Stromboli Roll

For some reason this Stromboli reminds me of the creatures from Tremors...Anyways...I love a good stromboli and this meets the criteria. They are really simple and you can fill them with practically anything your heart desires or have in the fridge. There are two forms  of strombolis. Typically the way I do is I roll out the pizza crust into the standard circle , layer all the goods on half of it, fold the other half over and crimp the edges. I felt like changing it up this time and I rolled the pizza dough out into a rectangle and rolled it up. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Pizza dough, recipe here (or you can use store bough)
• Olive Oil
• Garlic Powder
• Mozzarella cubes
• Assorted Meats (I used pepperoni and sausage)
• Assorted Veggies (I used red pepper and mushrooms)
• Marinara Sauce
• 1 egg, for egg wash

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 400℉. Using a baking sheet, roll the dough out flat in the shape of a large rectangle. Brush with a thin layer of olive oil and lightly sprinkle the garlic powder. You want to keep the ingredients separate and layer them in columns, from left to right, starting with the mozzarella; this helps prevent the cheese from spewing out in the middle of baking (the mozzarella will be the center of the roll).Then order the rest of your ingredients however you like, I ended with pepperoni since that made for a nice top. Gently roll the dough up and tuck in each side underneath itself. Brush the Stromboli roll with egg wash, season with some salt & pepper, then cut a few slits in the top to help the roll breath through the baking process. 

If you are using sausage & peppers, sauté them up together in a sauté pan to cook the sausage and soften the peppers. Let them cool slightly before adding them to the roll. 

CAN YOU FLY SUCKER?!

Lasagna

Did you know that Lasagna may in fact be British and not Italian?? The Forme of Cury is the oldest cookbook written in English. It was compiled about 1390 by the master cooks of King Richard II. Researchers studying it made a surprising announcement in 2003 - the book contains a recipe for lasagna. The dish, called loseyns in Old English (prounounced "Lasan"), consists of noodles rolled as flat and wide "as paper," cooked in broth, layered with cheese, and baked. This recipe predates any Italian reference to the dish, which leads to the surprising conclusion that lasagna may be British. You learn something new everyday! :)

The recipe for Loseyns in The Forme of Cury

Ingredients

• 2 containers (15 oz ea.) ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 4 oz. diced prosciutto
• 2 jars of your favorite sauce or sauce recipe below
• 1 lbs ground beef
• Lasagna noodles, fresh or dry
• 1/2 lbs Mozzarella, shredded

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

In a small saute pan, saute prosciutto until crispy, about 5 min. In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, eggs, salt, pepper and prosciutto; set aside. 

In a large saute pan over medium heat, brown ground beef. Add in your jar sauce of choice and let simmer until your ready to assemble lasagna. If you're using the sauce recipe below, disregard that last step and follow the directions there. In a large pot, boil salted water and cook pasta noodles as per box directions. I usually buy store bought fresh lasagna noodles, you can usually find them in the cooler section. Cooking time for fresh is about 4 min, cooking time for dried about 10-12 min. 

In a 13x9 inch baking dish. Spread about 1 cup of the meat and sauce mixture on the bottom. Top with lasagna noodles, then add 1/2 of the ricotta mixture and another cup of sauce; top with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese; repeat. Top with remaining noodles to cover, add another cup of sauce and top with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. 

Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove tin foil and top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until bubbling. Let stand for 10 min before serving. Garnish with fresh basil. 

Sauce Recipe (optional)

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 lbs ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions

In a Dutch oven, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. 

This is a great red sauce in general, you can make a large batch of this and can it or freeze it for quick meals. 

Song of the Recipe

I've been in love with Incubus for awhile now and seeing that this is a Food blog, I figured the title would be appropriate :)

Charred Cajun Bruschetta

If you haven't gotten the hint yet...I like spicy. I like to take recipes and give them a little cajun/southwest flavor. Like bruschetta for example, it's such a classic italian appetizer that tastes delicious the traditional way, but it's also a recipe that you can have a lot of creative freedom with to make it into something different. So by charring all the vegetables under a broiler adds in a little smokey flavor, adding in some jalapeno gives it some heat, and using cilantro and lime juice gives it some of those southwest flavors. Figuring out what flavors makes you tick when trying to take your cooking skills to the next level is important. Once you figure out your "voice" in the kitchen, you can take any classic recipe and really make it your own.

Ingredients

• 2 Lbs Roma tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 red onion; halved with skin removed
• 3 Jalapeno's, halved and seeded
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste
• French Baguette
• Fresh Mozzarella; sliced

Directions

Set broiler to high.

Place tomatoes, jalapeno's and red onion skin side up on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Drizzle all the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Place pan 4" below the broiler and broil for about 6 minutes, until darkly roasted. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Once the vegetables are cooled, dice them and mix them all together in a zip lock bag. Add in the minced garlic, cilantro, olive oil, salt and pepper (to taste). Mix all the ingredients together until incorporated.

Slice baguette into 1/4" thick slices on the bias and toast them in the oven. Once toasted, top with sliced mozzarella and the charred vegetable mixture. Serve as a side with the Cajun Sweet Potato Soup.