That sounds and looks pretty fabulous, man. I know you mentioned that you were having some troubles getting things off your slice onto the baking steel–did you find that issue was worse with the fairly dense stromboli?
Nah, it was actually much easier with the stromboli, since it’s assembled on the board then just put into the peel, and also has a smaller surface area.
I had much better luck with sliding things off the peel to the baking stone when I switched to flour like Modernist Cuisine recommends. I was using corn meal which never seemed to work well and would often add a random sand like texture if I used too much. It was counter intuitive to me, I would have figured corn meal would work better.
I use semolina flour on the peel for that. I’ve also found that it works best if I don’t load up the pizza on the peel itself. Build it on cutting board, slide onto peel, slide onto baking steel/stone.
I don’t think that does anything but enforce that the pizza is slidable before it ends up on the peel.
Exactly the way I do it. The longer the dough is on the peel the more likelihood of sticking.
So it isn’t just my imagination!
Not at all. Semolina is coarser than white flour but smoother than corn meal. Like tiny ball bearings. For me it’s the best choice.
Righteous-looking Stromboli! 👍
Recent cookery.
Skillet Penne with Chicken Sausage, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach
From Pasta Revolution
Strictly speaking I think they want you to go with raw sausage here (since it says to remove the casings, which isn’t really a thing with precooked), but the only place I was sure of getting chicken sausage was Trader Joe’s, and only after I’d bought it did I remember I wasn’t supposed to be getting precooked. (I got the Andouille flavored variety.) Basically, you cook the sausage in olive oil, add garlic, then add in a couple cups of chicken broth, a couple cups of water, a half cup of sun-dried tomatoes, a bit of salt and a half pound of penne. Cook at a simmer for 15-18 minutes, then stir in 6 ounces of baby spinach a handful at a time until it’s all wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve with grated Parmesan. Despite my substitution it worked pretty well.
Pasta with Chicken, Mushrooms and Red Wine
From How to Cook Everything Fast
In a large pot, get water boiling for pasta, add a pound of cut pasta and some salt to said water whenever it’s ready. Meanwhile, cut up some boneless chicken breast (it says an 8 oz one, i just fudged) into half inch chunks and get a tablespoon each of olive oil and butter heating in a skillet on medium high. Put the chicken chunks in, salt and pepper them, and let them cook undisturbed for a couple minutes,. Then start stirring them occasionally and continue cooking until there’s no longer any pink visible. Transfer them to a plate, then add another tablespoon each of olive oil and butter. Then add a pound and a half of sliced mushrooms (I used white/cremini since that’s what was easily available, but bella or shiitake work too), salt and pepper them, and cook for 5-10 minutes while they soften. Mince some garlic and add it to the mushrooms as they cook. Once they’re soft, add 3/4 cup red wine (or white, if you prefer) and return the chicken to the pot. Cook until the wine’s reduced by about half, then put it on very very low waiting for the pasta to be done. Once it is, turn back up to medium high, add the drained pasta to the skillet, add chopped fresh parsley and grated parmesan (and salt and pepper to taste), and toss. Let me tell you, if wine tasted as good to drink as it does to cook things in I would be an alcoholic dying in a gutter right now. Also not normally a huge fan of mushrooms but they really work here. Also I made this at like 1 AM Friday morning because I was just that lazy on Thanksgiving.
Spaghetti with Cherry Tomatoes, Olives, Capers and Pine Nuts
From Pasta Revolution
Halve two pounds of cherry (or grape, in my case) tomatoes and toss them with a quarter cup of olive oil, capers, sliced garlic cloves, sugar, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, then spread them on a rimmed baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees in the oven for 35-40 minutes. Let them cool. In the meantime, make spaghetti.
Once those are both ready, put the tomato mixture into the pot with the spaghetti, a bunch of chopped pitted kalamata olives, some toasted pine nuts, and (theoretically, fresh) oregano and toss. Serve with Pecorino Romano cheese. Voila.
After watching my wife make four pies for Thanksgiving events (one pumpkin for a church gathering + pumpkin, mincemeat, and apple for family Thanksgiving) I had to do something so I made a fruit cake last week. I use the Frugal Gourmet’s Bourbon Fruitcake recipe as a base (the guy has problems but the cookbooks are good) with some major changes. All of the candied fruit is replaced with dried fruit and the bourbon is replaced with apple brandy. This year I went heavy on dried cherries and dried apples along with the apricots, raisins, currents, and craisins that I always use.
Now its soaking in more apple brandy - this weekend we see the first tasting.
How dare you destroy my childhood memories and cause me to desire fruitcake.
Probably not the most interesting thing I typically make but I felt a need to make Chicken and Dumpling this weekend anyway.
I toyed with the dumplings more than I usually do, but they plumped up more later.
I’m actually making some of that this week for my partner! I’m curious: how do you cook the chicken itself? Boil beforehand and shred? Cook it right in the soup proper? There seems to be some disagreement over this in the recipes I read (I never really had it growing up, so I’m going in blind).
I’ve actually done it both ways before. My favorite is Emeril’s version which has a kick to it and requires way more effort.
For tonight’s quicker version: boneless and skinless thigh meat cooked directly in the soup worked fine and far fewer ingredients / steps. You can use chicken breasts or tenders instead of course. I do season the chicken separately before i add it. Weeknights I do the prep work at lunch, the cutting mostly, so it’s a quick finish for dinner.
Awesome, many thanks :)
Wish me luck on this. According to the missus, the last time I attempted to produce chicken and dumplings, I just made disgusting paste with pinkish chicken pieces slithering through it. Mind, this was also like a decade ago, but still, the shame rings true.
Ouch that’s harsh! It sounds like you’ve been reading up which helps. I think making chicken broth is a great boon but it really is an extra step you can avoid the first few goes. Just be sure to really simmer when it says simmer to cook the meat through and later when you want to the dumplings to fluff off but not burn the soup.
See I always cook the meat before adding it too a soup. Like yesterday, I made my squash soup with chicken. I cooked the chicken breasts with the onions in the pot with diced pieces. I then removed the chicken and set aside to add once I assembled the rest of the soup in the pot.
@Nesrie that looked good!
Like Craig, I usually cook the chicken first before dishes like that unless it’s something like a stir fry where the chicken is cut very thin. But I also do it to add layers to the flavor. Cook chicken in pan, remove, add stuff to pan and scrape while cooking, add chicken back in, stock, etc. Then cook until done.
While not cooking exactly, I’m interested in hearing the gadgets or items you can’t live without in the kitchen.
As my example, my SO made fun of me when we first started dating because I have a TON of cast iron cookware and prefer to make just about anything I can in my old Griswold skillet and my primary utensil, a Dexter turner. Seriously, if you took either of those away, I would be at a major loss in the kitchen.
Kitchenaid Stand Mixer
Immersion Mixer - this is actually key to getting a thicker consistency in something like a potato and leek soup without piling in flour or arrowroot.
Stainless steel cookware - for browning
Nonstick cookware - easy removal of things like eggs and crepes with low to no fat added
Food Processor - very hard to make hazelnut pie without it or hummus