Onion Garlic Potato Bagels

Onion Garlic Potato Bagels

(America)

makes 12 bagels

Ingredients

1 medium Yukon gold potato (about 5 ounces), scrubbed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the bowl
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
2 tablespoons honey
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
Kosher or sea salt
1 1/4 -ounce packet active dry yeast
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 large egg

Preparation

prepare the potatoes:

In a large pot over high heat bring 2 1/2 quarts water to a boil.  Add the potato and cook until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. 

Remove the potato but reserve the water the potato was cooked in. When the potato is cool enough to handle, peel it and mash it in a medium sized bowl until smooth. If the potato is too dry add a FEW drops of the cooking water to moisten it.

prepare the dough:

Stir the oil, granulated garlic and honey into the mashed potato. 

Fit your stand mixer with the paddle attachment.  Add the flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt and the yeast in the bowl of the mixer.

Add the mashed potato mixture and 1 cup of the reserved cooking turn the mixer speed to n medium speed and mix into a stiff but malleable dough, about 10 minutes. If the dough is too stiff, beat in a few more tablespoons cooking water, if necessary. (Reserve the remaining cooking water.)

knead the dough:

Knead the dough on a lightly floured, clean flat surface until the dough is smooth and recovers rapidly when pressed, about 5 minutes.

proof the dough:

Lightly coat the inside of a large bowl with a little olive oil and place the dough into it turning the dough to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside it in a warm place until the dough is doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

prepare the onion:

Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan over low heat melt the butter.  When the butter is add the onion and cook until transparent and soft but not browned, 20 to 30 minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and set aside.

form the bagels:

After the dough has doubled in size remove the plastic wrap and punch it down.

Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. 

Remove the deflated dough from the bowl and, on a clean, lightly floured surface form the dough into a 12-inch log, then cut the log into 12 equal pieces

. 

Roll each piece into a tight ball and set each ball on the prepared baking sheet; cover with a damp cloth and let rise 30 minutes. 

One at a time remove each ball from the baking sheet and make a hole in the center of each ball with your thumbs. Carefully stretch and turn to form a ring whose hole is about 2 inches wide. Return the formed bagel to the baking sheet.  When all the balls have been formed into the bagel shape cover with a damp cloth and let the formed bagels rise 20 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

boil the bagels:

Bring the remaining reserved potato cooking water which is still in the pot to a boil over high heat. 

Carefully place the bagels into the boiling water, two or three at a time, and cook 30 seconds, turn the bagels with a slotted spoon and cook 30 seconds more on this side 

Set the boiled bagels on a rack to drain, repeat until all the bagels have been boiled. 

When the bagels have all drained return them to the parchment-lined baking sheet.

bake the bagels: 

Place the baking sheet with the boiled and drained bagels into the preheated oven and bake until the bagels start to brown, about 10 minutes. 

Remove the half baked bagels from the oven.  Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the tops of the bagels with the egg mixture and top each bagel with some of the sautéed onion. 

Return the baking sheet to the oven and continue baking until the bagels are golden and the onion is quite dark, 10 to 15 more minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

service:

Serve accompanied by your favourite spreads, lox, or even cold cuts.

Pot Stickers

Pot Stickers

An Asian restaurant staple that you can easily make at home.

(China)

servings 36 dumplings

                                                                                    Prep time:  20 minutes
                                                                                    Cook time:  15 minutes
                                                                                    Total time:  35 minutes

Ingredients

2 large eggs
1/2 pound ground pork
1 slice uncooked bacon, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped Napa cabbage
1/2 cup minced fresh chives (about 2 small bunches)
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated peeled ginger
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 clove garlic, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
36 round dumpling wrappers, thawed if frozen
6 tablespoons vegetable oil

 Preparation

create the filling:

In a large bowl, lightly beat 1 egg. Add the ground pork, bacon, cabbage, chives, ginger, sesame oil, salt, sugar, garlic, soy sauce and cornstarch; mix with your hands until the ingredients are evenly distributed and combined.

fill the wrappers:

In a separate small bowl, lightly beat together the remaining egg and 1 tablespoon of cold water.
Set 1 dumpling wrapper on a clean, dry surface (keep the rest covered with a damp paper towel so they don't dry out). Place 1 heaping teaspoonful of the pork mixture onto the center of the wrapper. Dab a finger into the egg/water mixture and run it along the edge of the wrapper damping it. Fold the wrapper in half and press the edges together to seal, then transfer to a plate. Cover with a sheet of wax paper and a damp tea towel.  Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers until all the filling and wrappers are used up.

fry the dumplings:

Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches to not crowd the dumpling, add the dumplings and arrange in a single layer; cook until the bottoms start to brown, about 30 seconds.

Add 2/3 cups of cold water, cover the pan with a lid and cook 3 minutes. Uncover and cook until the water evaporates and the bottoms are crisp and golden brown, about 2 more minutes. Loosen the dumplings from the pan with a spatula and transfer to a serving plate. Add 2 more tablespoons oil to the pan between batches.

service:

Serve accompanied by your favourite Asian dipping sauce.

Struffoli

Struffoli

(Italy)

makes 8 to 10 servings

Struffoli, Italian honey cookies, are a traditional Italian Christmas cookie.

                                                                               Prep time: 1 hour

                                                                               Cook time: 30 minutes

                                                                               Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

dough:

2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting

1 large lemon, zested (about 2 teaspoons)

1/2 large orange, zested (about 2 teaspoons)

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon white wine, such as pinot grigio

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

canola oil, for frying

honey sauce:

1 cup honey

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

decorations:

Multicoloured sugar sprinkles, for decoration

Powdered sugar, for dusting, optional

Preparation

create the dough:

Pulse together 2 cups of flour, lemon zest, orange zest, sugar, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor until evenly distributed.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the eggs, wine, and vanilla and continue pulsing until the mixture forms a ball.  Remove the dough ball from the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate for 30 minutes.

form the cookies:

Divide the dough into 4 equal-sized pieces and, one at a time, roll out each piece of dough into ropes about the size of a pencil, 1/4-inch thick, on a lightly floured surface. Cut each rope into 1/2-inch long pieces.

Roll each piece of dough into a small ball about the size of a hazelnut. Lightly dredge the dough balls in flour, shaking off any excess.

fry the dough balls:

Fry the formed dough balls until golden brown in a deep pot or frying pan in which about 2 inches of the oil has been heated to 375 degrees F. (or use a deep fryer filled with the manufacturer’s dictated amount of oil heated to 350 degrees F), about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the fried dough balls to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

coat the cookies in honey:

In a large saucepan over medium heat combine the honey, sugar, and lemon juice, bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Add the drained cookies and stir until the cookies are coated with the honey mixture. Allow the mixture to cool in the pan for 2 minutes.

Using a large slotted  spoon remove the cookies from the pan and arrange the struffoli, in layers, in a Christmas tree shaped pile generously sprinkling each layer with the multi-coloured sprinkles before adding the next level.  Dust the pile with powdered sugar if desired.

service:

Struffoli are normally served accompanied by dark espresso coffee generously laced with anisette and served on a small plate for each person to eat with a spoon (to keep your fingers from getting sticky).  

Holiday Biscotti

Holiday Biscotti

(Italy)

makes 20 biscotti

In Italian biscotti means twice baked.  These traditional anise and almond flavoured Italian cookies are great any time but at Christmas time they are made extra special with the addition of chopped pistachios, candied fruit and a white chocolate dip. 

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon anise extract, or 3 drops anise oil

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped

2/3 cup candied fruit (as you would use in a fruit cake)

decoration (optional):

12 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped

Red and green sugar crystals, for garnish

 Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

prepare the dough:

In the large bowl of your stand mixer (or in a medium bowl if you use a hand mixer) beat the sugar and eggs on high speed until thick, pale, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).  At this point beat in the anise extract.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. 

Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat until combined.  Fold in the chopped pistachios, lemon zest and the candied fruit.

form the biscotti loaf:

Transfer the dough to a well floured counter and form into a log shape, about 12 inches (30 cm) long and 3 1/2 inches (9 cm) wide. You may have to flour your hands to form the log as the dough is quite sticky. 

first baking of the biscotti:

Place on your prepared baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.

second baking of the biscotti:

Reduce the temperature of your oven to 325 degrees F.  Transfer the cooled log to a cutting board and cut into about 1/2 inch slices, on the diagonal. Place the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake for about 8-10 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.  Store in an air tight container 

optional white chocolate dip:

Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Dip half of the biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals to form red, white, and green diagonal stripes. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes.

 service:

Serve on a plate accompanied by anisette spiked espresso coffee.

Pizza Rustica

Pizza Rustica

Just in time for your Christmas parties, Pizza Rustica is the original "deep dish" pizza and a Christmas tradition in my family.

(Italy)

makes 1 pizza, 13x9x2 inches

Ingredients

filling:

1/2 pound Prosciutto ham, sliced very thin
1/2 pound Cappacola ham, sliced very thin
1/2 pound Genoa Salami, sliced very thin
1/2 pound good Pepperoni, sliced very thin
1-pound Mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated
3 pounds Ricotta cheese
6 eggs
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

pie crust:

3 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/6 cups shortening
9 to 12 tablespoons cold water

Preparation

Filling  preparation:

1.  Preheat oven to 400º.  Into a large bowl, tear individual slices of each cold cut (except pepperoni) into pieces about the width and length of one's thumb (about 1"x 2" pieces).  Add the slices of pepperoni without tearing.  Toss the mixture to evenly distribute the different meats.
2.  Add the grated Mozzarella, Ricotta, eggs, and nutmeg and mix thoroughly with your hands until all ingredients have been evenly distributed.  Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper to taste, insure you mix thoroughly after adding the salt and pepper.

Pizza crust preparation (or use your own pie crust recipe or a commercial pie crust):

3.  Sift flour and salt together; cut in shortening with a fork until the pieces are the size of small peas.  Sprinkle 1 tablespoon water over part of the mixture and toss with fork, push the moistened flour mixture to side of bowl.  Repeat until all the flour mixture has been moistened.  Divide mixture and form into two balls.

4.   On a lightly floured surface, flatten one of the balls of dough.  Roll the dough out, starting from the center, to a rough rectangle large enough to cover the bottom and sides of a lightly greased, rectangular, glass baking dish (approximately 13x9x2 inches in size) and about 1/8 inch thick.

5.  Place dough sheet into baking dish and form to cover the bottom and sides.  Add the filling mixture and distribute evenly.   On a lightly floured surface, roll out the second ball of dough to roughly the same size as the first and about 1/8 inch thick.  Cut into strips of dough 1/2 to 3/4 inches wide.  Lay strips on filled pie at about 1 inch intervals across the width of the pie, fold back alternate strips and begin forming a lattice by interweaving strips placed at 1 inch intervals down the length of the pie (beginning 1 inch from the upper edge) with the strips along the width.   After the lattice has been formed, trim excess dough around the edges of the dish by running a sharp knife along the outer rim of the dish.  Seal edges.

6.  Place the pie in the middle of the preheated oven and bake until the latticed top of the pie is golden brown, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

Service:

Allow the pie to cool and set completely before cutting and serving (the pizza is customarily made the day before it is to be served and allowed to cool over night.  It is normally cut into 3-inch cubes for serving).

Tacchino Milanese

Tacchino Milanese

(Italy)

Turkey cutlets with an Italian flair!

Ingredients

1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt plus additional to season the turkey cutlets
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper plus additional to season the turkey cutlets  
2 large eggs, lightly beaten with a tablespoon of cold water
1 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
6 turkey cutlets, 1/4 inch thick
Creamy Lemon and Caper Sauce:
2/3 cup mascarpone cheese or mascarpone cheese substitute
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup capers, drained and chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 lemons cut into 4 wedges

Preparation

bread the cutlets:

Construct a breading station by combining the flour, the 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the ½ teaspoon of black pepper in a shallow dish and stir together to evenly distribute the ingredients; in a second shallow dish place the beaten eggs; in a third shallow dish, place the breadcrumbs and the Parmigiano-Reggiano and stir together to evenly distribute the ingredients.

Season the turkey cutlets with salt and pepper. Bread the cutlets by dipping them (both sides), one at a time, first in the flour (shaking off the excess flour), then in the egg mixture, finally in the bread crumbs. Place each breaded cutlet on a holding platter until all the cutlets are breaded.

prepare the creamy lemon and caper sauce (recommended):

Combine the mascarpone* and mayonnaise in a medium bowl.

Slowly add the milk, stirring as constantly, until all the milk is fully incorporated.

Add the drained and chopped capers, lemon zest, salt and black pepper, stirring to combine. Place the sauce in a serving bowl.

fry the scallopini:

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, heat the oil to the ripple state. When the oil is hot place the breaded scallopini in the pan without crowding and sauté until golden and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes per side, repeat as necessary until all the scallopini have been sautéed.

service:

Either transfer the scallopini to a serving platter for a family service or into individual service plates and serve accompanied by the lemon wedges to squeeze onto the scallopini, a side-dish of your choice and the optional sauce alongside

*Mascarpone cheese substitute:

If you can't find Mascarpone cheese combine 8 ounces of cream cheese, 3 tablespoons of sour cream and 2 tablespoons whipping cream and use as you would mascarpone.

New York Style Soft Pretzels

New York Style Soft Pretzels 

Makes 10 large pretzels

(Germany)

Our love of  these delicious twists of malted dough definitely uncover our  New York roots .  In New York City virtually every street corner has its resident  soft pretzel hawker and shoppers normally grab a soft  pretzel as they scurry from store to store.  Try them warm and spread with yellow delicatessen mustard like New Yorkers do, its GREAT !

                                                               Prep time:    15 minutes

                                                               Rise time:     1 hour 30 minutes (divided)

                                                               Bake time:    25 minutes

Ingredients

1 (12ounce) bottle of good amber beer or non-alcoholic amber beer, warm (105° F)

1 package active dry yeast (not instant rise yeast)

2 teaspoons honey

4-½ cups unbleached all-purpose Flour

2 teaspoons fine Kosher or sea salt

4 tablespoons unsalted Butter, melted

¼ cups baking soda

2 whole egg, lightly beaten

Coarse Kosher salt, for sprinkling

Preparation

create the pretzel dough:

Pour the warm beer into a 2 cup measuring cup, stir in the yeast and sugar and allow the yeast to proof for 5-10 minutes. The mixture will form a foam head, if it doesn’t the yeast is dead and you’ll need to start over. 

Add the flour, salt, melted butter, and the proofed yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer.  Fix with the dough hook attachment and mix using the dough hook until combined well. Place the finished dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled.

form and proof the pretzels:

Line several large sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside. 

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured, clean surface.  Punch it down and roll the dough into an evenly shaped log about 20 inches long.  Cut the log into 10 evenly sized pieces.  Roll each piece into a "rope" about 18 inches long with slightly tapered ends.  

Form each rope into the traditional, three-ringed pretzel shape and place the completed pretzel on the prepared baking sheet, repeat with the remaining dough ropes placing the newly formed pretzels at least 1-inch from the previous.  As each pan is filled cover with a damp kitchen towel and set aside.  Let the completed pretzels rise again until they double in size, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425°F with the oven rack in the middle position.

boil the pretzels:

Bring 2 quarts of water to a low boil, in a large sauce pan or pasta pot.  Once the water boils, remove from heat and slowly add the baking soda (if you put it in too fast the water will boil and overflow the pot).  Place the pot back over the heat and lower to a simmer.

Place 1-2 pretzels at a time into the poaching liquid, and poach for 30 seconds on one side and then carefully turn the pretzel over and poach the other side for another 30 seconds. Remove from the poaching liquid with a slotted spoon and return to the prepared sheet pan. Repeat this process with the remaining pretzels.

bake the pretzels:

Brush each pretzel with the beaten egg using a pastry brush, be sure the egg coats all exposed sides completely, sprinkle each with a little of the coarse salt.

Place the sheet in the preheated oven and bake the rolls for 2-30 minutes, until they are golden brown.

service:

Serve accompanied by yellow mustard and melted cheez whiz.