Author Archives: Fignatius

15 February 2010
4 Comments
Baking, Basics, Weekends

That Beautiful Bread


Olive Oil Bread With Rosemary

Sometimes, you just need to hole up in your space and get down to the business of making some heart-warming foods.  This weekend was very much like that for me, and I am hoping to get a whole series of posts out about the things I made in the next couple of days.  One thing I have started making in the last few years, for the very first time in my life, is yeast breads.  Granted, with the low-carb frenzy of the last decade, I generally shy away from white flour, but there are some times when you just want good old-fashioned bread.  I figure that, as long as I am making it, and I have a reasonable idea of where the ingredients are from, it is better than eating processed white bread or even bread from the grocery store bakery. Continue reading →

2 February 2010
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Basics, Dinner, Vegetarian, Weekdays, Weekends

Super Bowl Food: Pizza!


'za!

Okay, so I posted on Facebook that I was super-pleased with the response to my Shrimp n’ Grits post and that I was looking for ideas on what to post next. I have quite a few idea/pictures in the queue, but my buddy Alex (see his comedic offerings linked on the right there) suggested that Super Bowl food would be appropriate choice. Then, my friend Keith (see his funny blog on the right there, too!) mentioned pizza, so the decision was made. Granted, I don’t think that I have all that much to contribute to the plethora of pizza recipes out there, but I know what I like, and maybe my tastes will be new to some.

First off, I really like whole wheat crust. For me, white crust is great when someone else makes it, but if I am going to bother making ‘za from scratch, I am gonna switch up everything, top(pings) to bottom. The recipe we use is just a variation on the one in the Joy of Cooking, which the Bun adapted for use with whole wheat flour.*

As for toppings, there are several that we turn to when making homemade pizza, most of which are on the vegetarian side. In fact, the pizza shown above is one that we made when our friends Mark and Erica decided to challenge us to a vegetarian week of dinners; it was a good way to get ourselves to think about how to get a balanced meal without eating meat. You’ll see that we used a red sauce (just crushed tomatoes seasoned with fresh garlic, dried oregano, salt and pepper). Over the sauce, we added mushrooms sauteed with thyme, roasted red peppers, spinach (thawed from frozen), Ricotta and Parmesan cheeses, and fresh basil, which elevates the flavor of most red-sauce pizzas. The result was so delicious that we couldn’t even wait to take a picture before we’d both had an enormous slice. If you are looking for a veggie pizza (and provided that you still eat cheese), this combination can’t be beat.

*There are several good brands of whole wheat flour available these days, including a few that say you can use them in place of regular all-purpose flour (I suggest testing a recipe out on yourself before serving guests). Trader Joe’s brand is the one we used in this recipe, and it worked really well. Let me know if you have any other suggestions!

30 January 2010
40 Comments
Brunch, Childhood, Shrimp

Shrimp n’ Grits


Shrimp n' Grits

I don’t know who originally came up with the idea of shrimp and grits for breakfast, but I think it may be one of the most beautiful things you can look forward to in the morning.  There is something familiar about the texture of the grits, even to people who aren’t used to eating grits for breakfast.  For me, it brings me back to the days in my childhood where my mum would go through the extra effort of making cream of wheat for me before school.  Those mornings always seemed so warm and comforting, even if it was an ice storm outside.   The savory grits in this dish, studded with bacon crumbles, take comfort to another level.

As far as the shrimp component is concerned, I have to think that it was just a matter of what some southern American cook had on hand.  Sure, we eat pork and corned beef for breakfast all the time, but why not seafood?  It is kind of about honing your understanding of food origins, and thinking about cooking regionally.  If inland cooks are serving grits with fresh eggs from their chickens and cured bacon from their smokehouses, why wouldn’t low-country cooks serve them with some fresh-caught shrimp?  It is our luck now that these recipes have been distributed so widely, for we have the opportunity to gain the knowledge of cooks from everywhere, and from almost every time (I guess it would be culinary anthropology).  In other words, they did a lot of work in developing recipes, and now we can just enjoy making them.

That said, I am not a huge fan of writing recipes, but I do it when I feel it is warranted.  I am not sure, in this case.  What I bring to this dish is nothing more than a few extra flavorful touches, including bacon in the grits and a good, healthy dose of Old Bay seasoning on the shrimp, which are just sauteed quickly in some olive oil, butter, and garlic and tossed with some freshly chopped parsley at the end.  In the recipe shown in the picture, I left the shrimp shells on, but I highly suggest removing them, as they make for a mess when you eat them.  However, the shells do retain a lot of the seasoning, so if you are making this dish for only yourself or some people who’ll not mind sticky, gritsy fingers, go for it.

If readers are interested in more details about how to make this dish, I’ll be happy to post an official recipe.  Just let me know!

WOW!  What a great response!  Here’s the recipe, kids!  If you have questions, let me know.

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