Farmer's Market Pizza

I've had this picture hanging around for a few weeks now.  On one of my trips to the Broad Ripple Farmer's Market, I hit the jackpot of fresh produce, particularly with the corn and squash blossoms.  Indiana is known for corn, but it really does taste so much better here.  I found myself eating the corn kernels without even cooking them.  They were so sweet and tender.

I decided that I wanted to make something to combine the squash blossoms and the corn, and I came up with a Squash Blossom pizza.  They pictures I took didn't turn out so great, but trust me, it tasted heavenly.  Here's how I made my pizza.

Ingredients:

Prepared pizza dough or crust (I got the pre-made dough from Trader Joe's)

olive oil

dried basil

dried oregano

dried parsley

red pepper flakes

1 ear of sweet corn

6 squash blossoms, stem, stamen and rough portion removed

prosciutto

Italian cheese blend

Directions:

Form your dough into a pizza, and preheat the oven to the direction's temperature.  Place your pizza dough onto a baking sheet if it is not already baked.  Pour a little (maybe a tablespoon or two) olive oil onto your dough.  Spread it out.  I used a pastry brush to evenly distribute the olive oil.  Then sprinkle the spices onto the crust of the pizza.  Use as much or as little as you like...everybody's taste are different.  Sprinkle a little bit of cheese, then add as much prosciutto as you like.  Sprinkle on about an ears worth of corn.  Top your pizza with the squash blossoms and lots of cheese.  Place in the oven and bake according to package directions.  I like to take my pizza off the baking sheet once the dough is stable so that the bottom can get crisp as well.  I finally like to turn on the broiler in the last few minutes so that the top of the cheese gets bubbly and brown.  If you do this, be sure to watch it carefully.

That's all!  It hit the spot and was not a typical pizza.... just my type of thing.  Scott and I gobbled it right up!

Here are some more pictures from the Broad Ripple Farmer's Market.  Now you can see why I keep talking about it!

Source

Spaghetti

Hi there!  Sorry for the absence; our internet has been down, but I am happy to report that it is finally back!  It made for a boring week, but I had a lot of time to read.  I got through "The Pioneer Woman" in two days, and I have been meticulously combing through her cookbook with the rest of my time.  I'm bound and determined to make those cinnamon rolls that she keeps talking about.

Saturday, I went to the farmer's market, and I spotted a big box of Roma tomatoes, and I knew that I had to have them.  The trouble was that another lady wanted them too, and she spotted them first.  Luckily her mom talked her out of them; I really did have better plans for them anyways.  So I grabbed them, a spaghetti squash, and a cabbage.

The second I got home, I got to work.  Here's how I made my spaghetti sauce:

Spaghetti Sauce

Source: Me :)

Ingredients:

20 or so Roma tomatoes

1/2 to 3/4 cup red wine

2-3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes*

3/4 teaspoon dried basil - you can use fresh too*

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano*

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 onion, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Rinse your newly purchased tomatoes and cut an X into the end opposite the stem.  As you are doing this, get a large pot of water boiling.  Drop the tomatoes in, and let them boil for a minute.  While they are boiling, grab a large bowl, fill it with ice and water, and set it close to the tomatoes.  When your timer sounds, put the hot tomatoes into the ice bath.  This will make the skin super easy to peel off.  

Continue to boil the tomatoes in shifts until all of your tomatoes have been boiled for the minutes.  Drain out the water and grab a trash can.  Peel the skins off of the tomatoes... warning this is about to get messy!  Then take a sharp knife and cut off the stems.  Cut the tomatoes vertically and discard the squishy insides, seeds and any core that remains.  And that's the tricky part!  It's really not tricky, just kind of time consuming and you'll be up to your elbows in tomato juice, but it's good for your skin...I think.

In the same pot that you boiled the tomatoes in, add the olive oil and onions.  Let them cook until they begin to soften, about five minutes.  Add the garlic, and cook for 2 minutes longer.  Then take the onions, garlic and tomatoes, and put them in a blender.  I hate chunky tomato sauce, so I blend it to a pulp, but it you enjoy your sauce with a little more texture, pulse it until you have the consistency that you enjoy.

Pour the newly formed sauce back into the pot, add the red wine, sugar and all the seasoning.  Let it simmer for a long time... like two hours.  Your sauce may look thin at first, but it will thicken beautifully; the longer it simmers, the thicker your sauce will be and the sweeter and more full flavored it will become.

You can easily add meatballs or brown some ground beef to make a meat sauce.  I know this takes quite a bit of time, but it really just tastes better than canned tomato sauce.  It's easy work, and your taste buds will thank you!!

*Feel free to change the amount or even the spices themselves. If you don't even like a hint of spice, leave out the red pepper flakes.  Do whatever sounds good to you!*

Happy Monday!

A New Town to Call Home

Hi Friends... I know it's been a long time.  So much has happened, so let me get you caught up.  This spring, my husband applied for residency programs and this year he matched.  We are living in Indianapolis for his transitional year.  Next year, we'll be moving again, but that's another story for another day.  Two weeks ago, we packed up all of our earthly belongings and left our beloved Louisville to come to a new city.  

I took it all in stride; it wasn't fun leaving my friends and a job that I really enjoyed to come here to who knows what.  For the past week, I have been unpacking and getting job applications to random stores.  It's odd to think that I won't be teaching this fall, but I'm kind of excited about working a much less stressful job for at least a year.

But this year, I wanted to chronicle our adventures and the culinary delights that I make along the way. Some of you are reading this to keep up with me so I'll tell you the stories behind the recipes.  Hopefully, if you ever come to Indianapolis, you'll have something to do by reading along.  I'm excited to find this city's little secrets and to share them with you.  

So here is my first adventure: The Broad Ripple Farmer's Market.  Scott and I drove to Broad Ripple to explore the new market.  I was pleasantly surprised.  There was an ice cream stand called Lick that looked like it had the funky flavors of Jeni's in Columbus.  There was a great variety of fruits and vegetables, and there were pastries.  We tried a orange and hazelnut croissant and a danish with lemon curd and raspberries.  I wanted to really love them, but the quality just wasn't there.  I found myself comparing them to perfection of Wiltshire Pantry and it just wasn't happening... kind of a bummer.  But there were raspberries, and lots of them, and I couldn't resist.  

This brings me to my first baking endeavor in Indy, Raspberry Breakfast Bars, via Smitten Kitchen.  I used black raspberries that we bought at the market, and this morning Scott had some serious goodness on his (50 minute) trek to work.

Here's how you can make your own:

Raspberry Breakfast Bars

Source: Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

For the Crust and Crumb Topping

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/4 cup rolled oats

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks) cut into one inch pieces

For the Raspberry Filling

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons flour

1 lb fresh raspberries

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons melted butter, cooled

Directions:

To Make the Crust and Crumb:

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease the bottom and sides of a pan, then line it with parchment paper.  Let the paper hang over the sides. This will make it easier for the bars to be lifted from the pan.  Butter the parchment.

Combine all of the crumb ingredients except the butter.  Then add the butter to the ingredients.  Blend with a pastry mixer until small crumbs form.

Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture, and press the rest into the bottom of the prepared pan.  The crust should touch the sides of the pan.  Bake until the crust is golden brown - 12 - 15 minutes.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool.  Keep the oven on until cool.

Meanwhile, make the raspberry filling.  Combine the ingredients and gently fold in the raspberries so they don't become mush.  

Spread the raspberry filling on top of the cooled crust, then sprinkle the remaining crumb topping on top.  Bake for 35 - 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the edges are slightly bubbly.

Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.  Remove from pan and slice into bars.  The slices can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for two days.

I'm working on a picture... I haven't figured out this new computer yet. :)