What's Cookin' this Week? Home Cooked Meals that Say, I Love You
By Mindy Dwyer
Recipes included:
Pizza
Pretzels
Love Biscuits
7 Meals from Around the World
from welcometothetable.coop
Didn’t someone say cooking is love made visible? I am thinking of making a heart shaped pizza this week using my old favorite recipe, or click here for homemade pretzels twisted into heart shapes. Another favorite recipe at our house is Love Biscuits.
Pizza Love
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon yeast (one package)
2 cup lukewarm water
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour
2 teaspoons sugar (optional but makes a crispier crust)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
POUR water into glass bowl (yeast is not fond of metal)
SPRINKLE yeast on top of water and let settle
ADD flour, salt, oil
KNEAD and make a ball, scraping the sides of the bowl with dough.
CLEAN the bowl and line with olive oil
PLACE dough in bowl, cover and let rise until double. Dough should be springy and pliable.
OIL four cast iron frying pans or pizza trays
You can roll the dough on a floured surface, but I simply press the dough into the pans and pre-bake at 500
degrees for 4 minutes.
For the pizza toppings, any combo goes, but there is a wisdom in threes. Keep it simple. The first layer should
be oil based) a thin layer of olive oil painted on with a brush or pesto) to provide a barrier (sauces can sink into the crust and get soggy). Sauce. Veggies. Cheese.
You can get creative with a savory nuts, fruit and cheese combos, too.
Bake the pizzas for 7 minutes, then switch the pans top and bottom and bake for another 7 minutes. This gives even baking on the bottom crust and the melty top layer.
Love Biscuits
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
6 Tablespoons butter
1 cup half and half
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
WHISK dry ingredients.
CUT butter in to ¼” cubes and add to flour mixture. Use a fork, pastry cutter or butter knives to chop butter into crumb size pieces. Work quickly so butter does not melt.
ADD milk slowly, stirring until dough starts to come together in a sticky ball.
FLOUR a surface and knead dough ten times to get a 1 inch thick pad.
CUT biscuits with a heart shaped cookie cutter.
PLACE on ungreased baking sheet (parchment paper optional)
BAKE 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes 6-8 biscuits depending on size of cookie cutter.
Choose a destination this Valentine’s Day and make a meal with love.
India - Mixed Vegetable Curry with Tofu
Mediterranean - Couscous with Feta and Toasted Pine Nuts