Turkey Tortilla Soup

So I was sitting here on the porch a couple of days ago, working on my laptop, and a movement outside caught my eye. I grabbed my camera, which was conveniently on the table beside the computer, and took this photo.

There have been a couple of turkeys hanging around the house lately. They hear the squeaking sound that the birdfeeder makes as I screw apart the top to refill it, and they come running out of the field. I’ll be weeding outside, hear a rustling and a “cluck-cluck” from the holly hedge, and know that I’m being watched. This amuses Jack considerably since the minute he steps outside they run, but I have to be careful that they don’t get too close to me. In their little beady turkey-eyes, I am the provider of meals. They like me.

It was raining, and I had not yet gone outside to refill the bird feeder on that day, and apparently one of the turkeys decided to remind me of my neglectfulness. Or stop by for a drink from the fish-pond. In either case, Spooky was not particularly happy since he considers himself the King of our farm and he has not given these interlopers permission to be here as well. He stares at them very fiercely. He hisses as they walk past. They do not care a bit.

I felt a little badly because in the kitchen, simmering on the stove, was a pot of turkey stock. I had roasted a large turkey breast a couple of days previously and had planned to make a turkey-veggie-rice soup on this rainy day. However, before I got the chance, I found a Cuisine At Home recipe which called to me.

Turkey Tortilla Soup.

I have made several versions of tortilla soup, both chicken and vegetarian, but this one was different and not just because of the turkey. Every other recipe I have made uses baked tortilla strips either as a garnish, or piled in the bowl with the soup ladled over it. This recipe used corn tortillas as a thickener, with no crunchy strips added.

And it used some cream (although we know that I substituted for that!) to make a creamy soup rather than a brothy one.

Now, as I mentioned, I made changes.

• I subbed lowfat half & half for the heavy cream (and I whisked 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into it to thicken the soup even more)
• Decreased the amount shredded cheese and "reassigned" it to being a garnish (rather than melting it into the soup)
• Added avocado, tomato, and chopped fresh cilantro as a garnish.
  
• I also (inadvertently) forgot about the sour cream. :)

This soup was so very good and it will now be our favorite tortilla soup. I’m thinking that I could add cooked black beans next time, but I will keep my garnish of tomato, avocado, and cilantro because those flavors really did well with the soup. And maybe I'll remember to add the (light) sour cream, too.

I used my immersion blender to puree the soup while still in the pot. I love my immersion blender, though I do not use it often. But it saves me having to clean the blender!

Turkey Tortilla Soup


2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 cups onion -- minced
2 T. garlic -- minced
3 corn tortillas (6 inch each) -- cut into 1 inch pieces
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (101/2 oz.)
4 cups chicken broth
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. cayenne


2 cups cooked turkey or chicken -- shredded or cubed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese -- shredded
2 T. fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper
Sour cream


Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high; add onions and garlic, and sauté 3 minutes. Stir in tortilla pieces and sauté until they are no longer crisp. Add tomatoes, broth, and spices, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat; let cool 5 minutes, then puree soup base in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return soup to pot.


Add turkey, corn, and cream. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes, or until beginning to thicken. Reduce heat to medium, sprinkle in cheese, and stir until melted. Add lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.


(Cuisine at Home, December 2005, Issue 54, p. 36)
Makes: 8 Cups

Soft Chicken Tacos with Lime and Avocado

So many recipes, so little time…

For the past 3+ weeks, as I have been recovering from an asthma attack and have done only as much in the kitchen as I felt like doing, I nevertheless continued to peruse food sites and blogs. The result is a sheaf of recipes that I want to try, yet there are only so many meals in a day. I could pretend that we are on a cruise ship and serve 6 or 7 meals a day; but then both Jack and I would become quite round, and that is definitely not a good thing.

So I have a binder, my “to try” binder, where I place all recipes until I’ve tried them. It is very full now, and I have to start working from this. After I initially try a recipe, I will then write down my changes/ comments, and if there are a lot of them I will retype the recipe into MasterCook, and then file this recipe into one of my huge mega-binders. Unfortunately, the mega-binders become a final resting place for many recipes since there seem to be too many new ones that I want to try and I neglect to return to the favorites. I have to figure out how to remedy this (I did try making a list, but that didn’t work; any comments from those who read this are welcome!).

Tuesday, May 5, was Cinco de Mayo. An excuse for me to plan a Mexican meal, although I really don’t need an excuse.

As luck would have it, I was gone from 10am to 5pm on that day and thought that the recipe I chose would be easy to put together quickly. Well, it was, but I printed it from the AllRecipes website without reviewing it.

Now, I know that we eat healthier meals than many people, and it has become second nature for me to increase the veggies in a dish while decreasing the amount of meat and full-fat dairy. I forget about that sometimes, and when I arrived home and started to cook from the recipe for Lime Chicken Soft Tacos, I was reminded.

After saying “what’s this?” several times, I sat down with a pen and started to write in the numerous changes. The person who submitted this recipe said that it made 10 servings, but there was only one taco per serving, each containing 2-1/2 ounces of chicken, and 1-1/4 teaspoons each of shredded cheese, lettuce, and a single medium-sized chopped tomato divided between the 10 tortillas. This made absolutely no sense to me at all. There was also a procedural error where the recipe instructed to sauté the cubed chicken breast over high heat for 20 minutes. Chicken breast is very lean, and to sauté over high heat for such a long time will surely dry it out.

These tacos, as the recipe directs, are heavy on meat and way too light on vegetables. And only one taco would not satisfy me, let alone my husband. Even though it was getting late, I made some notations then started on my own version which, no big surprise, we enjoyed very much.

I used 8 ounces of chicken breast to divide between the tortillas, and used more lime juice than the recipe called for, plus added ground cumin and chili powder for more flavor. To the recipe I added additional cheese (not a lot, because I used queso fresco and it is not lowfat), tomato, onion, avocado, and lettuce. I also added light sour cream mixed with skim milk to add a creamy and smooth note to the spicy meat, this is similar to the Mexican crema.

The final result is a wonderfully delicious soft taco. The chicken has a decidedly lime-y taste, and all of the other flavors combine and will make your mouth very happy indeed. :)

Now, the recipe calls for 4 tortillas, although I actually used 5 (Jack had one more than I did) and we definitely had enough filling for the extra one. I also sautéed diced red bell pepper, then added frozen corn and edamame and a splash of lime juice for a side.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Soft Chicken Tacos with Lime and Avocado

Recipe By: Vicci

Servings: 2

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

4 whole corn tortillas -- heated until soft, per package directions, and placed in a

tortilla server or wrapped in a clean dish towel to keep warm

1 small tomato -- diced

1 cup shredded lettuce

2 ounces queso fresco -- crumbled (or sub shredded Monterey Jack)

1 large green onion -- thinly sliced diagonally

1/2 medium avocado -- chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro -- optional

3 tablespoons light sour cream

2 tablespoons skim milk

2 teaspoons olive oil

8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast -- cut into 1/4" wide strips

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

3/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon powdered chipotle pepper -- optional

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 large garlic clove -- minced

Prepare the tortillas and keep warm. Prepare the vegetables and cilantro and place in separate serving bowls. In another small serving bowl, stir the sour cream and skim milk until smooth. Set these aside.

In a medium nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the chicken strips until they turn opaque and very lightly browned, about 6-7 minutes. While the chicken cooks, mix the water through minced garlic in a small cup. Add to the chicken and stir. Simmer for a few minutes until there is barely any liquid remaining.

Transfer chicken mixture to a covered serving dish. Place on the table along with the tortillas, vegetables, cilantro, and sour cream. Make your own!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per serving: 445 Calories (kcal); 18g Total Fat (4g Saturated); (35% calories from fat); 36g Protein; 38g Carbohydrate; 77mg Cholesterol; 466mg Sodium

Rosemary Olive Oil Boule

A gloomier Monday morning could not exist. Well, perhaps if it were cold out, say 40 degrees instead of our current 55. But the rain has been pouring since early this morning. And the grass is growing, much to Jack’s dismay.

I hadn’t done any baking for a month, and yesterday felt well enough to give it a try. The problem is, we needed everything. Sandwich bread, bread for French toast, an herb bread, muffins for breakfast, and because I had 2 large very ripe bananas, something made from bananas. No, not the muffins because I had my heart set on lemon-blueberry muffins (to me, banana muffins are a “winter” muffin).

Seven hours later, not including the time I had to spend later slicing and wrapping for the freezer, the tally was:

2 loaves four-grain sandwich bread

2 rosemary-olive oil boulés

1 loaf no-knead wheat

24 lemon-blueberry muffins

banana-coconut rum cake with chocolate glaze

and 2 whole wheat pizza crusts, one for the freezer and one for dinner

I was utterly exhausted by the time I got everything cleaned and put away. But now the freezer is full of bread again, and all is right with my happy carb-laden world.

Alas, although the cake is wonderful I have no recipe to post. Actually, it started out to be a banana bread, but I had already used my larger loaf pans for the 4-grain bread and I knew that the batter would rise and flow out of a the smaller 1-pound pan. I altered the original recipe a lot, then when the batter seemed to be too dry, I added several glugs of coconut rum. So I made it into a cake, then when it came out of the oven I scattered bittersweet chocolate chips over the top, smoothing them after they melted. Maybe some day I will give it another try, because the coconut-rum-banana-chocolate flavor (and only 1/4 cup of oil plus whole wheat flour) made this a relatively healthy and delicious snack.

The new bread recipe that I made is from Cuisine At Home, Rosemary Olive Oil Boule. Of course, I made two (I always double these recipes because breads freeze so nicely).

I ran out of both whole wheat and white whole wheat flours (!) so I used only 1 1-2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour in the boules. They are very good, moist with a nice tender crumb and a good, though not overpowering, rosemary scent and flavor. Perfect to serve with pasta!

Because this bread uses a poolish (or biga) as a starter, it must be started several hours ahead. But it is a nice dough to work with, though a tad sticky, and the results are well worth the time.

Rosemary–Olive Oil Boulé

Makes: 1 boulé

Total Time: 4 1/2 hours + cooling

FOR THE POOLISH STARTER—
1 1/4	cups bread flour
3/4	cup room-temperature water (70°–90°)
1/4	tsp. room-temperature active dry or instant yeast
FOR THE DOUGH—
2	cups all-purpose flour
2	tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2	tsp. table salt
1/2	tsp. room-temperature active dry or instant yeast
1/4	cup room-temperature water (70°–90°)
1/4	cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine bread flour, water, and yeast (rehydrated with 1 Tbsp. water from the 3/4 cup) for the poolish starter in a measuring cup or bowl until the mixture looks like lumpy pancake batter. Cover poolish with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 3–4 hours. Surface will be bubbly. Refrigerate poolish overnight, then let poolish come to room temperature (about 1 hour) before using it in bread dough.

Whisk together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, rosemary, and salt for the dough in a large bowl. Add yeast (rehydrated with 1 Tbsp. water from the 1/4 cup). Stir remaining water into poolish starter. (It will be very thin.) Using a wooden spoon, stir poolish and olive oil into flour mixture until blended. (Dough will be very wet.) Scrape dough onto well-floured surface and turn with bench knife, adding more flour (from remaining 1/2 cup) sparingly, just until dough can be worked with hands. Turn a bowl upside down over dough and let dough rest for 10–15 minutes to develop gluten.

Knead dough until smooth but still slightly sticky. (Do not add more flour to work surface; if needed, flour hands.) Knead 10–15 minutes more by hand (or 8 minutes by stand mixer on medium speed with a dough hook),.

Place dough in an oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover dough with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Degas dough slightly by tri-folding and flipping it over in the bowl; cover dough again and let it rise for 1 more hour.

Shape dough into boulé. Transfer to a parchment-lined inverted baking sheet. Cover boulé with plastic wrap coated with nonstick spray and let rise 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 475°, with baking stone (or another inverted baking sheet) placed on middle rack. Slash boulé 1/4- to 1/2-inch deep several times across top in design of choice, using a straight-edge razor or serrated knife.

Mist boulé heavily with hot water. Immediately slide boule and parchment onto preheated baking stone (or hot inverted baking sheet). Mist inside of oven with 10 sprays of water; close oven door. Wait 30 seconds and repeat. Reduce heat to 450° and bake boulé 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 425°; bake boulé an additional 10 minutes. Finally, reduce heat to 375° and bake boulé 20 more minutes. Remove boulé from oven; cool bread on rack 45 minutes.

My note: baking took only 30 minutes total, rather than the 40 minutes the recipe specifies. As I use an oven thermometer, I just don't know what happened, so check yours about 10 minutes before it is to be done.

Making Vanilla Extract

I am afraid that my world is becoming a little too… organized. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not going overboard. Years ago, in a Martha Stewart magazine, I saw her tying neatly-folded sheets and towels in her cupboards with satin ribbon (and that has since been my benchmark of someone who has just a tad too much time on her hands). But my junk drawers are organized, my houseplants watered and fertilized, the kitchen floor neatly swept, the mirror above the sink in the bathroom polished—good heavens, for the first time I can remember, I wouldn’t be totally embarrassed if a friend just happened to drop by.

Of course, the garden lies empty. And several windows need to have the loose paint scraped off and be repainted. No flowers have been planted, either. The water lilies in the pond have to be hauled out and replanted, and soon or it will be too late. The outdoor work is suffering, while the inside of my house is looking pretty darn good.

I have to shake this asthma and get on with my life!

Today I crossed off another item on my list and made a new batch of vanilla extract. I have about 1” remaining in my large brown Penzey’s bottle, and although I don’t bake a lot in the summer, what I made today will be nice and rich for next fall. Good heavens, look at what I’m doing!!! It’s the beginning of May and I’m making vanilla extract for fall and holiday baking!

I kind of like this new way of life. It won’t last long, though.

Anyway, I purchase Penzey’s almond extract in large ounce bottles , when I finish, these are cleaned out and used for vanilla extract. The bottles are dark in color, thereby filtering light which may alter the taste of the extract.

I have bought vanilla beans from many sources, but keep going back to Penzey’s. There are 3 long, fat beans in each glass tube, and they’re very fresh and pliable. Vanilla extract, in its purest form, consists of vanilla beans soaked in an liquor base. I have used vodka and bourbon, and this time I am trying rum. Vodka appears to be the best match as it has a rather bland, neutral taste, but I found it a bit harsh. Bourbon was good, with an underlying flavor that I found quite pleasing. I am hoping to get at least that quality of flavor from the vanilla with a rum base.

Commercial vanilla extracts often contain coloring agents and, what I object to, corn syrup or another type of sugar. These are not needed, and you achieve the most flavorful, purest vanilla flavor when you make your own extract and keep it simple.

The vanilla should be allowed to steep in the liquor for at least eight weeks. The reason I am starting another bottle is because my present batch has been “working” for 2 years now, and I just want to start anew.

Vanilla Extract

Start with at least a 16 ounce bottle or jar. Fill it 2/3 with water, and bring to a boil in the microwave (you can also fill the bottle with boiling water). Cover and allow the bottle to stand for 15 minutes to sterilize it. Pour the water out and let cool.

Split 3 large vanilla beans lengthwise, then cut each in half. Place the beans in the bottle (make sure you also transfer even the smallest amount of vanilla which may fall out of the beans), and add 1 ½ cups of vodka, bourbon, or rum (with at least a 40% alcohol content). Cover and shake gently. Label with a date 8 weeks ahead, and place in a cool, dark place. Shake gently at least once a week (or more often).

After the eighth week of “steeping”, the vanilla is ready to use, although the longer it rests, the better.

Now, I usually wait until I have used about 25% of the vanilla extract, then I will add more liquor and one split, halved vanilla bean, and allow it to steep for a week or two before using again (I have allowed my current supply of vanilla to deplete because I wanted to try rum this time.)

Since the bottle is a little larger than the amount of rum that I add, I place the top edge of the label (and don’t we always label everything???) at the “fill” line, then when it’s time to refill with liquor, I know what level is to be.

Forced Inactivity (and having the time to smell the lilacs!)

Although the steel band around my chest is slowly becoming more elastic, I continue to frustrate myself by getting breathless relatively easily. Asthma attacks suck. :)


I have accomplished several things which I am able to do with minimal exertion, and many of which would not have been done until they absolutely had to be. For example, cleaning out my dresser drawers. So why have I been hanging on to that camisole with the padded shoulders for the past 20 years? Do I really want to look like a football player again? Really, once was truly enough! White and light-colored pantyhose? ANY pantyhose? Why? Knee-high stockings? Come on! And slips. Half-slips, full-slips, every single one had elastic which had stretched out and died over a decade ago. What makes me keep these things? I pulled a chair up to the dresser and methodically went through each drawer, and I was merciless. As a result, my drawers are neat and organized and ready for the next twenty years.


Also, the drawers in the kitchen. Jack brought each one over to the kitchen table and I straightened and tossed and now can actually find a twist-tie or a rubber band without rummaging through cracked drinking straws and pieces of knotted kitchen twine.


The Christmas tablecloths and napkins are ironed, folded in white tissue paper, and stored. And I folded the ironing board and put it away for the summer. It gets too hot here to iron in the summer.


All of the recipes which I have printed out (or torn from magazines) in the past several months and stuck into a folder are now in their own plastic sleeves, and arranged in massive 3-ring binders.


I have also repotted all of my tomato and pepper seedlings, giving them more room to stretch their little roots before I (hopefully) get them in the ground in 3 or 4 weeks.


And I am actually enjoying just sitting and typing without having a to-do list hanging over my head. I have moved the laptop out to the screened-in porch and I see the beautiful colors of spring, and can watch the frogs and toads splashing around in the pond.


I opened the door to let Spooky out yesterday morning and was enveloped by lilac-scented air. The very warm weather which we had experienced during the first part of the week did its magic and pushed our 2 lilac bushes into flower. I took a huge breath, and had a coughing fit. :) I am now practicing moderation in taking lungfuls of this scented air.


Is there anything more graceful that the way cut lilacs just happen to fall into place? No arranging skills needed here!




Since it required minimum effort, I took my camera outside.


Primroses in front, both pink and white bleeding-heart, and far behind is the crimson-bronze of the Japanese maples.




Don't these little guys look happy? Like they're singing, or something.


I love spring!


Hopefully I will be able to return to posting recipes in the next day or two.

Salmon with Spinach and Mustard Sauce

I sit at the computer, gathering recipes, putting together menus and ideas, yet not able to actually get in the kitchen and cook. It’s frustrating, but I am recovering from an asthma attack and I am still taking it easy, out of necessity. I hate it!

When I post recipes and reviews, I almost always include a photo. Today, though, will be a rare exception as even with the short amount of time that this recipe took to prepare, I was too tired to even take a photo before we ate.

I am feeling a craving for super-healthy meals, most likely because my subconscious is telling me that if I eat this way, perhaps I will recover more quickly. Whatever, I am listening to this craving and am going to post a recipe which I made the other evening that hits the Perfect Dinner Trifecta—healthy, seasonal, and quick. Oops. And delicious. Trifecta… quadfecta???? Anyway…

This recipe comes from the book "Cooking the Real Age Way" by Michael F. Roizen, MD and John LaPuma, MD.

Within a half hour of starting this, Jack and I were eating. I didn’t bother with making a rice pilaf, I simply steamed some jasmine rice to serve alongside, and I started it first. To say that this was quick is an understatement. Sprinkle salmon fillets with soy sauce and let them sit while you make a simple sauce and chop spinach. Cooking takes less than 10 minutes. The salmon is pan-sautéed, the sauce is added for the last part of the cooking; then the fish is removed and the spinach sautéed in the sauce and salmon flavors. That’s it. And it’s unbelievably delicious.

I didn’t have any white wine, so I used vegetable stock and I think that next time I will add some halved cherry tomatoes to the spinach for added flavor, color, and nutrition. And take a photo. :)

* Exported from MasterCook *

Salmon with Spinach and Mustard Sauce

Recipe adapted from: "Cooking the Real Age Way"

Servings : 2 Preparation Time :0:25

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

10 ounces salmon fillets

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable broth -- or water

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 ounces fresh spinach -- coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon freshly shredded lemon peel -- optional

Place salmon on a shallow plate and sprinkle with soy sauce.

Combine vegetable broth through olive oil and set aside.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot, add salmon, turn down the heat a little and cook for 4 minutes (check during the last minute that it is not burning). Turn salmon over, pour vegetable broth mixture over all, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 3 minutes (until opaque and firm to the touch).

Remove the salmon with a slotted spatula to a plate (allow any liquid to drip off into the pan). Add the spinach to the accumulated juices in the pan and stir until wilted.

Spoon spinach onto plates, top with salmon, sprinkle with lemon peel, if desired.

Source:

"Cooking the Real Age Way" by Michael F. Roizen, MD and John LaPuma, MD

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Per serving: 265 Calories (kcal); 12g Total Fat; (42% calories from fat); 32g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 74mg Cholesterol; 658mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 4 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

NOTES : Serve with a simple rice pilaf or crusty bread.

Thai Chicken Pizza

It only feels as though I’ve been sick for months… :)

The thermometer reading here at our farm in southwestern PA is 93, on April 26. It was the same yesterday, and is only to “cool off” a few degrees tomorrow. Suddenly, from 58 degrees and March weather last Friday, we are now firmly in July. Until later this week, when the roller-coaster temperatures are to dip again.

Although I still feel crappy, I did a quick-clean of the screened-in porch this morning so we can catch some breezes and be comfortable as we recuperate. The interior storm windows are still up in the house, and it’s getting a bit warm in there. I don’t think that I have set up the laptop out here this early before.

So I am sitting here at the table, with a panoramic view of Springtime at the Farm. The grass is thick and green (and long, but Jack is still coughing so it will be a few days until he can get that taken care of). The profusion of colors is incredible—Japanese maple leaves are a crimson color, redbuds are pink/purple (???), the lilac bushes are clouds of purple and green, and the new growth on the row of pieris is a bronzy red. Add the pink and white bleeding hearts, white hyacinth (sadly, on their way out now) and purple grape hyacinths, and it is gorgeous outside. Pink and yellow primroses ar lining the path to the door. I am watching a toad float his way around the fish pond, and a green frog is “clucking” from a stone in the far corner.

It is truly enjoyable to sit here and watch it all. Normally I would be outside doing something, but since breathing is almost required for outdoor work, this is simply not possible today.

All in all, though, it is getting better around here. We both experienced about 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep last night, and that is big. During the past several nights, both Jack and I have woken each other often with coughing fits (and apologies). It seems as though, after 4am or so, we both seem to sleep better. It’s probably just sheer exhaustion.

I look forward to being able to walk around for a few minutes and not have to stop and rest. Today, after a rather cursory clean-up of the kitchen, living room, and bathroom, I fell into a dead sleep for 2 hours (with nary a coughing attack, wonder why?!).

Sunday is Pizza Night, and a little thing like lack of oxygen shall not stop me from continuing this Jack-beloved tradition. Fortunately I had a ball of pizza dough in the freezer, which I actually remembered to take out and put in the freezer to thaw last night before going to bed. I believe that this will be our first grilled pizza of the 2009 Summer Grilling Season because I refuse to turn on the oven today.

Now, I must go over my notes to review the steps to making grilled, as opposed to charred pizza.

The dough must be sturdy. I once tried a very soft, no-knead dough for grilled pizza and it actually slumped between the grids and burnt into thick stripes.

I must remember to prepare all toppings ahead of time. All. No exceptions. While the pizza is cooking, there will barely be time to pour the wine (which is Jack’s job, actually).

The grill must be preheated only to 400F, which is about 12 minutes. Any higher and the pizza will scorch. Once the crust is slid onto the grids, the lid must be shut immediately and the pizza be allowed to bake for 1-1/2 minutes (but I stand by the grill for the last 30 seconds of that time, in case I smell burning). A pizza peel will be used to take the crust off of the grill, the lid shut again as I bring the crust in for embellishing.

The pizza is turned over and the toppings are arranged on the cooked side of the crust. Again, it is taken out to the grill, slid back on the grids, and baked for 2 minutes of so (checking after 1-1/2 minutes).

A few hours later...

Okay, these were the notes from LAST year! I forgot that I now have a baking stone that is not too big for using on the grill, so although the prep has remained the same, the cooking time has changed. But no big deal, just double the times above. I don’t know if I like using the baking stone, though. It certainly is easier, and less chance to burn, but I miss the “grilled marks”. And I am sure that the “grilled taste” was less apparent when the pizza was baked on the stone. But this pizza wasn't charred at all. :)

I made a Thai Chicken Pizza this evening.

Although I see numerous recipes for Thai food which includes peanuts, I’m not entirely certain that they are an authentic ingredient. However, the sauce recipe for my pizza tonight uses peanut butter and I’m keeping it because I really like the flavor and it does give the sauce added body.

I know that I have probably posted a recipe similar to this before, but I don’t often measure ingredients and this time, for the sauce, I did. It’s easy, the most difficult part is gathering all of the ingredients together.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Thai Pizza Sauce

Recipe By: Vicci

Servings : 2

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

4 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon fish sauce

2 teaspoons lime juice -- or rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon crushed ginger

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek -- or other Thai hot sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Combine all ingredients except sesame oil in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently until peanut butter melts. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently as the sauce thickens.

Remove from heat, and stir in sesame oil. Allow to cool (it will thicken even further).

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per serving: 179 Calories (kcal); 10g Total Fat (2g Saturated); (47% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 1mg Cholesterol; 865mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates

The sauce is very flavorful, but it is high in sodium and fat (that peanut butter!) so even though it’s a favorite we do try to rein ourselves in and have this only once or twice a month.

About the pizza, I have trouble initially stretching the dough even though my whole wheat recipe uses added wheat gluten, and I allow it to rest after the second punching-down. So I have discovered that taking the plastic wrap which covered the bowl during rising and placing it on the outside of the upside-down bowl, then forming the pizza dough into a flat disc and allowing it to stretch over the inverted bowl, makes the process a bit easier.

Here’s a photo of the pizza crust, still on the grill, after the first side was baked:

And after the pizza was done:

Tonight, in addition to the sauce and lowfat cheddar, I used sautéed spinach, red pepper strips, and onion; then added chopped chicken breast and water chestnuts. I have to mention that, when making this particular pizza, I try to remember to reserve a tablespoon of the sauce, mix it with a tablespoon of water, and toss the chopped chicken breast with it to keep it moist during baking. Tonight I forgot, but the pizza was still good because I had poached the chicken breast and it remained moist. The additional flavor of the sauce would have been good, though.

Okay, I just realized that although I cooked a more extensive meal for dinner tonight than I have in the last 2 weeks, I’m not particularly exhausted. In fact, I’m sitting here, typing, and not really even wheezing! Could this nasty problem be in its waning hours (oh, yes, let’s not get too excited—days. I’ll take waning days!).