There’s something about Spring that makes me crave bright green flavors! Which generally means I’m incorporating as many fresh herbs as possible. Tomorrow I am making Falafel which I’m going to serve on a great big board with lots of tiny bowls of other levantine favorites like hummus, Jerusalem salad, baba ghanoush, marinated olives and feta, and this gorgeous Quinoa Tabbouleh.
I was torn on whether to call this beautiful bowl of roasted goodness a dip or a spread. Not that it really matters but since I dipped my way through its photo shoot, I settled on Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Dip. Had there been a baguette in the house, this most certainly would have been called a spread. You decide.
I found this step-by-step recipe over at The Kitchn. Do you love this site as much as I do?? I feel like I’m getting free cooking lessons every time I log in. Back to the Pita Bread. It’s delicious. However, after my first attempt (and there will be many more) my bread was more like Naan than Pita. We had no pockets, just some cute air bubbles (see tips from The Kitchn on how to correct this).
Here’s my little step-by-step summary.
A quick & easy 5-ingredient dough comes together with minimal elbow grease (about 5-7 minutes of kneading).
The dough then rises for 1-2 hours. Good things come to those who wait.
The dough is then cut into 8 pcs. that get rolled out into thin disks.
Get your cast iron skillet good and hot and coat it lightly with a little oil.
The directions said to cook for 1-2 minutes per side. That seemed like a long time.
The end result yielded 6 out of 8…pretty darn good looking Pita Breads. No we didn’t have “pockets” for stuffing, but these flat breads would be fantastic with Gyros or for dipping.
Mix the water and yeast together and allow to rest for 5 minutes until the yeast dissolves. Begin by adding 2 1/2 cups of flour, salt and olive oil to the water/yeast. Stir until a shaggy dough is formed. Sprinkle flour onto a clean surface and turn dough out and knead for 5-7 minutes. Add more flour as needed to achieve a smooth and elastic dough.
Lightly oil a bowl and add dough, turning once to coat it. Allow to rest for 1-2 hours until the dough has doubled in size. Gently punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 8 pieces and flatten each piece into a disk. Sprinkle pieces with a little flour and cover with plastic wrap until ready to bake.
On a lightly floured surface, roll each disc into an 8"-9" circle, using a floured rolling pin. Lift and turn dough, dusting surface with additional flour as need to keep from sticking.
For oven method
Preheat oven to 450° F. Place a baking stone or baking sheet into the oven. One by one, place the rolled out dough directly onto the baking stone and bake for 3 minutes each. They will balloon.
For stovetop method
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle a small amount of oil in the pan to coat, wipe out any excess. Place a rolled out pitz dough into pan and cook for 30 seconds until you see bubbles forming. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes, until toasted spots appear on underneath side. Flip again and toast other side for another 1-2 minutes.
This Baked Shrimp with Feta & Herbs will quickly become a favorite. I promise. Oh my gosh the savory flavors…..shrimp bathing in lemon, saffron, garlic, fresh herbs, olive oil, bursting tomatoes and feta. You will want to soak up all that goodness with a hunk (or two) of crusty bread!
Asparagus lined one side of my grandfather Boppy’s garden, the only barrier between me and the glorious blueberry bushes. It seemed with each days passing it grew a foot taller. It’s feathering shoots locked hands making it nearly impossible to pass through. I had no use for it when I was eight.
I’m so happy this time of year. There’s something so beautiful about fresh from the garden veggies and herbs. Throughout this past winter and spring we’ve been enjoying Parmesan Herb Roasted Potatoes. Why not show our baby squash and spring onions the same kind of love?! Continue reading »
We have a wonderful Used Book Store in town. It’s in an old home, so imagine each section in it’s own little room, most complete with quiet reading areas. On the day I discovered this Roasted Garlic Bread Soup recipe, Shelby and I went in opposite directions. If I recall she was looking for books on the Dalai Lama and I was in cookbook heaven.
I actually own a Terracotta Garlic Roaster, which works very well. However, several years ago I discovered that aluminum foil works just as well….and no clean-up required. So for the purpose of this How to Oven Roast Garlic post, we will use foil.
I needed the perfect delivery vessel for an upcoming AWE-MAZING Hot Dip Recipe. I can’t tell you what that recipe is quite yet (it’s a gift that hasn’t been delivered), but I can tell you about these perfectly Crispy Baked Potato Wedges.
What’s not to love about sitting down at your favorite Italian restaurant when out comes warm crusty bread and a dish of herby Bread Dipping Oil. I could almost make a meal out of it. Almost.
