Grilled Artichokes with Whole Garlic Bulbs
Pizza with Chicken, Pineapple, and Brie on a Whole Wheat Crust
Grilled Corn
Steamed Broccoli
So I have this gigantic bag of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour sitting in my cupboard, and I am determined to figure out how the heck to use it to its fullest potential. So far I'm 1 for 3 (the only winner being the awesome waffles I made last week). And I've still got about 4.5 pounds to use up...I predict a lot of cookies in our future.
I had a hankering for grilled pizza, so I got up early this morning to prep the dough before work (YES, work on a Sunday AGAIN. Send your local vet some ice cream.). I've made plenty of pizza dough before, I've even made whole wheat pizza dough. But tonight's was a failure, as pizza doughs go. It was really fragile (I know, I know. I used PASTRY FLOUR. ) and did not rise much when I grilled it, so we ended up with really funny-shaped, very crunchy crust. It wasn't terrible, but I've made better. I'll flog myself as soon as I finish writing this.
I did two things differently from my usual pizza dough prep, so it remains to be seen which variable was the culprit:
1)I made the dough in the morning and let it rise in the refrigerator all day. I punched it down when I got home It rolled out really nicely, but didn't rise as much as I had expected.
2)I used pastry flour instead of regular whole wheat. I'm guessing this was the problem. This clearly needs further study.
Grilled Artichokes with Whole Garlic Bulbs
originally published in the NYTimes, 5/25/88
Have you ever tried to describe how to eat an artichoke to someone who's never seen or eaten one before? "It's like a big bulb with tough, spiky leaves on it, and you don't eat the leaves but rather scrape them against your teeth to get the stuff off. There's this mysterious thing called the 'choke' in the middle the you cut out because it might kill you--isn't that how it gets its name? Then you cut the heart out and eat that at the end."
Yeah, that explanation earned me a pretty blank stare from Nate after he included artichokes on his "willing to try" list. So when I saw this beauty in the produce section, I had to buy it.
I've always had artichokes with either melted butter or a yogurt/sour cream/mayonnaise dip, but I found this recipe and thought I'd try something different. I would definitely make it again; it was tasty. But then again, I've always thought artichokes were really just a vehicle for whatever sauce they're dipped in, so how can you go wrong with roasted garlic, lemon, and butter? Mmmmmmm.
And Nate approved. Yay!
I've written the recipe with my adaptations below.
serves 2
1 large artichoke
1 head of garlic
1 lemon
2 tsp Italian seasoning or dried thyme
2 tsp light butter
2 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze both halves into a large bowl.
2. Slice the top off the artichoke and snip the spiky tips off of the outer leaves with scissors. Cut the artichoke in quarters and cut out the choke. Put the quarters into the bowl with the lemon juice and cover with water. Place a plate on top of the artichoke quarters to completely submerge (this is to keep the artichoke from turning brown).
3. Cut the top off of the garlic bulb and remove as much papery skin as possible. Halve the bulb and set aside.
4. Prepare 2 large squares of tin foil. Onto each square, place two artichoke quarters (do not drain the lemon water from them as you lift them out of the bowl; you want some lemon water in there to help flavor and steam) and a garlic bulb half. Drizzle each serving with 1 tsp olive oil and 1 tsp light butter, sprinkle with Italian seasoning and salt and pepper.
5. Carefully wrap the tin foil around the artichokes to create a leak-proof package.
6. Place over high grill heat for 30-40 minutes, or until the artichokes are soft and the garlic is spreadable.
6. Serve out of the foil, dipping the leaves in the accumulated juices and taking a bite of garlic with each one.
Pizza with Chicken, Pineapple, and Brie on a Whole Wheat Crust
(I'm going to hold off on posting the crust recipe because I don't want to be responsible for your disappointing dinner).
Serves 2-4
1 crust recipe of your choosing, or store-bought, for a 12-inch crust
1 cup pizza sauce
3 oz Brie
4 oz cooked chicken breast (I am particularly fond of Trader Joe's frozen grilled chicken strips)
3 slices raw or grilled pineapple
1. Prepare your crust. Just don't use pastry flour.
2. If you are grilling, pre-cook the crust for about 3 minutes per side.
Crust tragedy.
3. Remove from the grill and spread the toppings on the crust.
4. Carefully put the pizza back on the grill and cook with the lid closed for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is cooked to your liking. Be careful not to let it burn!
What state is this: Ohio? Louisiana?
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