Dinner in French

Hey, hey, All!

One of my favorite things in the entire world is creating delicious and unique things in my kitchen. Today’s recipe is no exception to unique and delicious. It’s so fancy but, very fast and elegant. I love seafood so much and squid has always been a favorite of mine. I’ve just never cooked it myself.

A goal I set for myself this year was to cook with things I’ve never cooked with before. Remember the beet pizza?

I have a really great cookbook called “Dinner in French” by Melissa Clark. It’s full of fabulous french recipes and I’ve had my eye on this one for a while.

Today’s main ingredient? Like I said is squid! An absolute staple in french seaside towns like Marseille. Which is one of my favorite places I’ve ever been. Their fish market is really something to see. Anyway, back to the recipe. It’s so fast that author Melissa says to make sure you have the table set and your wine poured before you even turn on the stove. But, like, is there any other way?

what you do:

1. Rinse the squid under cool running water. Drain them and them transfer them to a paper towel to dry completely. Cut the bodies into 1/2-inch thick rings and leave the tentacles whole. Pat dry and transfer to a bowl.

2. Place a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and the pancetta, and cook until pancetta is crisp, 7-12 minutes (mine was less). Transfer to paper towel lined plate, leaving the fat in the pan.

3. Raise the heat to high and let the skillet get very hot. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet.

4. Toss squid with the Espelette powder and a pinch of salt. Here is where I used the paprika instead. But believe me I’m ordering it. Slide in the squid and cook, stirring frequently, until they are cooked through, 1-2 minutes, adding the garlic for the last 20 seconds of cooking. Transfer the squid and garlic to platter.

5. Drizzle lemon juice all over squid and then sprinkle Parker, pancetta, and more Espelette (or paprika) on top. Serve at once, with your bread,if you’d like.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for stopping by today! I love being able to share this part of my life with you.

Have a fabulous Wednesday!

Beet-zza

Hello, hello, All!

I was strolling through the grocery store perusing when I saw a bunch of beautiful beets. Believe it or not I’ve never actually cooked with raw beets even though I have always wanted to. So I grabbed them and off I went. I kept thinking I wanted to do something unique and fancy. Keeping their beautiful color in mind I first thought some kind of bread or crêpes (which I still might do, I love a crêpe) then it came to me…PIZZA! Who doesn’t love pizza? I remembered seeing a picture once of a beautiful beet colored pizza and my mind ran wild and I thought I was going to make an all dolled up, colorful, beet pizza crust. Now I will say this recipe takes some prep but once it comes together it is well worth it. It takes longer too, if you make your own basil for the crust like I did.

Here’s the recipe for that…

Now on to the crust! It’s not too much different from any regular pizza crust.

what you need:

• 3 beets peeled and roasted

• 2 1/2 cups flour

• 1 tbsp active dry yeast

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1 cup warm water

• 1 tsp salt

  what you do:

  For the beets: I roasted mine on 400 degrees for about 30 minutes and then threw them in the food processor.

  Like any other pizza crust, add water, yeast, and sugar to a mixer and let it sit for about five minutes or until it starts to bubble. Then, add salt and slowly your flour. Once that all comes together then you can add in your pureed beets until they are well combined. Knead the dough for a few minutes and then cover and put it somewhere warm to rise for about an hour and a half. At least that’s what I did.

  Then, you’re ready! You can make two pizzas or one with this recipe. I made one big one. Once your dough is on a pizza pan bake for about ten minutes in 350. Pull it out after the ten and top!

For my topping, I used:

• fresh pesto for the base

• colorful cherry tomatoes

• asparagus

• a few saved roasted beets

• thinly sliced red onion

• goat cheese

  (I would have used gorgonzola but happened to have extra goat in my fridge)

• A few hard boiled eggs, I do love a messy egg on a pizza or burger!

• topped with fresh basil

  After you finish topping your pizza put it back in the oven for another ten to fifteen minutes.

Guys, I’m not even exaggerating but this pizza was epic. And honestly the beets are more for show and far less for taste. But wow it was very delicious and quite pleasing to the eye and far, far, from your average pizza.

I hope your Wednesday is just as bright and colorful as this pizza! As always thanks for stopping by!

A Perfect Summer Combo

Ahhhhh! You guys! This recipe has me screaming with JOY! If you’ve read my blog at all in the summer time then you know I have a major obsession with zucchini and tomatoes. I mean in my humble opinion there is no better combination in the summer months. But, the best part about this divine recipe is that you ‘d never know this creamy dish is vegan!

First, let’s start with my favorite way to make vegan ricotta. This one uses tofu and I’ve made different ricotta “cheese” but this one if by far my favorite version. Easy, too! Just throw all of these in a food processor and blend away!

This is a very fast and simple recipe here is everything you need:

• Crescent dough sheet

• Zucchini and tomatoes, sliced

• Ricotta (vegan or regular)

• Any spices you like, I used garlic salt and Italian seasoning for the finishing touch

  what you do:

1. Make about one-inch cuts around the edges and add your ricotta.

2. Add tomatoes…

3. Then zucchini…

keep going!

4. Fold over the pieces you cut.

5. Season and throw it in the oven at 400 degrees for around 25 minutes or until it looks golden brown or however you like it.

Now, listen close because this is the most important part…

Don’t forget to enjoy this one with some vino!