Garlic-Rosemary Pull-Apart Bread

Honestly, this bread was a pain in the booty to make, but it turned out really cool-looking, and obviously it was delicious. Pull-apart breads are so fun to eat, and the added garlic/rosemary flavor of this bread was just too good. You divide risen dough into 12 pieces, flatten them out, and spread with the garlic/rosemary butter. Then stack them sideways in a loaf pan. 

Garlic-Rosemary Pull-Apart Bread  

adapted from Food & Wine

Dough:
2 1/4 cups (about 9 5/8 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons instant or quick-rising yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2/3 cup whole milk, warmed
3 tablespoons butter, softened

Filling and topping:
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) butter, softened
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (can use dried)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 large garlic clove, grated on a Microplane
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt

1. Place flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With mixer running on low speed, beat in warm milk and butter until just combined, 30 to 45 seconds. Remove paddle attachment from mixer; attach dough hook. Beat on medium speed until dough is smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Transfer dough to a medium bowl coated with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make the filling: Stir together butter, Parmesan, parsley, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside.

3. Punch dough down in bowl and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Divide dough evenly into 12 pieces (about 1 1/2-ounce; 3 tablespoons each). Flatten each piece into a 4-inch-round disk (doesn't need to be perfectly round). Spread about 1 tablespoon filling onto 1 side of each disk. butter and sprinkle with sea salt. Stack disks, cheese side up, on top of each other.

4. Turn stack of dough onto its side and place in an 8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Slightly separate disks in loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 325°F.

5. Bake loaf in preheated oven until golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes, covering loosely with aluminum foil if needed to prevent overbrowning. Transfer loaf pan to a wire rack and let cool 10 minutes.

6. Invert loaf onto wire rack, turn upright, and let cool about 20 minutes. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt.

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Syrian Ouzi Beef Rice

I love this recipe from An Edible Mosaic and so did my family, especially my 18-year old son, who keeps asking for it. The recipe is supposed to be made with ground lamb, but I can never find it here, so I finally just made it with ground beef. I was glad I did. If I ever do find ground lamb, I'll try it, but it's so good with beef. I made my own spice mix for this, from the same blog/cookbook, and I'll list that recipe here too. We always have this with roasted cauliflower- so good. I've used Northwoods Fire or Garlic Salt from Penzey's on the cauliflower. The original recipe cooks the meat first, then the rice. When I make this, I start the rice first, since it takes longer. Then start the meat, and hopefully, they are done at about the same time. 

Syrian Ouzi Beef Rice  

adapted from An Edible Mosaic 

Topping/Garnish:

1/2 tablespoon ghee or olive oil
6 tablespoons blanched almonds or pine nuts
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, optional

Rice:

3 tablespoons ghee or olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 1/2 cups basmati rice soaked in water for 10-15 minutes, then rinsed under cool running water in a fine mesh sieve and drained well
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
4 pods cardamom cracked open
2 whole cloves
1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots
1 tablespoon 7-spice mix, see below

1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
3 cups chicken stock 

Plain yogurt, for serving

Lamb (Or Beef):

1 pound ground lamb or 85% lean ground beef; if you use leaner meat, add 1 tablespoon ghee or olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion
4 large cloves garlic crushed
1 tablespoon 7-spice mix, see below
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper

For the Topping: Preheat a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the ghee/oil; once melted, stir in the nuts. Cook until the nuts are golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes, stirring often. They can burn easily. Remove the nuts from the heat and transfer them from the skillet to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.

For the Rice:Preheat a 4 to 5-quart non-stick pot over medium heat. Add the ghee/oil; once melted, add the onion. Cook until the onion is softened but not browned, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rice and cook 1 minute, and then stir in the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and cloves, and cook 30 seconds. Stir in the peas and carrots, 7-spice mix, salt, Aleppo pepper, and turmeric. Add the chicken stock, and stir it briefly (try for just one stir!). Let it come up to a gentle boil. Cover the pot, turn the heat down to low, and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes (don’t open the lid during this time). Remove from the heat, let the rice sit (covered) for 10 minutes, and then fluff it with a fork.

For the Lamb: Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the lamb/beef (and oil/ghee if using) and use a wooden spoon to break up the meat in the skillet. Stir in the onion. Cook until the meat is browned and the onion is softened, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to break the meat into smaller crumbles. Turn the heat down to medium, stir in the garlic, and cook 30 seconds. Stir in the 7-spice mix, salt, and Aleppo pepper, and remove from the heat. Cover the skillet and set it aside for now.

To Serve:If the meat cooled too much, reheat it for a couple minutes on the stovetop. Transfer the fluffed rice to a large serving platter and top with the meat, nuts, and parsley. Serve. (I just put both pots on the table/counter and let everyone dish up rice, then meat on their own plates.) 

7-Spice Mix 

adapted from An Edible Mosaic

1/2 tablespoon black pepper 

1/2 tablespoon allspice 

1 teaspoon sweet paprika 

3/4 teaspoon coriander 

3/4 teaspoon cumin 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Mix all spices together and store in a spice container. (Pictured below.)

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Three Sisters Bison Stew

I loved this stew featuring corn (hominy), beans, and squash. It's inspired by Native American cuisine, using the "Three Sisters", or beans, corn and squash, often planted together. According to Food and Wine, where I found this recipe, "The three sisters signifies corn, beans, and squash that are planted together in a method called companion planting. Originating in North America 3,000 years ago, these three vegetables support the growth of each other by providing nutrients for each to thrive." 

For this recipe, I used canned black beans, bison stew meat (I can get that frozen here), and a mixture of canned hominy and frozen corn. You roast butternut squash and it is later pureed to form part of the broth of the soup. I bought pre-cut squash to make this recipe easier. I loved all the flavors of this stew.

Make sure you read through the recipe before starting; it is a little time-consuming because of simmer time, and it helps to be aware before starting this recipe. 

Three Sisters Bison Stew 

adapted from Food and Wine

1 pound butternut or kabocha squash
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
1 pound bison ribeye or bison stew meat, cut into 1-inch stew cubes
4 tablespoons cooking oil, divided (I used olive)
2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Water, as needed
8 cups bison or beef stock, divided
2 (15.5-ounce) cans hominy, drained and rinsed (about 3 cups) (can sub in some frozen corn)
2 (15.25-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1.  Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut squash in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds; place squash, cut side up, on an aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Roast in preheated oven until tender, 40 to 50 minutes. (I roasted pre-cut squash cubes for about half the time.)

2.  Meanwhile, sprinkle bison with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add bison, and cook until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes total, adjusting heat as needed to prevent overbrowning. Remove bison, reserving drippings in pot; add the other 2 tablespoons oil, onions, and garlic, scraping bottom of pot to dissolve any browned bits. Cook onion mixture over medium-high, stirring frequently, until very softened and caramelized, about 20 minutes. (Add water, 2 to 4 tablespoons at a time, as needed, to deglaze and prevent browned bits from burning.)

3.  Scoop roasted squash flesh into a blender, and discard skins (if any); add onion mixture and 4 cups of the stock. Process until smooth, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

4.  Return squash mixture to pot; add bison, remaining 4 cups stock, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer over medium, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; partially cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until bison is fork-tender, about 1 hour, 20 minutes to 1 hour, 40 minutes. Add additional water, 1/2 to 1 cup at a time, if needed, to keep bison submerged; adjust heat as needed to maintain a simmer.

5.  Stir hominy (and corn, if using) and black beans into pot; cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until heated through, 5 to 8 minutes, adjusting consistency with water as needed and seasoning to taste with salt, if desired.

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Leftover Turkey Soup

I love this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I actually made it back in November to use up our Thanksgiving turkey. It would be great use of leftover Christmas turkey as well. If you want to make this and don't have leftover turkey, you could use leftover chicken or meat from a rotisserie chicken. 

Leftover Turkey Soup

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup chopped carrots
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup finely chopped onion
¼ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh, chopped
¼ teaspoon crushed dried rosemary or 1 teaspoon fresh, chopped
6 cups low-sodium chicken or turkey broth/stock
½ to ¾ cup brown rice or brown rice blend 
2 teaspoons salt, like kosher salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 cup half and half
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
3 to 4 cups cooked, chopped leftover turkey (or chicken)

1.  In a 6-quart saucepan or pot, heat the butter and oil until hot over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, thyme and rosemary and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are slightly tender, 3-4 minutes.

2.  Add the broth, rice, salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the rice is tender. The exact time will depend on variety of rice and package directions. For a brown and wild rice blend, the time will be about 30 minutes.

3.  Whisk together or blend the half and half and flour until smooth and there are no lumps. Stir the flour mixture into the soup, whisking quickly, and simmer gently until slightly thickened, 5-6 minutes.
Stir in the cooked turkey and heat through. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve.

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Molasses Cookies

Merry Christmas Eve! I've never made molasses cookies before, but I finally did because my husband likes them. This was a great recipe to try for the first time! They are easy to make, and have a wonderfully soft and chewy texture. You can taste the molasses, too. He took some to work to share and they enjoyed them there, too. 

Molasses Cookies 

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

4 cups (568 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 ½ cups (340 g) salted butter, softened
1 ½ cups (318 g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup molasses
Sugar for rolling

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a couple large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, silpat liners or lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Set aside.

3.  In a large bowl (or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer), beat together the butter and granulated sugar, 2-3 minutes, until light and creamy. Add the molasses and eggs and mix until well-combined, another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

4.  The dough can be rolled and baked right away, but the cookies will be slightly thicker and chewier if refrigerated for a bit. If so, chill for 20-30 minutes (or up to several days) before rolling into balls.
Roll the dough into 1-inch balls (you can make them smaller or larger, too) and then roll the cookie dough balls into granulated sugar. Space the cookies an inch or so apart on the lined cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes (don’t over bake if you want a soft, chewy cookie). Adjust the baking time, more or less, if the cookies are overly small or large.

5.  Remove the cookies to a cooling rack and let cool completely. These cookies stay soft and chewy well-covered for several days at room temperature and the baked cookies also freeze very well.

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Classic Pecan Pie

I have good recipes for Maple Pecan Pie and Pecan Bars on here, but I've never done a classic Pecan Pie. I finally did for this year's Thanksgiving, and really loved it. I'm not sure why I've never made one before! I was able to find a good-quality frozen pie crust that tasted just like homemade (to me) so that saved me some work this year. (I made 4 desserts the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.) 

Classic Pecan Pie 

adapted from Cooking Classy

1 single-crust pie crust, unbaked*

2 cups (214g) Fisher Pecan Halves, divided
1 cup (220g) packed light-brown sugar
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup (73g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
3/4 cup Karo Light Corn Syrup
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1.  For the filling: Chop 1 cup of the pecans then sprinkle evenly into pie crust. Sprinkle 1 cup whole pecans over chopped layer. Set aside. (I could only find chopped pecans and threw them all in there together.) In a mixing bowl whisk together brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Mix in butter, corn syrup, eggs and vanilla extract (there should be no streaks of egg).

2.  Pour mixture evenly over pecan layer in crust. Transfer pie to a baking sheet. Bake in lower portion of the oven, covering edges or tenting entire top of pie with foil as needed. Bake until pie is set, about 45 - 55 minutes (it should appear set when you nudge the baking sheet, a very light jiggle is fine). Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

*I used a frozen pie crust and did not do any pre-baking. If you are using homemade, you will want to blind bake it first for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, using pie weights.

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Crusty Artisan No-Knead Bread

I finally got one of those fancy cast-iron enameled Dutch ovens. I think this bread was the first thing I made in it! It was so exciting when I removed the lid after baking and saw my little loaf looking all perfect and crusty in there. I've made a few no-knead breads before, but I never had the correct baking pan, so this was exciting for me. The bread was tasty, of course. And so easy! You just need to plan ahead- to let it rise overnight. 

Crusty Artisan No-Knead Bread

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

3 ⅓ cups (473 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ cups room temperature water

1.  In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix until the dough is combined and has a shaggy, sticky texture (I use a large silicone spatula). Cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 12-18 hours. It will get puffy and bubble.

2. Scrape down the sides of the dough and let it gentle deflate. Turn it out onto a lightly greased piece of parchment paper and using your hands (lightly grease them if the dough is sticking too much) pat it into a thick oblong shape. Fold one of the long edges to the middle. Fold the other long edge over the top, forming a thick log. Take one short end and fold it in toward the middle and repeat with the other short end – basically like folding up a blanket or towel.

3. Carefully and quickly flip the mound of dough over so the seams are on the bottom. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise until puffy and doubled, about 2 hours.

4.  About 30-45 minutes before the dough is ready, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Place a 6- to 8-quart heavy cast iron pot (like the popular enamel covered ones) in the oven as it heats and let it stay there for 30-45 minutes.

5.  When the dough is ready, quickly remove the pot from the oven and take off the lid. Lift up the corners of the parchment paper and set the bread and parchment paper right into the pot. Cover with the lid and return to the oven to bake for 30 minutes.

6.  Remove the lid from the pot and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the top of the loaf is browned and lovely. Carefully grab the corners of the parchment paper and remove the bread to a wire rack to cool completely.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **