No Knead Margherita Pizza

This, of course, is not one I can take credit for, but it's absolutely amazing and incredibly easy to make. This one makes two individual-sized pizzas. This pizza sauce is also by far the easiest and also the most fresh and delicious tasting I have every used, and best of all, no chemical-laden canned tomatoes to speak of. Can't recommend it enough.

SAUCE

3 medium-to-large tomatoes (I like on the vine, but roma is also good, although you may need 4 since they are smaller)
a couple tablespoons olive oil
about 1 tsp. salt
fresh pepper to taste

1. Peel the tomatoes then squash them between your fingers.

2. Douse with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper

3. Mix with your hands, and if it is too liquidy you can pour a little out.


DOUGH:

a little less than 2 cups flour, plus more for shaping
a little more than 1/8 tsp. yeast
1 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 cups water

1. Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl the night before you plan on making your pizzas. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place to rise. (NOTE: If by the next day it has risen too much, as evidenced by it starting to sink back into itself, simply shape the dough right then, wrap in plastic, and pop in the fridge. You can also do this if you plan on using the dough later in the week.)

2. When it's ready, place dough onto heavily floured surface and divide into 2.

3. If you plan on using it right away, preheat oven to its hottest setting (around 500 degrees F) for at least 45 minutes with a pizza stone or an upside-down baking sheet inside.

4. When oven is ready and you are ready to use, stretch dough out with your fingers until it's about 10-12 inches in diameter. I like to place it on a piece of parchment paper. Pop it into the oven for about 4-5 minutes by itself (with the parchment paper, of course) to ensure that the bottom gets fully cooked. (I actually think it's best to turn it upside-down after this since the top tends to be more cooked).

5. Add your sauce, cheese, and toppings (I am partial to nothing but buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil and possibly a little parmesan) then pop in the oven again until crust is turning brown and cheese is bubbling. I mean, come on, you know what a cooked pizza looks like.

6. Eat right away.

Basil Coconut Curry Chicken

Super easy weeknight meal! Even the toddler liked it. It wasn't a very strong curry taste, so of course you can add more curry paste and/or curry powder if you like.


Ingredients

4 chicken breasts
One large knob of ginger, peeled and chopped
4-5 spring onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
1 can coconut milk
1 - 1.5 T. red curry paste
2 T. lime juice
1 bunch fresh basil, leaves roughly torn
Cooking oil or butter
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

1. Saute ginger, garlic, and green onions in butter or oil in a deepish frying pan (preferably with a lid) until fragrant (about 5 minutes)

2. Toss in chicken, then add coconut milk, red curry paste, lime juice, and basil and mix

3. Cover and allow to simmer (try not to let it boil for the sake of the coconut milk) until chicken is fully cooked

4. Serve with rice

Much easier ginger-soy salmon

Making dinner for one, I didn't want to bother with anything too complicated, so I threw some easy experimental salmon in the oven with a bunch of asparagus figuring if the salmon turned out badly at least I had a bunch of asparagus. BUT, turns out, probably the best salmon I've ever made. Would do it again in a heartbeat. And will. Which is why I'm posting it. I only made one salmon filet, so multiply ingredients as you see fit, although I think portions honestly don't matter much.

Ingredients

1 Salmon filet
1 T. butter
1 small knob ginger, peeled and finely chopped
4 green onions, chopped
honey
soy sauce
sesame oil


1. Heat oven to 400 degrees

2. Place salmon in a large piece of aluminium foil and curl up the edges so the liquid ingredients don't fall out

3. Dot butter along the top then sprinkle on ginger and green onions

4. Sprinkle soy sauce somewhat generously over the top, then drizzle sesame oil and a bit of honey on top

5. Pop in the oven for about 25 minutes (depending on the size of the filet, of course) until fully cooked.

Almond Aniseed Biscotti

I really, really love these, but the ones you find in Turkey are really gross. I decided to make my own, and they were, as Borat would say, great success! They taste very similar to Nonni's, but of course a little fresher.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1 stick (I used 125 g., which is slightly more) butter, room temperature or thereabouts
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. almond extract
zest of 1 orange
2 tsp. aniseed
Less than 1 T. baking powder
1 large pinch salt
2 1/4 - 2 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup unsalted toasted almonds, roughly chopped
1 egg white


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius

2. Cream together butter and sugar, then add eggs, vanilla, almond extract, orange zest, aniseed, salt, and baking powder

3. Add in flour one cup at a time, and on the last half cup add until a nice dough (not too tough, sticky but not too sticky) forms; stir in almonds.

4. Divide dough into 2 and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. With your hands, pat them down into 1/2 inch high rectangles; brush with egg white.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes; top should be golden and fully-baked looking but not yet getting hard

6. Keeping the oven on, pull loaves out to cool for 10-15 minutes
,
7. Cut the loaves into 3/4 inch wide cookies, and place them back on the baking sheet in the same shape as the loaf but separated (if you saw the movie The Cell, which for your own sake I hope you did not, it's like when they sliced the horse into pieces and then separated it. Youtube it if you want. Or better yet, don't. You will probably lose your appetite.)

8. Bake it for another 20 minutes or so (if they look like they are getting too cooked but not yet hard, you can lower the oven's heat by half and leave it in for longer).

9. Place into an airtight container; they are best eaten the next day when they've had time to harden a little.