New flavors

I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve been eating the same-old, same-old for the last few months. Maybe I let my meals become as dull as the winter weather. Maybe I was just a little lazy. Either way, spring is now here and there is an influx of greens at farmers markets adding flavor and color to dinner. This week I had the most amazing, quickest, delicious stir-fry for dinner.

 

Pea Shoot and Spinach Sauté

2 cloves garlic – minced

2 T. grated ginger

1 t. red pepper flakes

2 cups pea shoots – cut into 2 inch segments

2 cups spinach – cut into thin slices

1 T. soy sauce

 

1. In a large sauté pan or wok, heat 1 T. olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, sautéing for 3 minutes – don’t let garlic brown! Add pepper flakes and cook for an additional 30 seconds.

2. Add greens and mix until they begin to wilt. Toss in soy sauce and mix, cooking for an additional two to three minutes.

 

Simple, easy, delicious and a great change from the winter blahs.

Simplicity has many steps

I have to admit, I’m in love with the dinner I had this evening. Simple, pure, delicious. And it only took five minutes to make. But like all things simple, it’s actually the prep work…the time spent prior to…that makes the end result both quick and easy. Because, truth be told, all things ‘quick and easy’ that are also ‘lovely and delicious’ are multi-layered culminations of love.

So, to the point: Tonight I made the simplest, most delicious, most purely enjoyable pizza I have had in a very long time and (as I said) it took only five minutes. It was (also, as I said) a culmination of the work I’ve done over the last few days. To put it simply, I have made a pizza where the crust is made up of the perfect pita, the sauce is actually some parsley pesto with vine ripened tomatoes and the final product just complete joy.

And, in that stead, I am going to give you the pieces in a day-by-day installment (much like I did it myself). To begin with here is the recipe for the Perfect Pita because every quick and easy pizza deserves a delicious base…

Perfect Pitas

¾ c. warm water

1 ½ t. sugar

1 ½ t. yeast

¾ c. buttermilk

1 t. salt

1 T. vegetable oil

½ c. self rising flour

1 ½ c. whole wheat pastry flour

1 ½ c. half white flour

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until it begins to foam.
2. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Stir in the oil, buttermilk and yeast mixture. Mix until combined. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until full combined and forms a silky ball.
3. Return to the bowl and set aside in a warm spot and let rise until double in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
4. Dough will be sticky. Pull the dough into small golf ball sized rounds. Roll each into a 6 to 7 inch circle and place on a towel. Once all are rolled out, cover with a second towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
5. Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees F.
6. Place 2 to 3 pitas on a rack and bake 4 to 5 minutes. They will puff into large pillows. Take out the oven and place immediately into a zip-top bag with a wet cloth napkin inside, this will ensure they get soft.
7. Repeat until all pitas are cooked.

These are excellent treats with fresh hummus or as bases for quick and easy pizzas. They freeze well.