Where am I?

Brasil!

My crazy travel season has begun, again.


View Brazil 2011 in a larger map

Four down and three to go; though I doubt I can convince them to send me to Antarctica.

Kale & Salami Pizza

Last fall I when I was in Seattle for a week, I went to Salumi at the urging of my friend Jason, and this famous chef guy that I may or may not have had a crush on back since this book came out.

Normally, salami can be a bit of a turn off, strange processed meat stuff with fat particles that get stuck in your teeth--ugh.

Not the case with Salumi Salami, it is amazing; complex flavors, well-balanced texture- I'm never going back to the Costco stuff.

Some four months later recipe inspiration struck.
A week later I had Finocchiona and Salumi Salami in hand, Kale had returned to my farm box, and I was ready for Kale & Salami Pizza.

You will need:

• Pizza dough for one pizza, from your favorite recipe, or your amazing local bakery (mine sells both raw and par-baked pizza dough)
  
• one bunch dinosaur kale, washed and chopped ( I only used 2/3 a bunch, and will definitely use and entire bunch next time- it really shrinks)
  
• high quality salami
• 1/4 yellow onion, thinly sliced
  
• olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste
• mozzarella cheese, shredded
  
• parmesan cheese, grated

Four sauce

• one can tomato sauce, normal size
  
• one can tomato paste, the teeny cans
  
• paprika
• oregano, fresh or dried or both
• garlic powder
• several cloves fresh garlic, minced
• salt & pepper
  

1. Preheat oven with pizza stone (if you have one) to 510 degrees
2. Combine all sauce ingredients, spicing to taste, in a large bowl and set aside
3. If you're using raw dough, wrestle in to shape. If you're lazy like me and using shaped par-baked dough, make sure it's thawed and set aside
4. In large bowl toss chopped kale with salt, pepper and just enough olive oil to lightly coat, set aside
5. Grate mozzarella cheese, enough to mostly cover your dough with a thin sprinkling
6. Slice your salami very thinly, I used both varieties, seven thin slices of each I then cut in half for 28 thin half-rounds total
   
7. Gently spread dough with pizza sauce. You want it to just moisten and flavor your pizza, not drown it
8. Sprinkle mozzarella over pizza, reserving 1/2 handful for later
   
9. Hand grate some parmesan over pizza
10. Evenly distribute sliced salami, onion and kale over the pizza
11. Toss remaining mozzarella over the pizza to hold kale down, this should be just a bit, don't smother the kale and salami
    
12. Finally, hand grate more parmesan over the top, this will give it an extra flavorful crispy top.
13. Bake pizza at 510 degrees for about 10 minutes or until crust is desired crispness, checking regularly after six.
14. Let pizza cool until it's approachable, slice and serve.
    

Manchurian Vegetables

Welcome to Amelia's blog which is rapidly becoming about only foods that taste good but photograph terribly.



Today's installment is a variation on Manchurian Cauliflower;

again, adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

• 4 petite or 2 normal heads cauliflower, 4-5 cups worth, trimmed of stem and greens
  
• 4 carrots
• 3 cups baby spinach leaves, rinsed and chopped
• 1Tbsp sesame seed oil
  
• 4 stalks green garlic, chopped (2-3 cloves normal garlic works too)
  
• 2/3 cup ketchup- homemade is preferred, but who would I be kidding? I used Heinz Once you stop gagging trust me, or rather trust Bittman- it's good
  
• 1 Tbsp Sriracha or other hot chili sauce
  
• 1/8 tsp anise seeds
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce

1. Blanch or steam cauliflower (and carrots) until tender and no longer "cabbagey."
2. In wok heat sesame oil over medium heat and saute green garlic until it is fragrant and begins to brown.
3. Stir in ketchup, Sriracha, anise, cinnamon and soy sauce with garlic and cook until sauce begins to bubble.
4. Meanwhile separate cauliflower into chopstick-manageable size pieces and chop carrots into 1/3 inch thick rounds
   
5. Gently fold cauliflower, carrots and spinach into sauce.
6. Cook until spinach is wilted.
7. Let vegetables cool a bit, and serve over brown rice.
   

Welsh Rarebit

J was stuck in Vegas for a week. Yes, stuck. I went for a long weekend with him, and the scene there? Not really (more diametrically opposed to) our style.

His flight home was delayed, it was cold, raining- some comfort food was is order. The hotel we stayed at had a "cheddar stout soup" on the menu, and rarebit was on my mind.


Welsh Rarebit
from Mark Bitman's How to Cook Everything

For sauce:

• 1lb cheddar, shredded; Irish, sharp, aged--something strong enough to stand up to the stout
• 3/4+ cup stout; I used Guiness
• Worcestershire sauce; 2 Tbsp or to taste
• Dash cayenne; I was out (shocking!) so used hot paprika
• 1 Tbsp mustard; should be dry, but I used Dijon
  
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1. In heavy-bottomed sauce pan heat butter over medium-low until melted
2. Gently add in flour. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it's golden brown. 3-4 minutes.
3. Whisk in cayenne and mustard
4. Slowly pour in stout, whisking until texture is homogeneous
   
5. Reduce heat to low and whisk in handfuls of cheese until completely melted
6. Be careful not to overheat, or yours will breakdown like mine. Also, don't be lazy and chop cheese instead of shredding- it makes it heat unevenly and breakdown, like mine.
7. Remove sauce from heat; it will keep a day.
8. When you're reheating don't forget and leave sauce on the stove while you go to get husband from the airport; it'll overheat and breakdown like mine.
9. If this does happen, you can kinda rescue the sauce with careful additions of more flour, beer and cheese. I do not recommend getting your sauce in a situation where it needs rescuing.
   

To Serve:

1. Have grand ambitions to do this eggs benedict style.
2. Realize it's late and you don't have the time for a multi-dish broiling process.
   
3. Toast both sides of thick bread slices under the broiler until pretty dry
4. roast any veggies you have on hand (I had leeks, broccoli and cauliflower) until tender
5. poach one egg per person
   
6. Put toasts on large cookie sheet and spread each lightly with sauce
   
7. top toasts with a few of the roasted vegetables, and a healthy (really not healthy) scoop of sauce and broil until bubbly
   
8. place toasts in bowl or on plate with remaining veggies and top with egg
   
9. serve immediately