Dinner tonight - or last night.

Rise a yeast dough in the fridge?
Does this really work? How do you prepare the dough for this cold rising?

For pizza I don't use a rolling pin, I toss it into the air-and strech it. I like thin pizze.

I like thin pizza too, actually very thin. I've tried the air thing, am not good at it. Yet. Maybe I'll try again. Ul is right about the refrigerator part. The dough probably needs to warm up and rise more when it is that unmalleable.

Tomorrow is Independence day, and a national day of barbecue. It is a day to celebrate freedom and thank those who have fought to secure those freedoms.

I'll be celebrating with ribs and chicken cooked over a slow charcoal fire wtih hickory chips for smoking. The ribs will be slow cooked for several hours while the jamaican jerk chicken will go on towards the end. With this we'll have white bread and watermelon, baked beans, possibly a pasta salad, and plenty of wine and beer, lemonaide and soda to wash it all down.

potstickers here are usually prepared individually

My Italien friends are here at the moment and I asked them about pizza dough.
Lots of kneading, 2 risings ( the dough slightly braised with olive oil), and no, no rising in the fridge, but si, storing it, braised again with olive oil) in a tightly closed bag, then you have to allow it to warm up again to room temperature.

We are starting to make pizza tonight.

Last night we ate out. I had a wonderful salad with mixed greens, goat cheese, burmuda onions, roasted red peppers, soft croutons, and a lemon dressing. And a small white pizza with pesto, goat cheese and tomatoes.

<I bet Ul is having a wonderful time!>

Be sure and tell us what goes on the pizza...

I wanna peek at you all making the pizza...

While the guys kneaded the dough I prepared the sugo, preheated the oven and the old stone I use for baking bread.

#1 sugo, mozarella di buffala ( fresh from Tuscany), fresh cherry tomatoes, basil leaves

#2 sugo, mozarella, slices of Parma , fresh ruccola

#3 sugo, mozarella, salume di Milano, (sp)

#4
less sugo, lots of garlic, spinach

They should be ready any minute now.

Lots of fun-

I rise bread in the fridge all the time. It gives it a slight sour note. Verra yummy. And yes you do have to let it sit out at room temperature for a while. Two proofings does not fit my lifestyle, I'm afraid.

Ul, what is sugo?

Thanks for asking, Swimpy. Dys looked it up--it seems a kind of sauce made with ground beef, chopped tomatoes, celery, garlic and whatever else I've forgotten.

I wonder if the ground beef is always added, simply because pizza has so many different options, quite often, the most popular is pepperoni.

I think it just means sauce. Await Ul's reply..

BTW i use tyhe pizza dough recipe from this book. It's made in the food processor.

Yes, I think Swimpy can cook just about anything.
That job offer is still open, Swimpy! :wink:

I think I had better get to know Mrs Himalaya a little less well, osso. I've gotten quite lazy about cooking lately & had better get back into it if I don't want to become a bomba fantastica! I failed to mention that within a few doors of Mrs H's cafe is a fantastic kebab place ... & not far from there is the Half Moon Cafe (delectable falafel!), & not far from there are a number of noodle cafes ..... etc, etc, etc <sigh> So many temptations for a weary working girl! I must to stay away from there before dinner!

Swimpy,

slightly fermented, yes, a good taste.
Some people like a softer pizza, then you can shorten the second proofing and out the on the toppings, if they are room temperature ( as they should have anyway) the proofing won't stop.

Sugo- is just a tomato sauce. The basis for all sauces and ragouts.
I use to make a huge amount, then either put it in the fridge or deep freeze the sugo.

Take fresh ripe ( even very ripe and not good looking tomatoes), wash them and put them into a large pot. Cover and bring to a rapid boil.
The skin will crack and the pot will fill with tomato juice. Once in a while stir.
When all tomatoes are really mushy, take from the fire and strain the liquid through a sieve.
I use a little machine -don't know the English name.


Then you bring the strained liquid back to a rapid boil, add one or two peeled onions and let it simmer for about an hour or more- depends on the amount. It should be slightly thick.

From there you can start the different ragouts or pasta sauces based on tomatoes.
Meat, fish, mussles, cheese, herbs.
Spices are added according to the taste you want to have when you cook the "real" sauce.
This sauce keeps for about a week in the fridge.
A good way to use all the great tasting tomatoes which are less pricy in summer.

I just call it a food mill.

Food mill- so easy, but I never came across the word before.


Here it is called "Flotte Lotte"- translates to Quick Lotte ( a femal Christian name) :wink:

Thought of you (and littlek and ossoB) when this recipe appeared in my Martha Stewart e-newsletter tonight.


Rigatoni with Swiss Chard

Serves 4; Prep time: 10 minutes; Total time: 24 minutes


Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pound rigatoni or other tubular pasta

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 medium shallots, finely chopped

1 1/2 pounds Swiss chard, leaves cut into 1/2-inch strips and stems cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/3 cup fresh ricotta cheese

1/3 cup pine nuts (about 1 1/2 ounces), toasted

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons salt and the pasta; cook 3 minutes less than package indicates. Drain.

2. Heat butter and oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat about 1 minute. Add garlic and shallots; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in chard, lemon zest, wine, 1 teaspoon salt, and the red pepper flakes; season with pepper. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until chard has just wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Stir in pasta, ricotta, and pine nuts. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, 3 to 4 minutes. Divide among 4 serving dishes. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan.




http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=recipe3460066

Don't tell anyone, but I think that e-newsletter has consistently good recipes.

That's real close to my butter/spinach/ricotta/parmigiano/bath of lemon juice tossed with farfalle recipe (not in that exact order)... in which I more and more substitute chard for the spinach. Something primevally tasty about that combo.

oh, and we had a semi-homemade cheater pizza

started with a deluxe frozen cheese pizza - one of the decent ones

topped it with a lot of large mushrooms, simply quartered
a nice handful of freshly shredded mozzarella - the decent stuff
then some finely finely finely diced bacon (Set's amazing at fine-dicing - I swear he can create invisible bacon)

under the broiler

mmmmmmmmmmm