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Crispy Cheesy Pepperoni Pan Pizza

September 26, 2021

Pizza is one of our favorite meals to prepare. Most of the time we make thin crust pizza from a recipe John found in the Pizza Bible. We bake it on our pizza stone in the oven after preheating it for nearly an hour, and at the highest temperature possible in a standard oven, which is usually 550 degrees (and the pizza is excellent). I found this cast iron pan pizza recipe at King Arthur’s Baking site and I thought I would give it a try for something different. Wow! The rave reviews on their website were spot on. The delightful airy, yet slightly chewy crust is superb. I love everything about this pizza. If you have a cast iron pan, make this pizza. You will love it.

The crust is divine, soft, airy, with the perfect texture.

Use your favorite toppings but keep it simple. You don’t want to weigh the dough down with too many ingredients.

Look at this beautiful puffy dough.

We added the recommended amount of cheese plus a bit of pepperoni, which I have to admit, I can’t resist.

For this pizza, the sauce is added on top of the cheese. This ensures that the crust bakes up beautifully without being soggy.

The last topping is a bit more cheese. The pizza is then baked into a gorgeous pie.

Crispy Cheesy Pepperoni Cast Iron Pan Pizza

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Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: one 9" - 10" pan pizza

Ingredients

2 cups (240g) King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt (7g)
½ teaspoon instant yeast
¾ c (170g) water
2 tablespoons olive oil, equally divided (13g each)
6 ounces (170g) mozzarella, grated
½ cup (113g) pizza sauce
25 small slices of pepperoni (I render my pepperoni in the toaster oven for 3 minutes before adding to the pizza)
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, fresh julienned basil, fresh or dried oregano, red pepper flakes for sprinkling on the top after baking, optional

Preparation

Special Equipment: 9" - 10" cast iron pan
Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Place flour, salt, yeast, water, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a bowl of a stand mixer or other medium-large bowl. Stir everything together to make a shaggy, sticky mass of dough with no dry patches of flour. This should take 30-45 seconds in a mixer using the beater paddle or about 1 minute by hand, using a spoon or spatula. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to gather the dough into a rough ball; cover the bowl.
After 5 minutes, uncover the bowl and reach a bowl scraper or wet hand down between the side of the bowl and dough, as though you were going to lift the dough out of the bowl. Instead of lifting, stretch the bottom of the dough up and over its top. Repeat three more times, turning the bowl 90 degrees each time. This process of four stretches, which takes the place of kneading, is called "stretch and fold."
Re-cover the bowl and after 5 minutes do another fold. Wait 5 minutes and repeat; then another 5 minutes, and do a fourth and final fold. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 40 minutes. Then refrigerate it for a minimum of 12 hours, or up to 72 hours. It will rise slowly as it chills, developing flavor.
About 3 hours before you want to serve your pizza, prepare your pan. Pour the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a well-seasoned cast iron skillet that is 10" - 11" diameter across the top, and about 9" across the bottom. Heavy, dark cast iron will give you a superb crust; but if you don't have it, use another oven-safe heavy bottom skillet similar in size. You can use a 10" round cake pan or 9" square pan. Tilt the pan to spread the oil across the bottom, and use your fingers to spread some oil up the edges of the pan.
Transfer the dough to the pan and turn it once to coat both sides with the oil. After coating the dough in oil, press the dough to the edges of the pan, dimpling it using the tips of your fingers in the process. The dough may start to resist and shrink back; that's OK, just cover it and let it rest for 10-15 minutes, then repeat the dimpling/pressing. At this point, the dough should reach the edges of the pan. If it doesn't, give it one more 10-15 minute rest before dimpling/pressing a third and final time. Cover the crust and let it rise for 2 hours at room temperature. The fully risen dough will look soft and pillowy and will jiggle when you gently shake the pan. Don't let the dough rise much longer or it may spill over the pan's edge when baking.
About 30 minutes before baking, place one rack at the bottom of the oven and one toward the top (about 4" - 5" from the top heating element). If you have a pizza stone, place it on the bottom rack. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
When you are ready to bake the pizza, sprinkle about three-quarters of the mozzarella evenly over the crust, making sure to cover the entire crust leaving no bare dough showing. This will yield caramelized edges that are delicious. Dollop small spoonfuls of the sauce over the cheese. You may choose to use less than the ½ cup of sauce, using ⅓ cup instead. Scatter pepperoni slices evenly over the pizza. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
Place the cast iron pan on your pizza stone if using, otherwise bake the pizza on the bottom rack of the oven for 18 - 20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the bottom and edges of the crust are a rich golden brown (use a spatula to check the bottom). If the bottom is brown but the top needs more time, transfer the pizza to the top rack and bake for 2 to 4 minutes. On the other hand, if the top seems fine but the bottom needs a few more minutes, leave the pizza on the bottom rack for another 2 to 4 minutes. Home ovens can vary a lot, so use visual cues and your own preferences to gauge when you have achieved the perfect bake.
Remove pizza from the oven and place on a heatproof surface. Carefully run a table knife or spatula between the edge of the pizza and side of the pan to prevent the cheese from sticking as it cools. Let the pizza cool briefly, transfer to a cooling rack or cutting surface. This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy.
Slice the pizza into thick wedges and serve the pizza anywhere from medium-hot to warm. Pass around the Parmesan, julienned basil, dried oregano and red pepper flakes.

Bread, Dinner, Eggs, Fish, Italian, Lactose Free, Recipes, Sandwiches

Italian-Style Tuna Sandwich

August 29, 2021

We love all types of sandwiches but tuna is one of our favorites. Whether it is tuna salad with mayonnaise, celery, onion and a dash of dried dill, or tuna in olive oil on John’s toasted sourdough, we enjoy all of them. This particular version is a real treat. A salsa verde made with Italian parsley, rich olives, briny capers and anchovy fillets plus zesty lemon and olive oil make this sandwich very special. The salsa verde is refreshing and pairs well with the tuna and hard-boiled eggs. This is truly a sandwich “to die for.”

We buy all sorts of tuna in olive oil. One of my favorites is As do Mar. You can find this brand on line or in specialty stores, but I have never seen it in Hawaii markets. Genova tuna is available at Costco for a very fair price. Ortiz is another high-end tuna. The small cans are perfect for two. We used Ortiz tuna in the jar, above right, for this sandwich. Beautiful thin tuna steaks are delicious. You can find this item at Whole Foods in Kahului. You will pay a dear price for this luxury item, but think of it as a treat that you deserve now and then.

We always have Italian parsley growing in the garden. It is the herb I use most. It’s great to be able to snip a few sprigs off the plant when you need them.

Ortiz tuna is top notch and so are their anchovies. There is no comparison to the ones you might find at the grocery stores. You can find Ortiz anchovies in the R. Fields section at Foodland Farms in Wailuku.

The salsa verde is delicious and gorgeous. If you have leftovers, mix it up with pasta shells to make a delicious salad. Toss some good feta into the salad and you’re all set.

Be sure to serve the sandwich on good bread.

Italian-Style Tuna Sandwich

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Adapted from NYT Cooking

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Salsa Verde: 1 cup lightly packed Italian parsley leaves, washed and dried
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium-large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons roughly chopped green olives
2 large anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1 tablespoon capers, drained
zest of 1 lemon
pinch of crushed red pepper
freshly ground black pepper
Sandwiches: 2 ciabatta rolls or 1 small baguette
lettuce leaves or arugula
6 ounces best quality tuna in olive oil, drained
2 hard boiled eggs, halved

Preparation

Whiz parsley leaves and ½ cup olive oil in a food processor or blender to a pesto-like consistency, then transfer to a small bowl. Add garlic, chopped olives, anchovies, capers, lemon zest and red pepper to parsley mixture. Stir well. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste. The olives, anchovies and capers are quite salty on their own so additional salt may not be needed.
Split ciabatta rolls or baguette with a serrated knife. Spread cut sides with salsa verde. Put a few lettuce leaves on the bottom piece of the bread and arrange tuna evenly over the lettuce. Top with sliced hard-boiled eggs (salt and pepper each piece). Drizzle with more salsa verde then press sandwich closed. Cut baguette into two even portions and serve.

Dinner, Fish, Italian, Lactose Free, Recipes

Tuna Spaghetti with Green Olive Pesto

May 26, 2021

This is a very tasty dish for those who enjoy a different style of pasta. It is loaded with flavor thanks to the tuna in olive oil and green olive pesto. It’s very easy to prepare, and you can even make the pesto in advance and freeze it. This pesto is dairy free which is a plus for those of us who are lactose intolerant.

Our local Costco now sells Genova tuna in olive oil so we stock up on it because it’s an excellent price to quality ratio.

The pesto ingredients get a quick whirl in the food processor and voila! You’ll have a tasty olive pesto that is a nice change from a typical basil pesto. Even if you choose not to use the tuna, the pesto is wonderful on pasta or slathered on grilled bread.

I used spaghetti for this recipe however you can use whatever pasta shape that suits you.

Tuna Spaghetti with Green Olive Pesto

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Adapted from Genova Seafood Recipe

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 2 - 4

Ingredients

2 cups lightly packed Italian parsley leaves
½ cup pitted green olives (I use olives from Whole Foods olive bar)
¼ (heaping) cup roasted unsalted or lightly salted almonds
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest (more for serving, optional)
1 small garlic clove
½ teaspoon chili pepper flakes
½ pound dried spaghetti
1 7-ounce can Genova yellowfin tuna in olive oil, drained

Preparation

Pesto: Place the parsley, olives, almonds, olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, chili flakes in a food processor. Process until a chunky paste forms, 15-20 seconds.
Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl. Add tuna to pasta. Toss in olive pesto until noodles are well coated. Serve warm or at room temperature with more lemon zest.

Dinner, Italian, Pasta, Recipes, Sauces

Baked Feta Pasta

May 16, 2021

This baked feta and tomato pasta dish is one of the easiest and most delicious meals we have been enjoying lately. The recipe went viral on TikTok and for good reason. It’s a hands off recipe that comes together in an hour. The resulting dish is just superb. Serve it with good bread to sop up all of the delicious juices from the tomatoes and olive oil.

It’s not a fancy or complex pasta dish but if I was served this at a restaurant I would be begging the chef for the recipe.

If you can find small tomatoes on the vine it makes for a nice presentation. However, it’s not essential because the tomatoes will be crushed and mixed with the feta and olive oil once it comes out of the oven. A fine quality feta such as Mt. Vikos really makes this dish shine. Mt. Vikos is the best I have found and worth the few extra dollars. It isn’t overly salty, and the flavor is outstanding. This feta is creamier than cow’s milk feta which tends to be saltier and tarter than sheep and goat’s milk feta. Here on Maui, you can find Mt. Vikos feta at Whole Foods and occasionally I see it at Safeway.

Just before you mix everything together, fresh minced garlic gets tossed into the hot dish where it will cook just enough to mellow its sharp raw bite.

Serve the pasta with lightly toasted sourdough bread topped with some of the crushed tomatoes and olive oil.

Baked Feta Pasta

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Adapted from TikTok

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 pints (20 ounces) ripe grape or cherry tomatoes
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
red pepper flakes (optional)
dried oregano (optional)
7 - 8 ounce block of feta (Mt. Vikos recommended)
10 ounces short pasta (Gemelli, Casarecce, Penne, Fusille)
1 medium garlic clove, finely minced
3 tablespoons julienned basil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Place tomatoes in an oven safe baking dish (9x11 works great). Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes, followed by ½ teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper. Coat the tomatoes evenly with the olive oil by gently tossing together. Place the feta block in the middle of the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with a few pinches of red pepper flakes and dried oregano. Bake uncovered until the tomatoes have burst and the feta has softened, about 30 minutes. Increase the heat to 450 degrees and continue to cook until the tomatoes and feta are golden brown, about 10 minutes more.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in generously salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve ¼ cup pasta water.
As soon as the feta and tomatoes come out of the oven, stir in the minced garlic. Use the back of a wooden spoon to smash the tomatoes and feta into a creamy sauce. Toss in the pasta and half of the basil, mixing until pasta is evenly coated. If the pasta seems dry, add a few tablespoons of pasta water. Serve with remaining basil and freshly ground black pepper.

Dinner, Italian, Lactose Free, Pasta, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Homemade Busiate Pasta

April 6, 2021

Busiate comes from Trapani, located on the west coast of Sicily. The name is derived from buso, a Mediterranean grass, the stem of which was used to shape this spiraled pasta. Today’s home cooks rely more on modern metal tools such as a ferretto. Not having a ferretto, I used a thin wire cut from a metal hanger. I have even used a thin, long, cake pop stick that worked fine. It produced a thicker spiral but both are acceptable.

Most recipes call for semolina flour, water and salt. I tried this but found I preferred to use 00 flour with semolina. I used a recipe from Thomas McNaughton’s Flour + Water Pasta cookbook. Thomas is the Executive Chef and co-owner of the highly regarded Flour + Water restaurant in San Francisco. The 00 flour and semolina along with warm water and kosher salt proved to be the perfect combination for a toothsome yet tender pasta.

If you have a friend or family member available to help, it will shorten the time it takes you to shape the pasta. This is especially true if you are making pasta for more than two servings. On a lazy Sunday afternoon, I found that rolling and twisting the pasta dough was quite relaxing.

The dough will be very dry. You can spritz it with a bit of water but not too much. Once you knead the dough (about 10 minutes) it will become smoother and easier to handle.

After kneading the dough, it is covered with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.

I made the ropes about the thickness of a standard birthday candle. The pasta ropes can tighten up a bit so another quick roll before shaping is recommended.

Here I use a metal wire (from a hanger) to shape the pasta into spiral shapes.

The ropes are twisted on the wire to form a spiral shaped pasta. It may seem a bit tricky, but after a few attempts you will master the technique. Because it is handmade, each piece will not be exactly uniform as is commercial dried pasta. It’s rustic and that makes it so charming.

Have a sheet pan sprinkled with semolina ready to hold your shaped pasta. Once I was done shaping the pasta, I covered the pan loosely with plastic wrap for about 3 hours until I was ready to cook it.

My favorite way to serve the busiate is with any type of pesto. The pesto clings to the nooks and crannies of the spiral pasta making this an ultra delicious meal.

Homemade Busiate Pasta

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Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 4

Ingredients

180g (1 c) semolina flour
180g (1 c) 00 flour
178g salted warm water (3/4 cup made with 10g (1 tablespoon) kosher salt

Preparation

Special equipment: Metal wire for shaping the pasta
Whisk together the semolina and 00 flour in a medium bowl. Add salted water, stirring with a wooden spoon or stiff spatula to combine ingredients. Place dough onto a clean workspace and knead the dough until smooth, about 10 minutes. You may lightly spritz the dough with water if it seems too dry. Form dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap to rest for 30 minutes.
Divide dough into 4 pieces. Working with one piece at a time (keep rest of dough covered with plastic wrap), divide each piece into 4 more pieces. Roll each piece into a long, thin rope, about 20-inches long. Cut the rope into four even pieces. Give each piece of rope a quick roll if it springs back a bit before shaping to ensure it measures about 5-inches. Using your thumb and index finger, gently pinch one end of the pasta rope around the top of the wire. Use your other hand to roll the wire on your work surface around the dough, to form a corkscrew shape (not too tight). Gently roll the wire back and forth a few times before sliding the pasta off the wire. If you find the dough sticks to the wire, lightly dust the wire with flour before proceeding with the next piece. Place shaped pasta on semolina dusted sheet pan. Continue until you have used up the dough. Cover the pasta loosely with plastic wrap until you are ready to cook it (I left mine out for 3 hours).
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add busiate and cook for about 4-5 minutes, until al dente. Drain and serve with your favorite sauce. Pesto is ideal.

Dinner, Italian, Pasta, Recipes, Side Dishes

Lemon Orzo with Feta & Dill

February 4, 2021

I came upon this dish at Food52, one of my favorite foodie sites. It sounded so delicious and perfect as a side for the fresh fish I just bought. And knowing that it was an Ina Garten creation sealed the deal.

There is just handful of ingredients needed to bring this dish together. What makes it so inviting is that each ingredient is full of flavor and they all unite in a tasty bowl of orzo.

Although its shape is similar to long grain rice, orzo won’t be found where rice is stocked at the market. Make your way to the pasta aisle and you’ll find it there. Orzo, Italian for barley (named for its similar shape), can be found in many soup and broth recipes as well as pasta salads and side dishes like this one.

My very favorite feta is Mt. Vikos made from sheep and goat’s milk. It is creamy and not too salty. Many people who are lactose intolerant find this cheese easier to digest than cow’s milk feta.

The original recipe calls for serving the orzo hot. However, I have served it cold and at room temperature as a side dish for a sandwich or as an addition to a green salad. It is very versatile.

Orzo with Feta, Lemon & Dill

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Adapted from Ina Garten's recipe

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 cup orzo
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2-3 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup feta, small dice

Preparation

Bring 2 quarts of water water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of fine sea salt and the orzo to the pot. Bring water back to a boil, then reduce heat to a lively simmer. Cook orzo for 9 minutes or until just al dente. Drain well and transfer to a wide bowl.
Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, olive oil, salt and pepper. Fold in diced feta. To serve, transfer to a bowl or platter. Sliced tomatoes are a nice accompaniment to the orzo if serving it at room temperature or chilled as a side dish.

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Crispy Cheesy Pepperoni Pan Pizza

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Baked Feta Pasta

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Homemade Busiate Pasta

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Lemon Orzo with Feta & Dill

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