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Pizza and Herbs

2/28/2012

I recently made pizza for the local council of the Knights of Columbus (for which I am chaplain) and made two discoveries:
1) Italian Beef Pizza with sautéed veggies is also REALLY good using Cajun Beef and a couple dashes of Louisiana Hot Sauce.
2) Velouté sauce, lightly cooked chopped asparagus, and diced lemon pepper chicken (left over from monk supper) topped with baby Swiss makes a great combo, too.

Tonight I gave a talk on Monastic Herb Gardens to the Ottawa Garden Club, which reminded me that I forgot to post about an exciting new project: an herb guild from the Chicago suburbs is coming to make an overnight Herb Retreat with me in June. Our high school has two buildings for our boarding students that aren't used in the summer and they are perfect for this sort of thing. They are going to arrive on a Saturday monring, get a tour of the abbey gardens and grounds, eat a light lunch on the patio of the west garden by the koi pond, and then have some time for prayer, reflection, journaling, walks or naps. In the late afternoon we'll have a pizza dough making session and create some herbal sauces for our pizza supper, and after eating join the monks for evening prayer. Sunday morning we'll do a lectio divina exercise (after a multigrain sourdough waffle breakfast accompanied by scrambled eggs with an herb sauce and a fruit medley), attend conventual Mass, and finish off with a lunch of spring salad greens, homemade Italian Wedding Soup and crusty bread. The main benefit for the retreatants, of course, is being away from the city on 800 acres of beautiful grounds and woods. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this first one goes, because I suspect I could book several for the summer.

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Italian Herbal Swirl

2/24/2012

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A dear friend has been drooling over the bread featured at the top of every page on the website and wants the recipe. It's Italian Herbal Swirl Bread, and the recipe is from the second edition of Bake and Be Blessed, but you can download the recipe from here. I was pruning herbs in my garden and came into the kitchen with 3 mason jars full of herbs and created the recipe on the spot to accompany the pasta on the menu for dinner.

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Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, and the reason we do Lent

2/22/2012

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Just about every European ethnic group has special foods for Fat Tuesday. The Poles serve jelly-filled fried donuts called paczki (singular paczek ) and rozie karnawalowe, carnival rosettes made of pastry with sweet fillings. The Germans have their own fried donuts called Fasnacht, as a way to empty the pantry of lard, sugar, fat, and butter, which were traditionally fasted from during Lent. The French serve their crepes, which Fr. Arthur’s French students make in class every year on Mardi Gras and deliver to the faculty. Russians make bliny: yeasted pancakes made with buckwheat flour and eaten with savory fillings, and the Finns make Shrove buns, almond paste and whipped cream-filled sweet buns similar to Cornish splits.
        My preference is to make waffles for Mardi Gras breakfast, a tradition found in several cultures but in this country most popular in Episcopal churches, especially in New England---a Shrove Tuesday Pancake and Waffle Supper is a common fundraiser advertized in church bulletins. Here at Saint Bede Abbey, throughout the rest of the year I usually make multigrain sourdough waffles with canola oil, which have as much fiber as raw twine and are about as healthy as you can get for a food generally drenched in butter and syrup. But for Shrove Tuesday, I made my grandma's old fashioned waffles, using butter, lots of eggs, white sugar and not a whole grain anywhere in the batter.
        But after the Carnival, Lent ever follows, so today begins the forty days of fast and abstinence observed with some rigor here at the monastery. Healthy monks are expected to fast every day, with a small amount of food (or none) at breakfast and lunch, with the main meal (the only one with meat, except on Fridays) at supper in the evening. Tonight's meatless chili was actually quite good and very filling, with cornbread on the side and fresh fruit for dessert.  However, right now it's 10 p.m. and I am ravenously hungry. Normally I would go down to the kitchen and see if there's leftover cornbread to be had, but I'm restraining my base appetites.
        And that's really why we do Lent, at least in my view. You can talk all you want about penance for our sins (and just about every Catholic writer has!) but none of this fasting and abstinence stuff will "earn" us forgiveness. Lest uninformed readers think I've gone over to the Lutheran side of the "faith vs. works" debate of the Reformation, let me assure you that faithful Catholics and Lutherans are in agreement on this point----check the Catechism! (You might also look up the 1999 Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.)
        So why all the fuss over giving things up for Lent? First, it's a way of demonstrating one's monotheism---we show that food, entertainment, Facebook, etc., are not idols, that they are not more important than following Christ. But more importantly, our ascetical practices are a way of disciplining our appetites, so that we can open up a space of hospitality around us. If I restrain my appetites for food and drink and other legitimate pleasures, then little by little I lose the need to get my own way all the time. That means that when I encounter others, they're less likely to be "eaten", that is, to be used for my own pleasure or treated as objects.
        So during Lent we discipline our bodies and our wills in order to free ourselves from selfishness, so that we may more readily attend to the needs of others. By restraining our unruly appetites for food, comfort, and other legitimate pleasures, we create a space for hospitality, so that we can eagerly welcome Jesus in whatever form he chooses to come.

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Morris IL Knights of Columbus Pizza and Wine Pairing

2/20/2012

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As usual, the K of C boys (and their creative and generous wives) hosted a terrific event last Saturday. Be sure to check out the beautiful table decorations in the photo gallery below---click on any image to see it enlarged.
We served minestrone as the appetizer, then a succession of gourmet pizzas (served by the Knights in their tuxes) paired with some lovely wines.
Pizza Classico (sausage, pepperoni, and black olives) paired with a Perazzeta Sangiovese
Spinach Pesto Pizza paired with an excellent Seyval Blanc from August Hill Winery in Utica
Italian Beef Pizza paired with a Santa Barbara Collection Pinot Noir.
Parmesan Cream and Scallop Pizza paired with Blue Suede Chardonnay.
Dessert was Tiramisu Trifle (recipe here) paired with Truffle Merlot.
I've done a lot of these pizza events and this one ran the most smoothly. The Knights were wonderfully organized and although the ovens were not the best, the arrangement of the kitchen in relation to the service room kept traffic patterns realtively uncongested. The proceeds from the event are going to a fund to create a memorial the unborn in the local cemetery. Extra special thanks to Jake and Jannelle Kluch who did the bulk of the organization and decorations work.

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Stage Rats, par-bakes, and fresh bread

2/15/2012

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Tonight I had several projects that needed doing on the stage, and a few things I had to get ready for a pizza and wine party this weekend (see the Upcoming Events page), so I had the Stage Rats meet me in the kitchen. I sent a crew over to paint flats and find period hats and props for The Music Man while Brandon G. and I worked on par-baking crusts. As many Rat alumni will attest, you can't work for me as stage manager for long before you drafted into culinary duties as well. The crew finished the projects in no time, and then came to hang out in the kitchen as we finished the crusts (nine 14" and three 16"), and then to sample some bread Brandon had made at home and brought to share. Some kids had to get home a little earlier (school night and all) but the older students who stuck around also got fresh, hot bread made with the last of the pizza dough, slathered with butter and anointed with Saint Bede honey.
I make an effort to create these kinds of memorable experiences for our students: bonfires with marshmallows, pizza parties, baking sessions, a spontaneous decision to make kettle corn or funnel cakes, etc. I'm well aware from my own life in the theatre that these kinds of activities are what cement the students together, and turn them into a real community and not just a stage crew. Having a place to fit in, a safe place where you're not going to get pressured into making bad choices, where you might get teased a bit but never mocked or ostracized---there's not much that is more important to adolescents, or to their parents. Not bragging---when parents make a fuss over how great the program is, I duck my head and mumble, "Just doin' my job, ma'am." Because ultimately, that is my job: to help them find their unique place in this world, and take their rightful place in the next.

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A couple of cool tools

2/13/2012

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Whenever I give a bread demo, I usually show some of my favorite hand tools, among them the dough whisk to the left. Also called a "brotpisker" , this Scandanavian tool is a must-have for the beginning baker and the serious Breadhead. The swirl of rigid wire at the end of the tool makes mixing pancake and muffin batter a snap, especially valuable since you don't want to overbeat quick breads or the finished product can be tough. I find it even more useful for yeast breads, as you can incorporate a cup of flour into a yeast bread recipe about three times faster with a dough whisk than with a wooden spoon. My brotpisker is over 30 years old and has seen a lot of use. The newer ones are usually made in Poland and are not quite as sturdy but will certainly give you years of service.

Another useful gadget is the flour wand, shown here in the closed position. This tool was invented in Victorian times when pie making at home became increasingly popular. The tool allows you to get flour out of a bag or canister without touching it with your hands, which is especially useful when your hands are sticky with pie crust or bread dough. You squeeze the tool to open the spring (see below), swirl it around in the flour and then close it. The flour gets caught in the spring, and you can them use to tool to control the amount of flour you sprinkle on your kneading board or pie crust while rolling. Great for pizza, too!

Both the flour wand and the dough whisk are available from a variety of online sources, including King Arthur Flour, Shop in the Kitchen, and Amazon.
You can sometimes find them at shops like Fantes in Philadelphia or chains like Sur La Table, but not every store carries them so you may want to phone first before making a specal trip. The Colony Store in Bishop Hill (101 West Main St., Bishop Hill, IL, 61419, 309-927-3596) almost always has the dough whisks in stock.

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Basic Bread and Beyond at Sullivan IL

2/12/2012

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Saturday February 11th I gave my "Basic Bread and Beyond" demo to an enthusiastic group of 77 people in Sullivan Illinois. The event was sponsored by the St. Columbcille Council of Catholic Women and the Sullivan Area Arts Council, and held at the parish hall. St. Bede Academy grad Andrew Loebach came along as my assistant, and we both agreed that St. Columbcille parish hall has the best kitchen we've ever worked in---spacious, well-appointed and with good access through two doors and two serving bays into the seating area. And such nice ladies of the parish assisting us---check out the spread they had for refreshments below.
Finally got myself into the 20th century (still not 21st!) by putting my photos into a PowerPoint show to make it easier for my assistant to go from frame to frame. I have a complete set of photos for most of my demo recipes, so when I'm presenting in a big room everyone can see the steps. I didn't really need it with this somewhat smaller crowd, but it's always nicer to have it, especially for those in the back. I mixed a batched of dough before the program, so that it would be risen and ready to go at the right time of the demo. Then I mix dough at the beginning of the program itself, so as to have a second batch ready when I've shaped the first one. Sometimes the kitchena I work in are a bit cold and it doesn't always time itself right, but this kitchen had a warming cabinet (told you they were well-appointed) so everything worked out great. I made a slab braid, Bambino Bread, Rose Rolls and a Lattice Braid, all of which turned out almost as nice as if Martha Stewart had made them (inside joke with attendees). It was a great time and Andrew and I would go back for another demo there any time, although there's a parish in nearby Effingham that may beat them to it!

I don't have photos of thre actual breads from this demo, but here are some of my PowerPoint photos to give you an idea.

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Wheat from the chaff

2/10/2012

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     Tonight I'm baking multigrain bread to take as door prizes to my demo at Sullivan, Illinois on Saturday. I have a friend who is a wheat dealer, and every year he gives me about 25 pounds of wheat kernels to turn into flour (yes, I am such a Breadhead that I actually own a table top flour mill!). All he asks for in return is four loaves of whole wheat bread, which I am happy to give him in return for the opportunity to have freshly-ground whole wheat flour for baking.
     Unfortunately, the wheat he provides isn't completely cleaned. It still has a lot of chaff mixed in, as well as some tiny black seeds from some common weed. (I've been tempted to plant some of these weed seeds, just to see what they are, but I'm afraid of introducing some invasive species that will take over our bean fields!)   So I have to separate the wheat from the chaff, and since I am a "Bread Flintstone" who doesn't do much high-tech, I winnow the wheat the old-fashion way: I wait for the right kind of breeze, and pour the wheat from one vessel to another and let the wind do the work.
     "Winnow not in every wind," said Jesus ben Sirach (Sirach 5:11), and he was right. If the breeze is too light, the chaff just falls into the lower bucket; if it is too strong, it blows away some of the wheat kernels with the chaff. This morning I discovered that the breeze was a bit erratic, but for the most part was the perfect strength to winnow the wheat. In no time had enough kernels to grind about 18 cups of wheat flour.  I added rolled oats, corn meal, flaxseed meal and freshly ground brown rice and barley, so I'm ready to mix some dough this evening. More later.

You may want to know more about threshing and winnowing wheat. For an excellent paper from the Utah State Extension Office on home storage of wheat, click here. For photos of the Rollag MN Threshing Festival with steam powered threshers, click here. For an event right here in Illinois, consider attending Jordbruksdagarna (Agriculture Days) September 29 and 30 in Bishop Hill; click here for more info about this historic town and its Swedish heritage. They have an EXCELLENT bakery there---worth the trip by itself: here is where you'll find pictures and descriptions of their breads.

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Gluten-free pizza dough?

2/4/2012

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I've gotten two requests for a gluten-free pizza dough recipe in the last week. But I have never done gluten-free baking, so I need some input. Any Breadheads out there with suggestions? I can Google recipes all by myself, so I'm interested in real hands-on experience and actual taste-bud testing. What have you discovered? Leave your suggestions in comments for this post, and I'll make them available. We need to rescue these poor celiacs from bad pizza!

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Lunch at Joe Fassi Sausage and Sandwich Factory

2/3/2012

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While we in the St. Louis area, I took my former student and current culinary assistant Andrew Loebach to the Hill so we could get our chef knives sharpened at Bertarelli's Cutlery on Marconi (I also bought a flat-bottomed roux whisk and an extra-wide pizza peel). Nearly every time I go there I see a chef in his whites either dropping off or picking up his case of knives. They also carry Boos cutting boards and butcher blocks, and that Magic Oil Boos makes that keeps my hardwood rolling pins in good condition.
     We of course had to stop at Missouri Baking Company (see December Bread Blog archive) for Gooey Butter Cake and cannoli, and for lunch we went to Joe Fassi Sausage and Sandwich Shop on Sublette.   I discovered this gem with my sister Eileen a couple of years ago, and when I was in STL for a week last June Joe Fassi's became a daily hangout, in part because they have free WIFI. But if the hotspot made me stop, it was the sandwiches that made me stay!
     Fassi's has been on the Hill since 1926, started as a grocery by the great-grandfather of the present owner Tom Coll. The walls of the shop are adorned with memorabilia from the family, and from from Joe Garagiola and and Yogi Berra, local native sons. There are twenty six sandwiches on the menu both hot and cold on fresh-baked bread(so far I've tried nos. 10, 14, 15, 20, 21, 23, and 26, around $6.95), and some excellent salads with nary a leaf of Iceberg in sight (. Their sausage is truly outstanding, and despite the typical STL use of provel, I'd recommend their sandwiches even over Amighetti's, another staple of the Hill. Andrew  had John Carney's Supreme (the pepper cheese and mustard give it some extra kick), but when we traded halves and he tried Aunt Jennie's Salsiccia Stinger he looked at the sandwich and said, "I love you" with a passion usually reserved for desserts. Speaking of dessert, the gooey butter cake cookies are worth the $1.25 price. Check out their website and you can print a $1.00 off lunch coupon, and see notifications of LOTS of other web deals. For example, there's a Joe Fassi customer appreciation gift card program: $5.00 for $7.00 card, $7.00 for $10.00 card, $10.00 for $15.00 card, and $14.00 for $20.00 card.
     And what other sandwich shop has you eating off a marble placemat and coaster?

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Pizza and Herbs

Italian Herbal Swirl

Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, and the reason we do Lent

Morris IL Knights of Columbus Pizza and Wine Pairing

Stage Rats, par-bakes, and fresh bread

A couple of cool tools

Basic Bread and Beyond at Sullivan IL

Wheat from the chaff

Gluten-free pizza dough?

Lunch at Joe Fassi Sausage and Sandwich Factory

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