Whole Wheat Pizza with Caramelized Shallots, Goat Cheese, Cremini Mushrooms, & Watercress

My friend, Sarah, was in town from London this past week, and we met for dinner at a fun Italian restaurant located in the West Village. With Italian food fresh in my mind, I yearned for more and as a result decided to make pizza—from scratch.

I was visiting another friend, Zaidee, a few weeks ago and together we made pizza using a recipe for whole wheat dough from her Canyon Ranch Cooks cookbook. This is a cookbook geared towards those who eat healthy—something I strive towards but often stray from. Surprisingly, the dough was super simple to make (aside from some stickiness) and tasted pretty good for something that is healthy. However, all healthy aspects of the dough recipe were offset by the naughtiness of my rich toppings. Oh well.

Once you make your dough and roll it out, you can really then top it with whatever your heart desires. On this particular Sunday evening, my heart desired the sweetness of caramelized shallots matched with the creamy tang of goat cheese combined with the earthiness of cremini mushrooms freshened up with the peppery, fresh flavor of watercress. Yum!

Once my pizza was finished I sat down and indulged in my creation, which was scrumptious. On Sundays some people reach their spiritual ambitions by hearing sermons in church. I on the other hand reach my spiritual journeys through food. Oh, and wine helps too. As I devoured my pizza along with my glass of Sauvignon blanc, I did feel like I was in heaven.

So here is how you too can make this pizza. Feel free to just take the dough recipe and experiment with your own combination of toppings. Or try mine. I think either way you will be delighted. Of course, I’m sure that a proper pizza dough recipe is better, but for a healthy crust, I think this is good.

Dough Recipe, adapted from Canyon Ranch Cooks
(Canyon Ranch thinks this is for 6 servings, but I think that’s crazy talk—it is a health cookbook after all. Realistically it is for 4-5 entrée servings.)

• 1 cup water
• ½ tsp active dry yeast
• ½ tsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ tsp olive oil
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the water, yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil. Using a dough hook on medium low speed, slowly add the whole wheat and all-purpose flour and continue mixing until the dough separates from the side of the bowl. (If you do not have a mixer, or are like me and are too lazy to lug that huge thing out, you can do this by hand. Just stir the flour in with a spoon and mix well—this will take some elbow grease.)
2. Lightly coat a medium sized bowl with olive oil. Form the dough into a ball and place it into this bowl. Cover and let stand in a warm place for 1 hour to rise.
3. Set the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat baking sheet with olive oil (I used parchment paper for easier clean-up).
4. On a floured board, punch down the dough and lightly knead for 30 seconds. Divide the dough into equal servings. Roll out the balls of dough into thin layers and place onto baking sheets.
5. Add your toppings (see my suggestion below) and bake for 10 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

Kristin’s Toppings
(just use these measurements as guides and go with what looks right for the size of your pizza)

• Olive oil
• 4 large shallots, sliced
• 24 large cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 10 oz goat cheese
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 1 ¼ cups watercress sprigs
• Truffle oil (optional)

1. As the dough is rising, slowly sauté the shallots with some olive oil over medium low to medium heat. (By sautéing the shallots slowly, this allows for the sugars in them to caramelize.) Meanwhile, in another pan sauté mushrooms with some olive oil. If they get soggy, turn up heat a little and continue sautéing uncovered. When the shallots and mushrooms are done, spread out on a plate to cool.
2. Spread a thin layer of olive oil over the top of the rolled out dough (including the edges). Evenly scatter the chopped garlic. Add the goat cheese in dollops and flatten out with the back of the spoon. Now add the mushrooms and shallots. Season well with salt and pepper.
3. Bake pizza in oven until done per directions above. Take the pizza out of the oven and top with watercress sprigs. Drizzle additional olive oil (or truffle oil, if you have any) over the top and serve.

Enjoy!

Parmesan Risotto with Leeks and Mushrooms

Having grown up in Alabama, I never really knew what risotto was until I moved to New York. Ever since coming across this Italian staple, this dish has intrigued me—the texture, the flavor, and most of all, the technique for making it. For this last reason, I have always shied away from preparing it myself.

Well, it was time to conquer my fear and try it myself. When learning how to make something new, I resort to the internet. So yesterday I read through about 20 recipes for risotto. In the end, I learned that risotto is not hard to make, but it does require some consistent tending to.

Once I figured out the basic techniques, it was time to figure out what I wanted in my risotto. I was looking for subtle flavors that together would build a strong flavor. Okay…leeks. I love these onion-like vegetables yet I have not cooked with them in quite a while. What else... Cheese, Parmesan to be exact. I wanted the texture to be especially smooth and creamy, and this cheese would help me accomplish this task. Lastly, mushrooms. I wanted to add a meaty substance without using meat so these did the trick. I also decided to cook the risotto with some white wine to add a nice twist.

The final product was quite good, but also very rich. I used ¼ cup of half and half, which I had in my refrigerator and needed to use up. I think the recipe can do without this step if you want to make it less rich. I also used ½ pound of thinly sliced cremini mushrooms, which I think was too much. Therefore, in the recipe below I am lowering the amount and also recommending that you cut the slices into quarters to help the mushrooms blend in better. If you want to use this risotto as a side dish, you might want to eliminate the mushrooms altogether as the leeks and cheese on their own make for a really nice companion to a main dish.

Okay, here is the recipe for about 2-3 main dish servings (5 or 6 side servings):

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large leek, white and pale green part sliced lengthwise, then chopped across (don’t forget to rinse the chopped pieces)
• 1/3 lb cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced then quartered
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• ¾ cup dry white wine
• ¾ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup half and half cream (optional)
• Chopped parsley to garnish

1. In a covered pot, bring chicken broth to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat to a low setting.
2. As broth is heating up, add 2 tbsp olive oil and leeks to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté leeks until they just begin to brown.
3. At the same time, in another sauté pan over medium to medium low heat, add remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil and mushrooms. Cook until tender. Once cooked, put mushrooms aside.
4. When the leeks are ready, add the Arborio rice and mix until the rice is glistening with the olive oil.
5. Pour wine into the leeks and rice mixture and stir constantly until absorbed (the mixture will be thick and creamy).
6. Add 1/2 cup of broth and mix until the rice again absorbs the liquid and reaches a thick, creamy consistency. Continue this process, pouring only 1/2 cup of broth at a time, until the rice is tender. This should take about 20 minutes. Also note, that the amount of broth needed will vary so you may not use all 4 cups. If you need more liquid, water will be just fine.
7. Mix in cheese, cream, and mushrooms.
8. Serve, garnished with chopped parsley.

Enjoy!

Gorgonzola Cheese and Mushroom Fettuccini

Sunday night I was looking to make something rich and filling. A couple months ago I came up with this dish and really enjoyed it. So I recreated it tonight, and it was just as I remembered it.

You may have noticed that when I cook with mushrooms, I usually choose cremini mushrooms as I did in this dish. Cremini mushrooms are baby portabellas. Therefore, like portabellas, they are meatier than the white button mushrooms and hence more earthy and tastier.

Remember that when you clean mushrooms you should never wash them under water. They tend to act like sponges and will just soak up the water, which in turn will make them tough. Instead, lightly moisten a dish towel and then just wipe off the mushrooms.

So here is the recipe (per serving):

• 1 ½ tsp Olive oil
• 1/2 Shallot, chopped
• 1 Garlic clove, chopped
• 1/4 lb Cremini mushrooms, sliced into 1/3 inch pieces
• 1/2 tsp Flour
• 1/2 cup Whole milk
• 1.5 oz Gorgonzola cheese
• 1/4 cup Sliced basil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 serving Fettuccini pasta, cooked

1. Over medium heat in a sauté pan, add olive oil, shallot, garlic, and mushrooms. Cover and cook, mixing periodically, until the mushrooms are cooked through.

2. Add flour, mix, and cook for a minute (this will “cook off” the raw flour taste).
3. Add milk and stir—picking up the dried bits on the bottom of the pan. Then add gorgonzola cheese and dissolve it into the milk. (I used a whisk for this stage).
4. Lightly simmer mixture until it thickens to desired consistency (remember that the sauce will thicken further once it cools down on the pasta).
5. Add basil and stir until basil has wilted. This will take a minute at most.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. In a serving dish with fettuccini, pour the gorgonzola and mushroom sauce on top of the pasta. Garnish with extra basil.

Enjoy!

Creamy Polenta with Sautéed Crimini Mushrooms and Pancetta

This dish is based on one of my favorite gourmet southern dishes. In many of the nice restaurants in the South, you will find a similar dish that involves creamy grits (often baked) served with a white wine reduction sauce and shrimp.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find proper non-instant grits here in New York City. Instead, I had to resort to polenta which was readily available in my market (owned by two Italian brothers).

Grits (also known as hominy) and polenta are essentially the same thing, but polenta is ground more finely. Corn meal also fits into this picture with a ground corn that lies between that of polenta and grits. I’m sure there are some of you food snobs getting upset with me as there is probably more of a distinction than this (for example, the process of preparing the kernels), but for simplicity sake this is the difference.

In my attempt to make more non-seafood dishes (you may notice that my drop-down box for seafood recipes far exceeds that of any other category), I opted to make this meal with cremini mushrooms in lieu of shrimp. Plus I was aiming for a heartier dish so the cremini mushrooms just made sense. To add a nice warm flavor, I included a good portion of pancetta. Slowly my southern dish was transforming into an Italian one (both polenta and pancetta are Italian staples).

To help off-set the heaviness of the cremini mushrooms and pancetta, I made a white wine reduction sauce and added lemon juice. I also seasoned the mushroom/pancetta mixture with thyme, which is a great woodsy yet lemony herb. The combination of all these flavors made for a great meal filled with lots of bold, hearty flavors.

We had this dish as an entrée, but you could also serve it in smaller portions as an appetizer. It is relatively rich so I’d suggest that you compliment this dish with a light appetizer (or entrée, if that applies), such as my Simple Tomato and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese.

So here is the recipe for 3-4 servings. Note that since I was hosting friends, I wasn’t paying too much attention to the amounts of each ingredient that I added. Therefore, the recipe below is really just my best estimate of measurements. In either case, the portions don’t matter too much anyway, so just use this recipe as a guide and go with what seems best to you.

Polenta

• 1 cup Water
• 2 cups Chicken Stock
• 1 cup Polenta
• 1 cup Milk
• 6 tbsp Butter
• 3 oz. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (do not use the green bottle stuff)
• Salt and pepper

1. In a pot, bring water and chicken stock to a boil.
2. Gradually add polenta and return mixture to a boil stirring frequently.
3. Bring heat down to a low setting and simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes. As it is simmering, add ½ cup of milk. Once incorporated, add second ½ cup of milk and stir.
4. Mix in butter and then the parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mushrooms and Pancetta with White Wine Reduction Sauce

• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 large Shallot, chopped
• 6 oz. Pancetta, coarsely chopped
• 1 lb Cremini mushrooms, sliced into ¼ inch wide pieces
• 1 tbsp Fresh thyme (or ½ tbsp dried thyme)
• 3/4 cup White wine
• 1/3 cup Heavy cream
• 2 tbsp Butter
• Juice from ½ lemon (do not use the bottled juice—that’s gross)

1. In a large sauté pan over medium heat add olive oil and chopped shallot. Sauté for a minute.
2. Add pancetta and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the “juices” (code for fat) from the pancetta begin to run.
3. Mix in the mushrooms and thyme, then cover the pan and cook until the mushrooms are cooked through. You will need to mix them periodically.
4. As the mushrooms are cooking, place a separate fry pan over medium high heat. Add white wine and reduce by half. Then add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer for a few minutes. As simmering, mix in butter. Remove from heat and add lemon juice.
5. Place portions of polenta into serving dishes. Top with servings of sauce and cap off with mushroom and pancetta mixture. Garnish with fresh thyme.

Enjoy!

Steak with Crimini Mushrooms and Shallots in a Red Wine Reduction

I may be in the minority here, but I love staying in on Friday nights. Any other night I love meeting friends for dinner and drinks, but Friday nights are all about me. I come home from work, quickly change into my pj’s, and relax for the evening knowing that I have the entire weekend ahead of me.

When having “me time” it is only logical that I have a nice dinner. I often order in sushi, but sometimes I prefer just cooking myself a really nice meal. So that is what I did this past Friday evening. I prepared a steak served with a red wine reduction sauce that included crimini mushrooms and shallots. It was a lovely dinner.

If you would like to treat yourself too, here is how I made it (per serving):

Steak

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 steak filet
• Salt and pepper

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In an oven proof pan over high heat, add olive oil.
3. As pan is heating, salt and pepper steak.
4. Once pan is hot, carefully place the steak into the pan—do not move it around (moving it around makes the steak stick and not brown properly). Let steak brown on each side, about 1-2 minutes each side.
5. Transfer pan to oven. For medium to medium rare, keep in oven about 5-6 minutes.
   Once the steak has reached your desired “doneness,” take it out of oven and let it sit for 5 minutes. You need to let the steak sit to allow the juices to re-distribute. If you cut the steak immediately, all the juices would flow out in the first cut and the rest of the steak would be dry. That would be a bummer.

Sauce

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 7 crimini mushrooms, sliced (See Note 1)
• 1 large shallot, sliced (See Note 2)
• ½ cup red wine (See Note 3)
• ½ tsp dried thyme (or 1 tsp fresh thyme)

1. In a pan over medium heat, add olive oil.
2. Add mushrooms and shallot slices and cook until mushrooms are cooked thoroughly. Mix often to keep shallots from burning.
3. Add wine and thyme, and cook until the wine has reduced by half. This should not take long.
4. Serve sauce poured over steak. Very pretty, isn’t it?

Enjoy your special night!

Notes:

1. Crimini mushrooms are baby portobello’s. Therefore, like Portobello mushrooms criminis are a bit “meatier” in taste than other mushrooms, which is why I chose them for this dish. When cleaning any mushroom, never wash them in water like other vegetables. Mushrooms are like sponges and they will just soak up the water, causing them to be tough when cooked. Therefore, clean mushrooms by wiping them with a damp cloth.
2. What is a shallot? Shallots offer a flavor similar to that of sweet onions with a hint of garlic. Although people often assume they are a part of the onion family, they are actually their own species. Shallots are most commonly used in vinaigrettes and sauces.
3. Keep in mind that when you cook with wine, you are concentrating the flavor. Therefore, always use a wine that you would drink—avoid “cooking wines” found in the grocery store.

Feeling Blah Chicken Pot Pie without the Chicken or the Pie or Most the Vegetables

So I don't think this will make the recipe books, but it was just what I was in the mood for tonight. I think my body is flirting with having a cold because I feel so blah. And when I feel blah, I always crave chicken pot pie. My problem--I didn’t want to go through the effort of actually making chicken pot pie! When feeling blah, that is way too much effort!

I didn't feel like dealing with the pastry or the chicken, and well, there are just too many vegetables to worry about too. So ultimately I decided that what I really wanted was the yummy filling simplified by using one ingredient. I went with mushrooms since, well, they are the easiest (I of course bought them pre-sliced).

I have to admit that I have never made chicken pot pie so I sort of winged my way through this (another reason why I don’t think this will make the recipe books). Since I do not recall the measurements so much, I will talk you through it.

I started by making a roux to help give the "soup" some thickness. To make a roux, you just cook equal parts butter and flour until it turns a soft brown (I used about 2 tbsp of each; this process takes away the flour taste). I then added the mushrooms and sprinkled them with salt to help bring out their moisture. I had about two cups of mushrooms, but I would recommend using only one cup. When the mushrooms had cooked through, I then added the chicken broth--about two cups. From here I seasoned with salt and pepper, and added about two tablespoons of thyme. The final result was just what I was looking for--the perfect comfort food that took no effort!

If I were making this again and wanted to serve it to others, I would add a little sour cream. I love sour cream in soups. I know, I know, it probably sounds weird but it gives soups a nice creaminess with a light taste. I would also added some lemon juice or zest to lighten the flavors and bring out the thyme more. I think these changes would help make the soup more special. However, for tonight, it really was just what I was in the mood for! So if you are feeling blah, I do recommend this chicken pot pie without the chicken or the pie or the vegetables!