Pizza Party

We have a lot of fun things going on up here at the store lately.  We now carry fantastic Theo Chocolate, which makes my heart happy.  We are completely restocked on our kitchen towels, black truffle sea salt, and all of your favorite olive oils and balsamics.  We are also very excited to carry Delizia Olive Oil (our distributors) tapenades.  They come in smoked artichoke or sun dried tomato, basil pesto, and roasted red peppers.  We think you'll love them so much, we are including them in our January "Like & Share" Facebook giveaway!

We are also going to be hosting a wine tasting up here at Cask & Grove on February 5 from 5:00-8:00 p.m. So come on over after work or play and unwind with us as we pair wines. eat good food. and generally be merry! Big thanks to Liquor World for supplying us with their fine wines.

Speaking of wine, one of my favorite things in life is pizza...with a good red wine.  I like a pizza that has a crisp, yet chewy crust, a nice garlic/tomato duet going on as a sauce and just enough toppings to keep things lively. While it requires a bit of forethought, this is the easiest homemade pizza recipe I can think of.  Start with the pizza dough.  As it sits for its first 30 minutes, preheat your oven and start slicing tomatoes.  Once the tomatoes go into the oven to turn into the most perfect tomato-base ever, knead your dough and then set it next to the oven to rise for the next hour and a half or so.  When your pizza is baking, make a salad.  Voila! You are the most revered pizza chef your house has met.

Recipes adapted from David Lebovitz

Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
2 lb. Roma Tomatoes, sliced to medium thickness
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
4 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or Basil Infused or Garlic Infused)

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.

2. In a large bowl, toss tomatoes with olive oil and garlic.  Pour out onto a baking sheet, arranging tomatoes so that they don't overlap too much.  You might need two baking sheets for this. Sprinkle with basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

3.  Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the tomatoes are soft and wilted. (I like to set my pizza dough next to the oven during this time to rise.)

Storage:  These will keep for about 5 days, covered, in the refrigerator.  They can also be frozen for up to six months.

Pizza Dough
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water
pinch of sugar
3 c., plus 1/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. Picual or other Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3/4 c. cold water

1. Make the starter by mixing together the yeast, 1/2 c. warm water, sugar, 1/4 c. all-purpose flour, and 1/4 c. whole wheat flour in the bowl of a stand mixer (or just a large bowl, if mixing by hand). Let stand 30 minutes, undisturbed, until foamy.

2.  Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and knead, using the dough hook attachment (or by hand), for 5 minutes, or until a smooth, yet slightly sticky ball forms. Add a bit more flour, if necessary.

3.  Lightly grease a large bowl and put the ball of dough into the bowl, then flip it over, so that the greased side is facing up.  Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft free place, until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Once dough has risen:

4.  Preheat oven to 475 F.

5.  Sprinkle cornmeal (or line with parchment paper) an 11 x 17-inch baking sheet.  Roll the dough on a lightly floured counter top (don't over work the dough, or it will get tough and grouchy) until it approximately fits the baking sheet.  Lift the dough, stretching it a bit, and place it on the baking sheet, gently fitting it to the edges of the sheet.

6.  Drizzle the dough with garlic olive oil and then spread a thin layer of the oven roasted tomatoes on top.

7.  Now for the toppings: I like a good sauteed mushroom/onion/bell pepper combo, or Kalamata olives with roasted red peppers, or, of-course a good pepperoni can't go wrong.  Add a few (dozen) dollops of basil pesto, some thinly sliced mozzarella, and few shakes of crushed red pepper. Done!

7.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on your oven.  Let rest for 5 minutes, slice and enjoy!

Roasted Tomato Soup

Today is a gross day.  It's January 3, 42 degrees and misting rain.  In other words, it's a day for Tomato Soup.  And not just any Tomato Soup, a Roasted Tomato Soup.  This is a recipe after my own heart.  It requires a bit of forethought, but then very little effort.  Tomatoes are not notoriously fresh and flavorful this time of year, but once you throw in some garlic cloves, high heat and time, you get a deliciously caramelized tomato that turns into a velvety soup.  I use Roma tomatoes when I make this soup (this base also makes an exceptional pizza sauce), because they have a bit more "meat" and less water than the tomatoes on the vine or other rounder varieties.  However, use what you like! If you aren't that into garlic (how dare you), use half the amount of cloves.  If you have it, throw in some fresh basil when you puree the soup and voila! a gourmet soup to go with your cold, nasty weather.

ROASTED TOMATO SOUP

Adapted from Gourmet Sept. 2003

4 lb tomatoes, halved lengthwise

6 garlic cloves, left unpeeled

3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Tuscan Herb or Basil are fantastic)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled

1 teaspoons sugar

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350°F.

Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a large shallow baking pan and add garlic to pan. Drizzle tomatoes with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes and garlic 1 hour, then cool in pan on a rack. Peel garlic.

Melt butter in a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, add basil, sugar, tomatoes, garlic, and stock and simmer, covered, 20 minutes.

Purée soup in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids), or use an immersion blender.  (Optional: Pour through a sieve into cleaned pot, discarding solids.) Stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste and simmer 2 minutes.

Enjoy!