Tag: anything

Detroit-Style Pizza – This "Rock City" Pizza Rocks

The next time you hear people arguing about whether Chicagoor New York has the best pizza, politely interrupt them, and make sure they know about Detroit-style, since it really should be part of the discussion. And by discussion, I mean heated argument.

Even though Detroit-style pizza is often referred to as “deep dish,” I don’t think that accurately captures the essence of this crispy, crusty, crazy-good slice. It has flavor elements of a slightly charred, blistered, thin-crust pizza, with the texture of light, airy focaccia. Plus, if you use the properly shaped pan, the edges of your crust get wonderfully crunchy, making for a very unique experience.

If you can’t get the classic 14” X 10” Detroit pizza pan, you can also use a 12” cast iron skillet, although you may need to not use quite as much dough, since I forget how much surface area that has, but it should be close. You can also use two 8” X 8” metal cake pans, but no matter what you go with, be sure it’s at least a few inches deep, otherwise things could get ugly.

Since I’m new to this style of pizza, if you’re from Detroit, please let me know how close I got, and if there’s anything obvious I’m missing. I know I needed more, and thicker, pepperoni, but other than that, I was really happy with how this came out, and hope everyone gives it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one 14×10 Detroit-Style Pizza:

For the dough:

1 cup warm water

1 package dry active yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 1/2 cups bread flour

For the sauce (you’ll have a little extra):

one (24-oz) jar marinara sauce

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 teaspoon garlic powder

The rest:

8 ounces sliced pepperoni

12 ounces brick cheese (I used 8 oz. of Monterey Jack and 4 oz. of cheddar)

Cranberry & Walnut Brussel Sprouts

Can you believe that I’ve never cooked brussel sprouts before?! Honestly, I’d never even eaten a brussel sprout until about a year ago when I was downtown at this fun little restaurant called The Lucky Robot. They have these crispy pan seared (or fried) brussel sprouts that are served with some sort of kicked up soy dipping sauce. A-ma-zing!

I’ve been looking for an excuse (as if I needed one) to make brussel sprouts ever since.

With another major foodie-holiday rolling up on us all quickly, I thought that a side of some brussel sprouts with cranberries, walnuts, and blue cheese would make a great tasty side dish for any holiday meal!

One of the great things about brussel sprouts, is that they are very versatile. There’s really not much that you can put them with that wouldn’t pair well.

I like to think of them as cute little mini cabbages. Adorable!

Being as they are similar to cabbage, they tend to take on the flavors of whatever you put them with. Which is a good thing since, on their own, they don’t have much of a substantial flavor that really stands out. The sweetness of the cranberries, the nuttiness of the walnuts, and the sharpness of the blue cheese all work really well together with these little green gems.

An added bonus? Natural holiday colors that make any dish even more fun and festive!

I’m pretty sure that I’ll be making these again in the near future once my mom sees this. We’ve been going back and forth on our New Year’s meal plans for a while now. Settled? Settled.

Cranberry & Walnut Brussel Sprouts
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 2 • Size: 1 Popsicle • Calories: 70.6 • Fat: 0.4 g • Carb: 18.3 g • Fiber: 2.2 g • Protein: 0.6 g • Sugar: 15.6 g • Sodium: 4.5 mg

Ingredients:
8 Oz. Brussel Sprouts
1/2 Tbsp. Honey (I use a raw local honey.)
1/2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Walnuts, Chopped
2 Tbsp. Dried Cranberries
2 Tbsp. (1 Oz.) Blue Cheese Crumbles
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions:

Rinse the brussel sprouts, cut the rough white end off and quarter them.

Yeah, some of the leaves fall off. No big deal! Use them all anyway.

Toss the quartered pieces into a sealable container (or ziplock), along with the oil, honey, and seasoning to taste.

Once all the pieces are coated evenly, toss them into a medium non-stick pan and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown and crisp.

Add in the walnuts and cranberries and reduce heat to medium. Continue to cook for another few minutes until the walnuts begin to become fragrant.

When done, remove the pan from the heat and plate right away.

Top with the blue cheese crumbles.

Serve right away and enjoy!

Mushroom Risotto

This is probably the most voluptuous risotto I’ve ever made. Thick with both cultivated and wild mushrooms, enriched with cognac, beef stock, and marscapone cheese, it’s pretty heady stuff. Pair it with an earthy pinot noir and a crackling fire.

I used a combination of portobello and cremini, plus a package of mixed dried wild mushrooms. If you were to use all white button mushrooms you wouldn’t get nearly the depth of flavor, so, tempting as it is to grab those pre-cleaned and sliced packages, force yourself to experiment with other varieties. I have a slightly unorthodox method of cooking mushrooms, I saute them in a hot dry cast iron pan. This method is so great because it turns the mushrooms a rich brown, concentrates their flavor, and brings out their ‘meaty’ texture.

One note — even though this is quite a sensual dish, it might not be appropriate for a first date. For one thing, you’ll be spending the 30 minutes or so before dinner tethered to the stove, and not available to tend to your new friend. And second, after 30 minutes of ladling, stirring, and taking in the rich scents of this luscious risotto, you might be a tad ‘dewy’, and focused on only one thing — devouring it. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, but probably not ideal for a first date. Other than that, this is the perfect romantic dinner for 2.

What You Will Need

1 portobello mushroom
6 oz cremini mushrooms (about a pint)
1/2 oz package of dried wild mushrooms, any variety you like
26 oz container of beef stock
2 cups water
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 or 3 large shallots, peeled thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup cognac
a handful of fresh thyme
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional
1/3 cup marscapone cheese
more fresh thyme for garnish

Instructions

Place the dried mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with warm water, according to the package instructions. When they have reconstituted, drain them and give them a rough chop Set aside.
Clean your fresh mushrooms with a damp towel, or, if they are very dirty, give them a quick shower. Pat them dry and then trim and slice them.
Put the fresh mushrooms in a dry saute pan and cook them over medium heat until they start to release their moisture and darken. Stir often so they don’t stick. When the mushrooms are cooked through, turn off the heat and set aside.
Put the beef stock and the water in a saucepan and heat to just under a simmer on the stove. I like to add a few thyme sprigs so they will infuse flavor into the stock as it heats.
In a heavy stockpot, melt the butter and oil and saute the shallot and garlic for about 5 minutes over medium low heat, do not brown them. Add the rice and stir to coat. Saute another minute or so, stirring constantly.
Add the cognac to the pan and stir until it is absorbed. You should hear a nice sizzling sound when it hits the pan. If you don’t, your heat is too low.
Add the reconstituted dried mushrooms and HALF of the fresh mushrooms to the pan, along with at least a tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves, salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste.
Now you are ready to start adding the stock, ladle by ladle, to the pan. Add 1 or 2 ladles (about 1/3 cup) at a time to the rice and stir until it is absorbed. Keep adding the stock, stirring until it is absorbed before you ladle in the next addition. The whole process is going to take about 30 minutes.
After about 20 minutes, start tasting the rice. When it is done it will be tender but still somewhat firm. You may not need all the stock. I like to end with a ladle of stock so the risotto has a somewhat loose consistency before I add the cheese.
When the rice is done, add in the squeeze of lemon juice, and the cheeses and stir well. Taste again to adjust the seasonings. I like to sprinkle in more thyme at this point.
Plate the risotto right away, and top with the remaining fresh mushrooms and more fresh thyme.

Notes

The secret to a successful risotto is keeping the stock and the pan at the right temperature. The pot should be gently simmering at all times. If you add a ladle of stock to the pan and it doesn’t simmer instantly, your stock or your pot is not hot enough. You don’t want a furious boil, just a constant simmer.
The marscapone will make the risotto extra creamy, but you can leave it out if you like.

2.2

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This recipe is just perfect as is, but I know that many of you will want to make it a little differently, for your own reasons. Here’s what I suggest…if you want to make this vegetarian, go with a mushroom broth rather than a vegetable broth, or a combination of the two, you’ll get better flavor. You can also strain the water that the dried mushrooms soak in and use that as part of your broth. If you want to use chicken broth in place of beef, I might substitute dry sherry, vermouth, or dry white wine for the cognac. You can leave out the marscapone if you like, and maybe add a little extra Parmesan. In any case, don’t leave out the fresh thyme.

Chef Gordon Ramsay Recipes

Tag: anything

Detroit-Style Pizza – This "Rock City" Pizza Rocks

Cranberry & Walnut Brussel Sprouts

Mushroom Risotto

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