Grilled Pizza

We love pizza but I don't often make it from scratch. We usually either bake a frozen pizza or get carry out from one of our local shops. So I decided to be adventurous last weekend and try several "firsts" for me. My first homemade pizza dough, my first pizza sauce and my first time grilling a pizza. I'm happy to say it turned out great so here's how I did it.

Make the dough the day before from this King Arthur Flour recipe. Let the dough rise for 45 minutes then put it in the fridge for the next day. Take the dough out of the fridge about 45 minutes before grilling the pizza, roll it out and place it on a well floured pizza peel. Grill the dough for 4-5 minutes on a 400 degree grill with the lid closed. Flip the dough (this part is little tricky) then add the toppings quickly. I used pizza sauce from the recipe below, sauteed onions and mushrooms, pepperoni, hot sausage and lots of cheese. Close the lid and cook the pizza 5 minutes longer then I put mine under the broiler for a couple of minutes to brown the cheese. Top with fresh basil and serve.

Easy Pizza Sauce

1 (4-ounce) can tomato paste
1 cup hot water
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp chili sauce
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
Salt and pepper

Mix together the tomato paste, water, and olive oil. Mix well. Add the remaining ingredients, mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let stand several hours to let flavors blend.

The Perfect Grilled Steak

We love steak and we grill them at least once a week. And since I've gotten several requests for beef recipes, I thought I'd share my classic method for steak.

Take the steaks out of the fridge approximately a half an hour before you want to put them on the grill. This takes the chill off of them and helps them to cook more evenly. Brush the steaks with a neutral, high smoke point oil (like grape seed or vegetable oil) and liberally coat with Montreal Steak Seasoning. Preheat the grill on medium high heat, until it reaches ~450 degrees. Place the steaks on the grill and cook for 5-8 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of the steak), rotating the steaks 90 degrees after 2-3 minutes on each side for traditional grill marks. I only flip my steaks one time. Over handled steaks lose more juices. I also never cut into a steak (or pierce it with a thermometer) to determine if it's done. I always gently press the steak with my finger and the texture will tell you how it's cooked. A medium well steak will feel like the firm but slightly squishy part of your palm. A rare steak is more on the squishy side and a well done steak is more firm. After removing the steaks from the grill, let them rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting. And if you're really feeling fancy, put a dollop of compound butter on top of the steak before serving.

Compound Butter

4 Tbsp butter, softened
1 Tbsp roasted garlic
1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp green onion or chives, finely chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)

Stir ingredients until well combined.

Grilled Tri tip and Vegetable Salad

I made this salad out of leftover tri tip. I didn't think it was going to amount to much other than a quick midweek meal but I liked it so much I had to snap a quick picture and share it. It only took about 20 minutes to get this dinner together. I used the leftover tri tip we had and some of the AHO vegetables we needed to eat. The hot vegetables and meat slightly wilt the lettuce in the salad, which cuts some of their bitterness. For those in Bakersfield, you can find the Roasted Garlic Juice I used in the dressing at Prime Cut. It's awesome to way to quickly add roasted garlic flavor to a dish. It's great in mashed potatoes, garlic bread, marinades and dressings to name a few.

Grilled Tri tip and Vegetable Salad
Yield: 2 dinner salads

8 oz. left over grilled tri tip, cut into thin slices
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise
1 small yellow squash, halved lenghwise
1 small onion, sliced in 1/2 inch disks
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp grill seasoning
1/2 cup fresh peas (or 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed)
1 tsp water
1 carrot, sliced
3 cups lettuce, chopped
Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing (see recipe below)

Preheat a grill over medium high heat. Wrap tri tip in an aluminum foil pouch. Brush zucchini, squash and onion with olive oil and sprinkle grill seasoning over it. Place tri tip pouch on the grill to reheat as the vegetable cook. Grill
zucchini, squash and onion for 2-3 three minutes per side.

While vegetables are cooking, place peas and water in a gallon size freezer bag. Close the bag leaving a small opening on one edge for steam to escape. Microwave on high for 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a large bowl add lettuce and carrots.

Remove the vegetables from the grill and cut into chunks. Add to lettuce with warmed tri tip. Dress salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, toss and serve.

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Yield: Dressing for 2 dinner salads

1 tablespoon grain mustard
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
8 sprays of Roasted Garlic Juice, optional
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup olive oil
salt
pepper

Whisk mustard, vinegar, garlic juice, cumin together in a medium bowl until combined. Drizzle in oil while whisking constantly. Whisk until emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apricot, Cherry and Blueberry Chutney

Here's a pork dish that I created to use up some of our AHO fruit. I really enjoy pork with fruit based sauces and this is a nice tangy alternative to the typical apple and cranberry versions. I served it with cheddar grits and fresh steamed English peas drizzled with a little lemon olive oil.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apricot, Cherry and Blueberry Chutney
Serves 4

1 pork tenderloin (1 - 1.5 pounds)
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons grill seasoning
7 apricots, peeled and diced
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup cherries, pitted and halved
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons red wine

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Rub pork with oil and sprinkle evenly with grill seasoning. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sear the tenderloin 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the tenderloin to a roasting pan and bake until the meat registers 157 degrees F at the thickest part (approximately 20 minutes). Remove and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice and serve with chutney.

For the chutney:

While the pork is cooking, combine apricots, blueberries, cherries, sugar and wine in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the fruit breaks down and the mixture thickens, 20 to 25 minutes.

Chicken Artichoke Pasta

So for Mother's Day I decided to use the baby artichokes from this week's AHO box and make mom homemade pasta with a chicken and artichoke alfredo sauce. Along with the pasta, I made focaccia bread, recipe courtesy of King Arthur Flour, and salad with the fresh tomatoes, sugar snap peas and lettuce from AHO.

Chicken and Artichoke Pasta
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound fettuccine pasta, cooked just before serving
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup chardonnay (or other dry white wine)
1 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cream
8 baby artichokes, cleaned halved and steamed (or 1 can artichoke hearts in water)
1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon
salt
pepper

Directions

Season chicken with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper and place medium sauce pan with bay leaves and cover with water. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 10 - 12 minutes. Remove and shred the chicken into small pieces. Set aside.

While the chicken cooks, heat the olive oil and butter in a deep saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper and cook until onions are translucent (5-7 minutes), stirring occasionally. Turn the heat down if the onions and garlic begin to brown. Sprinkle the flour over the cooked onion and garlic and stir for 1 minute, then whisk in the white wine. Add the stock and stir for 1 minute, then stir in the milk, cream and tarragon. Allow the sauce to simmer for a couple of minutes over low heat, then stir in the artichokes and chicken and heat through. Melt the Italian cheese into the sauce and turn off the heat. Serve over freshly cooked pasta.

Fresh Pasta
Yeild ~1.5 pounds of pasta

3 cups of King Arthur Pasta Blend (or all purpose flour)
4 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon water

Place the flour, eggs, salt, oil and 1 teaspoon of water in a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides occasionally. If the dough does not stick together when pinched between your fingers, add the remaining water and pulse to combine.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough into a ball and let rest for 30 minutes.

Kneed and roll out the dough using the stand mixer pasta roller attachment to setting 5. Cut into desired shape and cook for 2-3 minutes in boiling water just before serving or let dry for 1-2 hours and freeze for later use.

AHO large box

Since it's Mother's Day weekend and I knew I'd be cooking dinner for my mom, I decided to upgrade to the large box from AHO this week. It's amazing that you get twice the fruits and vegetables for $13 more. This week's box has Mandarin oranges, Valencia oranges, strawberries, baby artichokes, beets, lettuce, sugar snap peas, potatoes, shallots, tomatoes and tarragon. The sugar snap peas are addictive. They're a little work to string and clean, but well worth it. They almost taste like candy. The strawberries are great too. I don't think they're going to make it through the weekend. Can't wait to get blueberries next week!

I'm not sure yet what I'm going to cook for mom, but I'll be sure to post it. Happy Mother's Day weekend to you all.

Beautiful Burger Buns

Again, lots of love and goes out to King Arthur Flour. Their website has some of the BEST bread recipes and this is no exception. I had never made hamburger buns before, but they're really not that much different than making a regular loaf of bread or rolls. Simply mix and kneed the dough, allow it to double in size, gently deflate and form into 3" rounds that are 1" thick (as you can see, I didn't do so well making them evenly sized). Then you let those rise for another hour, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds then bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. The recipe for these buns can be found here. I made spicy hamburgers which were great on these slightly sweet buns and we've used the rest of them as sandwich bread this week.