If the mixture is too dry, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time and process for 5 to 10 seconds after each addition. If the mixture refuses to come together, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time and process until it does.

2. Rub a little olive oil or sprinkle a little flour onto your hands and shape the dough into a ball; wrap in plastic. Let rest at room temperature until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours. Or, if time is tight, let it rest at least 20 minutes before proceeding. Or refrigerate for several hours, deflating if necessary if it threatens to burst the plastic. (Or divide in half, wrap each ball in plastic, slip into a plastic bag and freeze.) Let it return to room temperature before proceeding.

3. Reshape the dough into a ball and cut in half, forming 2 balls. (From here on, use olive oil if you’re cooking on baking sheets, flour if on a pizza stone.) Put them on a lightly floured surface (a pizza peel is ideal), sprinkle with flour and cover with plastic wrap; or brush then with a bit of oil and place on a lightly oiled sheet. Let rest for about 20 minutes, while you heat the oven to 500 degrees.

4. Press a dough ball into a 1/2-inch-thick flat round, adding flour or oil to the work surface as necessary. Press or roll the dough until it’s as thin as you can make it; let it rest a bit if it becomes too elastic. (Patience is your friend here.) You can do two baking sheets at once, or one after another, as you’ll have to if using a peel. If doing the latter, slide the dough from the peel onto the stone.

5. Sprinkle the pizzas with olive oil (just a little), salt and rosemary. Bake for at least 10 minutes, perhaps rotating once, until the crust is crisp. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.


A version of this recipe appeared in print on April 18, 2012, in the New York Times
Recipe Mark Bittman, How To Cook Everything, The Basics

Tagliolini Gratineed With Prosciutto And Parmesan Cheese

According to The Harry's Bar Cookbook (Bantam, 1991)—in which a version of this recipe appears—this dish is "one of the few combinations of French and Italian cuisines on our menu … The pasta and the ham are Italian; the sauce and the cooking method are French." The recipe may also be made with dried pasta, which takes longer to cook.

Serves 4-6


Ingredients:

7 tbsp. butter

1⁄4 cup flour

2 cups hot milk

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

2 oz. 1⁄4"-thick sliced prosciutto, diced

3⁄4 lb. fresh spinach or egg tagliolini or linguine

1⁄2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano


Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, make a béchamel sauce by melting 4 tbsp. of the butter in a medium, heavy saucepan over low heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and gradually whisk in milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper, return pan to medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thick and smooth, 5–7 minutes. Remove pan from heat, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of sauce (to keep a skin from forming), and set aside.

2. Preheat broiler and set rack about 4" from the heat. Melt 1 tbsp. of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add prosciutto and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned and crispy, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking very slowly while pasta cooks.

3. Season boiling water generously with salt, add pasta, and cook, stirring, until just tender, 1 1⁄2–2 minutes. Drain pasta, then add to skillet containing prosciutto. Add 1 tbsp. of the butter and 1⁄4 cup of the parmigiano-reggiano. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss to mix well.

4. Spoon pasta into a 2-quart baking dish and tamp it down lightly with the back of a spoon so that its surface is even. Spoon béchamel over top, and sprinkle with remaining 1⁄4 cup parmigiano-reggiano. Cut remaining 1 tbsp. butter into small pieces and scatter over top. Place dish in oven and broil until golden and bubbling, 2–3 minutes. Serve with additional parmigiano-reggiano at the table, if you like.


Photo Christopher Hirscheimer, Saveur

Picnic Fare...Shrimp And Deviled Egg Salad Rolls

I am always looking for new things to make for our weekend picnics on the lake.  If it's just us, which it never is, I try to keep it simple.  It's always nice, though, to add a new twist to an old favorite.

These can be split in half if you are cooking on the grill, or they can be kept whole if it's the only thing you are bringing along.  Frankly I think that if you pack some chips, fruit, cheese and brownies, you would have ample fare for a no-fuss picnic.

Makes 8 mini rolls



Ingredients

Kosher salt
1 pound large shell-on shrimp, deveined
6 large eggs
2 ounces slab bacon or 2 strips thick-cut bacon, finely diced
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
Freshly ground pepper
4 butter lettuce leaves, halved
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 8 slices
4 top-loading hot-dog buns, halved crosswise
2 scallions, finely sliced


Directions

Fill a large pot with 2 quarts water, add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat; add the shrimp, and let sit (off the heat) until the shrimp is pink-orange and slightly firm, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a colander with a slotted spoon and rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle.

Return the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer over low heat. Gently lower the eggs into the water with a large ladle, two at a time, and let simmer exactly 14 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and chop the shrimp and put them in a large bowl. Saute the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until firm and just turning golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

When the eggs are done, transfer to a colander and rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle, about 2 minutes. Peel the eggs and halve lengthwise. Separate the whites from the yolks; coarsely chop the whites and add them to the bowl with the shrimp. Press the yolks through a mesh strainer into a separate bowl. Add the mayonnaise, hot sauce, mustard and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the yolks and whisk until the mixture is the consistency of cake batter, about 1 minute.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the yolk mixture into the shrimp mixture until the shrimp is evenly coated with the deviled-egg dressing. Season with salt and pepper and toss again. (The shrimp and deviled-egg salad will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for 2 days.)

To serve, load 1 piece of lettuce and 1 tomato slice into each of the bun halves; spread about 1/2 cup of the shrimp and deviled-egg salad in each. Garnish with the bacon and scallions.


Recipe Food Network
Photograph by Mark Peterson

Lemon Couscous With Chickpeas, Red Peppers And Toasted Almonds

Couscous, often mistakenly called a grain, is actually a pasta made up of tiny pearls of wheat dough. To save time, purchase instant couscous, which has been presteamed and is ready in only a few minutes once combined with hot liquid.

Thanks to my daughter, I have finally grown to adore couscous!


Ingredients:

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. olive oil

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 3/4 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 1/2 cups instant couscous

3/4 cup slivered almonds

1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3/4 cup brine-cured black olives, pitted and chopped

Juice from 1 lemon

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

Prepare the couscous

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the broth, the 1/2 tsp. salt and several grinds of pepper and bring to a boil. Place the couscous in a large stainless-steel bowl and pour the hot liquid over it. Blend well with a fork, cover with a plate and let stand for 5 minutes.

Toast the almonds

Meanwhile, in a large fry pan over medium heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the almonds and toast, stirring, until crisp and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Assemble the salad

Fluff the couscous with a fork. Add the almonds, chickpeas, bell pepper, olives, lemon juice, parsley and the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil to the couscous. Toss gently to combine. Taste, adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper, and serve immediately. Serves 4.



Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Salad, by Brigit L. Binns (Oxmoor House, 2007).

Shortcake For Strawberries

It's that time of the year again...Strawberry Shortcake time, one of my favorite desserts.

Keep this shortcake recipe handy somewhere in your kitchen for it is one of the easiest and most delightful ways to serve fruit from now until the end of summer.  Peaches, blueberries and apricots are a great substitute for the strawberries.  It's the perfect dessert for the night after a visit to the farmer's market.

This recipe comes from Dorie Greenspan's book Baking From My Home To Yours, a must have for bakers.

Yield: 10 Servings


Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. salt

6 Tbsp. sugar

1 ½ sticks (12 Tbsp.) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 ½ cups cold heavy cream

Directions

Center a rack in the oven, and preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat with flour. Quickly, working with your fingertips, pinch and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. Some pieces of butter will be about the size of peas, while other will be more like flakes of oatmeal.

Pour the cream over the dry ingredients, and toss and gently turn the ingredients with a fork until you’ve got a very soft dough. You’ll probably still have some flour at the bottom of the bowl, so reach in and use your hand to mix and gently knead the dough until it’s evenly blended. But don’t get overzealous: it’s better to have a few dry spots than an overworked dough. The dough should be soft and sticky.

Cut the dough into 10 roughly equal portions (each will be about 1/3 cup), and put 5 or 6 of them on the baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches of space between them. Pat each portion down until it’s about 1 inch high. [The shortcakes can be made to this point, wrapped in plastic wrap, and stashed in the freezer. Bake without defrosting – just add 5+ minutes to the baking time.]

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the sheet from front to back midway through, until the shortcakes are puffed and give just a little when poked with a fingertip. Pull the pan from the oven, and carefully transfer the shortcakes to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining dough, cooling the baking sheet first.

Serve the shortcakes slightly warm or at room temperature. To serve, use a serrated knife to gently cut each cake in half horizontally. (They’re fragile, so go easy.) Put the bottom halves on plates, top with berries and whipped cream (unsweetened, and softly whipped), and then cap with the top halves.

From Dorie Greenspan Baking

Ambrosia

A great addition to an Easter buffet.  Feel free to substitute store bought marshmallows.  It won't make that much of a difference.

While this is not the classic Ambrosia salad served in the South, I have had it like this many times and love it.  Guess that's the child in me.  It reminds me of a fruit salad my mother used to make years ago.  Maybe it's time to revive that one.  Stay tuned...

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 ounces sour cream
• 6 ounces homemade mini marshmallows, approximately 3 cups
• 1 cup clementine orange segments, approximately 6 clementines
• 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
• 1 cup freshly grated coconut
• 1 cup toasted, chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup drained maraschino cherries

Directions

Place the cream and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whip until stiff peaks are formed. Add the sour cream and whisk to combine. Add the marshmallows, orange, pineapple, coconut, pecans and cherries and stir to combine. Transfer to a glass serving bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.


Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown, Food Network