I barely had lunch so I’m getting pretty hungry. I’ve made this pizza many times, but I usually use a prepared crust like Boboli. Well, because it’s Sunday I guess I decided to make my own pizza dough. I’ve done that many times.

But this time… many things went wrong. I had to make the dough three times today. Bah! Talk about a comedy of errors.

This is what I learned today when making your own pizza dough:

1. If you’re using a food processor, make sure all the liquid goes in first. If you put it on top of the 5 1/2 cups of flour, it spills everywhere causing you to start over.
2. If you’re using a food processor, don’t blend the ingredients for 2 minutes like I did. It gets sort of soupy and becomes beyond repair. Instead, pulse 2 or 3 times … or until it forms into a ball.
3. Have several dough recipes on hand in case the first or second just doesn’t work out.
4. Have plenty of flour and yeast on hand for times such as today.

But, alas, I finally got it on the third try.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza
makes: 8 slices

Ingredients
1 pizza dough (either purchased or made from scratch – see below for recipe)
1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (I love love love Kowalski’s brand – a local Twin Cities grocery store)
1/4 small red onion sliced
1/2 pound hormone-free skinless, boneless chicken breasts: cooked & cubed OR you can pull it
1/4 cup sliced pickled peperoncinis
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Put your pizza dough on a baking sheet (stoneware is preferred). If you’re using your own pizza dough or a refrigerated dough, roll it out to the shape you desire (circle, rectangle, etc.)

3. Spread the BBQ sauce evenly over the dough to about 1/2-inch to the end. If you like your pizza saucy, go ahead and add some more.

4. Top the pizza with chicken, onion, peperoncini, and cheese.

5. If you’re using fresh pizza dough, bake pizza for about 18-20 minutes or until the edges of the crust are lightly brown and the cheese is bubbly.

If you’re using store-bought par-baked pizza crust (such as Boboli), bake pizza for 10-13 minutes or until cheese is lightly brown and bubbly.

Serve this with a Greek salad of mixed greens, feta, kalamata olives, cucumber, and lemon/olive oil vinaigrette.

Pizza Dough Recipe
makes enough dough for 1 pizza

Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast
1/4 cup hot water (not boiling)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 – 4 Tablespoons water

Directions
1. Mix yeast and hot water in a small bowl until the yeast dissolves – about 2 minutes.

2. Combine flour, salt, sugar, and olive oil in a medium bowl. Add yeast mixture and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon. Add additional water by the tablespoon as needed. The dough should be sticky, but it should form into a ball and want to stick to itself (it gets a little grabby).

3. When the dough is completely sticking to itself, put it on a clean dry surface sprinkled with flour. Knead the dough for about 2-3 minutes or until the dough is elastic.

4. Coat a glass bowl with olive oil, put the ball of dough in the bowl and turn it over so all surfaces are covered in oil. Put a kitchen towel over the bowl and let it rise for 1 hour. Punch it down, and your dough is ready to be pizzafied!

We served this alongside Grilled Turkey, Bacon and Blue Cheese Sandwiches.

Lemony Grilled Asparagus with Goat Cheese

makes: 12 servings (6 pieces of asparagus per person)

Grilled Asparagus

3 bundles of asparagus (enough for 6 spears per person)

juice of 1 lemon

3 T olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Garnishes

1 lemon for zesting

3 oz chevre goat cheese

Directions

1. Prepare the asparagus by bending it from each end to determine the ripe part of the asparagus. Snap off the woody ends – you don’t want to eat these.

2. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Dress the asparagus and let marinate in a plastic bag for at least 20 minutes.

3. Heat grill to medium high heat. Put asparagus directly onto the grill. Cook for about 8 minutes, turning occasionally to avoid burning.

4. Remove from grill. You can place them on a platter or you can put them on individual plates for serving. Either way, once the asparagus is on a plate, use a microplane grater to zest the lemon over the asparagus. You should use the entire lemon. Then, take the chevre and crumble it on top of the asparagus.

This version attempts to make lasagna a bit healthier than the traditional beef and cheese version. I’ve substituted ground chicken, added a ton of veggies, and cut down on the amount of cheese.

With all these veggies layered in between pasta and cheese, this becomes hearty and good-tasting to the bone.

Serve with garlic bread and Caesar salad for a complete meal.

4 Layer Hearty Chicken & Vegetable Lasagna
Makes 8 servings
Time: about 1 hour and 45 min

Ingredients
12 uncooked lasagna sheets
2 T olive oil, divided
1 # ground chicken
1 zucchini, diced
1/2 white onion diced
1 serrano pepper minced with seeds (optional)
5 cloves garlic minced
1 cup quartered baby bella mushrooms
26 oz jar tomato-basil pasta sauce
1 T chopped fresh oregano
1 t salt
1 t fresh ground pepper
2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella cheese, divided
15 oz container part skim ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Boil 6 quarts water in large pot. Add 1 T salt when boiling. Add lasagna to pot, stir, and cook for about 6-7 minutes, or according to package. When cooked, drain and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, heat 1 T olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add ground chicken and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks through. When fully cooked, remove from pan and place on a plate.

4. Heat remaining 1 T olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, onion, garlic, serrano, and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes or until onion is translucent.

5. Add chicken back to skillet with pasta sauce, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to simmer and let simmer while mixing remaining ingredients.

6. Combine 1 cup mozzarella, ricotta and eggs.

7. In a lightly greased 9 x 13″ pan, add 1 cup sauce mixture to bottom. Place 3 lasagna sheets on top of sauce. Add 1/3 of the cheese mixture, then 1/3 of the remaining sauce. Repeat layering pasta, cheese, and sauce. Top with Parmesan then remaining 1 cup mozzarella.

8. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 – 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes. This is important because it gels together, making it much easier to dish out. Cut into 8 pieces and serve hot.

You could also use premade pizza sauce, but this recipe calls for such an easy way of making your own pizza sauce with ingredients you most likely will already have on hand.

Spicy Pepperoni Pizza

serves: 2-3 (pizza is cut into 6 pieces)

time: 15-20 minutes

1 serving pizza dough or ready-to-bake Boboli crust

1 large garlic clove, minced or pressed

1 1/2 T olive oil

2 t dry Italian seasoning

1/4 cup tomato sauce

2 oz pepperoni

1 jalapeno, sliced thinly

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

2 oz soft goat cheese

Preheat oven to 450.

Place pizza crust on pizza stone or baking sheet. Combine garlic and olive oil in small bowl then brush over crust. Sprinkle Italian seasoning over the crust, then spread the tomato sauce over the crust. This is essentially your easy-to-make pizza sauce without dirtying a lot of bowls.

Top with pepperoni, jalapeno, and cheeses.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven, slice into 6 pieces, and serve.

Add more crushed red pepper if you want more spice.

Nicole and I were serving the main course this time, which also meant we would be hosting it at my house. I first thought an Asian inspired short rib recipe would be exactly what I was looking for. Until I found this recipe: Brasato al Barolo (Braised Short Ribs with Pumpkin Orzo and Horseradish Gremolata). YUM.

Then I thought…wait a second, this is from Mario Batali’s restaurant Babbo cookbook…hmmm…why does that sound familiar? Then it dawned on me! I finished a book at the end of November titled “Heat” – which is now one of my favorite books – about Bill Buford working for Mario Batali and traveling through Italy. Well, this dish is mentioned in great detail. I looked it up, laughed at the descriptions (it’s violently vulgar), and said “sign me up! this is the dish!”

I read some more about the region this dish comes from – Emilia Romagna in northern Italy and discovered this from wikipedia:

The city of Bologna is famous for its superb cuisine. Perhaps less well known is the fact that it lies at the heart of Emilia Romagna, a region celebrated both in Italy and abroad for the range and quality of its culinary delights. From the Adriatic coast of Ravenna and Forlì to the inland plains and river vallleys of Parma, Piacenza, and Modena, Emila Romagna is richly blessed with prime produce and ingenious cooks.

We preordered short ribs (not flank style but the cut with one bone per rib) and picked them up early that Saturday along with all the other ingredients, then went back to my place to get everything prepped. Have you ever grated fresh horseradish? It is STRONG. And it’s fleshy and weird – it kind of creeped me out a bit.

Either way, the dish was hands down the best dish I’ve ever made. It was simple enough to do again, although somewhat time intensive as it requires a long time in the oven. Although the recipe says to braise at 375 for 2 hours, the next time I would braise at 350 for 3 hours.

The table setting had an Italian theme with reds, greens, and yellows.

Here is the menu:

First Course

Antipasto platter of assorted meats, cheeses, olives, and breads

Paired with: Tommasi Poggio al Tufo Rompicollo, Maremma Tuscana, 2004

Second Course

Tagliatelle with Mussels, Clams and Pesto

Paired with: Tamellini Soave, 2005 (excellent wine)

Third Course

Braised Short Ribs with Pumpkin Orzo and Horseradish Gremolata

Paired with: Josetta Saffirio Barolo, 2002

*A special note about the wine: there is this fellow who suggests wine at the place I love to go (Hennepin Lake Liquors in Uptown – their selection and prices are unbeatable) who, in the past, has had a very low success rate at suggesting wines for me. My strategy for Sat? Avoid him AT ALL COSTS. Well…that unfortunately didn’t happen as another worker pointed me directly to him and there was no one else in the store. F*****ck. He ended up suggesting this wine and it was excellent. Thank god. It was $40/bottle and we bought 2. Josetta Saffirio learned how to make wine from her mom and dad, who are both professors of winemaking in Italy. This is her second or third vintage and only makes 3,000 cases a year.

Fourth Course

Various Cheeses: Taleggio served with honeycomb, Pecorino ginepro served with balsamic reduction and olive oil, Sottocenere al Tartufo, Blu del Moncenisio with fig pear spread, Valsesia Toma with fig pear spread, La Tur with honeycomb

Paired with: Ruvei Barbera d’Alba, 2005

Fifth Course

Panna Cotta with fresh strawberries and blackberries

Paired with: Felsina vin Santo Chianti Classico, 1999

recipes after the jump

Tagliatelle with Mussels, Clams and Pesto

serves 2 (we doubled this and it was MORE than enough for 10 people – next time I would not double it for a 5 course meal)

from Bon Appetit June 2000 on epicurious

12 littleneck clams, scrubbed

12 mussels, scrubbed, debearded

1 cup dry white wine

8 oz tagliatelle or linguine (if you can find fresh or make your own, go for it!)

6T pesto (you could purchase this, but homemade is so much better)

1/4 cup sliced drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

14 t dried crushed red pepper

Combine clams, mussels and wine in heavy large pot; bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cover pot; cook until shellfish open, about 7 minutes (discard any that do not open – they were already dead when you put them in and you will seriously regret trying one of these!). Using tongs, transfer shellfish to bowl; cover with foil to keep warm. Reserve shellfish juices.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in medium pot of boiling salted water until just tender (dry pasta will take around 8 minutes while fresh pasta will take around 3 minutes).

Drain pasta, return to same pot. Add reserved shellfish juices, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and crushed red pepper. Toss over medium heat just until sauce coats pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta among bowls, top with shellfish and serve.

Make sure to place an empty bowl on the table for discarded shells. To make this a little more exciting of an experience, when you serve this, freshly grate a hard, aged Italian cheese using a microplane grater per each person’s taste – a good parmesan reggiano or pecorino romano would be perfect.

Braised Short Ribs with Pumpkin Orzo and Horseradish Gremolata

Serves 4 (to make for 10, increase the ribs recipe by 2.5 for each ingredient; double the orzo recipe; leave the gremolata as is)

from Babbo Cookbook a la Leite’s Culinaria

SHORT RIBS

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

four 16-ounce beef short ribs

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

1 onion (white or yellow), roughly chopped

2 celery stalks (including the leaves – that’s where the flavor is!), roughly chopped

5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 cups Barolo or other full-bodied wine (rule of thumb: there are 3 cups, 1 cup=8 fl oz, in a 750ml bottle of wine, so if you’re doubling or tripling this recipe, you’ll need 2 bottles of wine; this is different than getting five 6oz glasses of wine in a bottle)

one 16-oz can peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand, with their juices (I like Muir Glen the best)

1 cup beef stock

1/2 bunch thyme

1/2 bunch rosemary

1/2 bunch oregano

GREMOLATA

leaves from 1 bunch of flat leaf Italian parsley

zest of 2 lemons, cut into julienne strips

1/4 pound fresh horseradish, grated

PUMPKIN ORZO

1/2 pound pumpkin or butternut squash, seeded and peeled

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 T extra virgin olive oil

2 T honey

2 T balsamic vinegar

1 cup orzo

1 cup chicken stock

PREPARATION

MAKE THE SHORT RIBS

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). (NOTE: I would adjust this to 350 for 3 hours)

2. In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat until smoking. Season the ribs with salt and pepper and cook them over high heat until deep brown on all sides, about 15 minutes total. Remove the short ribs to a plate and set aside. Add the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic to the pan and cook over high heat until browned and softened, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the red wine, tomatoes and juices, beef stock, and herbs, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge browned bits. Bring the mixture to a boil and return the short ribs to the pan. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Cook for 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender and literally falling off the bones. (NOTE: I would adjust this to 350 for 3 hours)

3. (NOTE: This is an additional note from Heat) When the ribs are done, remove from braising liquid and place on a pan. You could cover with foil to keep it warm. Strain the liquid to remove all the chunks of veggies and herbs. Place strained liquid into a pan and bring to a boil on the stove. Reduce by half – this is going to make the most wonderful gravy of your life.

MAKE THE GREMOLATA

In a small bowl, combine the parsley, lemon zest, and horseradish and toss loosely by hand.

4. Divide the pumpkin orzo evenly among four warmed bowls. Place one short rib in each bowl, top with a little of the pan juices and a handful of the gremolata, and serve immediately.

MAKE THE ORZO

1. Cut the pumpkin or squash into 3 or 4 evenly sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with the olive oil, and wrap in foil. Roast in the 375°F (190°C) oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or until very soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then place the cooked squash in the bowl of a food processor. Add the honey, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper and pulse to form a relatively smooth purée. Set aside.

2. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Set up an ice bath nearby. Cook the orzo in the boiling water for 3 minutes, to blanch but not cook through. Drain the orzo and plunge it into the ice bath. Once cooled, drain it and lay it out on a baking sheet to dry.

3. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a 12-inch sauté pan. Add the orzo and squash purée and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until the chicken stock is fully absorbed by the orzo. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

There’s a reason owner Danny Meyer has the top 2 Zagat restaurants in New York. Yes- the top 2 spots. Second place belongs to Union Square Cafe.

Service. Service. Service.

We had a 7:30 pm reservation at Gramercy Tavern and we had no reason to believe we wouldn’t make it. We had quite the time getting there. First, our flight out of Minneapolis/St. Paul was a total circus. We spent 2 hours in the plane AT the gate. The pilot insisted on giving us updates every 5 minutes – the A/C was broken, then the bathroom door was broken, etc.

I wan’t panicking yet. I thought we still might be able to make the 7:30…until I realized we wouldn’t arrive in New York until 6:45ish. So I called Gramercy Tavern. They were very accommodating and requested that we just call when we get there.

When we landed at JFK – at 7:30pm – I called Gramercy Tavern again. I spoke with the same man, and he was committed to getting us to his restaurant. It was great!

By the time we finally arrived at Gramercy Tavern, at 9:30pm, we walked in and the staff immediately smiled and said, “We’re so glad you finally made it!” So were we. The feeling when we walked through the restaurant to our table was nothing short of delightful, warm, and inviting.

I started the night with a well-deserved Belvedere martini. Yum. It was heavenly and perfect. I and my 2 companions opted for the tasting menu that night: me- the meat version, they- the vegetable version.

I’d have to admit that the vegetable tasting menu was far superior to the Spring tasting menu. The plates were as beautiful as pieces of art. And they tasted about as good. (You’ll have to excuse my lack of details about the food. Not only was I famished, it was also a couple weeks ago.)

My only critique of the Spring tasting menu was that the food sounded a lot better than it tasted. Everything was perfectly seasoned, I just felt that the options were slightly boring. How many times have I had roasted chicken with mashed potatoes? Don’t get me wrong, it was good.

Then the cheese course came. This made the meal. We had a selection of 15 or so cheeses and they all sounded delicious. We got a sampler and I experienced a couple new sensations. First, washrind cheese is now my new favorite. Melt-in-your-mouth and dreamable cheese. Go get some if you haven’t had it yet. Also, I loved the balsamic-fig jam and honey they served with the cheese. Perfect compliments to our selections.

The wine was also incredible. Their half-glass pours are not the average half-glass pour, but rather just under a full-glass pour. Or so it seemed to me.

Dessert was ok, nothing memorable.

In the end, I’m so happy we went through everything we did to get there. It was well worth it.

Butternut Squash Pesto Pizza

1 pizza dough

1/2 c pesto (recipe follows)

10 oz butternut squash (I used Cascadian Farms frozen butternut squash, but you can also roast your own if you have more time)

1/4 chopped onion

1 c Pecorino Romano – grated (you can also use Parmesan Reggiano if you can’t find pecorino – any salty, hard Italian cheese will work well)

Pesto

1/4 c toasted walnuts, chopped

5 garlic cloves

2 cups packed basil leaves (you can also add spinach and/or arugula if you like)

1/4 c Pecorino Romano cheese, grated

olive oil

S&P

Blend the first 4 ingredients in a food processor until processed, but not pureed. Stream in olive oil while processing to create the right consistency (it should be smooth but not runny – spreadable).

Roll out the pizza dough onto your baking surface (I prefer to use my pizza stone to get even cooking). Spread pesto over pizza dough. Top with squash and spread out over pesto. Top with onions and cheese.

Bake pizza in a 425 oven for about 15-20 minutes – again, cooking times may vary.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

4 slices whole grain bread

1/2 c basil pesto

4 oz fresh feta cheese (I used Israeli feta and it was delicious! Made from sheep’s milk, Israeli feta is creamier and less crumbly than regular feta. If you can’t find Israeli feta, choose another sheep’s milk or goat’s milk feta. Avoid cow’s milk feta as it is usually chalky and flavorless.)

4 slices turkey bacon, cooked (Wellshire Farms is the best there is – if you can find it, buy it)

olive oil or butter

I used spray olive oil and it worked really well and was far less messy than butter or liquid olive oil. Coat 1 side of each slice of bread with olive oil or butter; turn over onto a work surface.

Divide and spread the pesto on 2 slices of bread. Divide and spread the feta on the other 2 slices of bread. Top the feta sides with 2 slices of bacon each. Place each pesto half onto each feta/bacon half.

Warm a skillet over low heat. Place sandwiches in skillet and cook over low heat. Don’t be anxious and cook over any higher heat than low. Using the low, even heat allows the cheese to melt and blend with the other flavors. Cook each side for about 5-7 minutes, or until browned.

Cut in half and serve.

Makes 2 sandwiches.

You can vary this sandwich to whatever you have in your kitchen. Try some kalamata olives instead of bacon if you want a vegetarian option but still a little salty. Or try grilled apples, white cheddar and walnut pesto. The options are endless.