Eating Omaha...Block 16

We were in the neighborhood a few weeks ago and decided to get some lunch somewhere new, for us.  Block 16 is a hard to describe burger joint? That somehow does not fit but the food was amazing. We split a burger and I ordered the Duck Duck Goose Fries.

The were fries topped with duck confit and a gooseberry gastric with mozzarella cheese. Brenda is not a duck fan so more for me. Yay, it was yummy. There are lots of things to explore on the menu and they have daily specials outline on Facebook. Love it.

Looking Back and Forward...

My second year as Mr. Claus brought a lot of new experiences for me. I was privileged to visit the NICU at Children’s Hospital here in Omaha and held a lot of very sick and recovering babies. Such an honor that these parents allowed me to intrude in their lives for a moment. Mackenzie took some great pics for Mom and Dad.

We extended the studio time this year to two days and had a lot of fun getting all those pics taken and then some showing up in our mail as Christmas cards. So fun and a little surreal. Made lots of new connections this year and got called out a lot in stores by young shoppers whose parents were a little embarrassed but what’s a kid to think when they see me out and about, usually wearing red?

I did a daycare one day. What a line up and great fun. 150 littles in 2 hours, it was a well oiled machine. A few Christmas parties hired me to appear and I was so thrilled with all the kiddies and their imagination and gift ideas.

Brenda and I are now considering the Santa Convention in August at Branson for grins. I joined the Santa network

Candied Bacon

1 pound of thick sliced bacon (we like peppered)
6 T brown sugar
2 t Dijon mustard
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper

Preheat oven 350
Line baking sheet with foil and arrange bacon slices.  Use the last few length wise across the top
Combine the ingredients and sprinkle the slices with the mixture. Just a dab here and there
Bake for 25. Minutes till dark golden brown but not burnt. Lay out bacon and cool till crisp.

Eating Omaha....Modern Love

We were honored to be guests at a celebration dinner for Caroline and Skye Page as they celebrated their nuptials at the courthouse Monday evening. while we were unfortunately unable to make the courthouse ceremony, we parked ourselves at happy hour at the reception venue and had a few cocktails.

Modern Love is a local vegan establishment, one of a few in Omaha but definitely on the higher end of the scale with offerings for the vegan community. My last visit there I was not so impressed but this time it was of our own choosing and I went with an open mind and sampled all the fare that was before me. The owner/chef is widely known for her creative menu.

The cocktails were great and I had a Bloody Mary before the guests arrive while Brenda enjoyed a Cosmopolitan. We perused the menu while drinking and found a few things interesting to try. My sister had just been there with her dinner club and was not happy at all but I was determined to find somethings that I would enjoy. They may have just hit an off night. As a carnivore, the menu is a little sparse of typical going out to eat fare so choose wisely. Brenda's advice was stick to a vegetable with little intervention. Sage advice.

For starters we had Mozzarella balls, deep fried which I loved. Brenda was a little so so but loved the nachos with cashew cheese which also filled the Mozzarella balls. The Spinach Artichoke dip was notable as well. I had a Portabella salad with avocado. It was delicious and the ranch dressing was tangy and a nice addition. It was a large salad and I brought half home.

Brenda opted for a Chik'n Fried Steak option and my taste of that was quite good. But if I'm going vegan then perhaps not going to try to imitate meat so much and stick with vegetable entrees.  The most impressive thing about the place is that the owner came to speak to our friend Emily, who has multiple food intolerances and made a specific dish for her based on her needs. It looked delicious with oyster mushrooms and a  pesto risotto with collards.  That's the kind of vegan I was looking for.

Desserts were well received by all for those who ordered but Caroliine's mother, Lori, had ordered a vegan vanilla and chocolate cake that hit the spot post dinner. Brenda had a cherry trifle that was delicious and Caroline's dad, David, sampled a bread pudding that looked great.

Honestly, its not the place I would choose if a choice was to be made. I am happy to go there for the needs of others but not a huge fan of a strict vegetable diet personally. If Caroline and Skye would like to go out with us then I would, of course come here again knowing there are quite a few things I can enjoy. On the upside my sugar was behaving well. Not a post prandial spike in sight and really a little low by evenings end. Could I go totally meat free? Maybe if I can have seafood and dairy?  I really miss my cheese and in our house its a condiment in all it's forms and flavors.

For a Monday night, the place was packed. I mean every table. Many thanks to the Barr's for such a nice evening and to the Page's for a lovely invite to their special day. Much love and happiness to the beautiful couple.

Our annual pilgrimage....

We have returned home from our annual Mexico tour, enjoying the weather and getting us ready for the long Nebraska winter.  Many things at the resort have improved, especially the meals, and a few things have sadly declined. There is almost a cult following at EPM now and several repeaters have established a bit of a hierarchy, reserving, but not using sitting spots and the petty stuff that happens when varying classes of people gather.
This year, I unintentionally made a sensation of sorts. The Huskers played on Saturday and I dressed in Husker fashion. With my beard it obviously looked like Santa had come to Mexico.

The upside was we met a few Nebraskans and became local celebs. This trip we met lots of people at the pool either my Husker hat or my white beard creating an ice breaker. We met a Canadian couple that were great to speak to and exchanged information with them to meet up again. John and Jennie Churcher are originally from South Africa and I think we could just sit for hours a listen to their accents. So much fun and so much in common. 

The foods have improved at EPM. My favorite was the duck at the Asian restaurant as well as the octopus at the Barcelona place. It’s funny but I was craving big taste tonight so I made our Dirty Shrimp recipe with pasta after all that great eating, I missed spiced food. It’s just nice to have some intense flavors again. The recipe is on the blog.

Eating Omaha...The Jewell

We had the pleasure of meeting up with our friends, the Choiniere’s this Friday with tickets to The Jewell, a jazz club in the downtown Marriott. We booked the early show as they have 2 a night and before the show, we had dinner there.

The menu is limited and pricey, I had a $18.00 hamburger and Brenda had a $10 slider appetizer for dinner. That, paired with a beer and 2 drinks and a very pricey charcuterie appetizer (cheese was extra)  came to a whopping $100.00 plus $20 tip and the cost of the show, $10 for each of us.

The service was great but the food was just okay and the jazz was rocking although not exactly our style of music. The set lasted about 45 minutes to an hour and we were back on the street by 9 pm.

I think this place has great potential but we are still scratching our heads about the bill, it just did not add up. Perhaps just drinks next time  but the cocktails ranged from $10 to $14. Domestic beer was $7 and wine was $10-14 dollars a pour. If dinner was a bit  more affordable we would like to do this more often. They have some great acts in the queue so perhaps just drinks and an appetizer?

Ricotta Dumplings...the experiment

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/ricotta-dumplings-with-asparagus-and-green-garlic

So...above is the link to ricotta nirvana. I made these earlier but wasn’t happy with the texture because the ricotta was too wet. I had purchased a large tub for something else and had 2 cups leftover which I dried and drained to a crumbly consistency like the recipe called for. Since the cheese was going south I had to do something with it and I decided to just make the dumplings then freeze them and serve later. Let’s see how that goes!

Nice huh? The mix has to be just right and perfect little half moons fall off the tablespoon...now into the freezer.

A Post for Joel...

I tried to send Joel a jpeg of the icon he commissioned but he cannot open it where he is so I am posting it here for him to see.

Saturday Grillin...

Blueberry Cheesecake Gallette

Smoked Baby Backs. 

Brenda went to visit her folks and left me to my own devices this weekend. Mackenzie and Ben are working but Nick agreed to a rib dinner so I started early today to get a nice smoke on these baby backs with my new Weber grill. I decided this needed a real BBQ sauce of my own making so I pulled the recipe I needed from Cook’s Illustrated ‘Summer Grilling’ from 2011 for a simple pantry sauce I could throw together. It never disappoints.  

Quick Barbecue Sauce

1 medium onion peeled and quartered

1/4 c water

1 cup ketchup

5 tbls molasses

2 tbls cider vinegar

2 tbls Worcestershire Sauce

2 tbls Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke

1 teaspoon Hot Sauce

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 tbls vegetable oil

1 med garlic clove pressed and minced

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne

Process the onion and water in a food processor until it resembles slush. Pass through a strainer, pressing on the solids to get 1/2 cup liquid. Discard the pulp.

Whisk  the onion juice, ketchup, molasses, vinegar, liquid smoke, pepper sauce and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large non reactive sauce pan and add garlic, chili powder and cayenne. Cook about 30 seconds then add the ketchup mixture. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes till thickened and flavors are melded. Cool before using.  

For the Blueberry Cheesecake Gallette, I used this recipe:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/blueberry-cheesecake-galette-2269192

British Curry Sauce for Chips (French fries)

So, a while back we were in London and shared some great food experiences. One being chips and curry sauce at the local Fish and Chips shop. The sauce is common in Great Britain but not so much in the U.S. so I felt an urge to recreate it from several online recipes. Some very complex and some relatively easy. I went somewhere in the middle with this recipe. Only Mackenzie can tell us if it’s the real deal but it was awfully tasty on our fries tonight.

Here’s the link to the recipe

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/chip-shop-curry-sauce

Dinner tonight was a Shrimp sandwich. Cold boiled shrimp on lightly toasted marble rye with a smear of cream cheese, a bit of cocktail sauce and lettuce. Brenda added someone guacamole to hers and I smeared a little mayo on mine. So delicious and light for this hot summer night with a side of hot crinkle fries and curry sauce to dip. Yum.

Roasted Breast of Lamb

As a special treat for me and the boys, I made a breast of lamb. Its been a while since I bought one and I was pleasantly surprised and 2 meaty slabs of ribs when I opened the pack. Usual one of the slabs is wanting for the curved ribs and lack of meat.

I prepared a rub using:

2 T olive oil
2 t salt
2 t cumin
1 t pepper
1 t Italian seasoning
1 t cinnamon
1 t coriander
1 t paprika

Mix into a paste and rub over the fatty side of the ribs and sparingly over the bony side. I placed the racks side by side in a roaster covered in parchment paper then covered in foil and baled at 300 for several hours till tender. About 3 hours. I uncovered them and placed them under the broiler for about 4 minutes to get a nice crispy crust on the fatty side.  There is a lot of fat rendered out of these. Let it harden and discard. 

Split apart and enjoy.

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

The local market has had some nice looking peppers of late. Large in size and perfect for stuffing. I usually treat these with a seafood mix but we have been n a meat mode lately and I bought burger but switched to chicken when I developed the recipe.  I meant to buy Chipotles in Adobo sauce but came home with Chipotle salsa in a small can. Worked well so I went with it and added the leftover salsa to the batch of fresh salsa I was making and it added a nice heat.

4 Large Poblanos, prepped.
1/2 Rotisserie Chicken, shredded
4 ounces of mushrooms, sliced
1 med onion diced
1/2 red pepper diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
3 Tbls olive oil
4 ounces cream cheese, room temp
8 ounces shredded cheese, divided ( I had 5 cheeses Italian blend on hand)
1/4 cup bread crumbs if needed
1/2 cup cream
Salt and pepper

For the Sauce
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 cup milk
2 slices processed swiss
3 T of chipotle salsa
1/2 t chipotle powder
2 T cream
Salt and pepper


Prep the peppers by blackening them over the gas stove, torch or broiler. Place them in a bowl and cover to steam while you fix the filling.

Saute the onions, pepper, garlic and mushrooms till the onions turn translucent. add the cream cheese and allow to melt. Add the chicken and shredded cheese and cream. Allow to cook at little, if there is too much liquid, add the bread crumbs till the consistency you like.  Verify seasoning, adding salt and pepper as desired. Set aside. Start the sauce.

Melt the butter and add the flour and cook a few minutes then add the milk and stir till thickened a bit and add the cheese and salsa to taste. The salsa is spicy so add a s much or little as you like. Finish with a bit of cream. Sauce should be heavy cream  thick but quite pour-able. 

Retrieve the peppers and scrape the black skin off, split one side and clean the seeds and membranes then heap with a good amount of stuffing and place in a greased casserole. Continue using all the stuffing and peppers, mounding the extra filling on top. Flood the dish with the sauce and top with additional cheese.  Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes at 375 then uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes till bubbly and melty.  Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Eating Scotland...Edinburgh

We had a lot of cheese and salami sandwiches from the local grocer in London with an occasional great night out. Our first foray in Scotland was a treat from Mackenzie. She began planning this adventure for us last year when I was recovering from cancer surgery. One of her surprises was a seat at ‘The Table’. A very exclusive, chef run venue that accepts only10 diners a nite for a meal prepared in front of you in 7 courses. It took hours to get thru dinner and the walk was a bit underestimated and took a bit to get there. The night we went, all Americans were at the table, surprising the staff a bit.
Each course was unusual and precise, small bites but filling by the time course 7 hit the plate. If you get the chance, and there is space, book a sitting. So much fun....

Eating London....

We have been in London since Saturday and are leaving for a day trip to Paris tomorrow so we had a ‘last supper’ at a little spot in Devonshire called ‘Pitt Cue’. Nice little brew pub that features wood smoked meats (and not much else) with a full bar.

This was Mackenzie’s favorite spot from past visits to London so she ordered for us. We sampled small plates first, pickles, pork belly and a pig’s head scrumpet.
Then the main courses were duck breast with chicory and pork jowls with apple ketchup.

By by far the best was a side of bone marrow mashed potatoes. Unctuous and savory, who knew. The meal was crazy good but needed a salad and crusty bread. 

Mackenzie is a master navigator of the underground system. Once in the underground you could be as much as 4 stories down. Escalators and stairs with multiple stops, it was all we could do to keep up with her and get our butts on the right train. It’s is so amazing to have such a great way to get around town. 

Shrimp and Grits

So my local Southern Belle failed me at work ( in the nicest way possible, bless her heart) and had no recipe for Shrimp and Grits and forced me to look at several recipes and pick the best features of all of them. So I did, with great success. Definitely not a Lenten dish but it’s Hannah’s birthday family dinner and here we are. Not all that hard to make but a lot of steps.

Here they are:

Shrimp and Grits, my own Southern tradition

1 1/2 raw peeled deveined large shrimp, shells reserved
Cajun seasoning about 2 tbs. I made my own*
1/4 cup flour, reserved
Season the raw shrimp, toss to coat and set aside. Use the flour later just before frying to coat.


In a saucepan,  add
Reserved shells
Whole medium onion, unpeeled halved
2 Celery stalks
1 teaspoon of  Thyme
Salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer for 45 minutes verify seasoning.
Strain and reserve broth. About 3 cups.

For the Shrimps
2 tbs oil
2 tbs butter
1 medium onion chopped fine
2 Celery stalks chopped fine
1/2 red pepper, diced. I used a 1/2 jar roasted red peppers diced.
2-3 cloves of garlic chopped fine.
1/2 c white wine
3/4 c cream
Wondra flour for thickening
1-2 tablespoons of Franks Hot Sauce to taste
Salt and pepper as needed
3 green onions sliced thin, white and green

In a large fry pan, heat 2 tbs oil till shimmering. Toss the seasoned shrimps in a few tbs of flour till coated. Add the seasoned shrimp in batches to the hot oil till pink through then set aside.

In the same pan add the butter, celery, onion, red pepper  and garlic. Sauté till softened then add the white wine and allow it to reduce by half, scraping up the browned bits. Add about 2-3 cups of the seafood stock and the cream. Allow to come to a light boil. Thicken with Wondra if needed. Verify seasoning.  Add the shrimps back till heated through and spoon over grits.  Top with green onion. Pass the hot sauce.

Grits
1 1/2 cups quick cook grits
6 cups water/ milk or more if needed
2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces of white shredded sharp cheddar  cheese
1/2 cup cream
3 tbls butter

 Boil the salted water, add grits slowly and whisk the entire time. When the consistency of thick porridge, add the cheese and combine till the cheese melts then stir in the cream and butter.

* Cajun seasoning
5T paprika
4T garlic powder
2T onion powder
2T black pepper
2T cayenne
2T oregano
2T thyme
1T salt.

A Lenten Dinner Party...of sorts

Last night our great friends Randy and Rhonda came to say goodbye. They are moving closer to their kids in Arizona. They got a great deal on a house and are in the process of packing up. They wanted to go out but being lent and limited in what we can eat plus my diabetes and pasta are enemies I offered to cook. Not many folks will turn down a meal at our house and they graciously accepted. Originally Randy wanted to head out to Spaghetti Works for their red clam sauce but I use a high fiber low calories pasta so I made the sauce here instead. As a matter of fact, I made 3 sauces as Rhonda does not eat anything from the sea and Brenda preferred white clam sauce rather than red.

A nice fresh French loaf and cop cat Olive Garden salad rounded out the menu with a Lenten chocolate cake for dessert.

For the sauce I used the 4 ingredient method

1 28 ounce can of San Marzano peeled tomatoes
1 small onion peeled and halved
1 t salt or more as needed
4 tbls butter or margarine.

Heat all the ingredients in a sauce pan the simmer for 45 minutes. Break up the tomatoes as it’s cooking. Discard the onion. One basic red sauce that is surprisingly fresh tasting and delicious.

For the White Clam Sauce

1 can of Bumblebee Baby Clams, drained juice reserved
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 shallot chopped
2 tbls olive oil
1/2 c white wine
3 tbls butter or margarine

In a medium skillet heat the olive oil and then add the garlic and shallot. Sauté gently to avoid burning the garlic then add the clams. Heat through, add the wine the the clam juice. (At this point I divided the red sauce in half and added 1/3 of the clams to the red sauce.)
Bring the white sauce to a low boil and add the butter, one pat at a time and whisking to incorporate before adding the next. Sauce should thicken and become glossy. Add a handful of parsley.

Lenten Meals are us...

Tonight’s fare besides a nice fresh prosfora is a Cilantro Lime and Shrimp casserole with black beans and rice. 

I needed a little something in case pickings are slim. Last weeks Mediterranean Seafood salad was a big hit. This week a Mexican palate was in order. Here’s how I made it:

1 1/2 pound peeled deveined medium raw shrimp
2 tbls oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 t baking soda
2 tbls hot sauce
1 tbls chipotle powder
Garlic powder
1/2 c red onion

4 cups water
2 cups rice
2 cans drained black beans rinsed
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Juice and zest of 2 limes
Salt and pepper

Rinse and drain shrimp and toss with baking soda then Franks Hot Sauce, chipotle powder and garlic powder. Prepare rice with water and 1 tbls salt and bring to boil, cover and simmer 15 minutes till cooked. Combine with beans, lime juice and zest and cilantro. Set aside.

Sauté garlic and onion in the oil carefully till soft and the garlic does not burn, then add shrimp and cook till just pink through. Add to rice mixture with juices and toss. Check seasoning adding salt and pepper as needed.

Eating Omaha....Timber Wood Fire Bistro

I am currently reading reviews for this Omaha establishment and trying to wrap my head around the ratings. I don't get it. Yes the food is good, not exceptional and the service is 5 star. The rest is...meh.

Last night was my third or forth visit to Timber and I was, as was the rest of my party, surprised at the dinky portions and terrible dessert.

As part of a large party where I was a guest,  I partook of  the prix fixe menu offered. Tenderloin Medallions, Prohibition Black Chicken  and Cedar Planked Steelhead Salmon were the three main choices. In the past, I have had the mac and cheese,  'Timber Mac' and the Lamb Burger. All delicious dishes and the generous portion of the mac and cheese led me to take half home for lunch the next day. The small burger, however,  left me wanting. The ladies 'loved' the pizza at $16 each, just 10 inches or so...

Last night illustrated a point. I choose the salmon while my buddies choose the filet medallions. Our plates arrived with excellent service, so that's not an issue, with a 1/2 cup portion of creamed potatoes, 6 grilled asparagus spears and in the case of the beef, two 3 ounce medallions of filet.  My salmon was identical except for a nicely grilled piece of salmon just 1-1 1/2 inches wide. About 4 ounces if I were to guess. The menu price was $26 for both entrees. If I had to pay for this I would have been mighty unhappy to be honest. I got a text from one of my friends after I got home that said "I'm still hungry". Yes, I would have to agree, it simply was not enough food. we joked about stopping at Arby's on the way home. No joke,  really.

This is not about the quality of the meal although dessert left something to be desired, or the service, which was excellent. Its about value and leaving a dinner with enough to eat. That did not happen.
Oh yes...and about dessert. German Chocolate cake, one of my favorites but here...a dry hockey puck of a molten lava cake, topped with the typical coconut frosting as well as whipped cream and dark cherries? Which is it? Black Forrest or German Chocolate? All the guests at our table left most of the dessert behind.

I would have a tough time giving this place 5 stars for sure.

The Insurance Game

In this game we are all losers. I have spent the last few months dealing with my deductible status being gone since the surgery and New Year. Meds, products I need for my Urostomy and my diabetes sensor went up exponentially. I found out I don’t need a prescription for my appliances that I need to catch urine from my stoma. I found various on line sites that offer the supplies way cheaper than I could get locally or from medical supply companies.

I am insured by UMR and my personal deductible is $2700 per year. Everything till that total is met is a cash transaction.  The UMR insurer said to use Byram Healthcare for my sensors. Under the plan last year, I paid about $90 per month. After the first of the year I paid $180 per month. I started calling around and found a wide range of cash prices for the sensors. CVS pharmacy nestled in Target store just charged me $74 for a month supply. I had her check again. Is it possible to pay less in cash than insurance? Yes, Virginia, it is.

American healthcare is in trouble. What do people do that can not navigate the nonsense? How do you get a CT scan if you don’t have $850 up front to pay? I have a nice HSA but it’s still my money. My own facility where I work charges me to sit in their exam room. $74 after the negotiated rate down from $210 full fee. To sit in their exam room on top of the full cash price of the physicians visit that can range from $200 to $500. Crazy.

Cold Days for Warm Soup

So today is about in-laws coming to stay a few days and food to serve for the week. I started the day dragging my frozen collection of wing tips and veggie trimmings from the freezer to stock the InstaPot for a bit of broth making.
Since the weather was so bad and the roads a nightmare I made a bunch of egg noodles too and voila! Chicken Soup that would rival any Jewish Grandma's.

So starting with the Pot:

1 pound chicken wing tips
1 pound shaken thighs, bone in and skin on, browned if you like
Celery bottoms, halved unpeeled onion, a few halved garlic cloves, and some carrots.
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons of salt, a few peppercorns
Cover with fresh cold water
Process for 30-40 minutes and natural release. Strain broth into a stock pot and pick over thighs to remove meat, set aside and discard veggies. Shred the meat.
I added a tablespoon of Chicken flavored Better Than Bullion, about a cup of diced carrots and celery and the shredded thigh meat. Check the seasoning adding a few grinds of pepper and  a teaspoon of turmeric to enhance the color and bring to a boil before adding the noodles, either homemade or frozen. 

Egg Noodles
2 cups AP flour
2 eggs beaten with 1/3 cup milk
1 tbls soft butter of olive oil
1 tsp salt
Process in the food processor till the dough pulls from the sides. Turn out on a well floured board and knead smooth. Roll out to 1/8 thick and cut into 1/2 strips. Toss with flour to keep from sticking and drop into boiling soup, cook for 3 minutes.

Pizza! Pizza!

Its a pizza kind of day. I saw this post from Cook'sIllustrated on Instagram claiming a 60 minute pizza. It probably is where temps hover at 70 but in our cool house it took a bit longer. I was intrigued by the ingredient list and had all the fixins.
The dough was entirely a food processor affair as was the sauce. Pretty easy but more ingredients han expected.

One Hour Pizza (or thereabouts)

Dough

7 1/3 oz (1 1/3 cups) bread flour
3 ounces (1/3 cup) semolina flour
2 t instant yeast
2 t sugar
1/2 cup warm water (115 degrees)
1/4 cup mild lager
2 t white vinegar
1 1/2 t olive oil
1 t salt
AP flour

Sauce

1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes (Glen Muir) The original called for 28 ounces but that's a lot of sauce.
1 T olive oil
3 anchovies (optional) I used anchovy paste cause I always have it on hand
1 t salt
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t sugar
1/4 t pepper
1/8 t red pepper

For the dough:  Place the pizza stone on a rack 4-5 inches under the broiler element and heat to 500 degrees. A clean oven is a must or its  smoky affair. Now I use a scale when I make any bread these days.

While the oven heats up, process the flour, semolina, yeast, and sugar and pulse for 2 seconds to combine.  With the processor running pour in the warm water, lager, vinegar and oil and run till combined and no dry ingredients remain. Let rest for 10 minutes.
Add the salt to the dough and process till the dough forms a satiny sticky ball that clears the sides of the bowl. Remove to a floured counter and knead gently till smooth about 15 secs. Divide dough into 2  and form into smooth balls.
Spray a 11 inch circle in the center of a large sheet of parchment paper with cooking spray. Place one dough ball in the center and spray the top of the dough. Roll the dough into a 10 inch circle then cover with a second sheet of parchment and roll out to 11 1/2 inches. Set aside and do the same to the second dough ball. Let stand at room temperature till puffy, about 30 minutes, Our house was much too cool and I had to proof in the oven at 105 degrees to get any rise at all.

During the wait for the dough to rise, make the sauce. I just threw all the ingredients in the dirty food processor and blended till smooth. Taste and season accordingly. I thought the sauce was just right and was easy and quite tasty.

When the dough is almost ready, heat the broiler for 10 minutes to heat the stone further. Remove the top parchment and dust the dough lightly with AP flour. Liberally dust the peel and turn the disk onto the peel. Remove the parchment.

Spread the dough with 1/2 cup of the sauce leaving a 3/4 inch border. Top with cheese of choice. I use mozzarella, freshly grated and some parmesan.  Slide the pizza on the stone and bake at 500 for 8- 12 minutes till bubbly and browned.  Transfer to a wire rack and cool a few minutes before slicing.

I really liked this easy sauce. Might have to make it a permanent part of the repertoire. The pizza was really good. The oven simply does not get hot enough to really crisp the crust but it was very nice.

Ok, so Pizza in an Hour was more like pizza in 2 hours but worth the wait and the mess.

Winter's here....Spicy Posole Soup

My fellow cook and all time great gal, Deb Whitman posted a soup to heal her hurting soul. A nice Mexican Posole with a red sauce and spicy that cooked for hours. Sounded tasty but I needed to use ...the Pot.
So as not to Xerox my friend completely, I chose a green version of the dish with a little different flavor profile. Tomatillos and jalapeno fit the bill, plus a 28 ounce can of Las Palmas Green Chili sauce. Perfect on a cold winter day here in the Big O. We are still thawing out from the hockey game last night.

Posole Verde

1-2 pounds of pork in the form of country style ribs or shoulder cubed
1 tbls olive oil
1 pound tomatillos,  husk removed, washed, split in halve and roasted
1 large jalapeno charred and skin removed, stemmed. Seeded if heat is not your thing.
1 medium onion, quartered
1 28 ounce can of Las Palmas Green chili enchilada sauce
Chicken broth, about 2 cups or more to fill the Pot.
2 cans of hominy, drained
1 tsp oregano
1-2 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper to taste  
Shredded cabbage or slaw mix
Thinly sliced radishes
Chopped cilantro

Brown the pork well in the oil on saute mode in the Pot. Process the roasted tomatillos, jalapeno and onion with a bit of broth in a blender till smooth. (Remove the pepper seeds if you don't want it spicy). Add this mixture and the enchilada sauce with the chicken broth, hominy, spices and salt to the pot. Secure the cover and process for 35 minutes, allow natural pressure release. Add  a tablespoon chopped cilantro and I threw a hand full of slaw in there too. Check the seasoning and adjust as needed.
Serve hot with the radishes, slaw and cilantro as garnish.