Thick Crusted Calzone

Dough:
3 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 tbs yeast

2 tbs olive oil
1 1/2 warm water
2 tsp salt

Mix flour and salt separately. In a stand mixer, mix the oil and warm water, then whisk in the yeast. Then stir in the flour by hand, and then fit the dough hook on the mixer and mix on medium speed until the dough works it's way up the hook. If it doesn't work, add more flour gradually. This shouldn't take more than a few minutes. Dough will be sticky. Let rise, covered for one hour.
Then punch down and divide in half. Keep other half covered with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. Use flour and roll out first half into a a circle on floured surface. To about 1/4 inch.

Filling
2 cups pizza sauce, plus extra for dipping
2 cups mozzerella or pizza mix cheese, shredded
24 pepperoni slices
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
Olive oil for brushing

On one half of circle, leaving about a 2 inch edge, layer 1/2 to 1 cup of sauce, 1/2 to 1 cup of mozzerella or pizza cheese, and 12 sliced pepperoni slices.

Fold and turn the edges. Brush with olive oil.

Repeat with second half of dough.

Bake on 425 for about 20 minutes.

Options- you can really fill it with whatever, just make sure the meat is fully cooked and bite sized pieces work best.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

RR's Ginger Chicken Noodle Bowl

1/2 lb vermicilli
1 tsp chinese five spice
1/2 tsp cumin
3 inch piece of ginger peeled, grate 2 inches, cut other in match sticks
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup matchstick/juilliene carrots
5 green onions, cut into matchsticks
1 lb chicken tenders, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tbs canola oil
6 cups chicken stock
Salt
Pepper

In a big pot, start to cook the chicken in the oil over medium.
About two minutes. Salt and pepper it. Then add in the ginger and garlic and carrots. Cook for a few minutes. And then add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the vermicilli uncooked. Don't break it, just ease it in. Boil for 5 minutes. Check the pasta to make sure it is cooked. Then turn down the heat and add the green onions. Season to taste. Turn off the heat. Cover and let sit for about five minutes before eating in a deep bowl with a fork and spoon.

I slightly modified a Rachel Ray recipe from her cookbook Book of Ten.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tornado Steak House - Madison, WI

"Tornado Room" is our favorite restaurant in Madison! They have fantastic service, ambiance, and of course, food. We've eaten here many times, so I can comment on several different dishes! All entrees come with soup or salad and a side.

French Roquefort Salad - iceberg wedge smothered in French dressing and roquefort blue cheese crumbles and dressing, along with carrot ribbons, tomato chunks, cucumber, and croutons. Best enjoyed with extra blue cheese dressing on the side. This is really our favorite salad ever!

French onion soup - Chris always ordered this...he substitutes his entree side for this soup, so he can get the salad and the soup. One time it tasted burned, so he returned it. They told us it was the end of the pot, so that was probably why. Otherwise, it's always been tasty!

8 oz fillet - we almost always get this steak...it's amazing. They often have fillet specials, like

Pan Fried Walleye - it has a fantastic lemon-wine reduction, and the fish is lightly breaded and fried, and it comes in two long strips, a lot of food!

Specials -
Fillet and shrimp skewers, very tasty if you aren't in the mood for a big steak
Pork Tenderloin - very tender, comes sliced and covered in a cherry sauce
Fillet encrusted with peppercorns in a mushroom sauce - this was really good, it was a darker mushroom sauce, and we asked for light peppercorns which was key!


Drinks:
Molly Ringwald - not my favorite, but stiff and a great value for a martini
Cadillac Cosmo - vodka, flavored martini, awesome, tangy
Moviestar Cosmo - ginger infused vodka, awesome, pricey

Even the bread they bring out at the beginning is fantastic...eat it right away, while it's still hot!

For weekends and game nights, reservations are a must. They book 3 months out.

www.tornadosteakhouse.com

Beef Stroganoff

Meatballs (see recipe here)

Sauce:
1/2 cup skim milk
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (low fat/ low sodium is fine)
1 1/2 cups low sodium beef stock
2 tsp dried parsley (if fresh, use 2 tbs)
2 tsp woostershire (to taste....)
2/3 cup light sour cream

10 oz. egg noodles cooked according to directions (No Yolks brand)

Mix together all the sauce ingredients in a medium to large saute pan or pot (I use a stainless steel, 4 quart saute pan (it's like probably 12 inches across and about 3 inches deep)). Let simmer for about 10 minutes, then add the meatballs and heat if necessary (meatballs can be made in advance and heated in the sauce) . Then arrange noodles in a bowl, and add the sauce with the meatballs. If the noodles get stuck together, just pull them apart, gently, with your fingers.

Meatballs

1 lb 93% lean ground beef
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 tsp parsely
1 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp fine sea salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup low fat mozzerella cheese
1 tbs woostershire sauce
3 tbs ketchap
a few terms of pepper


Mix everything together (with your hands is great). If it seems like there is too much moisture, add some bread crumbs. Then roll them into balls. You can make them whatever size you like, but they do get somewhat smaller in the oven. Line the pan with tin foil and spray it with cooking spray. Bake them at 400 degrees for 15-25 minutes depending on the size (larger, longer cook time).

Pizza Roll

Dough:
1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp fine sea salt
3/4 cup warm water (not too warm...you don't want to burn the yeast)
1/2 tbs yeast
1 tbs olive oil (regular, not EVOO)

Filling:
20-30 Pepperoni slices
1/2-1 cup mozzerella
1 box frozen spinach, thawed, water squeezed out
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic salt

First, make the dough. It's easiest to use a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. First, add the warm water, and then wisk in the yeast. Then add the oil. Separately, mix the flour and salt. Then add the flour to the water mixture and mix until the dough forms a ball and works its way up the hook. If this doesn't happen, add some more flour, gradually, until the dough moves up the hook. It should still be sticky. Then you need to let the dough rise for 1 hour, covered.

After it rises, flour your hands and punch it down with your fist. Then roll out the dough into a circle or a rectangle, onto a floured surface.. Just take your time, it'll roll out. If you're having problems, let the dough rest for a few minutes. Once you get it rolled out to about 1/4 of an inch, start topping it like a pizza. You can add a little sauce if you want, but it really isn't necessary. Just layer the ingredients all over the dough. Then, you want to roll it up. It's tough, but do your best...it doesn't matter if it's not perfect. You just want to start with one of the long sides, and roll it as tight as you can. Once you are done, cover it with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray, and then let it sit for about one hour. Then brush on some olive oil on the top.

Bake on 425 for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned on the top. I put it on my pizza stone on my plastic oven liner, and moved it in and out of the oven on a pizza peel. But you could easily put it on a cookie sheet, but I would line it with parchment paper. It'll make it easier to move it when you get it out of the oven so that you can cut it without scratching your pan!

To eat it, just slice it like a jelly roll cake or a loaf of bread. Serving it with a little pizza sauce is fantastic. Enjoy!

Substitutes - you can really do whatever filling you want! But always use a sticky cheese so that it sets up right and doesn't fall apart.