Perfumed Soba Noodle Soup

Perfumed Soba Noodle Soup
serves 4

(America)

A delicious, fragrant pork soup based on Asian traditions and flavours.

                                                                   Preparation time:  15 minutes

                                                                  Pork cook time:  40 minutes

                                                                  Broth cook time: 30 minutes
                                                         Total  time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

4  boneless pork chops, 3/4 –inch thick

½  cup Char Siu Sauce (Chinese BBQ sauce)

8 cups chicken broth

1 fresh ginger finger, peeled and sliced into 6 quarter sized coins

3 star anise

2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon of soy sauce

1/2 pound soba noodles (dried)

1 pound baby spinach

accompaniments

2 cup fresh bean sprouts

4-5 scallions, sliced, white and green parts

4-5 white mushrooms, caps only, diced into ¼-dice

2-3  Thai red chilies, seeded and thinly sliced, to taste

1 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

1-2 fresh limes, cut into quarters

condiments

Sambal Oelek or Sriracha sauce

Soy Sauce

  

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350° F.

cook the pork:

1.  In a small glass baking dish brush the pork with Char Siu  and roast it in middle of the oven preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the center of the chops registers 160° F.  

2.  Remove pork from the oven to a cutting board  and allow it to rest for at least 15 minutes.   After the  pork has rested, slice the chops crosswise into thin slices and the slices in half diagonally, keep the chops together for a better presentation.

prepare the broth:

Place the chicken broth, ginger coins, star anise, soy sauce and garlic cloves in a large saucepan bring broth to a boil  over high heat.  Once the broth comes to a rolling boil, remove the pan from the heat and allow the broth to seep, covered, for at least 30 minutes. Pour broth through a sieve into another large saucepan, discard the solids.

prepare the noodles:

1.  While broth is steeping take the opportunity to prepare the soba noodles.  in a large pot  bring 3 1/2 quarts salted water to a boil and add noodles.  When water returns to boil add 1 cup cold water and bring to boil again. Repeat procedure one time and, when the water comes to a boil the second time, reduce heat to simmer and simmer the noodles for 5 minutes, or until they are just tender.

2.  Drain noodles into a colander  and rinse under cold water.  

service:

1.  Place the bean sprouts, the cilantro, sliced chilies, sliced scallions, diced mushrooms and quartered limes into separate bowls for the guests to add to their broth along with Sambal Oelek or Sriracha sauce and soy sauce as condiments .

2.  Bring the broth back  to the boil and add the baby spinach and reduce the heat to simmer.  Simmer the broth for 2 to 5 minutes until spinach collapses.

3.  Divide the noodles among 4 large soup bowls, and divide the broth amongst the soup bowls.  Invite the guests to garnish their individual soup bowls with the accompaniments of their choice, including a squeeze of lime and place their sliced pork chop on top of the garnished soup and enjoy.

Spaghetti all'Amatriciana

Spaghetti all'Amatriciana

serves 4

(Italy)

Spaghetti all'Amatriciana is a traditional Italian pasta dish based on guanciale(dried pork cheek) and spicy tomato sauce found on the menus of many high-end Italian restaurants.  While guanciale may be hard to come by pancetta or even thick-cut American bacon make acceptable substitutes.  When I prepare this dish I follow my mother's tradition and include a 2-inch cube of Parmigiano-Reggiano to the sauce while it's cooking, it adds great flavour to the sauce and makes a great snack for the chef . . . . just remember to remove it when you remove the sprigs of Rosemary and Sage and before you puree or mash the tomatoes!

                                                                             Prep time:  15 minutes

                                                                             Cook time:  2 hours 15  minutes

                                                                             Total time:   2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound dried spaghetti, cooked al dente according to package directions

12 ounce of  Guanciale*  cut into ¼-inch strips (or substitute pancetta or thick-cut American bacon)

2 tablespoons  unsalted butter

2 medium carrots, finely chopped

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, micro-planed

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 sprig fresh sage

½ cup red wine

1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano whole, peeled tomatoes, roughly crushed by hand and including the juices

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

Kosher or sea salt, to taste

¼-1 teaspoon red chile flakes, to taste

grated Pecorino Romano cheese

roughly chopped fresh Italian flat leaved parsley

* un-smoked Italian bacon prepared from pig's jowl or cheeks

Preparation

render the Guanciale:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the Guanciale (bacon) and cook it until its fat renders and the bacon is crisp, about 15 minutes.   Transfer the rendered bacon, using a slotted spoon,  to a dish lined with paper towels to drain.  Leave the rendered fat in the pan.

prepare the sauce:

1.  Add butter, the  carrots and the onions to the pan.  Season with salt, and saute, stirring, until soft, about 6 minutes.

2.  Add half the garlic, the rosemary and the sage, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

3.  Add wine, and cook, stirring, until it is evaporated, about 5 minutes.

4.  Add the crushed tomatoes and their juices, and bring the contents of the pan to a boil and immediately reduce the heat under the pan to medium-low and cook, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced and thickened, about 2 hours.

5.  After the sauce is thickened remove and discard rosemary and sage stems.  To puree the sauce American style, allow the sauce to cool slightly to prevent an unpleasant blender accident and transfer the cooled sauce to a blender.  Puree the sauce and then return it to the pan. If, however, you prefer your sauce as Italians like, slightly chunky, use an old fashioned potato masher to mash (crush) the roughly crushed tomatoes further into chunks you prefer.  Stir in ¾ of the reserved bacon, along with remaining garlic and oil, pepper, and chile flakes; keep warm.

cook the pasta:

Cook the pasta per package directions in heavily salted water until it is al dente, about 8 minutes.  Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. 

  

service:

Add the drained spaghetti to the pan with sauce; toss to coat.  If the pasta seems too tight (dry) for your taste, add some of the reserved pasta cooking water, a little at a time, until the sauce loosens up.  Divide the  sauced pasta  amongst warmed serving dishes,  garnish each service with some of the remaining reserved bacon, some of the pecorino cheese, and parsley.  Serve immediately accompanied by the grated Pecorino-Romano cheese 

Chicken Parmigiana

Chicken Parmigiana 

serves 8

(Italy)

Chicken  parmigiana is less expensive version of veal cutlets parmigiana and an Italian restaurant staple.  My version spices it up a little by adding the heat of red pepper flakes to traditional marinara sauce.  Notice this version is not layered as most homemade versions but is made restaurant style (single scallopini topped with sauce, parmesan, and Provolone rather than mozzarella).

                                                                              Prep time:   15 minutes
                                                                              Cook time:   37 minutes

                                                                              Total time:   52 minutes

Ingredients

spicy tomato sauce:

2 14.5 ounce cans of San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil\

2 heaping tablespoons dehydrated onions

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

Kosher or sea salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper

the scallopini:

8  boneless, skinless chicken breasts, scaloppini-ed (pounded to  1⁄4" thickness)

1⁄2 cup flour

4 eggs, beaten

1 1⁄2 cups Italian dried bread crumbs

8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 slices provolone cheese (about 6 ounce), more depending on the size of the chicken scallopini

3⁄4 cup grated parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley

Kosher or sea salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper,  to taste

Preparation

spicy tomato sauce:

1.  In a large sauce pan over medium heat, bring the olive oil to the ripple state, add  the dehydrated onions, the basil, the oregano, the crushed red pepper flakes*, and the granulated garlic  and cook, stirring constantly, until the  herbs are fragrant, about 2 minutes. 

2.  Reduce the heat to low and add the crushed tomatoes/tomato sauce, stirring constantly until the tomatoes  combine with the herbs and begins to caramelizes, about 3 minutes.  Raise the heat and bring to a simmer.  Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt, black pepper, and additional red pepper.

3.  Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes over low heat.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool.  

* if you're not sure of how spicy you like your sauce start with ¼  teaspoon of red pepper flakes and adjust seasoning during cooking.

Pre-heat the broiler of an  oven to broil placing the oven rack 10" from the heating element.

create the scallopini:

1.  Working with 1 breast at a time place the breast in a 1 gallon re-sealable  plastic bag and pound the breast into  a ¼ to ½ -inch thick scallopini. 

2.  Season the pounded scallopini lightly with salt and pepper.

breading and frying the scallopini:

1.  Build a breading station by placing flour, beaten eggs, and bread crumbs in separate shallow dishes and working with one scaloppini at a time, dredge it in the flour, the eggs, and the bread crumbs and transfer the  breaded scallopini to a dish.

2.  In a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Fry the breaded scallopini,  2 at a time,  turning once with tongs, until golden brown, about 3 minutes; wiping out the frying  pan and adding fresh oil  between.  Either transfer scallopini to large baking platter or to individual, oven proof plates.

bake the scallopini:

1.  Once all the scallopini have been fried and plated, top each scallopini with 1⁄3 cup of the marinara sauce, sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons of parmesan, and one or more  slices of cheese. 

2.  Place the plated and topped scallopini under the broiler until  the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 5 minutes.

service:

 Dress each plate with some of the parsley and serve immediately accompanied by sauce pasta and any remaining spicy tomato sauce.

Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Pizza

Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Pizza

Makes 2 12-inch pizzas

(America)

Many restaurants offer a variety of pizzas including pizzas topped with roasted red peppers.  My interpretation of this classically topped pizza is unique because the roasted red peppers aren't just incorporated in the sauce, they are the sauce.

                                                                    Pizza dough:  3 hours

                                                                    Roasted red peppers: 1 hour

                                                                    Roasted red pepper sauce: 20 minutes

                                                                    Pizza bake time: 12 minutes per pizza

                                                                    Total time: 3 hours 24 minutes

Ingredients

authentic pizza dough:

2½ cups Bread Flour, plus additional for work surface

1 cup Warm (105° F) Water

1 Envelope Active Dry Yeast

¼ cup Honey

¼ cup Extra-virgin Olive Oil

4 teaspoons Kosher or sea salt

roasted red peppers:

5-6 large red bell peppers

Extra virgin olive oil

1 large paper bag

roasted red pepper sauce*:

1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil

2/3 cup sliced shallots

roasted red pepper (see recipe)

1 teaspoon sugar

2 cups chicken broth

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

toppings:

1 yellow onion, peeled, ¼-inch diced

1 cup roasted red pepper sauce (see recipe)

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano  cheese, to taste

8 ounces sweet or hot Italian sausage, casing removed and fried until crumbly  (still a little pink) 

 Preparation

authentic pizza dough: 

1. In a 2 cup measuring cup, combine the water and honey stir to combine and sprinkle the yeast over it. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes. If the yeast doesn't "proof" (get "foamy") pour it out and start again it is important to have a live yeast mixture.

2. Meanwhile place the flour and the salt into a sifter and sift it into the medium bowl of a stand mixer. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the olive oil and the "proofed" yeast mixture. Turn the mixer, fitted with dough hooks, to knead and turn on. Continue kneading (mixing) until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball around the dough hooks (scrap the sides of the bowl to move flour into the path of the hooks as needed).

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky (add flour gradually as needed to reach the slightly tacky state), 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl with about 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to oil the ball on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap cloth and set in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

5. After the dough has doubled in size, remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a 12-inch log. Divide the log in half and form each half into equally sized dough balls. Lightly oil a 2 large mixing bowl with about 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Place each dough ball into its own bowl and turn to oil the ball on all sides. Cover each bowl with plastic and set in a warm, draft-free place until the nearly double in size again, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

While the dough is proofing, create the sauce and cook the sausage.

roasted red peppers:

1. Either (a) position the top rack of your oven as close to the broiler element as possible and turn on the broiler or (b) fire up your charcoal(or gas) grill or (c) turn the gas stove top element of your stove on.

2. Coat each pepper with olive oil.

3. If you’re using (a) the stove broiler method, place the coated peppers on a rimmed cookie sheet on the top rack and cook, turning as necessary, the peppers until they are well charred on all sides, remove them to a paper bag, fold the top of the bag over several times to seal the bag and set the bag aside for several minutes to allow the peppers to sweat or (b) if you are using the grill method, place the coated peppers on the grill and cook, turning as necessary, the peppers until they are well charred on all sides. After the peppers are well charred on all side, remove them to a paper bag, fold the top of the bag over several times to seal the bag and set the bag aside for several minutes to allow the peppers to sweat or (c)if you are using the stove top method, skewer the coated peppers (one at a time) on a long shafted fork and cook over the gas stove top element, rotating as necessary, until the pepper is well charred on all sides. As each pepper is finished charring, remove it from the fork and transfer to a paper bag, fold the top of the bag over several times to seal the bag. Repeat this process until all the peppers have been charred and are in the paper bag at this point, set the bag aside for several minutes to allow the peppers to sweat.

4. After the peppers have had several minutes to cool and sweat remove them, one by one, from the bag and remove and discarded the charred skin, the seeds and inner rib and cut the roasted peppers into strips and arrange them on a serving platter.

5. After all the peppers have been transferred to the serving platter pour marinate or dressing of your choice over the peppers and set aside to marinate or serve as is or use as required in your recipe.

roasted red pepper sauce:

1. Sauté shallots in the olive oil in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium-high heat until translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the roasted red peppers, stir in the sugar and sauté for about 2 minutes.

3. Add the chicken broth and simmer 5 minutes. Allow the broth and roasted red pepper mixture to cool slightly to avoid an unpleasant blender incident. When it has cooled and working in batches, puree the broth, red pepper, and shallots in the container of a blender until a smooth, creamy sauce is formed (if the sauce is too thick for your tastes, thin it by adding additional warm broth). Correct seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

construction and baking:

1. Place an appropriately sized pizza stone on the middle shelf of your oven and pre-heat the oven to 450° F.

2. Remove the risen dough ball from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured work surface , flatten it into a thick disk and with your fingertips and palms, working from the center of the disk out to the edges, press it into a thin disk of dough approximately 10 to 12-inch round and about 1/8 inch thick (if necessary use a rolling pin to achieve the 1/8-inch thickness [don’t worry if the pizza isn’t perfectly round . . . that’s called “rustica” and it’s the way “real” Italian pizza looks in Italy]). If you're really brave you can try the spin and toss method of forming the pie (this dough is perfect for it) just remember to use your knuckles when spinning and tossing . . . fingertips can cause holes). Sprinkle flour over the surface of this thin disk (this will become the bottom of the pie when you place the pizza base on the peel in the next instruction).

3. Distribute some corn meal over the surface of a pizza peel (this will act as “ball bearings” and allow the dough rounds to move easily over the surface of the peel) and transfer the formed pizza base onto the peel insuring that the lightly floured side is on the bottom. Lightly spread ½ cup of the roasted red pepper sauce evenly over pizza base keeping a ½ to 1-inch border of the base uncoated to form a crust; sprinkle about 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano and ½ the grated mozzarella evenly over the sauce (maintaining the uncoated border). Evenly distribute ½ the diced onion and ½ the cooked sausage over the sauce and cheeses and again maintaining the uncoated boarder .

4. Finally sprinkle a little extra-virgin olive oil over the surface.

5. Gently shake the peel to insure the pizza moves freely (if it doesn’t gently lift the edges of the pizza and distribute additional corn meal until it does), using the peel slide the pizza onto the stone and bake the pizza until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 12 minute in a 450°F oven. Remove from the oven, slice into 8 wedge shaped slices and serve.

6. Repeat with the remaining dough, toppings, and cheeses.

*roasted red pepper sauce recipe makes 4 cups of sauce, any leftover sauce can be jarred and refrigerated for future use as a pasta sauce or the base of roasted red pepper soup

Lahmajoon

Lahmajoon

(Armenian Pizza)

Makes 3  12-inch pizzas

(Armenian)

                                                          Prep time: 3 hours

Pizza cook time: 12 minutes per

Ingredients

dough:

1 cup warm (105 ° F) water

1 envelope active dry yeast  (about 1 1/8 teaspoons)

¼ cup honey

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 1/2 cups bread flour, plus additional for work surface

4 teaspoon salt

topping:

1 ½  pound  lean ground beef  

1 cup drained petite diced tomatoes

¾  cup finely chopped onion

½  cup minced fresh Italian flat leaved parsley

½  cup finely chopped green pepper

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 ½  teaspoons dried mint

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon paprika, or to taste

1/8 to ¼  teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup toasted pine nuts

3 lemons quartered

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

dough:

1.  In a 2 cup measuring cup, combine the water and honey stir to combine and sprinkle the yeast over it. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.  If the yeast doesn't "proof" (get "foamy") pour it out and start again it is important to have a live yeast mixture.

2.  Meanwhile place the flour and the salt into a sifter and sift it into the medium bowl  of a stand mixer.  Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the olive oil and the "proofed" yeast mixture.  Turn the mixer, fitted with dough hooks,  to high (labeled  knead on my mixer) and turn on.  Continue kneading (mixing) until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball around the dough hooks (scrap the sides of the bowl to move flour into the path of the hooks as needed).

3.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky (add flour gradually as needed to reach the slightly tacky state), 3 to 5 minutes.

4.  Lightly oil a large mixing bowl with about 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to oil the ball on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap cloth and set in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

5.  After the dough  has doubled in size, remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a 12-inch log.  Divide the log in thirds and form each half into equally sized dough balls.  Lightly oil a 3 large mixing bowl with about 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Place each dough ball into its own bowl and turn to oil the ball on all sides. Cover each bowl with plastic and set in a warm, draft-free place until the nearly double in size again, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

topping:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 450° F.

2.  In a medium sized skillet over medium heat lightly brown the ground beef until it is crumbly but still a little pink.  Remove from  heat and allow to cool.

3.  Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onions, parsley, green pepper, tomato paste, mint, garlic, salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, and black pepper.   When the beef has cooled enough to handle, crumble the beef over the mixture and mix well.

construction and baking:

1.  Place an appropriately sized pizza stone on the middle shelf of your oven and pre-heat the oven to 450° F.

2.  Place one of the dough balls on a lightly floured work surface and flatten it into a thick disk then,  with your fingertips and palms and  working from the center of the disk out to the edges, press it into a thin disk of dough approximately 12-inch round and about 1/8 inch thick (if necessary use a rolling pin to achieve the 1/8-inch thickness [don’t worry if the pizza isn’t perfectly round . . . that’s called “rustica” and it’s the way “real” Italian pizza looks in Italy]).  If you're really brave you can try the spin and toss method of forming the pie (this dough is perfect for it) just remember to use your knuckles when spinning and tossing . . . fingertips can cause holes).  Sprinkle flour over the surface of this thin disk (this will become the bottom of the pie when you place the pizza base on the peel  in the next instruction).

3.  Distribute some corn meal over the surface of a pizza peel (this will act as “ball bearings” and allow the dough rounds to move easily over the surface of the peel) and transfer the formed pizza base onto the peel.   Spread 1/3  of  the meat mixture onto the base to within 1/2 –inch  of the edge to form a crust.   Drizzle about 2-3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil over the pizza.

4.  Gently shake the peel to insure the pizza moves freely (if it doesn’t gently lift the edges of the pizza and distribute additional corn meal until it does), using the peel slide the pizza onto the stone and bake the pizza until browned and crisp at the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes in a 450°F oven.

5.  Repeat with remaining dough balls and toppings.

service:

 As they come out of the oven, slice each pie into 8 wedge shaped slices and serve accompanied by lemon wedges to squeeze over the slices.

Armenian Flatbread Pizza with Cheese

Armenian Flatbread Pizza with Cheese

makes 3  12-inch pizzas

(America)

                                                                           Prep time: 3 hours

                                                                           Pizza cook time: 12 minutes per

Ingredients

dough:

1 cup warm (105 ° F) water

1 envelope active dry yeast  (about 1 1/8 teaspoons)

¼ cup honey

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 1/2 cups bread flour, plus additional for work surface

4 teaspoon salt

topping:

1 ½  pound  lean ground beef  

1 cup drained petite diced tomatoes

¾  cup finely chopped onion

½  cup minced fresh Italian flat leaved parsley

½  cup finely chopped green pepper

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 ½  teaspoons dried mint

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon paprika, or to taste

1/8 to ¼  teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

extra-virgin olive oil, to taste

Preparation

dough:

1.  In a 2 cup measuring cup, combine the water and honey stir to combine and sprinkle the yeast over it. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.  If the yeast doesn't "proof" (get "foamy") pour it out and start again it is important to have a live yeast mixture.

2.  Meanwhile place the flour and the salt into a sifter and sift it into the medium bowl  of a stand mixer.  Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the olive oil and the "proofed" yeast mixture.  Turn the mixer, fitted with dough hooks,  to high (labeled  knead on my mixer) and turn on.  Continue kneading (mixing) until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball around the dough hooks (scrap the sides of the bowl to move flour into the path of the hooks as needed).

3.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky (add flour gradually as needed to reach the slightly tacky state), 3 to 5 minutes.

4.  Lightly oil a large mixing bowl with about 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to oil the ball on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap cloth and set in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

5.  After the dough  has doubled in size, remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a 12-inch log.  Divide the log in thirds and form each half into equally sized dough balls.  Lightly oil a 3 large mixing bowl with about 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Place each dough ball into its own bowl and turn to oil the ball on all sides. Cover each bowl with plastic and set in a warm, draft-free place until the nearly double in size again, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

topping:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 450° F.

2.  In a medium sized skillet over medium heat lightly brown the ground beef until it is crumbly but still a little pink.  Remove from  heat and allow to cool.

3.  Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onions, parsley, green pepper, tomato paste, mint, garlic, salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, and black pepper.   When the beef has cooled enough to handle, crumble the beef over the mixture and mix well.

construction and baking:

1.  Place an appropriately sized pizza stone on the middle shelf of your oven and pre-heat the oven to 450° F.

2.  Place one of the dough balls on a lightly floured work surface and flatten it into a thick disk then,  with your fingertips and palms and  working from the center of the disk out to the edges, press it into a thin disk of dough approximately 12-inch round and about 1/8 inch thick (if necessary use a rolling pin to achieve the 1/8-inch thickness [don’t worry if the pizza isn’t perfectly round . . . that’s called “rustica” and it’s the way “real” Italian pizza looks in Italy]).  If you're really brave you can try the spin and toss method of forming the pie (this dough is perfect for it) just remember to use your knuckles when spinning and tossing . . . fingertips can cause holes).  Sprinkle flour over the surface of this thin disk (this will become the bottom of the pie when you place the pizza base on the peel  in the next instruction).

3.  Distribute some corn meal over the surface of a pizza peel (this will act as “ball bearings” and allow the dough rounds to move easily over the surface of the peel) and transfer the formed pizza base onto the peel.   Spread 1/3  of  the meat mixture onto the base to within 1/2 –inch  of the edge to form a crust, distribute about ½ cup of cheddar evenly over the pie keeping the boarder free of topping.   Drizzle about 2-3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil over the pizza.

4.  Gently shake the peel to insure the pizza moves freely (if it doesn’t gently lift the edges of the pizza and distribute additional corn meal until it does), using the peel slide the pizza onto the stone and bake the pizza until browned and crisp at the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes in a 450°F oven.

5.  Repeat with remaining dough balls, topping, and cheese.

service:

 As they come out of the oven, slice each pie into 8 wedge shaped slices and serve. 

Heavenly Pork and Noodle Soup

Heavenly Pork and Noodle Soup

serves 6

(China)

We first tasted this soup in  an Asian restaurant in Southern California, the restaurant had a different name for it but when my wife took her first taste she pronounced it "heavenly".  We developed this recipe from the restaurant's description of the dish.  Do not substitute anise for the star anise, the result will be disappointing.  As an alternative, if you don't have a slow cooking you can use a large pot adjusting the time appropriately.

                                                                                Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 3 hours 30  minutes

Total time: 3 hours  50 minutes

Ingredients

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder

3 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup dry sherry

3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

4 cloves fresh garlic,  peeled and micro-planed

1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and micro-planed

2 pieces star anise*

1 head bok choy cabbage, roughly chopped

3 1/2 ounces dried rice vermicelli noodles

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1.  Combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, star anise in a large pot over high heat.  Bring the liquid to a rolling boil.

2.  Place the pork shoulder to a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker.   Carefully pour the  boiling broth over the pork, cover and cook on high for 3 hours.

3.  Remove the pork from the slow cooker and roughly shred the it. 

4.  Return the shredded pork to the broth and add the bok choy; cover and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

5.  Break the noodles in half and place them in a deep dish or mixing bowl and pour about 4 cups of boiling water over them.  Allow the  noodles to sit in the water until they are al dente, about 10 minutes.

6.  Divide the cooked noodles among six soup bowls and ladle the desired amount of soup over the noodles, sprinkle with some of the cilantro and serve immediately accompanied by chop sticks, soup spoons, and additional cilantro.

* do not substitute