simple sopressata pizza

pizza dough (recipe below)
simple marinara sauce (recipe below)
fresh basil
fresh mozzarella
sopressata
pecorino cheese

pizza dough (recipe makes enough for 2 pizzas):
1 package active dry yeast
2 tsp. sugar
1 cup warm water
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. olive oil

in a bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water and set aside to proof, about 5 mins.

combine the 2 flours together, and pour onto a working surface. make a well in the middle of your flour pile and pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil. start working all ingredients to together until you start working it into a large ball. after all the ingredients are incorporated, cut in half, and make 2 balls. i wrap 1 in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for another time. and for the other 1 i place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge over night.

simple marinara sauce:
1 28oz. can san marzano whole peeled tomatoes
1 28oz. can san marzano diced tomatoes
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
15-20 leaves basil (chopped)
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. sugar

heat oil in a medium sauce pan on medium high heat. add in garlic and onion, and cook for 5 mins. add in the caned tomatoes, basil leaves, and the sugar. bring to a boil, then cover reduce heat and simmer to 2 hours. place half of the marinara into a blender and blend until smooth. return sauce back into the sauce pan. lasts 3-4 days in the fridge, or can be frozen and saved for a later time.

pizza:
preheat the oven to 500°F. with a pizza stone left in the oven to get hot.

roll out your pizza dough on a floured surface into a nice 12", and sprinkle a bit of corn meal on the bottom of the pizza dough. start layering your pizza with marinara sauce, basil, mozzarella, sopressata, and top with pecorino cheese. when the oven gets to 500°F the turn it down to 450°F and transfer your pizza onto the pizza stone and cook 12-14 mins.

remove from the oven when done and drizzle with olive oil.

enjoy :)

justin

linguine with walnut and broccoli rabe pesto

3/4 pound linguine
1/2 pound broccoli rabe
1/2 cup walnuts
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese
2 cloves roasted garlic (recipe below)
pinch of red chili flakes
salt and pepper to taste

roasted garlic:
1 head of garlic
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt

preheat the oven to 400°F.

peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated, and a pinch of kosher salt. cover with aluminum foil. bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

linguine pasta dish:
preheat the oven to 350. spread the walnuts onto a pie plate and toast in the oven for 14 minutes. let cool, and chop 2 tbsp. and set aside.

bring a large pot of water to a boil to blanch the broccoli rabe. when the water is boiling put the broccoli rabe in and boil for 3 minutes. drain and cool under cold running water. squeeze the excess water out of the broccoli rabe, and coarsely chop.

in a food processor, and in the garlic, and the remainder of the toasted walnuts, and pulse until coarsely chopped. add in the broccoli rabe, red pepper flakes, and olive oil and process until the broccoli rabe is finely chopped. add in 1/3 cup of the pecorino cheese, pulse until everything is evenly mixed together. season with salt and pepper.

bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the linguine according to the directions. drain the pasta and save about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. add the linguine with the reserved pasta water back into the pot, and mix with your pesto mixture. serve on a plate or bowl of your choice, and top with chopped toasted walnuts, and grated pecorino cheese.

enjoy :)

justin

mamaw's chesapeake bay crab soup

1 pound bacon
1 pound beef sirloin (cubed)
1 large bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 onion (chopped)
4 potatoes (cubed)
1 large cabbage (chopped)
1 64oz. v8 juice
1 64oz. clamato juice
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
old bay seasoning
2 pounds crab meat

in a large pot add in the bacon and cubed sirloin and cook through. when browned, remove out the pot, keeping the juices, add in the v8 and clamato juice. season a bit with old bay, then add in the onion, potatoes, cabbage, cooked bacon, cooked sirloin, and bay leaves. bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 30-40 mins. add in the bag of mixed frozen vegetables and season a bit with old bay. simmer for another 30 mins. then add in your crab meat, salt and pepper to taste, and a bit more old bay seasoning to taste. simmer until ready to serve.

enjoy :)

justin

butternut squash soup with jumbo lump crab meat

2 pound butternut squash (halved lengthwise)
1 tbsp. honey
1 1/2 cup dashi broth
3/4 cup creme fraiche
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 small onion (finely diced)
1 roasted garlic clove (chopped)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
heavy cream
chives (finely diced)


preheat oven to 400F degrees, in a buttered baking dish and place squash face up and bake for 1 hour or until soft. peel squash and place in blender with honey, dashi broth, creme fraiche, cinnamon, chopped onion, roasted garlic, thyme, salt, and blend until creamy. transfer to saucepan and heat over a medium to low heat. place a few pieces of jumbo lump crab meat into each bowl, and ladle the soup over the crab meat. garnish with a dash of heavy cream, a piece of jumbo lump crab meat, and chives.

enjoy :)

justin

(PICTURE COMING SOON)

minestrone soup

2 cans cannellini beans
1/2 pound pancetta
6 cups beef broth
6 cups chicken broth
1 onion (chopped)
2 celery stalks (chopped)
2 carrots (chopped)
4 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 cup kale (chopped)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 head savory cabbage (chopped)
1 potato (diced)
2 zucchini (diced)
1 small eggplant (sliced)
2 carrots (diced)
1 28oz. can san marzano diced tomatoes
1 18.5oz. can french onion soup
1 6oz. can tomato paste
1 can garbanzo beans
1/4 cup red wine
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
kosher salt and pepper to taste

in a large bowl, mix the beef broth with the chicken broth. for this specific recipe i had a frozen turkey carcass which i used to make my own turkey broth instead of chicken broth. so i mixed the turkey broth with the beef broth, but feel free to use chicken broth if you don't have a frozen turkey carcass. in a large dutch oven add in 6 cups of the mixed broths, the pancetta, and the drained 2 cans of cannellini beans. cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

prepping the eggplant. cut the eggplant into bite size cubes, wash under cold water, and then dry with paper towel and set aside. heat up a pan of canola oil for deep frying. when the oil is hot, and the eggplant is dried, add into the oil and fry for about 4-5 mins. or until lightly browned. set aside.

heat the 1/2 cup of olive oil in a separate stockpot. add in the chopped veggies (onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and kale) and saute for about 10 mins. or until lightly browned. add in the remaining 6 cups of mixed broth, cabbage, potato, zucchini, deep fried eggplant, carrots, caned tomatoes, tomato paste, french onion soup, garbanzo beans, wine, dried oregano, and dried basil. bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

remove the pancetta from the dutch oven and dice finely, and transfer to the stockpot with the veggies. transfer half of the simmering beans to a blender and blend into a paste. add the blended beans to the vegetables pot along with the remaining beans and broth.

simmer for 15 mins. longer, and salt and pepper to taste, and serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

enjoy :)

justin

clams casino

24 large clams
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced green pepper
2 cloves garlic (diced)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
5 sliced smoked bacon
2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
chives (chopped)
1/4 tsp. old bay seasoning
1/2 tsp. dried oregano

preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

in a skillet, cook bacon until crisp over medium heat. cut into pieces, and set aside.

wash clams, and let them soak in cold water for 30 mins. place on a baking sheet. Heat in the preheated 350 degrees oven for 1 to 2 minutes, or until clams open. discard any that do not open. remove meat from shells, and set aside. turn oven up to 450 degrees.

add the oil and butter to a small skillet, and place pan over medium heat. add in onion, pepper, and garlic; saute until tender. remove from heat, and cool. then combine the panko bread crumbs, and parmesan cheese.

start building your clams casino by placing the clam back into the shell. spoon a bit the cooked onion mixture on top, a dash of old bay seasoning, top with a piece of bacon, and a sprinkle of oregano.

bake at 450 degrees for 7 minutes. top with diced chives and serve.

enjoy :)

justin

thanksgiving day turkey pizza

pizza dough (recipe below)
simple marinara sauce (recipe below)
turkey (shredded)
roasted garlic (recipe below)
red onion (thinly sliced)
sun dried tomatoes (julienned)
gorgonzola cheese (crumbled)
mozzarella cheese (shredded)
extra virgin olive oil

pizza dough (recipe makes enough for 2 pizzas):
1 package active dry yeast
2 tsp. sugar
1 cup warm water
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. olive oil

in a bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water and set aside to proof, about 5 mins.

combine the 2 flours together, and pour onto a working surface. make a well in the middle of your flour pile and pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil. start working all ingredients to together until you start working it into a large ball. after all the ingredients are incorporated, cut in half, and make 2 balls. i wrap 1 in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for another time. and for the other 1 i place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge over night.

simple marinara sauce:
1 28oz. can san marzano whole peeled tomatoes
1 28oz. can san marzano diced tomatoes
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
15-20 leaves basil (chopped)
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. sugar

heat oil in a medium sauce pan on medium high heat. add in garlic and onion, and cook for 5 mins. add in the caned tomatoes, basil leaves, and the sugar. bring to a boil, then cover reduce heat and simmer to 2 hours. place half of the marinara into a blender and blend until smooth. return sauce back into the sauce pan. lasts 3-4 days in the fridge, or can be frozen and saved for a later time.

roasted garlic:
whole garlic
kosher salt
extra virgin olive oil

preheat the oven to 400°F.

peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated, and a pinch of kosher salt. cover with aluminum foil. bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

pizza:
preheat the oven to 500°F. with a pizza stone left in the oven to get hot.

roll out your pizza dough on a floured surface into a nice 12", and sprinkle a bit of corn meal on the bottom of the pizza dough. start layering your pizza with marinara sauce, the shredded turkey, roasted garlic, red onions, gorgonzola, sun dried tomatoes, and mozzarella.

when the oven gets to 500°F the turn it down to 450°F and transfer your pizza onto the pizza stone and cook 10-15 mins.

remove from the oven when done and drizzle with olive oil.

enjoy :)

justin