Garlic Parmesan Pot Boile

So after the success of my first bread baking experiments, I wanted to make some when my family said they were having dinner. They always like bread--so while the menu wasn't set I planned to take a garlic Parmesan pot boile. Typically for me the second time I made stupid mistakes, demonstrating my need to follow directions ALWAYS, but especially when baking.

Ingredients:
1 head garlic
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 c grated fresh Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
15 oz bread flour
5 oz whole wheat bread flour
2 tsp table salt
1 1/4 tsp instant fast rising yeast
2 c plus 2 tbs ice water


This is pretty similar to my first loaf of bread I made from this Kneadlessly Simple Book, with some added extras to make it more of a dinner bread. Before I could even get started on the bread, I needed to roast the garlic and grate the Parmesan. I usually do multiple heads at once because they are so delicious and go in so many dishes! The book's directions calls for using more oil and a custard cup than I usually use--I just cut off the tips, spray with cooking oil, and wrap in foil. The packets go in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes. It is important that they cool down ALL the way before you put them with the Parmesan or it will create a greasy mess. I may have learned this the hard way. Once it is all cooled, take the garlic out of the skins and mash them really well with a fork to form a paste. Then add it to the grated Parmesan. This can be done in advance.

So in a big bowl whisk together all of the flours, salt, and yeast. Then in a measuring cup I mixed the water and the garlic mixture really well, and then added it to the dry ingredients. It takes a bit of stirring to combine, and you want to make sure you get all the garlic and cheese mixed through.  Once the dough is together, spray the top with cooking spray (olive oil would be nice). I stuck it in the fridge for about 6 hours, though as much as 10 hours. Then the dough raises in a cool space for between 12-18--I set it out around 9 or 10 before bed.

After the first rise, the dough is gently deflated with a rubber spatula and allowed to rise again for another 2 1/2 hours in a warm place. The real advantage to doing the first rise at night and the second in the day is that my apartment is normally cooler at night and warmer in the day--so it can actually stay in the same place.

Here's the part I messed up--the dutch oven goes into the oven and it all preheats to 450 in the last 20 minutes before the end of the final rise. Then the dough is gently turned out into the screaming hot pan, a little water is drizzled on top, and the remaining Parmesan is sprinkled on top. The lid goes on the pot and it gets shaken to settle the dough. Then (and this is the part I forgot) the oven is turned down to 425 degrees, the pot is returned to the oven, and it bakes for 45-50 minutes. I didn't turn down the heat, so it baked for the first 45 minutes at 450. At this point, the lid can come off if the bread hasn't browned--either way it cooks for another 10-15 minutes until it is done.

Verdict: It is a bit hard to see, but it got a little over browned, the crust was extra crusty. The garlic flavor was super strong, not as much the Parmesan. I thought it was good, though I think that the pesto version might balance out the garlic. Also we ended up eating it with a dinner of quesidillas and quinoa, which was strange. But my sisters nibbled away at the bread, and said they thought it was delicious. Even my picky niece ate a bunch of the soft garlicy center.

A Pot Pie by Any Other Name...

So I started off with a plan--lots of veggies, chicken, a savory sauce, a nice top layer of crust. I even had two different recipes marked to follow, but as is typical, I wandered off and made something pretty unrecognizable to the makers of the recipe. The one really appealing factor in this recipe is that while I ate it all week long (it made enough for 11 lunches/dinners, and I added veggies to my eggs a couple of breakfasts as well), there was quite a bit of variation in what was on my plate. A versatile base, with lots of ways to build off of it. Take this as a model and build your own!

Ingredients:

 Veggies:

1 small acorn squash
8 oz baby bella mushrooms
1 red pepper
1 red onion
2 bunches asparagus
4 small carrots
4 stalks celery
1 large head cauliflower
2 small bunches broccoli
4 small red skinned potatoes 
1 clove roasted garlic

Meat:

2 chicken thighs
2 chicken breasts

Sauce:

chicken broth
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
3 tbs flour
1 1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tbs spicy brown mustard
dash cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste

The first step is epic amounts of chopping--each vegetable needs to be diced pretty small, so it will be small in the pie. I had pre-roasted the squash and cooled and peeled it. Once that was prepped, I heated the butter in the pan and added the butter and oil to make a roux. That cooked until nice and golden, and I whisked in the broth and the seasonings and let thicken. Then I added the longer cooking veggies--the carrots, potatoes, onions, celery, peppers, mushrooms, cauliflower. The chicken was chopped and added along with some more broth (I shouldn't have added as much as I did, next time I'd go easier on it.) This cooked down until the chicken lost that pinkness, and I added the broccoli, asparagus, and squash. This continued until the chicken was fully cooked, and the veggies had a little bite.

I divided the mixture into individual oven proof dishes (a new purchase that I LOVE--got them BOGO in a 6 oz and 12 oz sizes) After I'd split them up, I changed my mind and ended up just cooking 4 pies the first day and baking off 3-4 at a time through the week. The rest of the filling went into the fridge.

I used 4 completely different toppings for my top only pies--phyllo dough sheets, cauliflower mash, yogurt biscuits, and cornbread stuffing. The most successful, in my opinion, for eating over the week were the ones topped with the mash and the stuffing. Each baked for 15-20 minutes until the tops were done.

The Verdict: This is a comfort food classic for a reason--it is warm and satisfying. The variety of veggies provide a nice contrast of textures and flavors, and it allowed me to give into my desire to experiment whole heartedly. I love that I can eat a huge bowl of veggies, and have room for a biscuit or stuffing!

Colorful Cauliflower 2 Ways

The first thing I ever made with cauliflower was a quick and simple soup--healthy and delicious. This is a variation of that first soup I made, a little more fancy, with a lot of flavor. I found colored cauliflower on sale at Winco and couldn't decide between the purple or the orange, so I bought both! I didn't want to put them both in the soup, because that sounded like a grey gross disaster, so I cooked them in two ways and combined at the end. This recipe is my invention, though I've taken inspiration from a few places.

Ingredients:

2 medium heads cauliflower
8 oz brown mushrooms
1 yellow onion
1 thai chili
10 oz chopped spinach defrosted
5 cups homemade chicken stock
Chinese 5 spice powder
1 head garlic
1 tsp olive oil
2 chicken breasts, 2 chicken thighs
12 oz plain greek yogurt
rice wine vinegar




I added about 1 tablespoon of the five spice powder to the yogurt and a few splashes of the vinegar to thin it out. That was poured over the chicken and half of the mushrooms, and the purple cauliflower that I sliced into thick slices. That marinated for a while to work the flavors in. I saw this technique on an Alton Brown Good Eats episode, though I didn't follow his specific recipe or even the full technique, which used a cooling rack and water under it to steam the cauliflower.

After that marinated, I placed the purple cauliflower and half of the mushrooms and the chicken thighs on a cookie sheet greased and lined with tinfoil. I covered the pan and placed it in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes and then removed the foil to continue cooking. I also roasted a head of garlic

While that was cooking, I chopped up the onion , pepper, and mushrooms and sautéed them in a pan to soften and then added the chicken breast to the pan to cook. At the same time I heated up the chicken stock in a large pan with some of the Chinese 5 spice and once it came to a boil I added the orange cauliflower roughly chopped into somewhat even pieces. It will be pureed so it doesn't matter really how it looks, just so it cooks evenly. That cooked for about 8 minutes, or until tender but not mushy.

Once the cauliflower was cooked, I drained the broth into a container to keep for thinning the soup. Then I added in the chicken mixture, and the drained spinach and the head of roasted garlic. Then I used the immersion blender to puree it, adding in the broth a bit at a time so it was fully incorporated. It was pretty thick, so I ended up adding more water to get a good consistency and then letting it simmer for a while.



The purple cauliflower came out of the oven once it was soft with some crispy browning (I did turn them all over about midway in the process) The chicken took quite a bit longer, which I wasn't prepared for, but I've not a lot of experience cooking chicken thighs on the bone. The cauliflower and mushrooms were very good and I snacked on quite a bit!

I served the soup on the bottom, topped with some of the cauliflower, mushrooms, and chicken thighs.

The Verdict: Spicy and delicious, with a rich and hearty taste and enough texture and heft to really fill you up. This is a cauliflower soup that I don't mind eating all week long. I have made this before many times, using squash instead of spinach or roasted red pepper or kale. But this is the first time I did the roasted cauliflower and homemade stock, it really elevated the dish to a new level of deliciousness. Either way this is my go to cauliflower soup recipe.