Some time ago, in the middle ages (the 1950’s) an Essington Pennsylvania pizzeria called “Romano’s” was looking for something to make them stand out. Using what was on hand (Italian sandwich meats, pizza dough and lots of different cheeses) a cross-breed sandwich/calzone was born called “Stromboli”, named after a Sicilian volcanic island. You may know it as "junk bread" or by it's common name "omm nomm nomm".
First, you will need a good pizza dough:
1 cup warm (not hot) water
1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups bleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, sugar, and 1 tablespoon oil and stir to combine. Let this bloom until the mixture is foamy. Add half of the flour and all the salt, mix by hand until smooth. Add the rest of the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, working the dough after each addition. The dough is slightly sticky, so don’t be tempted to add more flour here; rather turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
Oil a large mixing bowl with the remaining olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to oil all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until it doubles in size.
Roll this out into a rectangle about 10x14 inches. I like to brush this lightly with some raw (green) olive oil. Just be very careful with sauces/oils at this point as you will kill your dough if you use too much. Leaving a 1” margin on all four sides lay on the goods.
For filling, you can go the traditional “grinder” route, or your favorite pizza toppings. Here is what makes me drool (by layer, all thinly sliced):
Smoked ham
Provolone cheese
Genoa salami
Fresh Ricotta
Black olives
Pepperoni
Fresh Mozzarella
Roll this monster from top to bottom (like a sponge cake). Pinch the edges shut and seal the long side with an eggwash made from 1 egg and 1 tablespoon water. Let this rest on a cookie sheet for about half an hour while your oven preheats to 375*f.
Bake this guy about 20 or so minutes (golden brown, almost crispy.) at this point I brush it with the rest of the eggwash and sprinkle with some grated parmesan. Finish this guy to a shiny and golden masterpiece (about 10 minutes.)
Let the whole thing rest about 5 minutes, then slice into thick pieces. These are traditionally dipped into marinara sauce but mustard, ranch, or even a little garlic butter work wonders.
Use your imagination for fillings and enjoy a fake piece of Sicily!
Easy as "pie"
Sorry for taking so much time off, things have been crazy! I hope you understand. During this span I really didn’t cook anything. It feels weird to have to come back and ask myself “what’s for dinner?” Let’s start off “easy as pie.” Savory pie to be exact.
I’m talking about the ever forgiving, stupidly simple quiche. It is one of my comfort foods, is a great way to relieve the fridge of leftovers, and if done right can be super elegant as well.
The base for every good quiche is a savory custard:
6 eggs
1 Qt milk
3 drops each Tabasco and whorschesire
Salt and white pepper to taste
Mix all this well and set in the refrigerator while we work out the rest
Next, you need pie dough. I will give you a method to make your own but it will just make you angry. Seriously, rolling out pie dough is like chemistry. So many things can go wrong and you can’t control most of them. Are you a warm person? Sorry, it won’t work. Are you a cold person? Sorry, it won’t work. Water not cold enough? Sorry, won’t work. Room too warm/cold? Sorry…you get the point. I highly advise (and this is one of the few times I will say this) buying pre-made instead.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into small pieces
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and stir briefly until mixture is aerated. Using a fork or your fingers, cut butter into dry ingredients until it is in pea-size pieces that are slightly yellow in color. Drizzle in 4 tablespoons ice water and mix just until dough comes together (more or less water may be needed, but do not overwork the dough or it will become tough.) Shape dough into a flat disk, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
Now that our canvass is done, what do you want to put in your quiche? The classic is “Lorraine” which means spinach, bacon and onion (render bacon, add onions, add spinach and wilt. Season with white pepper and nutmeg.) I like crab and asparagus. Maybe some linguica and caramelized onions? Ohhh...how about ham, mushrooms and olives? I have also made “pizza pie” before using pepperoni, cheese and tomato. The sky is the limit here…
Final prep would be to roll out your dough, or, if you have the slightest hint of an anger issue (like me) removing your pre-made pie shells from the freezer, adding your filling and covering with your custard. Bake this at about 325* until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Each quiche serves 4.
Let me know what you end up with in your "pie"...
I’m talking about the ever forgiving, stupidly simple quiche. It is one of my comfort foods, is a great way to relieve the fridge of leftovers, and if done right can be super elegant as well.
The base for every good quiche is a savory custard:
6 eggs
1 Qt milk
3 drops each Tabasco and whorschesire
Salt and white pepper to taste
Mix all this well and set in the refrigerator while we work out the rest
Next, you need pie dough. I will give you a method to make your own but it will just make you angry. Seriously, rolling out pie dough is like chemistry. So many things can go wrong and you can’t control most of them. Are you a warm person? Sorry, it won’t work. Are you a cold person? Sorry, it won’t work. Water not cold enough? Sorry, won’t work. Room too warm/cold? Sorry…you get the point. I highly advise (and this is one of the few times I will say this) buying pre-made instead.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into small pieces
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and stir briefly until mixture is aerated. Using a fork or your fingers, cut butter into dry ingredients until it is in pea-size pieces that are slightly yellow in color. Drizzle in 4 tablespoons ice water and mix just until dough comes together (more or less water may be needed, but do not overwork the dough or it will become tough.) Shape dough into a flat disk, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
Now that our canvass is done, what do you want to put in your quiche? The classic is “Lorraine” which means spinach, bacon and onion (render bacon, add onions, add spinach and wilt. Season with white pepper and nutmeg.) I like crab and asparagus. Maybe some linguica and caramelized onions? Ohhh...how about ham, mushrooms and olives? I have also made “pizza pie” before using pepperoni, cheese and tomato. The sky is the limit here…
Final prep would be to roll out your dough, or, if you have the slightest hint of an anger issue (like me) removing your pre-made pie shells from the freezer, adding your filling and covering with your custard. Bake this at about 325* until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Each quiche serves 4.
Let me know what you end up with in your "pie"...
Kermit, is that you?
*Before you tune out, if you are a wimp you can substitute the word “poulet (chicken)” for “granouille (frog)”.*
I have been dreaming about this for a few weeks. In fact, I almost broke my neck when I slipped in the puddle of drool :-D
About as classical French as they come, Cuisses de grenouilles à la provençale is frog legs in a wonderful tomato/olive/white wine sauce. The influence is very Italy, and the flavor is one of a kind.
What you will need to serve 4:
24 Frog legs or 8 chicken breast halves (I like airline cut for presentation, but whatever your butcher has…)
3 large tomatoes, cored and diced
2 cups pitted and diced black olives
4 shallots, minced
½ cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp anchovy paste
½ cup dry white wine. I like a good New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
1 cup flour
Salt and pepper to taste
In a gallon size zip lock bag, mix your flour, salt and pepper. Add the frog to the bag and shake to coat.
Heat a skillet and add some olive oil. Drop your flour coated meat to the pan and brown on all sides. When complete, remove from pan and keep warm.
Lower the heat and deglaze the pan with the wine. Scrape the pan well; you want all that goodness in your sauce. Before the pan is dry, add your onions, garlic and shallots. Let this cook until soft, then add the anchovy paste and stir well.
Once this is hot and the fishy goodness is melted, add your olives and tomatoes. Once it’s all hot, drop your meat back in and bring it back to temp.
I like to serve this with buttered noodles; my mom likes it with mashed potatoes.
As always, let me know if you try this, and how you like it. Please, be brave and try it with frog!
I have been dreaming about this for a few weeks. In fact, I almost broke my neck when I slipped in the puddle of drool :-D
About as classical French as they come, Cuisses de grenouilles à la provençale is frog legs in a wonderful tomato/olive/white wine sauce. The influence is very Italy, and the flavor is one of a kind.
What you will need to serve 4:
24 Frog legs or 8 chicken breast halves (I like airline cut for presentation, but whatever your butcher has…)
3 large tomatoes, cored and diced
2 cups pitted and diced black olives
4 shallots, minced
½ cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp anchovy paste
½ cup dry white wine. I like a good New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
1 cup flour
Salt and pepper to taste
In a gallon size zip lock bag, mix your flour, salt and pepper. Add the frog to the bag and shake to coat.
Heat a skillet and add some olive oil. Drop your flour coated meat to the pan and brown on all sides. When complete, remove from pan and keep warm.
Lower the heat and deglaze the pan with the wine. Scrape the pan well; you want all that goodness in your sauce. Before the pan is dry, add your onions, garlic and shallots. Let this cook until soft, then add the anchovy paste and stir well.
Once this is hot and the fishy goodness is melted, add your olives and tomatoes. Once it’s all hot, drop your meat back in and bring it back to temp.
I like to serve this with buttered noodles; my mom likes it with mashed potatoes.
As always, let me know if you try this, and how you like it. Please, be brave and try it with frog!
