Make Your Own Strombolis

Now that you know how to make your own pizza dough (see here), you might want to branch out a bit. The other night we decided to try making stromboli's for the first time.  Stromboli's are sort of like a piece of pizza rolled onto itself. Same flavors, different fillings, easy and fun to make. 

Ham and Pepperonio Strombolis
1 ball of pizza dough (recipe link above)
1/4 - 1/2 cup basic tomato sauce (here)
4 slices of ham
20 slices of pepperoni (or to taste)
1 cup shredded mozzarella or slices of fresh mozzarella
1 egg, beaten and mixed with 1 tsp of water


Directions
Preheat oven to as high as it goes - mine goes to 550 degrees. Divide the ball of dough into two pieces. Roll each out on a floured board into a large oval shape.  Place about 2 tbsp of tomato sauce (or more to taste) on the bottom of each piece of dough, leaving a one inch border around all edges.

Top each piece of dough with 1/4 of the mozzarella.  Top with half the pepperoni and then with half the ham slices on each dough.

Top each stromboli with an additional 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. Brush the edges of the stromboli with the egg wash.

Start with one long side of the stromboli and start to roll it over onto it self. Continue to roll the stromboli until you reach the other one inch border.  Place the stromboli on a pizza stone (or baking sheet), seam side down.  Brush more egg wash to cover each stromboli, and cut a few slits into the top of each.  Top with a little sea salt.

Place the strombolis in a hot oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until the strombolis are bubbly and the dough is browned.

Allow to cool a bit before cutting into it.   Enjoy!!

Summertime Soup - Gazpacho

Gazpacho is a must for a hot summer day. It's refreshing and cooling, and incredibly easy to make.  I like to make a batch of it to keep in the fridge to have for a light dinner, or even to bring to work for a midday snack.   The food processor does all the work for you. I puree the veggies in groups to get the right consistency and then mix everything together.  To help the food processor along I dice all the veggies into a large dice so they get chopped up evenly.  These are the veggies that I used this time, but you can play around with it and use whatever looks good. To make this for company top each bowl with a few roasted shrimp and drizzle with a good quality extra virgin olive oil. I like my gazpacho a little chunky, but pulse the veggies as much or as little as you like.

Summertime Gazpacho
2 1/2 pounds roma tomatoes, diced
2 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 handful of cilantro, stems removed
1 handful of bail leaves
1 -2 tbsp salt, to taste
2 tsps pepper
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions: 
Put the tomatoes in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped/pureed. Put in a large bowl.  Put the cucumbers in the food processor - pulse until desired consistency.  Add to the tomatoes.  Put the jalapeño, garlic, cilantro and basil in the food processor at the same time - puree until finely chopped.  Place in the same bowl.  Mix all the veggies together - add the salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Allow the gazpacho to sit and let the flavors meld together for a few hours. After the gazpacho sits for a while taste and add more salt/pepper as necessary.

healthy side dishes 2

I never grew up eating green beans - for most of my life I was ambivalent towards them and never really ate them.  In the last year or two I've started cooking with them a lot more, realizing when prepared simply, how delicious they can be.  I credit this to eating amazing garlic stir fried green beans at a favorite Chinese food restaurant.  While there is no way those are healthy, I tried to mimic the flavors in a side dish that I now make all the time and feel that I got pretty close.  These garlicky string beans are quick, easy, and addictive. I have been known to make them almost every day for a week when I get on a kick...This time I added a package of cremini mushrooms to the green beans.


Garlicky Green Beans with Mushrooms
1 pound green beans, the ends trimmed and cut in half
1 package cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
Red pepper flakes, to taste
1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp p epper
1 tbsp olive oil

Steam the green beans until they are crisp tender and bright green - about 2-3 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan heat up the olive oil.  When it is hot, add the red pepper flakes (use as much or as little as you like).  Add the sliced mushrooms, tossing to coat in the oil.  The mushrooms will soak up all the oil so keep an eye on the mushrooms so that they don't burn.

Add a little salt to the mushrooms, that will bring their moisture out.  Once the mushrooms have browned add the green beans and the minced/grated garlic.  Add the remaining salt and pepper.  Toss the veggies frequently - you just want to season the green beans.  Enjoy :)