Monday, February 15, 2010
This is a recipe that has been making the blog rounds and everyone keeps raving over. I’m a little late to the party in making these, but hey, better late than never!
Part of what helped me decide to finally make them, was when Cate posted this recipe for homemade pita bread. I adore pita bread, and I especially love trying new bread recipes. This pita bread was so much fun to make. It was a really soft, and smooth dough. I honestly had fun working with it. (Yes, baking bread is my idea of a good time.) And it truly tastes AMAZING. Fresh pita bread just does not compare to the store bought kind. It’s so soft and delicious.
Onto the gyros (pronounced yee-ros, per Elly’s instructions). I was all set to make the tzatziki, as I’ve actually made it before. I was shopping at Whole Foods, and had all the ingredients I needed already in my cart, and then… I saw a container of organic tzatziki, with a quick scan of the ingredients list I saw it had exactly the same ingredients as the recipe, no crazy long scientific words. So, since I already planned to make the pita bread from scratch, I thought a shortcut in tzatziki was ok. And when I got home and tasted it, it was just as delicious as the version I’d made in the past.
The recipe for the gyros is pretty simple and straightforward. I used a mixture of light and dark meat chicken. It tasted delicious, especially with the homemade pita bread and cool & tasty tzatziki. It’s also healthy! I’m really glad I tried it, and just wished I hadn’t waited so long.
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Chicken Gyros on Homemade Pita Bread
Ingredients:
PITA BREAD:
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water (about 90 F)
2 tablespoons olive oil
CHICKEN GYROS:
1.25 lbs. chicken pieces (I used breast this time, but I also love using thighs, or a combo)
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping Tbsp. plain yogurt
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper
1/2 batch of tzatziki
sliced tomatoes
sliced red onions
Directions:
PITA BREAD:
Combine 1/4 cup water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and stir with a rubber spatula. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Add the flour, salt, remaining water and olive oil and stir with a wooden spoon. When the mixture comes together and is too thick to stir, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. (If the dough seems sticky, add a little flour, and if it seems too dry, add a little water – trust yourself and go by feel).
Grease a large bowl with olive oil and shape the dough into a ball. Put the ball of dough in the bowl and turn a few times to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel and set aside to rise for about 90 minutes, or until doubled in size.
After the dough has risen, fold it over on itself a few times, then cut into 8 equally sized pieces. Let them rest under a damp towel for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 F (with the baking stone inside, if you have one).
One or two at a time, roll the pieces out to about 1/8″ thickness, using a rolling pin, then put them directly on the pizza stone or oven rack. Bake for 2-4 minutes, until they puff up nicely.
CHICKEN GYROS:
Whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, yogurt, and oregano in a bowl. Add the chicken and rub the marinade in. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.
Preheat the broiler (or grill, or pan on the stove). Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, and then broil until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side, depending what size/type chicken you are using. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before slicing into strips.
Meanwhile, heat your pitas. Top the pita with the chicken, tzatziki, tomatoes, onions. Roll up and eat!
Friday, February 12, 2010
For the longest time I’ve wanted to participate in the Cupcake Hero blog event. But with every month that rolled around, I either forgot, or just didn’t feel inspired with a great idea. I’ll admit, when I heard that February’s ingredient was olive oil, my first thought was “Wha-?!”. I remember thinking the same thing when I first read a NYTimes article about olive oil granola. I adapted that recipe to make what The Boy & I consider the most addictive, amazing granola ever. We seriously love this stuff. I knew instantly I wanted to make a cupcake topped with that granola. The more I pondered it, I knew in the back of my mind I had seen a recipe for olive oil cake. So I did some digging and found this great post and recipe on Serious Eats for a Torta di Mandorla or Moist Almond Cake. The post goes on to talk about how it’s a great Valentine’s Day recipe, because the almond is a symbol of deep love and fidelity in Italy. And besides, we all know, olive oil is a heart healthy fat! So, what a better combo for this February Cupcake Hero Contest, than this Almond Olive Oil Cake, topped with Cream Cheese Frosting (so the granola has something to stick to), and Olive Oil Granola.
Not only was this cupcake a great idea in theory, it was great tasting! The cake is super moist, and really flavorful, with a hint of citrus. The olive oil is more of a slight aroma & flavor, so that you barely notice it’s presence; definitely not overpowering. The cream cheese frosting adds a bit of tang to balance out the sweetness of the cake. And the granola adds a crunch, but also a strong, rich, flavor kick. It’s hard to explain, but this really is a great combination of flavors. I’m so glad I finally got my butt in gear to participate!
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Almond Olive Oil Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Olive Oil Granola
Ingredients:
GRANOLA:
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cups raw pistachios, hulled & coarsely chopped
1/2 raw sunflower seeds, hulled
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon + 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (freshly ground is amazing)
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup chopped dried cherries and/or raisins
CAKE:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup blanched or natural almond flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
Grated zest of 1 medium lemon or 1/4 a medium orange
1/2 cup orange juice
FROSTING:
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
Directions:
GRANOLA:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine oats, pistachios, sunflower seeds, coconut flakes, maple syrup, honey, olive oil, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and cardamom. Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown and well toasted.
Transfer granola to a large bowl and add dried cherries/raisins, tossing to combine.
CAKE:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or springform pan and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt to thoroughly combine them and set aside.
Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk them lightly to break up the yolks. Add the sugar to the bowl and whisk it in thoroughly in both directions for about 30 seconds. Add the olive oil and whisk until the mixture is a bit lighter in color and has thickened slightly, about 45 seconds. Whisk in the extracts and zest, followed by the orange juice.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and whisk until they are thoroughly combined; continue whisking until you have a smooth, emulsified batter, about 30 more seconds.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake the cake for 30 to 45 minutes, rotating the cake pan halfway through the cooking time to ensure even browning. The cake is done when it has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan, springs back lightly when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool for ten minutes in the pan, then gently remove it from the pan and allow it cool completely on a rack.
FROSTING:
Mix cream cheese and vanilla on medium speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle until creamy and light, 2 minutes. With mixer running, gradually add butter; mix until combined.
Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in sugar until combined. If not using immediately, refrigerate, covered, up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before using.
TO ASSEMBLE
Spread frosting on top of cupcakes, and top with granola.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Weekend mornings sometimes just call for waffles. I like to roll outta bed and browse breakfast recipes leisurely; then spend some time in the kitchen, not caring how many dishes I dirty up. The great thing about when we make a batch of waffles, we don’t eat them all, and I can freeze the leftovers, for those weekday mornings when I don’t have the time browse breakfast recipes or the energy for dirtying all those dishes. This is a great recipe to pull out on the weekend. You might think gingerbread is only something you can enjoy around the holidays, but I disagree! The flavors in these gingerbread are subtly different than your average waffle; with the perfect amount of spice. Now that I’ve depleted the supply of leftovers in the freezer, I’m already craving these again. I felt these were perfect with just a bit of powdered sugar; but feel free to top them however you like. Also, these would make a very nice breakfast brunch for your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day!
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Gingerbread Waffles
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, separated
3/4 cup buttermilk (may substitute regular milk if necessary)
1/4 cup molasses (may substitute maple syrup if desired)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
for serving (optional)
confectioner’s sugar for dusting
whipped cream and cinnamon sticks to garnish
warm maple syrup
Directions:
Gather 3 bowls: 1 large, 1 medium and 1 small. Preheat waffle iron.
In the large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients (flour through ground cloves); blend thoroughly. In the medium-sized bowl, mix brown sugar and egg yolk with an electric mixer until fluffy; add buttermilk, molasses and butter. Stir into the dry ingredients (in larger bowl) until just combined—do not over mix.
In the small bowl, beat the egg white and cream of tartar using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the existing batter.
Quickly (and evenly) spoon batter onto a preheated waffle iron. Bake according to manufacturer’s directions, until light golden brown. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar if desired, and/or garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon sticks. Serve with warm maple syrup.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Are you feeding a crowd for the Super Bowl this year? A bunch of hungry men perhaps? Well you might want to give some thought to this easy pulled pork. You can prep it the night before, let it cook over night, and the majority of the work is done, leaving you free to prep some appetizers or dessert.
I found this recipe using the Epicurious App on my iPhone. I read a lot of the reviews, and many people mentioned the sauce/juice was thin, and to reduce it. So once the pork was fully cooked and shredded, I set a colander over a medium sauce pan, poured the entire mixture in, and pressed the pork to strain the juice out. I returned the pork to the slow cooker, and then reduced the sauce on the stovetop for about 45 min until it was pretty thick. Once I did that, the sauce was much improved, and mighty delicious! You can either mix it back into the pork, or serve alongside it.
Also, just a little note, the recipe calls for the jalapeño WITH SEEDS, you might be a little worried about this being hot. But I PROMISE YOU, as someone with a low-medium heat tolerance, I couldn’t sense the heat at all. I promise you. If you’re a bit wary, you can always remove the seeds, but I suggest keeping them in.
WAIT! I’m not done, scroll down after the recipe for some LINK LOVE, and see my suggestions for other things to serve at your Super Bowl Party!
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Slow Cooker Barbecue Pork Shoulder
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons hot chile powder
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco), or to taste
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped (with seeds)
1 garlic clove, minced
3 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes including juice
1 bay leaf
Directions:
In small bowl, whisk together sugar, tomato paste, mustard, vinegar, chile powder, hot pepper sauce, and salt. Set aside.
In heavy, medium skillet over moderately high heat, heat oil until hot but not smoking. Add onion, pepper, jalapeño, and garlic, and sauté until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Scrape into slow cooker.
Add pork cubes, bacon, tomatoes and their juices, and bay leaf and stir to combine. Pour sauce over mixture. Cover and cook on low until meat is very tender, 8 to 10 hours. Remove bay leaf and use fork to break up meat.
*Optional, but recommended: Separate pork and juice. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer. Reduce sauce for 30-1hr depending on thickness you want. (I went with 45 minutes.)
And now… for something I hope to remember to do more often, LINK LOVE!
If you’re looking for more ideas for the Super Bowl, here’s some great ideas from my blog, as well as from other blogs!
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