Guten Appetit! Germany & the Czech Republic

I’ve had a few revelations since my return from Europe this week. For one, my family is nuts – we’ve made over 10 trips to Germany (and surrounding countries) and we’re still making mistakes. You’d think we’d be seasoned pros by now, but nope, not yet. Two, I don’t exercise near as much as I should. We hiked 6 miles up and down a rocky, muddy mountain to see a castle… 6 miles. Crazy. And three, I center my vacations way too much around food. However, this means that I’ve returned with several new recipes in tow to post in the near future. Hurray! And guess what I found in Wuppertal? Cupcakes at McDonald’s!

I’m definitely going on a diet… just as soon as this jet lag moves on. 🙂

 

You Want Pies With That? – Pizza Pies

Happy Cinco de Mayo, y’all! This month’s ‘You Want Pies With That?’ theme is Pizza Pies, chosen by the lovely Erin of Milk & Honey. And what better way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo than with a Mexican Pizza?! A couple of slices of this paired with a Coconut Margarita and you’re good to go! 🙂

‘Cinco de Mayo’ Mexican Pizza
Adapted from: Gourmet Magazine (dough) & TLC

Dough
2 to 2-1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 ounce package fast-acting yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl whisk together 3/4 cup of flour, yeast, sugar, and 2/3 cup hot water (130 dgrees F). Stir in the oil, 1-1/4 cups of the remaining flour, and the salt and blend the mixture until it forms a dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface, incorporating as much of the remaining 1/4 cup flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.

Alternatively, the dough may be made in a food processor. In a food processor combine 3/4 cup of the flour, yeast, and sugar. With the motor running, add 2/3 cup hot water, and turn the motor off. Add the oil, 1-1/4 cups of the remaining flour, and the salt and process the mixture until it forms a ball, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if it is too dry, or more flour, 1 tablespoon at time, if it is too wet. Knead the dough by processing it for 15 seconds.

The dough, prepared by either method, may be used immediately, but for better flavor it is best to let it rise once. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and turn it to coat it with the oil. Let the dough rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place for 30 minutes, or until it is double in bulk, and punch it down. This dough may be used instead of the basic pizza dough.

Pizza
Pizza Crust (recipe above)
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 small white onion, diced
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 can reduced-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 can diced green chilies
1 can fat-free refried beans
1 c shredded Mexican-blend cheese
3/4 c diced tomatoes
1/2 c frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1/2 can sliced ripe black olives, drained
Salsa (optional)
Fat-free sour cream (optional)

Prepare pizza crust. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Spray 2-3 quart saucepan with cooking spray. Place over medium heat. Add onion, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon and 1 tbsp water; stir. Cover and cook 3-4 minutes or until onion is crisp-tender. Stir in black beans and chilies.

Roll dough into a 14″ circle. Transfer dough to pizza pan or stone. Spread refried beans over crust, leaving about an inch around the sides. Top with half the cheese, black bean mixture, tomatoes, corn and olives. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is a deep golden brown. Let stand a few minutes before slicing. Serve with salsa and sour cream, if desired.

 

Barefoot Bloggers Bonus – Grilled California Pizzas

I have an ongoing love/hate relationship with pizza. I love it, but my thighs hate it. 🙂 However, that doesn’t ever stop me from eating it. Since I have no grill, I had to bribe my parents with a homemade pizza dinner if I “borrowed” their grill for a while. As you can see, success ensued.

Since I’m funny about my toppings, I had a my own version of a Margherita pizza and it was delicious! I especially loved the smoky taste from the grill. My parents had a chicken, bell pepper and onion pizza, which I noticed they had devoured in less than 10 minutes. So, I guess you could call this recipe a success, huh? Chosen by Rebecca at Ezra Pound Cake, I give you Grilled California Pizzas…

Grilled California Pizzas
Source: Ina Garten

For the dough:
1 1/4 c warm (100-110 degrees F) water
2 pkgs dry yeast
1 tbsp honey
3 tbsp good olive oil
4 c all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
2 tsp kosher salt

For the toppings (select 8):
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 lb fresh mozzarella, grated
1/2 lb Italian Fontina, grated
1/2 lb mild goat cheese, such as Montrachet, sliced
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and julienned
1/4 lb prosciutto, thinly sliced and julienned
1 bunch arugula, cleaned and dried
6 plum tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
4 pork or turkey sausages, cooked and sliced
1 bunch basil leaves, cleaned and dried
4 garlic cloves, roasted
Crushed red pepper flakes

For prep:
1/2 c good olive oil
Cornmeal

For the dough, combine the water, yeast, honey, and olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add 3 cups flour, then the salt, and mix. While mixing, add 1 more cup of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough on low to medium speed for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with flour, if necessary, to keep it from sticking to the bowl.
When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it several times to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 6 equal parts and roll each one into a smooth ball. Place the balls on a baking sheet and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

If you’ve chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature. Roll and stretch each ball into a rough 8-inch circle and place them all on baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. (You will be able to fit 2 pizzas on each 18 by 13-inch baking sheet.)

Light your grill and wait until it’s hot. Place the pizzas directly onto the grill and cook on 1 side for 1 minute. Turn the pizzas over and brush with olive oil or garlic oil. Top the pizzas with any toppings you wish, piling them high. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Put the lid on your grill and cook for 5 minutes more, until the crust is crisp and the toppings are cooked.

 

Pepperoni Roll

As soon as I saw this on Living Insanity’s Loving Food blog, I fell in love. 🙂 I dug further and found it at Liz’s Cooking Blog, then at Sweet Tea in Texas and finally at Sugar and Spice, where it all started!! This thing’s really been around, so you know it’s good!

I’m also getting to use my new baby, a Nikon Coolpix P80. It’s so tiny and cute, it’s not funny!

Pepperoni Roll
Source: Originally from Sugar and Spice… see above for other great variations!

1 loaf frozen bread dough
Sliced pepperoni
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Prego Mushroom Sauce

Let the frozen bread dough thaw/raise throughout the day and then cut it in half and roll out two rectangles. On the dough, layer the sauce, then the pepperoni and finally, cover with mozzarella cheese. Roll up lengthwise and seal the ends and seam and place seam-side down in a baking pan (or jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper).

Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.

 

Hornedfroggy’s take on the Deen Brothers’ Pizza

This is one of my absolute favorite pizzas. 🙂 Beebe made a post on the WC board about a ‘Caprese’ pizza she was making for dinner last night and I immediately started craving it! Jamie & Bobby call for a deep-dish pizza, but I make mine as a regular flat, hand-tossed style, so if you have their cookbook and notice I don’t quote it word for word, that’s why! 🙂

The Deen Brothers’ Pizza… Hornedfroggy-style
Source: Gourmet Magazine (dough) & The Deen Bros. Cookbook – Recipes from the Road (pizza) (My changes noted in purple!)

Dough
2 to 2-1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 ounce package fast-acting yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl whisk together 3/4 cup of flour, yeast, sugar, and 2/3 cup hot water (130 dgrees F). Stir in the oil, 1-1/4 cups of the remaining flour, and the salt and blend the mixture until it forms a dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface, incorporating as much of the remaining 1/4 cup flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.
Alternatively, the dough may be made in a food processor. In a food processor combine 3/4 cup of the flour, yeast, and sugar. With the motor running, add 2/3 cup hot water, and turn the motor off. Add the oil, 1-1/4 cups of the remaining flour, and the salt and process the mixture until it forms a ball, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if it is too dry, or more flour, 1 tablespoon at time, if it is too wet. Knead the dough by processing it for 15 seconds.
The dough, prepared by either method, may be used immediately, but for better flavor it is best to let it rise once. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and turn it to coat it with the oil. Let the dough rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place for 30 minutes, or until it is double in bulk, and punch it down. This dough may be used instead of the basic pizza dough.

Pizza
1 lb ball – frozen pizza dough, thawed (I used the above dough recipe instead, made in my new processor *woo hoo!* and used it immediately)
1 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)
1 cup tomato-basil pasta sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1 sm to md tomato, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (I baked at 375). Roll dough into a 14″ circle. Transfer dough to pan. Spread half of cheese over the dough. Spoon the tomato sauce over the cheese and top with the remaining cheese. Add the sliced tomatoes to the top. Sprinkle the oregano evenly over the cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling. Let stand a few minutes before slicing.

I love crunchy bites of pizza so if this looks a little burnt to you, that’s why. 🙂