Saturday, February 2, 2013

My Test Kitchen Superbowl Party

Big TV:  Check.
Awesome sound system:  Check.
Pizza and wings ordered:  Ch--

Wait... What?

You're just going to order crappy pizza and wings? This is the biggest game of the year.
That won't get your party into the end zone. You need an amazing menu to get those
last few yards. Those pizza place wings and store bought salsa just won't cut it here.
What you need is fresh, homemade, and secretly easy. Nobody but you needs to know
that last part.

Here's the My Test Kitchen approved Superbowl party menu:



New York Style Pizza:

For the dough:
3 cups bread flour
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/3 cups ice water
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp salt

In food processor fitted with metal blade, process flour, sugar, and yeast until combined,
about 2 seconds. With machine running, slowly add water through feed tube; process
until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let dough stand
10 minutes. Add oil and salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball
that clears sides of work bowl, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove dough from bowl and knead
briefly on lightly oiled counter top until smooth, about 1 minute. Shape dough into tight
ball and place in large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for
at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.

For the sauce:
1 can (28-ounce) Whole Peeled Tomatoes, drained and liquid discarded
1 Tbs Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Red Wine Vinegar2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper

Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Place in a
medium bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

One hour before baking pizza, move your oven rack up to the second highest position,
set pizza stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Remove the dough from the
refrigerator and divide in half. Shape each half into smooth, tight ball. Place on lightly
oiled baking sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap
coated with nonstick cooking spray. Let stand for 1 hour.

Coat 1 ball of dough generously with flour and place on well-floured counter-top. Using
fingertips, gently flatten into 8-inch disk, leaving 1 inch of outer edge slightly thicker
than center. Using hands, gently stretch disk into 12-inch round, working along edges
and giving disk quarter turns as you stretch. Transfer dough to well-floured peel and
stretch into 13-inch round. Using back of spoon or ladle, spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce
in thin layer over surface of dough, leaving 1/4-inch border around edge.



Note:  Add the toppings of your choice, be careful, however, not to overload the pizza.
An overloaded pizza will bake soggy, and the crust will lose its flavor. If you are using
vegetables, I recommend only using fresh. Canned and frozen vegetables will add too
much moisture to your pizza, resulting in the above mentioned disaster.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan evenly over sauce, followed by 1 cup mozzarella. Slide pizza
carefully onto stone and bake until crust is well browned and cheese is bubbly and
beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pizza halfway through. Remove pizza and
place on wire rack for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Repeat steps for the second 
pizza.



Buffalo Wings:

10-12 Chicken Wings
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper

For the sauce:
2 oz Franks Red Hot
1 tsp Texas Pete
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 Tbs Butter
2 Tbs Brown Sugar

Optional:  If you like hotter wings like me, I suggest adding 1 or 2 minced fresh
peppers of your choice. I like Habenero, and Jalapeno.

If you use whole chicken wings, you will need to separate them first. To do this, find the
joint with a very sharp knife, and slice through. You should also remove the pointed end.
Discard the ends, or save them to use for stock.



Fill a large pot with one to two inches of water, and bring to a boil. Place your wings in a
steamer basket, and steam them for ten minutes. Remove from the basket and place
them on a cooling rack in a paper towel lined cookie sheet. Put them in the refrigerator
for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake wings for 15-20 minutes on each side. Remove from
oven. Over medium heat, melt butter and saute peppers if used. Whisk in the remaining
ingredients and heat through. Pour sauce and wings into a large bowl and coat evenly.
Serve.





Abuelitos' Salsa:



5-6 Plum Tomatoes, seeded, diced
1 Small Onion, diced
1 Jalapeno, diced
1 Habenero, diced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/8 Cup Cilantro, chopped
1 Lime, juiced (about two teaspoons)



Combine all ingredients in your serving bowl. Squeeze the lime over the bowl and gently
stir. Refrigerate or serve.






Monday, January 28, 2013

First try Turkey Burgers

It's not often that I get lucky on my first try, so when it happens, I have to tell everybody. I love a good turkey burger. If you've had them, you probably realize there is a problem with that statement. A good turkey burger is a culinary unicorn. Nobody is willing to admit they exist, because nobody has ever seen one. Having seen my fair share of horses with horns glued to their heads, I wasn't sure I even wanted to try this. I randomly, and without thinking, recommended them for dinner.

Unicorn Burgers:
1lbs Ground Turkey
2tsp Franks Red Hot
2tsp Salt
2tsp Black Pepper
2tsp Cumin
1Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1Tbs Melted Butter
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Combine all the ingredients (except the olive oil) in a large bowl, roll into 1/4lbs balls, and press them into patties. Warm your skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add enough oil to barely cover the bottom of your skillet. You really only need enough to keep from sticking, and help sear the patty. Cook the patties for about 3 minutes on each side. When I make burgers of any kind, I prefer to use a two flip method. I cook the patties until the color has started to change about halfway through the patty, flip, and press the patty lightly. It should open up a little on the cooked side, and keep it flat. DO NOT smash the patty flat. The resulting piece of crispy leather will be pretty inedible. Once the other side is done, flip again to complete the cooking, about another minute.

Add any cheese or toppings you like. For these, I recommend some thinly sliced avocado, jalapeno, provolone cheese, lettuce and tomato. The only thing left to do is enjoy.


Sunday, January 13, 2013

Game Day Challenge

The quest for a Super Bowl ring is coming to a close, so I've decided to tackle 
a fan favorite: Buffalo Wings. 

The challenge: How to make crispy, flavorful wings without frying.

I found that simply baking them gave me chewy, flavorless wings. These were not 
going to win the game. What to do? I thought about pan frying first, but I really wanted 
to avoid any extra fat or oil. There must be a way to make great wings without frying 
them. After a few trials, finally, the best wings I've ever had. It's a little more involved 
than I would have liked, but well worth the effort. 

Buffalo Wings: 10-12 Chicken Wings
1TBS Salt
1TBS Pepper

For the sauce:

2oz Franks Red Hot
1tsp Texas Pete
1Tbs Butter
2Tbs Brown Sugar

Optional: If you like hotter wings like me, I suggest adding 1 or 2 minced fresh 

peppers of your choice. I like Habenero, and Jalapeno.

I personally prefer chicken drumettes, but you can use any kind. If you use whole 
chicken wings, you will need to separate them first. To do this, find the joint with 
a very sharp knife, and slice through. You should also remove the pointed end. 
Discard the ends, or save them to use for stock. 
Fill a large pot with one to two inches of water, and bring to a boil. Place your wings 
in a steamer basket, and steam them for ten minutes. Remove from the basket and 
place them on a cooling rack in a paper towel lined cookie sheet. Put them in the 
refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Bake wings for 15-20 minutes on each side. Remove from oven.
Over medium heat, melt butter and saute peppers if used. Whisk in the remaining 
ingredients and heat through. Pour sauce and wings into a large bowl and coat evenly. 
Serve warm.