For dinner, we had Grilled Boneless Short Ribs. Just seasoned the meat with salt and pepper. That's all. The meat was so tender and flavorful. Perfect.
The first Bruschetta was Glazed-Beets-and-Burrata Toast. Not bad. The beets were not a flavorful as I thought they would be. But hey the Burrata was good!
Glazed-Beet-and-Burrata Toast
Glazed-Beet-and-Burrata Toast
Ingredients-
3 beets (about 3/4 pound total)
4 thyme sprigs
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 rosemary sprig
Salt
Twelve 4-by-2-inch slices of dense whole-grain bread, brushed with olive oil and toasted
1/2 pound Burrata Cheese, cut into 12 pieces
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Flaky salt, such as Maldon, for garnish
Method-
In a medium saucepan, cover the beets with cold water. Add the thyme sprigs, black peppercorns and red wine vinegar and bring to a boil. Simmer, partially covered, until the beets are tender, about 45 minutes, replenishing the water if necessary. Drain the beets, then peel and cut them into 1/4-inch dice.
Return the diced beets to the saucepan. Add the sherry vinegar, sugar, rosemary sprig and 1/4 cup of water and bring to a boil. Cook over moderately high heat until a syrupy glaze forms, about 12 minutes. Discard the rosemary sprig and season the beets with salt.
Top each whole-grain toast with a spoonful of the glazed beets, a piece of Burrata. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, garnish with the flaky salt and serve.
Now the Herbed Chickpea Bruschetta was a different story. Wow! Delicious! The flavors of the chickpeas were over the top. First time I made Chickpeas like this. So good. I should have put the Burrata on this!
Herbed Chickpea Bruschetta
Herbed Chickpea Bruschetta
Ingredients-
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
1 clove garlic halved
1/2 medium yellow onion, halved lengthwise
1/2 medium carrot, halved lengthwise
1/2 celery rib, halved lengthwise
3 sage leaves
1 small rosemary sprig, plus 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped leaves
1 bay leaf
1 dried chile de árbol
2 tablespoons kosher salt
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing and drizzling
About 30 baguette slices (1/2 inch thick)
1/2 teaspoon minced thyme leaves
Flaky sea salt, for garnish
Method-
Preheat the oven to 350˚. In a medium Dutch oven, combine the soaked chickpeas with the 1 garlic clove, the onion, carrot, celery, sage, rosemary sprig, bay leaf, chile, salt, 1/4 cup of the olive oil and 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir. Cover and bake for about 2 hours, until the chickpeas are tender. Remove from the oven, uncover and let the chickpeas cool in the liquid for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, lightly brush the baguette slices with olive oil and arrange on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until lightly toasted, about 15 minutes. Rub the cut halves of garlic on one side of each toast.
Drain the chickpeas, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid; discard all the aromatics except the garlic. Transfer the chickpeas and garlic to a blender. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil and the reserved cooking liquid and puree until smooth.
Arrange the toasts on a platter. Dollop the chickpea puree on top and use a small spoon to form a little well in each dollop. Drizzle the bruschetta with olive oil, sprinkle with the chopped rosemary, minced thyme and sea salt and serve.
Ingredients-
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar (optional, see notes)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups cool tap water
2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/8 cup cubed pepperoni, or slices diced small
Method-
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, yeast, sugar (if using), grated Parmesan and pizza dough flavor. Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours. Overnight works great.
Heat oven to 450-f degrees. When the oven has reached 450-f degrees place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface. Add the shredded cheese and pepperoni and fold over onto itself a few times to incorporate. Shape into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating.
Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough. Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 10-15 minutes. Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.
