Sunday, March 1, 2009

CORNED BEEF HASH WITH TOMATO GRAVY

CORNED BEEF HASH WITH TOMATY GRAVY



Ingredients:
2 cups corned beef, browned
2 potatoes, diced
1 tsp mustard
5 tbsp tomato sauce
Pepper
Beef broth

1. Boil the potatoes for 15 minutes. Drain and put back into the pot for another 5 minutes, then mash.

2. Add the potatoes to the cooled corned beef. Add the mustard, 1 tbsp tomato sauce, 1/4 cup beef broth, and pepper. Mix well and press into a small, oiled bread pan. Turn upside down onto cutting board and cut into four one inch pieces.

3. Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Cook slices for 5 minutes on both sides. Plate the slices.

4. Add the rest of the beef broth into the pan to deglaze. Add the rest of the tomato sauce and reduce till thickened. Top the corned beef hash slices with the gravy.

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza and Mini King Cake

CHICAGO DEEP DISH PIZZA PIE



I first had one of these in an Italian restaurant in San Luis Obispo called Palindromes. It's now my favorite type of pizza, but difficult to find. The difference between Chicago style and regular is that the crust is not only thick but dense and the toppings are piled on generously. I've had a lot of trouble making pizza in the past which was mostly due to the dough. When I made the king cake at the bottom I realized that this would also make the perfect pizza dough!

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 cup butter or oil
1 egg yolk
1 tsp salt
1 packet yeast
8oz mozzarella cheese
8oz tomato sauce
4oz ground italian sausage

1. Mix the warm milk and yeast. Allow 10 minutes to foam. Pan fry the ground italian sausage until brown. Set aside.

2. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Sift the flour into a bowl. Mix in salt, melted butter, egg, and milk+yeast. Knead a ball and let rise for 20 minutes. A trick is to heat 1 cup of water in the microwave for 1.5 minutes, then add the dough and close the door to allow to rise in a warm, moist environment.

3. Take out the dough and roll out thin enough to cover a greased, round pan overlapping the edges. Take a fork and poke a few holes into the bottom of the crust. Layer on the cheese, ground sausage, and tomato sauce. Cook for 15 minutes.


MINI KING CAKE



This is a little late for Mardi Gras but is a treat that you can enjoy year round.

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 cup butter or oil
1 egg yolk
1 tsp salt
1 packet yeast
1/4 cup white sugar
2 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup cinnamon
Confectioner sugar for dusting

1. Mix the warm milk and yeast. Allow 10 minutes to foam.

2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Sift the flour into a bowl. Mix in salt, melted butter, egg, white sugar, and milk+yeast. Knead a ball and let rise for 20 minutes.

3. Take out the dough and roll flat into a rectangle. Brush with olive oil and cover with sugar and fold dough in half. Use a pizza slicer to cut into 3 strips. Braid the strips together and stretch out into a solid rope.

4. Place the dough onto a sheet on baking paper and form a circle with a tie at the bottom. Take for 25 minutes or until golden. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve with frosting on top.