DoughSeeDough

a balanced plate with room for dessert

Monthly Archives: September 2011


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Souvlaki

I love meals that Mike and I can work on together. Translation – he can grill. I also love meals that are fairly easy to prep. Souvlaki was just that!

I served this with homemade pita bread and some Greek salad for the perfect meal. So, quick, give this meal a try before it gets too cold to grill! I swear we’re only a couple of weeks away from our first snow.

Souvlaki
serves 6

1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 – 3 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 medium onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 green bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
skewers

  1. In a large non-reactive bowl,  whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce, oregano, and garlic.
  2. Add pork, onions, and green pepper to the marinade and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
  3. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
  4. Thread pork, onion, and green peppers onto skewers.
  5. Lightly oil grate. Cook pork for 10 – 15 minutes, turning once.


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General Tso’s Chicken

Problem: Mike loves “Chinese” takeout. My stomach can;t handle the grease.

Solution: make it at home.

I made it this time with a lightly battered fried chicken, but I think next time I’ll skip the frying all together. It will 1) save time and 2) be just a tad bit healthier. Using low sodium chicken broth is absolutely essential. The sauce will be horribly salty if you don’t!!

So, give it a go. Who knows? Maybe you’ll end up opening your own Chinese restaurant…

General Tso’s Chicken
serves 4

1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 large egg white
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon soy sauce, divided
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon Chinese chile-garlic sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for frying
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
4 scallions, thinly sliced
Rice, for serving

  1. In a medium bowl, combine sesame oil, egg white, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons corn starch. Add chicken, stirring to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine chicken broth with chile-garlic sauce, sugar, and 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
  3. In a large, deep skillet, heat 1/2 inch of oil until shimmering. Carefully add the chicken, one piece at a time and fry over high heat, turning once or twice, until brown and crisp, about 4 minutes.
  4. Remove cooked chicken to paper towels to drain and immediately add to the sauce with the scallions. Cook until just coated, about 30 seconds.
  5. Serve immediately with rice.
adapted from foodandwine.com


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Greek Salad

A quick, delicious way to use up your summer vegetables! Our garden is finally starting to produce some awesome tomatoes (heirloom, cherry, and grape) and I couldn’t be more excited.

Greek Salad

3 large tomatoes, chopped
2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

  1. Combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl. Mix to distribute ingredients evenly. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.


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Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

Well folks, I start my first dietetic internship rotation today. Since I’ll be spending my day talking about nutrition, I figured there was no better way to kick it off with something not-so-healthy.

These are time-consuming to make, but the results are so worth it. Delicious white cake topped with ganache and filled with a to-die-for custard? Don’t mind if I do!

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes
 makes 12 cupcakes

For the custard:
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/3 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cupcakes:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup sugar
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
3 large eggs
3/4 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the ganache:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup whipping cream

To make the custard

  1. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks and set aside.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in milk. Cook, stirring frequently, until thick and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes.
  3. Remove from heat. Stir in butter until melted and then stir in vanilla. Cover pan with plastic wrap and chill for 2 – 24 hours.
To make the cupcakes:
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with paper cups and set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar on low. Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time and mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  3. Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing until well combined. Add milk and vanilla and increase the speed to medium. Mix until batter is light and fluffy.
  4. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean about 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
To make the ganache:
  1. For the ganache: melt chocolate chips and whipping cream in microwave-safe bowl. Stir until smooth.
To assemble:
  1. Insert a small paring knife at a 45° angle about 1/8 inch from the edge of a cupcake and cut all the around to remove a cone. Cut the tip of the cone off, leaving about 1/4 inch of the top, creating a small disk. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.
  2. Fill a plastic bag with custard and cut off the corner of the bag. Fill the cupcakes with custard and top with the cake disk.
  3. Spoon chocolate ganache on top of the cupcakes and refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes.
Recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated


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Pita Bread

I can’t believe it took me this long to make pita bread! Never again will I pay $3+ for a tiny bag of pita. I can no make it at home for just mere pennies. That’s my kinda food!!

In fact, the money you save can buy you a neat little thermometer. It will come in handy… for example, you can use it to make sure your water is the right temperature in this recipe! Or any recipe with yeast, actually.

Don’t like pita? Make this any way. It’s fun watching the dough rise in the oven from completely flat to a mini-balloon.

Pita Bread

1 1/8 cups warm water (110°F)
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  1. In a small bowl, combine water, yeast and sugar. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add in oil.
  2. Combine flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. With a dough hook, lightly mix to combine.
  3. Pour yeast mixture into flour and mix on low (#2 on a KitchenAid) until moistened, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium (#4) and knead for 10 minutes, until dough is smooth.
  4. Place dough into a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size.
  5. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Stretch dough into a 12 inch rope. Cut into 8 even pieces and roll each piece into a 6 – 7 inch circle. Set aside on a lightly floured surface and cover with a towel. Let rise for 30 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, reheat oven to 500°F and place baking stone on oven rack. Allow to heat for 20 minutes.
  7. Place dough onto baking stone (I was able to make 3 at a time) and lightly spritz with water. Bake for 3 minutes, or until pitas are puffy and tops are not yet brown.
  8. Remove from baking stone and let cool on a clean towel.


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Penne with Tomato Sauce and Baked Ricotta

After making spanakopita, I was left with a mostly full container of ricotta. I had bookmarked this recipe a while ago and decided to give it a try. After all, I needed to use the rest of the ricotta up! I loved the way this dish turned out. It’s a sweet tomato sauce and the creaminess of the baked ricotta goes perfectly with it. Give it a try – it won’t disappoint!

Penne with Tomato Sauce and Baked Ricotta

1 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta, drained
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound whole wheat penne
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
fresh basil, torn
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place ricotta in 9″ cake pan and press down to a 1-inch thick disk. Rub with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes and then set aside to cool.
  2. Cook pasta according to package directions.
  3. Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent, about 3 – 5 minutes.
  4. Add tomatoes to onion and garlic and let simmer for 15 minutes. . Season with salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar.
  5. Top cooked pasta with sauce, ricotta, basil and Parmesan cheese.

adapted from Cate’s World Kitchen