Veggie Pizza

Roasted red peppers, caramelized red onion, goat cheese and fresh basil made for a wonderful pizza last night. Someone (I won't name names) was originally upset that I didn't not include sausage on the pizza. Four slices later he exclaimed, "this vegetarian pizza is awesome". Although I think sausage would been a perfect meat addition to these flavors, the veggie only combination felt healthy and tasted perfect.

ROASTED RED PEPPER, CARAMELIZED ONION AND GOAT CHEESE PIZZA

You will need:

1 cup roasted red peppers

1 onion (red or sweet variety is best)

1 teaspoon sugar

8 ounce package goat cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

pizza dough (I like Publix)

basil

olive oil

coarse salt

Roll out the dough with a little flour into the shape you desire.

Smear a little olive oil on a sheet pan.

Place dough on pan.

Smear crust with a little olive oil.

Sprinkle crust will a little coarse salt.

Slice red onions into thin half moon shapes.

Heat a little oil in a saute pan.

Place onion slices in hot pan.

Sprinkle with a small bit of sugar.

Saute until soft and golden.

Top pizza with roasted red peppers, sweet onions, globs of goat cheese and a thin coating of shredded cheese.

Bake according to dough package directions.

Dress with chopped basil and enjoy!

Pink Princess Sauce

With roasted red peppers on hand, this is an easy but decadent pasta dish for a weeknight meal. I have made it twice in the past week. It might become an addiction. The pasta dish was cleverly called "Pink Princess Sauce" to lure little girls to eat it. I will post soon about another variation of Pink Princess Sauce using tomatoes instead of red peppers.

PASTA WITH ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE

You will need:

3 whole red bell peppers

2 tablespoons pine nuts

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 medium onion, finely minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup heavy cream

flat leaf parsley, chopped

Parmesan, shaved or grated

1/2 pound rigatoni or pappardelle pasta

coarse salt and pepper

Roast Peppers (see previous post).

Lightly toast pine nuts in a skillet (or buy toasted pine nuts at Trader Joe's).

Puree roasted peppers with pine nuts in a Cuisinart and set aside.

Cook pasta according to package.

Saute onion and garlic in a skillet large enough to hold the pasta.

Pour in puree and stir together.

Add LOTS of kosher salt.

Pour in cream.

*the addition of Parmesan to the sauce is really good but not necessary.

Toss pasta into the sauce.

Serve with shaved Parmesan and top with parsley.

A Favorite Staple

Homemade roasted red peppers find their way into many dishes in my kitchen- sandwiches, pasta, pizzas and salads. Unlike raw red peppers that are spicy and (might I be bold) not very good, roasted red peppers are sweet, soft and full of flavor. The roasting process is easy and you can store the roasted peppers in the fridge for a week or more.

ROASTED RED PEPPERS

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Place whole red peppers on a baking sheet.

Don't oil them!

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until charred and wrinkled.

Turn twice during the roasting.

Remove from the oven and immediately wrap in foil.

(this creates a steam room that will allow you to easily remove the skin)

Wait about 30 minutes until they are cooled enough to handle.

Remove charred skins.

Store in the refrigerator with olive oil or use immediately.

Place red peppers (dry) on a sheet pan and bake at 500 degrees. Turn every ten minutes or so...

Once charred, remove from pan and place on a piece of foil.

Wrap into a foil package to create a steam bath. Let steam for 30-ish minutes. Open package and peel off the charred skin.

Place roasted red pepper meat (without the skin) in a container. Salvage any of the juices you can.

For marinated roasted red peppers- add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use on a sandwich, in a pasta or topped on a salad.

Catering Gig #2

Peachtree Planning invited me back to feed the office. I stuck with the chicken club and ham with pimento cheese sandwiches for the first lunch but added a few items.

Pasta, Peas and Pesto

I modified pesto recipes with recommendations from several of my fav cooks. The result is fresh sauce that can you can easily transform into a dressing, sauce or spread. The spinach keeps the pesto green.

Pesto:

You will need:

less than 1/4 cup walnuts

less than 1/4 cup pine nuts

4 garlic cloves

2 1/2 cups basil leaves

salt and pepper

3/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup mayo

Process nuts and garlic in a food processor

Add basil, salt and pepper

Drizzle (slowly) olive oil while processor is running until finely pureed

Add Parmesan and pulse

Squeeze dry the thawed spinach

Add dried spinach, lemon juice

Add mayo and continue to puree

Store in fridge with a layer of olive oil and plastic wrap

Freeze unused portions

*the amount of mayo really depends on the consistency you need.

Pasta:

You will need:

3/4 pound fusilli

3/4 pound bow-tie pasta

pesto from above

1/2 cup Parmesan

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted*

*I buy them already toasted at Trader Joe's

Boil pasta in salted water

Cool pastas to room temperature

Add pesto mixture- (you may need to add olive oil to the pesto to thin it out)

Add Parmesan, peas, pine nuts,

Mix well and season to taste

Serve at room temperature

Roasted Red Pepper Sandwiches

Like the pesto above, these marinated roasted red peppers are wonderful to keep in the fridge to add in sandwiches and salads.

Roasted Red Peppers:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees

Place whole red peppers on a baking sheet

Don't oil them!

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until charred and wrinkled

Turn twice during the roasting

Remove from the oven and immediately wrap in foil

(this creates a steam room that will allow you to easily remove the skin)

Wait about 30 minutes until they are cooled enough to handle

Mix together 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 minced garlic cloves, S&P

Remove the stems, skins and seeds from the peppers

Try to keep any roasting juice

Cut into strips

Place in marinade

To assemble the sandwiches:

Cut a ciabatta loaf in half

Spread bottom half with goat cheese

Layer peppers, thinly sliced red onion and basil leaves

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow, I have discovered the BEST crispy but soft, thin, old-fashioned chocolate chip cookies recipe. The best part is that you don't have to use a clunky mixer - a mixing bowl and wooden spoon are the only utensils

You will need:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 sticks salted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1 tsp water

1 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs, beaten

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Whisk flour, soda and salt in a bowl

Mix butter with wooden spoon in another bowl to lighten it

Add sugars to butter and mix well

Add water, vanilla and eggs to butter-sugar mixture

Stir in flour mixture until just combined

Fold in chocolate chips

Drop cookies 2 inches apart

Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotate sheet after 4 minutes