Stromboli Disaster!

Stromboli Disaster!

We here at Saucy & Bossy like to make what we enjoy, what we feel passionate about, and most importantly, what gives us a bit of a challenge. With that said, what type of high-integrity publication would this be if we didn’t feature the occasional blooper? The picture above was an attempt at this, a stromboli-like roll-up of pizza dough surrounding some sausage, broccoli, roasted red peppers, garlic, onion, and a mix of cheeses. The above situation was caused by a combination of: dough that was too thin, contents that were WAY too plentiful, and an overall lack of ability when it came to rolling it up. Elysabeth tried to help, and between the two of us, this is what we ended up with.

It still tasted good.

Leah’s Spinach and Chickpea Stew with Curry Powder

Apologies for being so lackadaisical in posting.  Life around Thanksgiving surely got the better of us, and we relied on easy fixes for dinner.  We should be much better with our posting, until, of course, we head to Wisconsin for Christmas.  Ah, life.  It never seems to get less complicated.

Back in July, my friend Leah and I were sitting at 100 Summer Street in Boston, selling tickets for our office’s annual BMW raffle, hanging out, chatting, and exchanging recipes.  She gave me a rough idea of this recipe, which is something she makes pretty frequently.  I adjusted the spices and added chicken, but I have to give Leah the credit for this awesome, delicious recipe! (Though, I’ll take credit for the decidedly clunky recipe title…Marc and I have had a long debate about whether or not I should use the word “curry” or not, because curry powder can be a touchy subject, and we didn’t want our blog to lose any credence in the general internet food-blogging-community.)  I’m happily taking the leftovers to work tomorrow.  I know it’ll get better after a reheat, which is the best part!  Yum!

Leah's Spinach and Chickpea Stew with Curry Powder

Leah’s Spinach and Chickpea Stew with Curry Powder

• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bag of fresh spinach
• 1 (28-oz.) can of diced tomatoes
• 1 (14-oz.) can of chickpeas, rinsed
• 1/8 tsp. Garam masala
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• Optional:  chicken stock, plain yogurt, turmeric, crushed red pepper

1. Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.  When oil is hot, reduce heat to medium-low.  Add onions and garlic, and sprinkle Garam masala over vegetables.  Stir frequently, and cook until soft and fragrant.
2. Increase heat to medium-high.  Add spinach to pan and cook until wilted.  Then, add tomatoes (with their juice), chickpeas, chicken stock (for a more “soupy” stew), ginger and curry powder.  Stir well.  Bring mixture to a boil, and then reduce heat and cover.  Simmer for at least 10-15 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, season to taste and add protein of your choice (we included cooked chicken, which was marinated in yogurt — yum!).   You may also want to add turmeric and/or crushed red pepper for more depth of flavor and spice or plain yogurt to make stew slightly thicker and creamier.

This is a great Thanksgiving detox, full of fiber, flavor and deliciousness.  It’s versatile as a vegetarian dish (or side dish…), and is great with meat too.  Yum, yum, yum!

Ratatouille Pie

It is as good as it looks..

There are a few things in life that are harder to top, for taste, value, and pure succulence than pie. For me, a savory pie beats the heck out of a sweet one (there are exceptions to this policy, of course), and this is one of our favorites. As the weather gets colder and more brisk, a pie like this fits the bill perfectly. This recipe is courtesy of our dear friend Marie-Claire’s mother, Nicole Spaulding. Elysabeth was fortunate enough to take two of her classes, the first of which featured this recipe. We got to take a second class on a lovely trip we had in the Newport area of Rhode Island. Needless to say, this recipe is near and dear to us and I hope you enjoy it as well!

As usual, I have a few notes on the recipe. Feel free to make your favorite version of ratatouille for this pie; the one I included I just came up with on a whim. The important part is to cook the stew ahead of time so the flavors have enough time to come together, and make sure to drain it thoroughly before incorporating. You can easily substitute purchased pesto for the pistou, but that may add an extra degree of saltiness and fattiness that you can work around making it yourself. This is a very warming and quite filling pie, the latter of which is hard to remember when enjoying its wonderful flavors. Have fun!

Ratatouille Pie (Serves 6-8):

• 1 deep dish pie crust (frozen is fine)
• 1 qt. ratatouille (see below), made at least 4 hours in advance, liquid drained
• 1/3 c. pistou (see below)
• 5 oz. goat cheese, crumbled coarsely
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 c. light cream

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Add ratatouille and pistou in large mixing bowl, combine thoroughly.
3. In other bowl, lightly beat eggs, stir in mustard, and add cream.
4. Add egg mixture to ratatouille mixture, add goat cheese and stir to combine.
5. Pour mix into pie shell, and bake for 40-45 minutes or until pie is lightly browned on top and mixture is mostly solidified.
6. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy as a side dish, or as a main course alongside a green salad.

Ratatouille:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large white onion, chopped coarsely
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced finely
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded, ribbed, and cut into postage stamp-sized pieces
• 1 each summer and zucchini squash, halved and cut into 1/2″ wide half-moons
• 1 medium eggplant, cut lengthwise into eighths and sliced into 1/2″ wide chunks
• 1 large (28 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onions, and stir to coat. Stir occasionally until onions soften somewhat.
2. Add garlic and stir regularly until garlic is fragrant and soft, but not browned.
3. Gradually add bell peppers, squashes, and eggplant, stirring regularly for 5 minutes. Add a couple of healthy pinches of the salt and keep stirring to let the moisture out.
4. Open tomato can, and pull tomatoes apart one-by-one into 3 or 4 pieces and add to mixture. Pour in juices from can and turn heat up to high.
5. Bring to a boil, and then turn down to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes or until vegetables are soft but still have their shape.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste, cut heat and let sit for at least an hour for juices to soak in a bit. Set aside after cooling for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator. The longer it sits, the better it will taste in the pie.

Pistou (makes about 1/3 cup):

• 1/4 c. fresh basil leaves, stems removed
• small handful pine nuts, toasted
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed lightly with side of knife
• 4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in small frying pan on medium heat. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, just until raw flavor is cooked out.
2. Add basil, garlic (with oil from pan), and pine nuts to food processor. Pulse quicky once or twice just to break down everything to a very coarse texture.
3. Add the rest of olive oil, a pinch of salt and a few twists of the pepper. Pulse a few more times to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Happy Anniversary Seafood Cakes

Two years ago today, Marc and I got married — we celebrated by spending four days in New Orleans last week (our pictures are up on flickr, if you want to take a glance!).  Today, of course, we had to work, but decided to spend the night in and cook a fun and delicious dinner, instead of going out for something extravagant.  We decided on a Cooking Light recipe for Seafood Cakes with Mustard Crema, found in the October issue.  This was a decadent meal, without be terribly difficult or frustrating — leaving us plenty of time to spend the evening catching up on the TiVo and playing with the pup.

Seafood Cakes with Mustard Crema

Seafood Cakes with Mustard Crema

from Cooking Light

• 1/3 c. light sour cream
• 6 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1 tbsp. stone-ground mustard
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper, divided
• 7 tsp. canola oil, divided
• 1/4 c. finely chopped red onion
• 1/4 c. finely chopped celery
• 8 oz. peeled and deveined medium shrimp, chopped
• 8 oz. lump crabmeat, drained and shell-pieces removed
• 1/4 c. (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (we actually combined regular Parm and Robusto, an aged gouda)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 c. panko breadcrumbs

1.  Combine sour cream, 2 tbsp. parsley, mustard and 1/8 tsp. pepper, stirring well until blended.  Set aside.

2.  Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 tsp. canola oil to pan, and swirl to coat.  Add onion and celery; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occassionally.  Remove from heat; cool slightly.

3.  Combine shrimp and crab in a large bowl.  Stir in onion mixture, remaining pepper, remaining parsley, cheese, salt, egg whites and egg; stir gently.  Add panko; stir gently.  Divide mixture into 8 equal portions; flatten to 1/2-inch-thick patties.

4.  Heat skillet over medium-high heat.  Add remaining 2 tbsp. oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add patties to pan; cook 3 minutes or lightly browned.  Carefully turn over; cook 3 minutes or until done.  Serve with sauce.
Yield:  4 servings (2 cakes per serving and about 4 tbsp sauce)

We served the seafood cakes over frisee salad, which was excellent.  You could also serve this with watercress, arugula, field greens — whatever works!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

I cross my heart that I had planned on making this for dinner long before they were posted both here and here … in the past couple of days!!!  I have been making BBQ chicken pizza for years — even back when we lived in Cambridge and had a teeny tiny kitchen.  I used to take the easy way out, throwing together the pizza with tons of pre-made ingredients, including Perdue Short Cuts and a Boboli pizza crust.  As I was cooking today (with real, whole ingredients), I think my pizza’s come a long way, both in the care it takes to make it and the flavors of the pizza.  It’s a quick fix for a weeknight, and it’s an AMAZINGLY tasty meal!

Feel free to use your own shortcuts as you see fit, but this is how we do it!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

BBQ Chicken Pizza

• Your favorite pizza dough (I used the 79-cent 1 lb. blob of pizza dough from Foodmaster!)
• Your favorite barbecue sauce (We used Kraft Thick and Spicy, though we’ve used Sweet Baby Ray’s before)
• 2 chicken cutlets
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• Green onions, chopped
• 6 oz. mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Cook chicken cutlets until JUST done.  Slice or shred, depending on your preference.
3. Knead out dough on a floured cookie sheet until it is at your desired thickness (we like a thin pizza).
4. Spread barbecue sauce on dough with a spatula.
5. Scatter chicken, scallions and red onions over dough and sauce.
6. Sprinkle cheese on the top.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Let sit for about 5 minutes, slice and enjoy!

(See what I meant about EASY??!)

S’mores cookies with my Little Sister

My Little Sister with her s'mores cookies

My Little Sister and I had our first slumber party this past weekend.  I was trying to figure out something we could do together, when I realized we should probably make some delicious sweet treat to go along with our dinner.  I found a great recipe for s’mores cookies on Baked Perfection, and thought it would be a good idea to take cookie baking to a whole new level.  The s’mores cookies were a little more involved than your basic run-of-the-mill cookie, and are undeniably tasty as well.  I let my Little Sister take the lion’s share of the cookies (no need to have all that gooey goodness lying around for temptation…), but we had fun making them.

S’mores Cookies

• 1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
• 1 c. graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 dash of cinnamon
• 2 sticks of butter, softened
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 c. miniature chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips (I didn’t have mini ones, so we just cut the regular ones … it was a mess!!)
• 2 Hershey bars, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, salt and a dash of cinnamon.  In a second larger bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Slowly beat in the flour mixture until smooth.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 minutes and remove from the oven.  Push 3 – 4 marshmallows and a few pieces of Hershey bar into each cookie.  Return to the oven and bake an additional 3-4 minutes until fully cooked.  Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies …. and you don’t want to know how bad they are for you!  But they’re GOOOOOOOD!

Divine!

Forgive the delay…

Marc and Elysabeth at the Big Sister Halloween Party

Things have been hectic and busy with us here, so you must forgive the delay.  Marc’s office moved from Cambridge to Boston and he’s spent long hours (some on the weekend…) setting up his office, fighting with satellite installers, and working his fingers to the bone — literally.  We’ve been eating at home, but not too creatively, instead relying on old comfortable standbys, most of which we’ve already blogged.  Forgive the delay!

We’re also going to New Orleans for our second anniversary next week (our anniversary is on the 10th of November!), and so we’ll have a lot of food-related stories to tell.  I can taste the jambalaya, muffulettas, and po’boys now!

More soon!

Spinach and Cannellini Bean Dip

Spinach and Cannellini Bean Dip

Tomorrow’s book club day, my favorite day of the month.  Lately, we’ve been slacking on what we bring to book club, just due to the ever-present time restraints, but this month, we decided NO MORE … no more making excuses and bringing lackluster items.  Our friends will eat well (dammit)!!

Marc found a recipe on Serious Eats for a lighter version of Giada de Laurentiis’s Spinach and Cannellini Bean Dip.  Seeing that tomorrow’s book club, we haven’t had a chance to dive in yet, but we did make the dip today, so that it had time to set and develop overnight.  Normally I don’t care for the look of white beans, but in this pureed, VERY green dip, you don’t see them which is good enough for me.  Plus, it’s a much healthier alternative to the heavy sour cream-and-mayo-based spinach dips that I know and love so much. 

Spinach and Cannellini Bean Dip

• 4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 6-ounce bags of baby spinach
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice (at least)
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1-2 tsp. kosher salt, more to taste if desired
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1.  In a large, nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat.  Add half the garlic and cook until fragrant (30 seconds or so).  Add 1 bag of baby spinach and cook until fully wilted, about 3 minutes.  Remove spinach from heat and put in a bowl.  Repeat with the other half of the garlic and the second bag of spinach.  You may have to add another tsp. of olive oil to prevent sticking.

2.  Combine remaining olive oil, spinach, beans, lemon juice, balsamic, salt and pepper in a food processor.  Pulse mixture until it is the consistency that you’d like.

Ready to pulse

3.  Let set in refrigerator for at least 25 minutes.  Serve with tortillas, veggies or pitas.  Yum!

Honeycrisp Apple & Grilled Chicken Salad with Cider-Maple Vinaigrette

The leaves have been falling off the trees, and the temperature has started to drop to jacket-needing temperatures. What does this mean? Fall is here, sort of. Winter is actually starting to threaten, as we have already been dipping into our low to mid 30s in the mornings and I have already broken out my (new!) hat and gloves on several occasions. I hear we’re getting back up to temperatures in the low 60s this week, but I’ll believe it when I feel it. In any case, it is the autumn, and this is a very tasty and seasonal salad that I found on Serious Eats.

My favorite part of this salad is the sweet-tangy-salty flavor of the grilled apple slices balanced against the umami (there it is..) savory taste of the chicken and the salty finish of the shaved cheese. The dressing adds to the sweet and tangy with maple syrup, mustard, and cider vinegar while the toasted almonds seal it up with a creamy crunch. I liked this a lot, it made a great weekend lunch, and I hope you like it too!

Honeycrisp Apple & Grilled Chicken Salad with Cider-Maple Vinaigrette (Serves 2-3):

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. sugar (raw or brown preferred)
• 2 large fresh apples (honeycrisp, cortland, something tart and crisp)
• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded to about 1/2″ thickness
• 5 oz. baby greens or spring mix (small bag)
• 1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• aged smoked Gouda, shaved, to taste (or Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino)
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Core apples and slice into 1/4″ rounds. Brush with the olive oil and sprinkle both sides with the sugar. Grill for 5 minutes on a side until grill marks appear. Remove from grill and optionally season cooked apples with a few pinches of kosher salt.
2. Cook the chicken until just finished and remove to rest for a few minutes. After chicken has cooled slightly, slice on an angle into thin slices and set aside.
3. While chicken is cooking, prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together vinegar, mustard, syrup, salt, pepper. Whisk vigorously while adding oil in a very slow steady stream as dressing emulsifies.
4. Toss the salad greens with the almonds and raisins and place into bowls. Top with chicken, apple slices and dressing. Add shaved cheese and optionally, more ground pepper. Serve immediately.

Sweetest Day Spinach and Feta Pizza!

Today is Sweetest Day, a holiday that most people in this area don’t celebrate.  It was first celebrated in Cleveland, OH in 1921, and was basically a holiday started by candy companies.  It’s still celebrated, though primarily in the Midwest/Great Lakes region.  I try to bring a little bit of Wisconsin to Massachusetts whenever possible, and I’ve FINALLY convinced Marc that Sweetest Day is okay to celebrate — even if we’re the only ones doing it.  Why not find a reason to celebrate love, right??  Marc surprised me with gorgeous flowers at work yesterday, and I gave him Ferraro Rocher Rondnoir, since he’s so sweet. 

We also celebrated by doing what we do best — we cooked.  We had most of the ingredients to make a rustic spinach and feta pizza — so I picked up some fresh — not canned! — dough ($1.59) from the bakery at Johnnie’s Foodmaster, and we were set to go.  This pizza is SO easy, SO tasty, and a fine fine departure from the typical saucy and over-cheesed pizza you can get from your local takeout.

Spinach and Feta Pizza

Sweetest Day Spinach and Feta Pizza

• Fresh pizza dough (if you don’t want to make your own — I understand — check out your local grocery store or pizzeria.  You can get dough CHEAPLY and it’s so much tastier than Pillsbury or Boboli!)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• A good handful or two of spinach, stems removed
• 1 large red onion (or 2 small red onions), sliced thin and caramelized
• 1 clove garlic
• Small handful of pine nuts, toasted
• Feta cheese, crumbled
• A few shakes of oregano (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Caramelize onions slowly.  Add garlic to pan at the very end of cooking until just fragrant.  Remove from heat.
3. 

   Pizza dough

   Allow pizza dough to come to room temperature.  Dust dough with flour and roll out on a cookie sheet or pizza pan that has been dusted with flour or cornmeal.  Work dough gently by kneading with your fingers.  The warmer the dough, the more pliable it becomes.  You can determine how thick or thin you’d like the crust — we err on the thin side for a crispier crust.

4. Brush olive oil on dough.  Arrange onions and garlic, pine nuts, spinach, and feta.
5. Sprinkle oregano on pizza, if you desire.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 450 degrees.  Remove from oven and let cool.
7. Enjoy with your sweetie!

This is a great Saturday night meal — and take my word for it, the fresh (not canned) pizza dough makes all the difference!