Are you guys watching Antonio Bordain “No Reservation” New season? Every week he is showing something delicious, last night he was in Prague and it was pork paradise.  Loved the ‘Wenceslas Square’ Sausage Stands, and ‘Sapa’ Vietnamese Market, But what left me really craving was the stuffed Easter bun he had in that chef’s house at the end. I’m now looking all over the net for the recipe. If anybody has that recipe please let me know.

Meanwhile I’m experimenting with some new combinations for my focaccia toppings. I made this bacon and onion marmalade, its really yummy. I actually made a big pot of it so I can freeze it for later. You freeze the onions in ice cube trays, once they’re frozen solid, you pop them out of the tray and store them in a sealed Ziploc bags. The smaller portions make it easy to use, which is exactly what we need, plus the onions thaw more quickly in the pan.  Its awesome to have it ready to go, we can use it in: Baked potatoes, along with a dollop of sour cream, cooked pasta, along with some crumbled blue cheese, arugula or spinach, couscous, grilled cheese sandwiches, mashed potatoes, omelets and frittatas, pan sauces for chicken cutlets or pork chops, pizza with grated mozzarella or crumbled goat cheese, quesadillas, risotto, savory tarts (using puff pastry as a crust) steaks, burgers, pork chops, and sausages. The possibilities are endless. So for this focaccia I used goat cheese plus the onions marmalade and parboiled potatoes (I have done pizza with raw potatoes sliced very thin with a mandolin, but I fond out that the potatoes can get a bit too crispy, so I decided to use cooked potato instead, they turned out creamier that way).

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Bacon And Onion Marmalade Focaccia

For the onion Marmalade

• 10 medium onions or less if they are big, sliced
• 5 bacon slices minced
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

Peel and slice (thick slices) the onions (if you slice it too thin it will all disappear and become just a mush). In a big heavy pot, cook the minced bacon until crispy.  Add onions, minced garlic, and salt and black pepper to taste.

Cover and cook over low heat, stirring from time to time, about 30 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce. Cook over low heat, still covered, another 30 to 45 minutes, or until mixture have a consistency of marmalade.

For the focaccia dough click here

Top the dough with crumbled goat cheese, the onion marmalade, and the potatoes sliced thin.

Lately I have being trying to make pizza into a healthy meal by using vegetables and healthier ingredients, so I don’t have to feel guilty about it. At least that’s the kind of peppy talk I give to myself while I’m rolling the dough. I know it will probably go straight to my thighs but one have to be able to enjoy life right? And look at the Italians, they eat pasta and pizza every day and they look pretty awesome. So if you are feeling brave enough you should try this cauliflower pizza, it was surprisingly delicious. I roasted the cauliflower first with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. In a 375 F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, I used the olive oil pizza dough.

Olive Oil Pizza Dough

• 1½ cups lukewarm water
• 1½ tablespoon granulated yeast (1 ½ packets)
• 1 ½ tablespoon sugar
• ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 6 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour

Mix the yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil with the water in a 5-quart bowl or a lidded (not airtight) food container. Mix in the flour without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup capacity food processor (with dough attachments), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with dough hook). If you are not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour. Cover (not Airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses. Approximately 2 hours. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in lidded (not airtight) container and use over next 12 days.

For the filling:

• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• Goat cheese
• Basil

Every day around 5 o’clock my hubby calls to check what’s for dinner, if we are going to stay in? Or going somewhere? Or if he should bring something. Most of the time I tell him I have it under control. His reactions to food are priceless, if I say the word chocolate he immediately imitates Holmer Simpson; “Chocolaaaaaaaaaaate” and I can totally picture his grin in my mind. If I say salad, he gives me an… oh! Like I cursed him or something, not that he doesn’t like salad but it’s not his favorite thing in the world. So yesterday when he called I told him I was making pizza he gave me the Holmer “pizzaaaaaaaa…” then I said I also baked some chocolate chips cookies. OMG! He was like: “you are the best ‘wifey’ in the whooooooooolle world.” Life is so easy when you marry a Holmer Simpson.

I’m always trying different dough recipes until I find the best one; this recipe is from the book “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes” (Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë Francois). It’s a very interesting method where you make the dough in advance and keep it in the fridge for at least 2 weeks. I loved it because you can use it for bread, focaccia or pizza.

Olive Oil Dough

• 1½ cups lukewarm water
• 1½ tablespoon granulated yeast (1 ½ packets)
• 1 ½ tablespoon sugar
• ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 6 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/4 of  teaspoon of salt

Mix the yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil with the water in a 5-quart bowl or a lidded (not airtight) food container.

Mix in the flour without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup capacity food processor (with dough attachments), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with dough hook). If you are not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.

Cover (not Airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses. Approximately 2 hours.

The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in lidded (not airtight) container and use over next 12 days.

For the topping:

First I tossed the shrimp with olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and roasted the shrimp in a tray in the oven 450 F for exactly 6 minutes. Set a side covered with aluminum foil to keep it warm. In a small pan I fried 5 cloves of garlic shaved very thin in a mandolin and then set a side. I spread my pizza with a bit of marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano, and the grape tomatoes (don’t forget to punch few wholes on the tomatoes with a paring knife so they don’t explode). When it looked ready, I added the shrimp and the shaved garlic on top just to warm up a bit (you don’t want to overcook the shrimp). To finish off, I squeeze some fresh lemon juice and some sprinkled chopped parsley on top.

If you have been reading this blog for a while you probably know I’m a germ- phobic so you can imagine my reaction over the recent news. And to make things worse Oprah had a special program about flesh eating bacteria, and MRSA (the deadly superbug). So now I have not only the swine flu to “freak my freak”, but all of the above as well. When my hubby got home I was spraying the hell out of my house with Lysol. I’ll need many, many cans of it. For the love of God, why those pigs couldn’t keep to themselves? They should have eaten more vitamin C.  But at least Oprah had some hope in the end, the brain surgery to lose weight (Hook me up please). The only down side would be my brain wouldn’t recognize the deliciousness of this pizza. And I would have to blog about carrots and celery stalks. Life would be soooooo boring. 

Butternut Squash Pizza

For the dough:

• 1 1/4 cups warm (100 to 110 degrees F) water
• 2 packages dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Directions:

For the dough, combine the water, yeast, honey, and olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add 3 cups flour, then the salt, and mix. While mixing, add 1 more cup of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough on low to medium speed for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with flour, if necessary, to keep it from sticking to the bowl. When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it several times to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Divide the dough into 6 equal parts and roll each one into a smooth ball. Place the balls on a baking sheet and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes.   Roll and stretch each ball into a rough 8-inch circle and place them all on baking sheets.

For the topping: 

First I roasted the butternut squash in the oven 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Then I caramelized some onions with thyme, salt and pepper. And to top the pizza I used goat cheese. 

Italian Sausage And Fennel Pizza

Ingredients

• For the dough
• 1 1/4 cups warm (100 to 110 degrees F) water
• 2 packages dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt 

For the toppings

• 1 bulb of fennel shaved in the mandolin
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, grated
• 1 bunch arugula, cleaned and dried
• 3 pork or turkey sausages, cooked out of their cases
• 1 bunch basil leaves, cleaned and dried
• 4 garlic cloves, roasted
• Crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

For the dough, combine the water, yeast, honey, and olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add 3 cups flour, then the salt, and mix. While mixing, add 1 more cup of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough on low to medium speed for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with flour, if necessary, to keep it from sticking to the bowl.

When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it several times to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Divide the dough into 6 equal parts and roll each one into a smooth ball. 

Place the balls on a baking sheet and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours. If you’ve chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature.

Top the pizzas with any toppings you wish, piling them high. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon of olive oil until the crust is crisp and the toppings are cooked.