Culinary

Healthy and delicious: Smoked Salmon Pizza Recipe

smoked-salmon-pizza

One of the few pizzas, which incorporate fish meat instead of beef or chicken, a smoked salmon pizza consists of general toppings apart from the meat. Apart from the fish, the dill cream is also a specialty of the pizza. The cream is prepared out of mixing the dill with the sour cream. Keeping aside the dough preparation, this pizza does not take too much time to prepare. A treat for lovers of seafood, the Salmon could be hot or cold smoked, depending upon the likeness and taste of the person. Ideally it should be hot smoked, as it is firmer.

 

PREPARATION TIME: 1 hour

 

COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

For the dough:

  • 1 package of active dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon of honey
  • 1 cup of warm water heated up to 115 degrees
  • 3 cups of all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

 

For the topping:

  • 1/4th cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium red onion
  • 1/4th bunch of fresh dill, minced; 4 small springs for garnish
  • 1 cup of sour cream
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • 16 ounces of smoked salmon
  • 4 tablespoons of domestic golden caviar
  • 4 teaspoons of black osetra caviar

 

PREPARATION:

  1. Take a small bowl and dissolve the yeast in 1/4th cup of warm water and honey.
  2. Take another bowl and combine the flour and the salt with it. Add oil, the rest of the 3/4th cup of warm water and the yeast mixture to it, and knead it using hands for about 5 minutes. It should be sticky once done.
  3. Transfer the dough onto a clean, floured surface and knead for 3 more minutes. Keep adding flour, so that it does not stick to the surface. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for about 15 to 20 minutes.
  4. When it rises to about twice its size, make 6 to 8 small pieces of dough, which are round in shape and let it rest for 15 – 20 minutes more.
  5. Preheat the oven at 500 degrees F. You can find great quality ovens at Californo.
  6. Dip the ball of dough in flour and shake off the excess flour from it. Stretch it by pressing from the centre to form 8-inch circles. One can use either hands or a rolling pin for this.
  7. Sprinkle olive oil on the pizza dough by leaving a 1-inch border. Add some red onions on it too.
  8. Put the pizza in the oven and heat it for about 8 to 12 minutes until the crust is golden brown in color.
  9. Prepare the dill cream by mixing the dill and sour cream along with freshly grounded pepper.
  10. Transfer the pizzas onto dinner plates and spread them with sour cream mixture. Divide the salmon and spread it evenly all over the pizza. Place a spoonful of golden caviar in the centre and the black caviar in the centre of the golden one.
  11. Slice each pizza into 4 pieces and serve hot.

 

Stay healthy while eating pizza with this delicious recipe

steak-blue-chees-onion-yoghurt-pizza

Steak & Blue Cheese Onion & Yogurt Pizza Recipe

A new twist to the regular steak and blue cheese pizza, the yogurt is what makes it special. It may not be available at regular pizza outlets, but can be found at experimental pizzerias, or places where there is an option of personalizing the pizza with toppings. Nevertheless, one can definitely make this one at home, quite easily, either in a regular oven, or even in a microwave. Refer to Californo for quality oven options.

 

PREPARATION TIME: 1 hour 20 minutes

 

COOKING TIME: 20 minutes

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

For the dough:

  • 825 grams – White Flour
  • 500 ML – Tepid Water
  • 2 teaspoons – Salt
  • 14 grams – Active Dry Yeast
  • 2 TBSP – Brown Sugar

 

For the topping:

  • Grilled Steak – 175 grams
  • Vegetable Oil – 15 ML
  • Salt and Pepper – ¼ TSP each
  • One small onion – chopped
  • Sun-dried tomato pesto – 125 ML
  • Arugula leaves – 125 ML
  • Canadian Blue Cheese – 90g

 

PREPARATION:

  1. Mix all dry ingredients of the dough in a bowl, and add tepid water. Mix with a wooden spoon, and then knead the mixture with your hands. You can choose to knead it even on a floured surface.
  2. Leave the dough for around 1 hour. It will start rising after around 30 minutes.
  3. Once the dough is ready, take the steak and sprinkle it with half the salt and pepper. Grill it on medium, for about 8 minutes, then tent with foil on the cutting board, and let it stand for 5 minutes. Slice it thinly after that.
  4. Then brush the onion with 1 tsp of oil, and sprinkle the leftover salt and pepper. Add to grill, and close the lid. Grill it for 5 minutes, and turn it once if needed. Chop and keep aside.
  5. Then roll out the dough on a floured surface, in a 16 x 12 inch rectangle. Transfer to baking tray or pizza peel, and brush with oil. Place inside the grill, with the oiled side down. Grill for 3-6 minutes, till bubbles start forming, and watch carefully to avoid burning.
  6. Then slide out the pizza peel, flip the base, and cook it for around 1 minute.
  7. Transfer again to lightly floured pizza peel or inverted baking sheet, and put the heat to medium-low. Spread the pesto, and add onion, steak and blue cheese.
  8. Put again in the grill, and cook for 3-8 minutes, depending on how the color changes, and how the cheese melts. Again, keep a close watch to avoid from burning.
  9. Sprinkle arugula on top. Slice up well, and serve hot.

 

Soothing tea recipes

happy-young-woman-drinking-tea-on-her-couch-at-home

These are perfect recipes for a calm Sunday afternoon.

Honey Bee Surprise

This steeped tea is sweetened with honey plus a little sugar, and flavored with cinnamon.

Ingredients:

4 cups water
4 tsp honey
4 tea bags
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

Boil water in a pan; add remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Steep 20 minutes before removing tea bags and serving.

Notes: The water must be boiling on low to be correct.

 

Number of Servings: 4 cups

Nana Renee’s Calico Tea

Brewed tea is poured into cups and a hard candy is dropped in, allowed to partially melt, and then milk is added.

Ingredients:

1 Tetley British Blend round tea bag (decaf for the kids, but, grown-ups like it too!)
1 cup boiling water
4 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup milk

Hard candy of your choice — butterscotch, cinnamon, mint, and choco-mint are all popular.

Method:
Bring water to a boil. Pour over the tea bag in one coffee cup. Let steep for two minutes; remove the tea bag and extract excess water. Divide tea into two cups; add 2 tsp. of sugar and one hard candy to each cup. Let sit an additional two minutes for candy to start melting. Add 1/4 milk to each cup to cool off.

Notes: I have been a tea drinker since childhood. My Mother, Irene, used to make me “Calico Tea” (English style) when we would sit and read together. My version, which I make for my grandchildren, lets the children decide what their extra flavor will be and there is the added bonus at the bottom of the cup of the hard candy that is not yet dissolved! Sometimes, when I want a more natural touch to the recipe, I add  tea from Glocal Markets.

Number of Servings: two

Spicy Milk Tea

Fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and jasmine tea make this a great pick me up or a soothing bedtime drink.

Ingredients:

4 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
4 thin slices fresh ginger or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
4 teaspoons jasmine tea
1 cup milk or half and half
Cardamon, optional
Honey
Mint sprigs for garnish

 

Method:
Bring water to a boil. Add cinnamon, cloves and ginger then simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add tea and steep for a few minutes. Add milk, bring to boil again, then remove from heat. Strain with a tea strainer. Serve with a sprinkle of cardamon and a bit of honey. Garnish with mint sprigs.

Number of Servings: 4

 

What You Need To Know About Wine And Pizza

So, you’re reading this article and you’re thinking: what? No way! Pizza and wine could never work! But that is a huge mistake, my friend, and certainly a travesty that you have been missing out on one or the other of the two delicious parts to a whole previous to this article. This said, you are not alone considering that pizza would not work with wine; but again, you are mistaken. Just because pizza may be considered a less formal food than what many consider of wine, does not mean that the flavors cannot work beautifully together. So, I dare you, read the guidelines below about pizza and wine pairings and try it for yourself. Trust me, you will thank me for this eye-opening experience.

Ok. So if you are like me, you always thought the only alcohol that tasted good with pizza was beer, right? Well, of course, it does, but that’s not all. Though beer and pizza may seem to be on the same wave lengths as far as simple flavors and price, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t some wines out there that won’t bring out the flavors in pizza just as nicely, just differently. So stop thinking that pizza is for informal occasions and wine for formal events and start opening your mind to a whole new world of taste experience: one that crosses boundaries and for good cause!

Red Sauce Pizza: When considering pairing your favorite wine with pizza, and wondering if it is a huge faux pas to the wine appreciation world, consider this: pizza is pretty darn close in ingredients to pasta, and pasta dishes are one of the best things noted to pair with wine. This said, what goes best with your standard red sauce pizza with mozzarella and toppings? Treat the acid of the tomato sauce with an acidic red wine for the optimum flavor extravaganza. Try some medium bodied to bold, acidic reds such as: Chardonnay, Chiante, Cabernet, Shiraz, Sangiovese, or even a powerful Zinfandel.

White Sauce Pizza: If you are more of a white pizza fan-that is someone who leaves out the tomato sauce when serving up the slices-then you certainly have your own set of options for wine as well. Since the pizza has light and mild flavors, try a light and mild wine-preferably white to bring out the full flavors in each of the pieces to the tasting experience. Good examples of light white wines that would work great with white pizza are: Sauvignon Blanc, Champagne, and Pinot Grigio.

Whatever you opt for in the wine aisle of your favorite store, try to remember that though pizza is not chopped liver, pre-made pizza is certainly is not something as refined and sophisticated as culinary creations go, so you shouldn’t splurge on that super expensive red or white you have your eye on. Instead, save that wine experience for something that is a bit more complex in flavor-such as perfect crust pizza made in a proper Californo pizza oven.