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By mlb, on April 30th, 2013%
This was a recent meal at our house and even though I accidentally made two “errors” with it, the meal was still delicious. So, I think we’ll call this one both forgiving and versatile.
Error number one was not realizing this recipe made two cake pans worth of polenta (not a big deal as the other polenta is safely in the freezer awaiting a dinner soon) and error number two was baking the polentas in the cake pans. Also not a big deal since, as far as I can tell, it worked out fine. Lessons learned: if you’re just trying to feed two, just make a half recipe of the below and for possibly crispier polenta, turn them out onto a baking sheet. But you know, no big deal.
That all said, the versatility comes in by really being able to top these pizzas with anything you might normally put on a pizza. Mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, lamb sausage, feta — it’s completely adjustable to the season and whatever you’re in the mood for eating!
 . . . → Read More: White Polenta with Sausage, Chard and Fresh Mozzarella
By mlb, on April 22nd, 2013%
In the last few months (year, maybe? I am bad at judging time), it seems that my stretch of SE Division street has just exploded with new places — Ava Gene’s, Xico, Lauretta Jean’s, Sunshine Tavern, Cibo. And I’m sure there’s more I’m even forgetting. Of this group, we’ve been to Cibo twice so far and I can’t wait to go again. It was a bit crowded on a Tuesday night for our last visit, so we started at the bar and moved to the table when one opened up.
Cibo
3539 SE Division Street
Portland, OR 97214
On that visit, we split the octopus dish as a starter and I think it’s my favorite plate featuring octopus in Portland right now. A great char, nice and tender, on a plate full of creamy beans, herbs and lemon. It changes from time-to-time (right now I think it’s on a bed of potatoes) but it’s definitely worth checking out no matter what version it is.
We also split the Caesar salad, which was also good and recommended, but the pizza. Oh my! Get the pizza. They are definitely big enough to share, but if you get one per person, you can try . . . → Read More: Cibo Italian Restaurant in SE Portland
By mlb, on October 9th, 2012%
Occasionally, I find myself coming home from work, feeling very hungry and having absolutely no idea of what to make for dinner. I do know that I want it to be relatively easy and super, super good, though. Just such an evening was the beginning of Naan pizza. See, I really wanted pizza and we had everything to make pizza except pizza dough or even a boboli crust stashed somewhere in the fridge.
“Think, me. Think,” I thought to myself. I even searched the fridge for some english muffins, for the in-college-favorite, english muffin pizza. Nope. I didn’t even have that option. Aggghhh! Then, I poked my head in the freezer and the evening was saved. Naan! We had naan. Garlic naan, even. To be specific: Trader Joe’s Frozen Garlic Naan. “Yes, that would make awesome pizza,” I thought or possibly even said out loud. And it certainly did.
This could easily be made with whatever pizza topping-whatnots you had on hand. I just happened to have everything that I listed below but I really think this would work with whatever combination you felt like trying out. I embraced the Indian-influence of the naan by adding curry . . . → Read More: Naan Pizza with Garlicky Yogurt & Greens
By mlb, on October 21st, 2011%
This week’s French Fridays with Dorie is the beloved French onion and olive pizza-like tart. This week actually worked out really well for me, even though I did not really follow the recipe as directed, but that I got to use up a bunch of leftover refrigerator items that I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to use up. Hooray!
1. Instead of making the crust, I used about 12 sheets of phyllo dough, from a defrosted package that had been in the fridge for a few days. Perfect! I really had no idea what I was going to do with that before I had to toss it. I brushed the sheets lightly with olive oil in between the layers.
2. I didn’t have Nicoise olives but I did have a can of really good Spanish black olives. I couldn’t really justify going out and buying new olives when I had some that would would work perfectly well (although not super authentic).
3. I had a small amount of sheep’s milk feta left from a package I opened a few days prior. Yeah, I know I broke every pissaladiere rule, but I crumbled it on top. . . . → Read More: FFwD: Pissaladiere
By mlb, on September 27th, 2011%
I’m not going to go into too much introduction here except to say, oh my, why have I never put a little bacon on a pizza before? Also, this is one of the best flavor combinations I’ve ever put on a pizza. Yay!
Seriously Awesome Fall Pizza with Bacon, Apple, Fennel & Rosemary
Adapted from a recipe in Ancient Grains for Modern Meals by Maria Speck, although, I used a different pizza dough recipe entirely, so there were no ancient grains here. If you want to try the original Spelt Crust, the recipe is here.
1lb pizza dough, homemade or store bought
Olive oil for drizzling, etc..
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (divided)
1 sprig of rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup low fat yogurt
1/2 cup marscapone or cream cheese (full fat)
3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese + 1/4 cup more
2 Tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced (you can use it raw or saute it in a pan with a little bacon grease, salt and pepper first and let it caramelize…I did that)
2-3 green onions (or a large shallot)
1 Granny Smith or Gala apple, cored and thinly sliced
3 slices of . . . → Read More: Seriously Awesome Fall Pizza with Bacon, Apple, Fennel & Rosemary
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