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Recipe and Newsletter Archive
OLIVE OIL BREAD DOUGH 1 envelope dry yeast In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in 3/4 cup lukewarm water and set it aside for a few minutes, until it begins to foam up. Mix 2 3/4 cups flour with the salt in a medium sized bowl. Beat the whole egg into the yeast mixture, and whisk in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Pour the liquid into the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a board well-coated with flour and knead it for about ten minutes, or until it is smooth and pliant, springing back when pushed down. Add sprinkles of flour to keep the dough from sticking, but don't let it get too stiff and dry. Form the dough into a ball, and put it into a lightly oiled bowl, turning it once. Cover the bowl with a towel or with plastic wrap, and leave the dough in a warm, draft-free place to rise for about an hour, or until roughly double in size. When the dough has doubled in volume, punch it down and roll it out, then fill and shape according to the recipe.
Makes enough for one loaf or galette.
CABBAGE AND MUSHROOM GALETTE This is another great savory pie made with bread dough. Butternut squash and onions are roasted in a glaze of olive oil and sherry vinegar, with sage, raisins and pine nuts, then layered over the tangy goat cheese. It's great with a salad of watercress or bitter greens for a contrast of flavor.
1 recipe Olive Oil Bread Dough Cut the squash in 3/4" slices, slice away the peel, remove all seeds, and cut the slices into 3/4" cubes; you should have about 4 to 5 cups of cubed squash. Peel the onions and cup them up in pieces roughly the same size. Toss the vegetables together with the oil, vinegar, salt, crumbled sage, and fresh ground pepper to taste. Spread them evenly in a non-stick baking pan and roast at 375° for about an hour and a half, keeping them loosely covered with foil for the first forty-five minutes. Stir the vegetables gently now and then, but be careful not to break up the squash. About ten minutes before the vegetables are ready, stir in the raisins. (The vegetables can be roasted several hours ahead if you like. Cover them and let them stand at room temperature.) While the vegetables are roasting or when you are ready to make the galette, prepare the bread dough, reserving the egg yolk for the glaze. Let the dough rise, and punch it down. Roll it out on a lightly floured board to an oval about 20" by 14", and transfer this to an oiled baking sheet, letting the edges drape over the rim. Crumble the goat cheese, or mash it if it is not the crumbly kind. You can use a Greek-style feta, a chevre, or a combination of milder and stronger cheeses. Spread the cheese evenly over the bread dough, leaving a two-inch border all the way around. Mix the pine nuts into the squash and onions, and distribute the vegetables evenly over the goat cheese. Fold the border of dough up over the filling, pleating it loosely as you go. Whisk the egg yolk with a teaspoon of water and brush this glaze over the dough generously. Bake the galette at 375° for about forty to forty-five minutes, covering it loosely with foil after the first twenty minutes if it is browning quickly. The pleated rim of dough will puff up, and the egg yolk glaze will give it a shiny, golden-brown finish. Allow the galette to cool slightly before transfering it to a board and cutting it in thick wedges to serve.
Serves 8 as a main course, more as an appetizer.
CABBAGE AND MUSHROOM GALETTE This big pie is in the calzone family, a savory filling in a substantial bread-like crust. It's been very popular at my house lately. I bake it in the afternoon and leave it on the counter. The house smells wonderful, and the teenagers attack it the minute they come in from school. We have it with soup or salad for dinner, and leftovers are perfect at room temperature for late evening snacking.
1 recipe Olive Oil Bread Dough Prepare the bread dough according to the recipe, reserving the egg yolk for the glaze. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Peel the onions, quarter them and slice them thinly crosswise. Do the same with the cabbage - you should have about 8 to 10 cups of shredded cabbage. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter in a large, nonstick sauté pan, and cook the onions in it for 5 to 6 minutes, until they are perfectly soft and translucent. Add the cabbage and about a teaspoon of salt, and continue cooking over medium to low heat, stirring often, for close to an hour. The cabbage and onions will be greatly reduced, soft and golden in color, with a pleasantly sweet taste. Season to taste with a dash of pepper, and more salt if needed. While the cabbage and onions cook, clean the mushrooms, halve them, and cut them crosswise in wedges or slices. Heat the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in another nonstick pan and sizzle the chopped garlic in it for about a minute, then add the mushrooms, a dash of salt, and the thyme. Sauté the mushrooms, stirring often, until they are tender and beginning to brown. When the pan gets dry, add the sherry and stir until it cooks away. Crumble the queso fresco or farmer's cheese and coarsely grate the cheddar. When the dough is double in size, punch it down and roll it out to an oval about 20" by 14", then transfer this to an oiled baking pan. It will hang over the edges a bit, but that's fine. Spread the cabbage mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 2" border all the way around. Distribute the crumbled and grated cheeses over the cabbage, then layer the sautéd mushrooms over the cheese. Pull the border of dough up over the filling, pleating it loosely in large folds. Whisk the reserved egg yolk with a teaspoon of water and brush it generously over the folded dough. Bake the pie at 400° for about 35 to 40 minutes. Check it after the first twenty minutes, and if it is getting dark cover it loosely with a sheet of foil for the remaining time. It should be puffed up, glossy and golden brown. Allow the pie to cool slightly before removing it to a board and cutting it in wedges to serve. It's good hot, warm or at room temperature.
Serves 8 as a main course, more as an appetizer.
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