When we realized that our cheese club was about to run out, Bob and I decided to do another year of it. We love our wine and cheese dinners each month and really, we like supporting our local cheese shop. This month was the first in the new subscription and we had a lovely Italian theme.

First up, and the clear winner this month was Brunet, an Italian goat cheese. I love goat cheeses, but I’m a little wary of really soft runny cheeses. This one was both super soft and a flavorful, but not pungent, goat. So how good was it? We almost ate the wheel. This cheese was salty and had a definite goat milk flavor, but it wasn’t strong or in your face. It paired well with the beer bread I made and my favorite blackberry jam.

Next up was the Parmigiano Reggiano. This was the real stuff, the stuff I don’t usually get because a nice Pecorino works just as well in most cooked dishes (at way less money). But to eat, or to use on a fresh salad … well, the real stuff is amazing.

You can tell real Parmigiano by the rind. The needle marks and stamp imprinted into the rind to indicate the producer of each wheel. I can’t wait to make risotto this week, and maybe a nice salad to go with this cheese.

We’ve had the Toma before, but this Italian style cheese from a California dairy is about as perfect as you get. It is a solid cheese (not soft and runny) but it has the smoothest, creamiest texture that melts in your mouth. This is one I grab for lunch when I know it’s going to be busy.

While we were at the cheese shop we picked up a strong cheese for Bob. As he described it as having “some hair on it.” The Tunworth is what might be referred to as a stinky cheese. It has a strong taste that I like, but can only eat a little of. Bob, on the other hand, can eat a bunch of it.

To our little plate we added some of the Midnight Moon that I love and another soft goat called Kunik. We picked these up a few weeks ago and decided to use them up. Combine some really good cheese with a glass of wine and some homemade bread and we have one of my favorite dinners.

In he last post I mentioned the potato tart as an experiment this week. I did actually make it, we did actually eat it and I liked it so much I have a second in the freezer. The original recipe in my cookbook says this serves four. If I actually cut the potatoes thick enough it would have made one pie, but I cut them a little thinner (1/2 inch instead of 1 inch) and so I got two pies out of it. Double the sugar and butter and pastry fit two pies, but everything else was the same amounts so here it goes.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil (plus a little more for the tomatoes)
Salt and pepper
1 pound new potatoes (I used creamers and it worked fine)
1 onion (I only used 1/2 of an onion)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons butter
3 sprigs oregano
5 oz aged goat cheese (I substituted a gruyere instead)
1sheet puffed pastry, rolled thin

Half the tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook 45 minutes in a 275 oven.
Cook the potatoes (whole) in boiling water, about 20-25 minutes

The original recipe calls for cooking the onions down for about ten minutes in some oil. I totally missed this step, hence the way less onion. If you do cook down the onion you get a nice thick layer for the pie.

Here is the tricky part. Take a cake pan and lightly oil the bottom (9 in pan). Cut a circle of parchment or wax paper to fit the bottom and place inside the pan. In a small sauce pan heat the butter and sugar over high heat, stirring constantly until you get a dark caramel. I had to do this twice. The first time I burnt the caramel. The second time I took it off the heat at a medium color and kept stirring for a bit. Pour this into the prepared pan. I had trouble getting the caramel to spread. As soon as I poured it into the pan, it hardened. I did manage to spread it a little but not a ton. It worked anyway. Sprinkle with oregano leaves.

Cut the potatoes into 1 inch disks and place in a layer in the pan over the caramel. Gently press the tomatoes between he potatoes.

Add the onions.

Then add a layer of cheese. I just took my block and sliced thin slices until I had enough to make a single layer.

Cover the while thing with the rolled puffed pastry, pushing the ends down around the potatoes. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes then reduce the heat to 350 for another 15 minutes. I loosely covered mine with foil when I changed the heat as my pastry was nice and brown.

Let everything sit for about two minutes then quickly invert onto a plate.

If you actually use all of the ingredients in one pie. It will be enough for four people. I spread it over two pies (so double the caramel and pastry) so we had one for dinner one night and one is sitting in the freezer for another night.

Bob and I both really like this one. I thought it sounded like a perfect meal (maybe add a little salad next time) but he was skeptical. Bob did comment that he really, really liked it so he will not mind when I make it again. So far, Plenty is two for two recipes. This coming week I’m doing Brussels sprouts with tofu and a soba noodles with eggplant. One of these days I will get around to the garlic tart (it has three heads of garlic in it! Not cloves, heads.) I think it is safe to say this cookbook is a keeper. Great, flavorful vegetarian recipes that even meat eaters love. I am skipping over the mushroom section; still can’t eat those.

A few weeks ago I picked up a new cookbook to help with trying to go more vegetarian. I really like Plenty because it is a vegetarian cookbook that isn’t written by a vegetarian and it acknowledges that there are different versions of vegetarian. Some are more vegan – no animal products at all – some are no eggs or no dairy or fish only and others are anything other than meat. I am clearly not totally vegetarian but I like to cook meatless as much as I can.

I started my exploration of this cookbook with a polenta with eggplant. I didn’t use the polenta recipe from the book because A) it required six ears of corn and B) I really love my version of the Alton Brown recipe. My version is pretty simple:
1 shallot, chopped
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup corn meal
1 tablespoon butter
1 oz grated cheese (Pecorino or Romano generally)
Oil for the shallot

Cook the shallot over medium heat about five minutes until soft. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Whisk in the cornmeal until it is all incorporated. Cover and place in a 350 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes. Remove and add the butter – whisk to incorporate – then the cheese. Stir well to mix the cheese in.

That’s it. Fairly simple and always delicious.

For the eggplant sauce, I did this fairly close to the actual recipe.
1 medium eggplant chopped into pieces about 3/4 inch
Oil for the pan – about 1/2 cup
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/4 cup water
Pinch of salt
Pinch of sugar
1 teaspoon chopped oregano

I peeled the eggplant because I don’t like the skin – I find it bitter. So heat the oil in a large pan then cook the eggplant about 15 minutes until it is browned and cooked through. Drain all the oil – I used paper towels over a large bowl and let it all drain for a minute or two. Return the eggplant to the pan and add the tomato paste. Cook 2 minutes then add the wine and cook 1 minute more. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook over medium heat for five to ten minutes.

This one was a real winner. The polenta was smooth and creamy and very comfort food feeling. The eggplant was simple, but flavorful. They went really well together and made a great meal. There were no leftovers from this even though it is suppose to serve four. I probably used a smaller eggplant than anticipated and with the different polenta recipe we only had enough for two. But it works and I will definitely be making this again.

I have a potato/tomato pie on plan for today … We shall see how that works.

I am a huge bread fan. Huge. I went through withdraw when Bob wanted to go without grain but since we’ve started doing more grains and less meat I’ve gotten back into making bread.

Bread is, oddly, simple to make. It is pretty easy to mess up too, but I’ve found that if I don’t overheat the water (thus killing the yeast), let the dough actually rise and use salt it tends to come out pretty well.

My first bread this week was a beer bread. I’ve made simple beer breads before, but this one was an actual yeast based beer bread. The recipe is straightforward and requires little work beyond patience, which is not my strong suit. I used Blue Moon Belgium White Ale for this bread and poured some melted butter over the top right before baking. I think this may be my favorite quick bread (where quick means no kneading, not short time) and it goes well with everything. We had it with cheese for lunch Saturday then with the Chicken and Dumplings I made Sunday.

I also made a nice, basic whole wheat bread today with three cups whole wheat flour and one cup all purpose flour. This doesn’t have the beautiful crust of the beer bread, but it is a great all purpose bread.

Dough can also be dessert. As in pecan cinnamon roll dessert dough.

I love the sticky, goo-y rolls and the pecans really make these. I did experiment with the dough and I like my old recipe better – but the topping was pretty perfect.
Some basic ingredients, a little patience and a world of possibilities. I’m so glad Bob is ok with grains again. I missed my bread.

Here’s an idea … Take a bunch of foods you don’t particularly like, use a prep method you are not fond of and create a fabulous sandwich. A few months ago our Hello Fresh box had such a sandwich. Yes, I could have gone for the regular box, but the other options in the veggie box just looked so good I decided to go for it. Bob loved the idea of this sandwich, but I was pretty hesitant. I want to like beets and I try to like beets, but I have a hard time with them. I really don’t like radishes, red onions are not my favorite and ricotta cheese is ok, but only ok. There are way better cheeses out there. And pickling? No thanks.

So how did I end up loving this sandwich enough I find all the ingredients and recreate it? Dunno, but I did. Somehow the beets are not prominent in the flavor of this sandwich, the radishes aren’t sharp or bitter and the ricotta acts more as a condiment than a cheese. It’s pretty much a perfect sandwich, although very messy.

So here is the original recipe with my home changes noted:
2 Ciabatta rolls (multigrain bread, cut thick like rolls)
8 oz. cooked baby beets (I used 1 beet from an 8.8 oz package of 3)
1/2 oz dill (way less – probably half that amount)
1/2 oz parsley (didn’t have parsley on hand, but it definitely was missed)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (I had white balsamic on hand, but the white wine vinegar is better)
3 radishes (2 radishes)
1 red onion (1/4 of a medium red onion)
8 oz ricotta (half this amount for two sandwiches – 4 oz total)
1 teaspoon turmeric (1/2 teaspoon was enough)
1 tablespoon olive oil (same)
3/4 teaspoon sugar (just a pinch – maybe 1/4 teaspoon)
Salt and pepper to taste

Toast the bread – I found using the broiler in the oven on low for a few minutes worked great. The 450 degree oven in the recipe was quick to burn the bottom of the bread.
Slice the onion as thin as you can. Mix with the turmeric, a little salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon vinegar (not quite a whole tablespoon is needed for the smaller amount). Set aside.

Slice the radishes thin. Mix with a pinch of sugar and a little salt (about 1/8 teaspoon or less) and set aside.

Slice the beet thin and mix with remaining vinegar. Pull the dill from the stems and do the same with the parsley.

Spread about two heaping tablespoons of ricotta on one side of the bread. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the beets in a single or double layer then top with the red onion.

Add a layer of radish and then the dill and parsley. Be generous with the herbs – they really do add to the sandwich.

Drizzle a little olive oil over the top and too with the other half of the bread.

According to the original recipe this has 535 calories per sandwich. Since I always end up using way less of everything, I’m pretty sure it is less then that, but even if it isn’t, it is an awesome sandwich.

I’m trying to figure out how to get this to keep so I can take it to work for lunch. I’m thinking about keeping the ingredients separate and just assembling before I eat it, but am not sure if that would work or how the longer “pickling” time would effect it. Have to say though, it was very pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this. It isn’t something I would have ever tried from a cookbook or off a menu, but I love it. I’m also wondering how a fresh goat cheese or golden beets would work. They might make a nice variation. One thing is for sure, I may have to try foods I’m not crazy about more. Except mushrooms. Still can’t get past the concept of eating fungus. I might try, but that one is harder than some of my other food hang ups.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Sometimes I decide to try a recipe and go through the cabinets and fridge and make sure I have everything or make a grocery list so I get the exact ingredients. Sometimes I look up a bunch of similar recipes and combine them or take inspiration from them all. Other days I really want to stick with a recipe, but end up using what I have on hand and hope it works.

I found a Rick Bayless recipe for a salsa verde pizza. I read it over a half dozen times and was pretty sure I could do this by the book. I did, however, forget to check the salsa recipe until I was ready to go and realized it used a jarred sauce. I also didn’t have the correct cheeses on hand (go figure) or, apparently, the correct type of beer. Well, Bob had beer so I asked if I could use some of his fancy beer for the recipe.

First things first, I had to get both the dough and the sauce going. A friend from work gave me a bunch of fresh tomatillos at the end of the school year so I was good to make the sauce. I roasted about ten tomatillos with a half an onion (large onion), three cloves of garlic and one jalapeño.

I fully admit to generally being lazy with salsa, but with this I was careful to take the stems out of the tomatillos and the jalapeño before roasting. After everything cooled I dumped it all (drippings and all) into a food processor with some salt, cumin and chili paste.

The color is no where near the pretty green salsa verde usually is, but all the taste is there. The tang and tart bite of the tomatillos, the slight sweetness of the onion and garlic all come through. Sauce done and good; on to the dough.

Bob called this the world’s most expensive pizza dough. I needed a third of a cup of beer and used one of his fancy beers. I was able to reseal the bottle so he had the rest with dinner, so no beer was wasted in the making of the dough.

In keeping with my “let’s just change everything” mode, I swapped half the all purpose flour for whole wheat flour and increased the yeast a little. It was crumbly and messy and did not look anything like dough, but seven hours later – I had dough.

So the “pizza.” I rolled out the dough on an oiled pan and baked it at 450 for fifteen minutes. I know the recipe calls for 500, but I know my oven. 500 I have a burned mess in ten minutes; 450 I have crust in fifteen. While the crust was baking, I went for toppings.

The original recipe calls for goat cheese and Parmesan and I didn’t exactly have those. I had Midnight Moon, which is technically a goat cheese, although not a soft cheese. I also had some fontanelle from last month’s box and Alpha Tolman from this month’s box. I used about two ounces of each plus about half of the sliced red onions shown and about an once and a half of prosciutto.

Once the crust was baked for the fifteen minutes I added the sauce (about half of what I made) then the Midnight Moon. To that I scattered the onions then layered on the fontanelle only to top that with the prosciutto and the Alpha Tolman.

I thought the layering was a good method for even distribution of topping and just made it look prettier. The dough went back into the oven for five minutes then, after checking the bottom of the crust to make sure it wasn’t burning, I left it in the oven (turned off) until Bob got home a few minutes later.

At first Bob declared it “interesting.” Since he kept eating I figured it was good; I liked it. I liked it a lot. Bob said he liked the crust (although he did suggest picking up a few bottles of “cooking beer” for the next time). He loved the way the flavors came together but also said it was blasphemy to call it pizza. It was good, but he doesn’t consider it pizza. I can live with that. This will also probably be impossible to recreate because of the sauce. I know how I made it (see recipe below) but to get the right mix of the right ingredients when I don’t measure and am far from precise is going to be next to impossible. But I can try because pizza or not, this was just a darn good dinner.

Salsa Ingredients:
10 tomatillos
1/2 large sweet onion
3 cloves garlic
1 jalapeño
Oil to coat
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon chili paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Chop onion into large chunks; de-stem the tomatillos and jalapeño. Coat onion, tomatillos and garlic in a little oil and roast at 400 degrees for twenty to thirty minutes, stirring once.

Once cooled, pour everything into a food processor and add about a quarter teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon chili paste and 1 teaspoon ground cumin. Blend well until smooth.