CELEBRATE WEDNESDAY WITH HOMEMADE CALZONES!

Posted in Breads, Celebrate Wednesday, Weekend Dinners by sallybr

Do you think it would be too hard to enjoy calzones made from scratch right in the middle of the week? Trust me, it is doable with just a little bit of advance prep. First, the day before (or early in the morning), make your favorite pizza dough. Place it in the fridge. Also the day before, prepare the fillings, and reserve in the fridge, right next to the dough. When you arrive home from work, take the dough off the fridge and let it warm a little as you heat the oven. Roll the dough out, add the filling, close the calzone, and bake!

SPICY CHORIZO CALZONES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

1 recipe for pizza dough (click here for my favorite)
3 chorizo sausages, casings removed
1 can (14.5 oz) diced fire roasted tomatoes
1/2 Tbs olive oil
1 box (10 oz) frozen spinach, defrosted, squeezed dry
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
egg wash (1 egg beaten with a little water)
homemade tomato sauce to serve alongside (optional)

Prepare the dough the day before or early in the morning. Place it in the fridge until dinner time. Make the filling: heat the olive oil, and add the chorizo sausage, crumbling it into pieces. Saute the sausage until it starts to get browned, drain the diced tomatoes, and add to the sausage. Reduce the heat, cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Let it cool, and place in the fridge.

Remove the dough from the fridge, cut it in four pieces, and turn the oven at 400 F. Squeeze as much water as you can from the spinach, add it to ricotta cheese, season with salt and pepper, add the egg and mix.

Roll out each ball of dough to a 7-inch diameter round. Add a little bit of sausage mixture, the ricotta/spinach, and grated mozzarella. Fold the dough over, pinch the edges to seal, brush the surface with egg wash. Cut three slits with a sharp knife, place it in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Serve with tomato sauce and a salad, and you are all set!

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

These will turn any dinner into something special and festive, and they are sooo easy to make! I used a very spicy chorizo, but the ricotta mellowed it down quite a bit. Sometimes I do not add any egg to the ricotta, but in this version I did, to make sure the filling would have a bit more body. If the filling is too liquid, the bottom of the calzone might get soggy. Of course, this is a perfect recipe to improvise, coming up with different ingredients: sautéed mushrooms, black olives, a little Gorgonzola cheese, artichoke hearts, anything goes!

I like my calzones either plain, or with a little bit of tomato sauce, but others are known to go for the kill… 😉

I am submitting this post to Susan’s Yeastspotting…

ONE YEAR AGO: Plum-Glazed Duck Breasts

TWO YEARS AGO: Holiday Double-Decker

THREE YEARS AGO: New York Deli Rye

12Sep2012

CELEBRATE WEDNESDAY WITH A SEAFOOD CURRY

Posted in Celebrate Wednesday, Seafood by sallybr

I honestly could not remember when was the last time I made a special midweek dinner for us. It seemed like ages, so I browsed the blog and there it was: May 3rd. Four months ago. Four hectic months. Slowly we begin to adjust to a new routine, but there’s no doubt that my cooking suffered quite a bit. Lack of energy, the feeling of being always short on time and exhausted, it all took a toll on me. But, it’s about time to shake things up a little. This was simple enough to prepare after work, and delivered all that I expected to make that evening – a prisoner in the middle of a busy week – feel very special!

THAI SEAFOOD CURRY
(adapted from Bon Appetit Everyday Meals)

3 large limes
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, cut in small dice
1 + 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons Thai green curry paste
1 can (about 14 oz) light unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
10 ounces cod fillets, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
12 peeled large shrimp
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

Finely grate enough peel from 2 limes to measure 1 + 1/2 teaspoons. Squeeze enough juice from 2 limes to measure 2 tablespoons. Cut third lime into wedges, and reserve for serving.

Heat vegetable oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, bell pepper, and minced ginger; sauté until shallots and peppers soften up slightly, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, lime peel, and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Simmer gently, for a few minutes. Sprinkle fish and shrimp with salt and pepper. Add fish and shrimp to curry sauce. Return to very gentle simmer and cook just until fish and shrimp are opaque in center, 5 to 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add cilantro and basil; serve with lime wedges, over steamed white rice. Prepare to receive high praise.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The original recipe used halibut, but I substituted cod because our grocery store had gorgeous looking cod that day, whereas the halibut seemed a bit sad (or, to quote a favorite French expression of mine: pas fameux ;-)). My other modification was to use green curry paste instead of red, because that’s what I had in my pantry. As to coconut milk, I almost always use light because it works well for this type of recipe. It is slightly less dense, but feels rich and flavorful enough, with the added bonus of lower fat content.

ONE YEAR AGO: Post-workout Breakfast

TWO YEARS AGO: Semolina Barbecue Buns

THREE YEARS AGO: Lavash Crackers

17Mar2012

CELEBRATE WEDNESDAY: CRISPY HERB-CRUSTED HALIBUT

Posted in Celebrate Wednesday, Seafood by sallybr

Most people are preoccupied and busy during the week, so weeknight dinners lean towards the quick and simple. But, every once in a while it’s nice to create a special meal, and Wednesday’s my favorite day to do it, because it’s right in the middle of the exhausting road to the weekend. It’s HUMP DAY! After reading a comment from Lisa, I decided to include such special dinners in a category called “Celebrate Wednesday.” They will focus on recipes that are easy to prepare and sure to bring festivities to the table. Today it’s a delicious recipe from Anne Burrell, that turned a cloudy, chilly Wednesday this past week into a warm, relaxing evening.

CRISPY HERB-CRUSTED HALIBUT WITH CURLY CELERY
(adapted from Chef Anne Burrell, recipe available online here)

6 celery ribs
Kosher salt
1 lemon, halved, divided
1/2 pound green beans, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
Pinch of red pepper flakes
4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets, skin removed
1/2 bunch thyme, leaves chopped
1/2 bunch chives, minced
4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, leaves finely chopped
1 cup instant mashed potato flakes
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water (egg wash)
olive oil

Using a sharp veggie peeler, shave the celery to get long, thin shavings. Put the celery shavings in ice water with half a lemon and its juice and let sit for at least 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator. The celery will get very crunchy, and all curly. Before you start preparing the rest of the meal, drain the celery and dry it well (preferably using a salad spinner). Reserve.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and set up a bowl of ice water. Toss the green beans in the boiling water and cook until they beans are tender but still firm. Remove the beans from the boiling water and plunge immediately into the ice water and let them cool. When they are cold and still vibrantly green, remove them from the ice water and reserve (can be prepared the day before).

Heat your oven to 375 F.

Season the fish fillets with salt. Combine the herbs and the potato flakes in a shallow dish. Place the egg wash in another bowl. Dip the flesh side of each fillet into the egg wash and then press them into the herb/potato flake mixture. Put on a sheet tray with the crusted side up.

Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and heat it over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the fish, crusted side down. When the crust has become golden and crispy, flip them over, then transfer the fish to a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack and put in the preheated oven for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the filet is flaky and cooked through.

Remove the oil in the saute pan and add new oil. Toss in the garlic and crushed red pepper. When the garlic becomes golden and aromatic remove it and discard. Toss in the reserved green beans, and toss them around the pan to heat them through, without overcooking. Turn off the heat, and add the crispy celery on top. Squeeze the juice of the other half of the lemon all over the veggies, divide them between 4 serving plates and top with the fish.

ENJOY! (I know you will… 😉 )

to print the recipe, click here

I don’t normally buy instant mashed potatoes, but when Anne Burrell asked me to, I complied. It took me a while to even find them at the grocery store. They come in a box and they hang around their buddies like boxed mac and cheese, and hamburger helpers. Now I must find some other uses, because the box is huge! (sigh)

The celery deserves a paragraph for itself. The ribbons, after a few hours in the icy, lemony water, turn into crispy creatures, absolutely delicious! They were a pain to shave, but that’s probably due to my poor skills with the veggie peeler. I halved the recipe (used two fish filets only), but still went through 6 celery stalks to have enough good looking ribbons. At any rate, I advise you to make more than you think you need. Add it to a salad next day, or munch on them straight from the fridge. It’s addictive stuff!

This was a superb meal, one that I would make for company anytime. And had the desired effect on my beloved, who was expecting leftovers from the evening before for his dinner. 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Almond Butter Cake

TWO YEARS AGO: Bonjour! (makes me miss Paris!)