Thyme To Eat Local

Tonight's dinner started out as a craving. I've been thinking about those cute little potatoes from the Farmer's Market and how good they would be roasted in a little butter. I was also thinking, I have pizza crust that needs baked. While potatoes on pizza sounds promising, I don't think my usual thin crust pizza can handle the weight. It's definitely an idea that's getting filed away. While making dinner, I remembered that I'd seen a sign at the Farmer's Market this weekend advertising an Eat Local Challenge. A trip over to there website revels that...

In honor of National Farmers’ Market Week (August 5 - 11), we are looking for members of the Bloomington-Normal community who will pledge to eat at least one meal composed of Illinois-grown food during the month of August.

Sounds easy, 1 day in a 31! I can handle that, even if the month is almost half over. I know there's bloggers out there that do this more often. So, as a challenge to myself, I'm going to try do it once a week, until the Farmer's Market closes in October.

The main ingredients in tonight's meal were all local. I say main ingredients because, well, while I enjoy eating good, local food, I haven't ventured into grinding my own grains. I also used a bit of fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, while the cheese wasn't made locally, I did by it from a local merchant here in town!

I started out by washing and cutting the cute little potatoes into bite size morsels. I can't remember the variety, but they have a taste that puts Yukon Gold's to shame and they are the size of new red potatoes. They went into a oval crook with about 2 tablespoons of organic salted butter, a few pumps of cracked peppercorns, a hearty amount of dried thyme, and a dash of dried basil. Since the stone was heating in the oven, these little beauties went into the toaster oven on 450. Don't forget to toss them every 10 minutes. They're ready when fork tender, about 25 minutes later.

While the potatoes where cooking I rolled out the pizza dough. It's a variation of the pizza crust I've still been trying to perfect. I'm now making the pizza's individual sized, so everyone gets crust pieces! Pizza though, is a shiny object, so let's get back to the dough. Once the dough is rolled out paper thin, I brushed it with about a tablespoon of that organic butter I mentioned earlier and poked it with a fork, because I don't yet have one of these cool gadgets. After I grated a thin layer of Parmigiano-Reggiano on top, I slide it onto a stone in a 500 degree oven. About 3 minutes later I pulled it out and topped it with a dash of olive oil, dried thyme, basil, and grated brick cheese from Ropp Jersey Cheese. It's is another shiny object, but one I haven't gotten the chance to talk about yet. So, while the potatoes are roasting a bit longer, let me tell you about them. I found them at the Farmer's Market this year, a little stand just off the corner. It was love at first bite. It's the best cheese I've ever eaten, made right here in Central Illinois! Amazing cheddars -- Tomato Basil Garlic, Pizza, Dill, Bacon, Garlic!! They have both yellow and white, though I prefer the white. They also have amazing cheese curds! I was thrilled last week when Ken Ropp, along with his family, made a surprise appearance at my Italian Cooking class (offered at Vrooman Mansion - I hear a website is coming soon). What a treat, he brought fresh made ricotta cheese! I don't think I'll ever want to eat another ricotta. I look forward to trying a new cheese every time I visit the market!

It's about time to toss the potatoes one last time, put steak to cast iron, and slide the pizza back into the oven! The steak was a Flat Iron Steak from Heartland Meats. I cooked it for about 5 - 7 minutes is a searing hot cast iron skillet with about 1 - 2 teaspoons of organic coconut oil. The steak was seasoned with dried thyme and Lawry's, and cooked to a tender, juicy, medium rare. I pulled the pizza from the oven just before the steak was done. After plating the steak I heaped the potatoes on the side, making sure to pour the extra butter and seasoning on top of the steak. The breadstick-like slices of the pizza fit nicely on the side and are a fun break from a traditional 'steak and potatoes' texas toast style garlic bread. The combination of sweet, strong brick and robust Parmigiano-Reggiano against herbs and a crunchy crust pairs superbly with the tender potatoes and juicy meat. The whole plate gets topped with crushed peppercorn and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Since I had a bottle of wine already open, I couldn't resist having a glass with dinner. In fact, I'm having a second glass as I write this! It's a lovely blush wine made right here in Illinois. Pink Catawba is from Peasant Hollow Winery in Whittington, Illinois. It's a semi-sweet wine made from the pink catawba grape.

Tonight's dinner hit the spot, was ready in less then an hour, and was made as locally as it gets (for me)! I can't think of a better combination to end a hot summer day away from work. Now, don't be lazy, if you're from these parts, won't you join me in the Eat Local Challenge? Come on, who's up for it? Leave a comment and let me know what local treats you've been eating!

I just can't leave without mentioning the Vic Firth Salt and Pepper Mills in the picture at the top. I've been pheaning over these for years, and finally found them on sale! I love them, and I love the fact that they can be used one handed, so you can stir with the other!! They are filled with salt sea from Common Ground and Black Peppercorns from World Market.

Pizza - Quest For The Perfect Crust

For at least the last year, if not longer, I've been trying to perfect the perfect pizza crust. My inspiration, you ask? Lucca Grill, home to Central Illinois' 1st Pizza, they have been making them since 1936.

My quest started simple, I wanted to make a good pizza at home. Not only a good pizza, but one with the perfect, thin, flaky, crispy crust. After a couple attempts, I quickly ruled out the store bought, pre-made crusts. Next on my list was the store-bought mixes. I put in a valiant effort, mixing, and tweaking along the way. With no luck, I moved to the Internet, trying various recipes. I was getting closer, but the crust always turned out to thick, to bready (is that a word?).

Last fall I was at a book fair and stumbled upon an Italian cookbook. I didn't really need another cookbook, but who can resist pouring over pages and pages of delectable food. In my world, a cookbook is like a good novel, it should be read cover to cover. I didn't hesitate to purchase Williams-Sonoma Italian Favorites. Today, ot's selling for $18.21 on Amazon. The book fair I was at had it for $11.99, but I would pay full price, it's worth it's weight in pizza crust! The book has a section on Basic Recipes & Techniques, and the recipes in the book all build on these. It was page 319 that had my attention, a recipe for Milk Pizza Crust:

This soft, butter-enriched dough produces a then, crisp crust that compliments sweet toppings.

All of the recipes that used this crust were for dessert pizza, but I was determined to make this crust work for a traditional pizza. For my first attempt, I followed the recipe, a rarity for me, but I wanted to know what I was working with before I started to change things! While the crust turned out good, my best attempt to date, it was still to dense. The best part about this crust is that it doesn't require time to rise.

For my next attempt I split the dough in two. Finally, I had the thin, flaky crust I'd been dreaming of. Next up, can I get the crust to remind me of Lucca's? Their crust has a distinct cheesy flavor. After maybe a dozen attempts at different cheese combinations, with adjustments to the original ingredients to make up for the addition of cheese, I finally found the winning combination. Last weekend, I felt like my quest was over. Without further ado, here's what I've come up with!

Milk Pizza Crust
2 1/4 Cups Bread Flour
3/4 to 1 Cup Milk
5 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature, Cut Into Cubes)
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
Parmigiano-Reggiano (100 Strokes with Rasp Shredder)
Asiago (50 Strokes with Rasp Shredder)

Note: Next time I make the crust, I'll measure the cheese and update!

Combine Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, and Cheeses.
Add Butter, ensuring it's coated with flour mixture.
Add Milk, reserving about a 1/4 Cup, and stir with fork until a soft dough forms.
Finish mixing dough with hands, using the reserved milk if needed and shape into 2 balls!
Turn out 1 of the dough balls onto a lightly floured surface.
Roll out into a thin crust, flipping occasionally as you go.
The dough should be slightly thinner in the middle then the edge.
Move dough to a pizza paddle, dusted with corm meal.
Top dough and bake in a 500° F oven for approximately 5 minutes.

Note: If you aren't making a second pizza, the extra dough can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated. It will only last 1 day in the fridge, so you may want to cut the recipe in 1/2 if you don't need 2 pizza's! I haven't tried freezing the extra dough yet, but I'm going to try it next time.



Topping Your Pizza
At this point, you can top the pizza with your favorite ingredients and bake. I prefer pepperoni, but have been known to top pizza's with anything from chicken and garlic to ham and pineapple.
I always cook the pepperoni before I put it on my pizza. It cuts down and the greasy factor and you get crispy pepperoni to compliment the crust.

Once the crust is on the paddle, I brush with olive oil and Italian herbs. Next comes a thin layer of cheese. Pictured is provolone, but a thin layer of shredded parmigiano-reggiano works just a good. This adds flavor to the pizza and puts a layer between the crust and sauce, making for a crispier crust! Sauce (a thin layer for me, thank you!) goes next and then mozzarella cheese and more parmigiano-reggiano. Last, but certainly not least, the cooked pepperoni.

Finally, the pizza is ready for the oven. I heat my pizza stone at 500° F for 60 minutes, which is about how long it takes to to make the dough and put the pizza together! The oven should be super hot at this point. I can always tell here at home because the smoke detector goes off (it doesn't matter if the oven is clean or dirty, that little smoke detector is sensitive). About 5 minutes on the stone and the pizza is ready to eat, which is of course, the best part!

Welcome

Welcome to my kitchen! Stay awhile and see what's cooking. The pizza, and my quest for the perfect crust, is just one of the many things I've been playing with lately. This picture is my first test using a buttery milk crust recipe.