White Pizza “Pizza Bianca” 白いピザ

We tried “pizza bianca” a few times before but we did not particularly like it. So we tried again with different cheeses; roasted garlic seasoned Ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. We topped it with baby arugula dressed in honey mustard dressing (#1). We really like the creamy texture of the cheese toppings and pepper taste of arugula, however, despite used a liberal amount of garlic infused oil, we felt we need a bit more assertive flavor (maybe more garlic or slight “picante” flavor?). So we decided on the this batch to add the roasted garlic. This was about a whole head of garlic, cloves separated and cooked in small bowl of heated chicken broth in the toaster oven at 350 for 30 minutes. We added the roasted garlic to the ricotta cheese and left it in the fridge overnight for the flavors to meld. They became much stronger and this was a much better pizza.

The picture 2 is before the arugula topping.

Ingredients:
1/2 Ricotta cheese
About a head of roasted garlic (or to taste)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
(mix the above well)
10 or more thin slices of mozzarella cheese enough to cover the pizza leaving the rim
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil with crushed garlic
Pizza dough

Baby arugula
Honey mustard dressing

Directions:
Form pizza dough
Paint the dough with garlic infused oil including some crushed garlic in the oil 
Cover the center of the pizza with the mozzarella cheese
Spread the seasoned Ricotta
Sprinkle half of the parmesan cheese

Bake in the pizza oven at 700F (Neapolitan-style setting in “Pizzaiolo” pizza oven) for 2 minutes (#2)

Brush the rim with the garlic infused oil and sprinkle the reaming parmesan cheese
Top it with the dressed baby arugula (#10)

This a definitely better pizza bianca we made.

Caramelized onion pizza 飴色玉ねぎピザ

After we got the electric pizza oven “Pizzaiolo”, we have been making home-made Neapolitan-style  pizzas regularly. We usually make two kinds of pizza; one is the classic Margherita another is marinated baby artichokes with olives. Since we do not finish two pizzas in one meal, we have left-overs and enjoy one piece each as an appetizer in subsequent days. The left-over pizza heats up nicely in the toaster oven.  Interestingly, when freshly made, the crust is Neapolitan-style.  It is chewy but not “crispy”. After being re-heated in the toaster oven, the crust becomes very crispy like a New York-style pizza. 

We decided that we should get out of our pizza rut and make some other kinds of pizza. We used to make caramelized onion pizza キャラメライズドオニオンピザ in the oven long before we got the ‘Pizzaiolo’. But we have not made it recently. So we settled on making that pizza as one of the two we made recently one evening. This is a really tasty pizza. Creamy goat cheese and pine nuts added nice texture and taste. The caramelized onions added nice sweetness. The Neapolitan-style crust goes well with this topping.

Ingredients (for one 9 inch pizza)
For caramelized onion
1 large onion, halved and sliced
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp sugar

For crust (makes enough dough for four 9 inch pizzas)
3 1/2 cups “00” flour (I used 00 flour I got from King-Arthur’s) or bread flour
1 cup warm water (more or less)
2 tsp active years
2 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil (optional)

For topping (amounts are arbitrary)
10 thinly sliced pieces of mozzarella cheese (enough to cover the crust leaving the rim) 
1/4 to 1/2 cup grated reggiano parmiziano
1 inch log of fresh goat cheese crumbled
1/4 cup roasted pine nuts

Garlic-infused olive oil to brush on the pizza crust. (I make this oil with 4 cloves of crushed garlic in 1/4 cup olive oil. I brush some this oil on whatever pizza I am making that night)
salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat the pizza oven to “Neapolitan-pizza” temperature (about 750F)

For caramelized onions
Coat the onion slices with the sugar (to facilitate caramelization),  
Add the oil in a large skillet or frying pan. Sauté until nicely browned (do not constantly stir, leave for a few minutes until the bottom browns and then stir)
Set aside

For crust
Add all ingredients except for the water and oil to the food processor fitted with a dough blade. Turn on low speed to mix dry ingredients. If using oil, stream it in. Add the water in a thin stream until a dough ball forms above the blade without any dry ingredients left on the bottom. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Turn the food processor on low speed for a few minutes for a second kneading. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and hand knead it briefly shaping it into a ball. In a large enough mixing bowl, add a small amount of olive oil, add the dough ball and turn to coat all its surface. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let it rise for 1 hour or until doubled (I use a "Brod & Taylor Collapsible electric bread proofer“ set at 85 degrees). 

Turn the dough onto the kneading board. Deflate and divide the dough into 4 pieces. (I weigh the dough to make sure the pieces are equal in size). Knead the dough to make a tight ball. Coat the surface of the each dough ball with olive oil and place in a small Ziploc bag. Squeeze out any excess air, seal the bag and refrigerate overnight. (It can be refrigerated up to a few days. If I haven’t used it by then I freeze it.)
Take out the dough one hour before baking. Form the dough into a 9 inch pizza-shape (by stretching it using two fists under the dough leaving the rim intact)

Assembly
On a wooden pizza peel, sparingly spread cornmeal. (The cornmeal acts like a layer of ball bearings under the pizza dough making it easier to slide the pizza dough off the peel onto the baking stone)
Place the prepared pizza dough on the peel over the cornmeal. Paint the surface of the dough with the garlic infused oil along with some of the crushed garlic in the oil. Use the mozzarella cheese to cover the dough except for the rim. Spread half of the Parmesan over the mozzarella, then spread on the onion. Add the pine nuts. Sprinkle on the rest of the Parmesan, and distribute the small chunks of goat cheese.

To bake
Slide the pizza onto the pizza stone, close the door and press the timer (2 minutes)
When done take it out and paint the rim with the garlic infused olive oil.

The pizza oven creates perfect leopard spots on the bottom of the crust and nice charred rim on the top. The caramelized onion gives a nice sweet flavor. The creamy texture of the goat cheese is wonderful. We really like this pizza.

Yellow Squash Garlic Bites イエロースクワシュ、ガーリックバイツ

The other day, my wife picked up two yellow squash from Whole Foods. This led us to question, “What is the difference between “zucchini” and “yellow squash?*” Our conclusion is that both belong to the squash family and “yellow zucchini” exists but “yellow squash” is not “yellow zucchini”. We ate one of the squash sautéed for dinner which meant there was one left. My wife decided to use it before it went bad by making this dish inspired by the recipe she saw on-line called “Zucchini Garlic Bites”. As usual, she made some changes mostly due to what we had on hand. (For one thing we had “yellow squash” on hand not zucchini.) I helped by prepping the veggies. This came out rather nicely; with crunchy outer crust and soft, moist interior with subtle garlic and onion flavors. The cayenne pepper added a nice zing. Perfect nice bites. They actually got better with time as the various flavors melded together. Instead of making a dipping sauce, we just used the marinara sauce I made which we keep in the fridge mostly for pizza. This went very well.

*It appears that ”Yellow squash” is not a common vegetable in Japan. I see descriptions and recipes for dishes made of “zucchini” but not yellow squash.

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded yellow squash drained well** (The original recipe calls for zucchini)
1 clove garlic grated fine
2/3 cup breadcrumbs (used Panko)
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh green onion (the original recipe calls for chives)
(the original recipe calls for 1 tbs chopped parsley)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried), we used dried
pinch of salt and cayenne pepper (1/8 tsp or more)
tomato sauce for dipping

** I use a potato ricer to squeeze out the moisture. This works better than other methods we tried.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400˚F. Cover a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. Set aside.
Use a box grater to grate the yellow squash. Using a potato ricer, squeeze out moisture (in batches).
Mash the garlic using a garlic press.
Add the shredded squash, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan, green onion, basil, oregano, salt and cayenne pepper to a medium bowl. Mix well to combine. 
Shape a tablespoon of the mixture into your hands, pat into small balls. (You may need to add more breadcrumbs if the mixture is too wet to hold its shape). Place on the baking sheet.
Bake for 15-18 minutes in the preheated oven until golden. Serve warm with marinara sauce. Recipe makes about 16 bites.

Cheese Straws チーズツイスト

We like small snack-y foods that go well with wine or sake. My wife, for some reason, decided to make these “Cheese straws” which are based on a recipe she found on the web. When she took out the frozen puff pastry sheets, however, she saw they were significantly past the BUD (best-used-by-date). After pondering a while and looking at what condition the puff pastry was in, she decided to take a chance and make this dish. She needed to modify the recipe mainly because of the cheeses on hand. She used smoked gouda and sharp cheddar. Despite the “passed BUD” puff pastry, this was quite good. Light, crispy and airy with cheesy flavors.

Ingredients:
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. light brown sugar
1 frozen puff pastry sheet
All-purpose flour, for rolling
4 oz. smoked cheddar cheese, finely shredded (about 11/2 cups), divided
1 large egg, beaten

Directions  
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir together the smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and sugar in a small bowl until combined. Unfold the thawed puff pastry sheet on a floured work surface. Roll the pastry into a 16-by-12-inch rectangle, with long side parallel to edge of counter. Sprinkle about half of smoked paprika mixture over the surface of pastry. Sprinkle half the cheese over half of the rectangle lengthwise. Carefully fold the rectangle in half lengthwise over the cheese. Press the edges together to seal. Gently roll the folded pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle (about 1/8 inch thick). Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the pastry into 16 (1-inch-wide) strips. Transfer the strips to the prepared baking sheets. Twist the ends in opposite directions to form spiraled sticks. Press the ends of the strips into the parchment paper, if needed, to help them hold their shape.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. (Cover with plastic wrap if refrigerating for more than 1 hour.). After removing from refrigerator sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and remaining smoked paprika mixture. Bake in 375 degree oven until cheese straws are golden brown and puffed, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating trays and moving between top and bottom racks halfway through.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Despite the fact the puff pastry was past the BUB date these were perfectly OK; spicy crunchy and flavorful. Perfect to have with a glass of wine. 

Table of Contents 2025

January 2025
January 2     Happy New Year 2025 謹賀新年2025
January 5     Sushi Taro Osechi box 2025
January 8     Sushi Taro New Year Soba 手打ち蕎麦
January 11    Grilled “Tai” Perch Seasoned Rice 鯛飯もどき
January 14     “Karasumi” Japanese Bottarga from Maruhide 丸秀の唐墨
January 17    Bottarga/Karasumi Taste Test 日本の唐墨とサルジニアのボタルガの味比べ
January 20    Apple Pie Muffin and Pan Cake アップルパイ　マフィン
January 23    “Endless” Konnyaku 無限コンニャク
January 26    Mock Tofu 擬制豆腐
January 29    Apple Fritter アップルフリッター

February 2025
February 1    Braised Eggplant with Ground Chicken 茄子のそぼろ煮
February 4    Sashimi Daikon Garnish 刺身の大根つま/けん
February 7    Wild Rice Salad ワイルドライスサラダ
February 10    Apple Pie Muffin Made with Juiced Apple アップルパイマフィン
February 13    Chocolate Milk Bread チョコレートミルクパン
February 19    Ricotta Lemon Cookie リコッタチーズ　レモンクッキー
February 21    Assorted Japanese Mini-pans 日本のミニ菓子パン各種
February 24    Quesadilla with Mini-corn Tortilla and Browned Cheese
February 27    Burdock Root Kelp Roll ごぼうの昆布巻き

March 2025
March 2    Anchovy Onion Cocktail Biscuit アンチョビイと玉ねぎカクテルビスケット
March 6    Shrimp Chicken Gyouza エビと鶏肉の餃子
March 9    Chickpea fries ひよこ豆フライ
March 19    Babka Cookie Muffin バブカ　クッキー　マフィン
March 22    Nappa Cabbage Cream Stew 白菜のクリームシチュー
March 30    Jubako for “hanami” cherry blossom gazing 花見用市松模様の重箱

April 2025
April 2    Hanami 2025 花見2025
April 5    Hanami #2 花見＃2
April 8    “Cotton Candy Grape Muffin” “わたあめブドウ” のマフィン
April 11    “Cotton Candy Grape” Panna Cotta “わたあめブドウ“ パンナコッタ
April 14    Carrot Salad Muffin 人参サラダ入りマフィン
June 2025

June 12    Tokyo Kyobashi Areas Izakayas (part 1) 東京の居酒屋　東京駅八...
June 15    Cream Cheese with Pickled Daikon クリームチーズ　沢庵入り
June 18    Tokyo Kyobashi Areas Izakayas (part 2) 東京の居酒屋　東京駅八...
June 21    “Renkon” Lotus Root in sweet vinegar 酢れんこん
June 24    Tokyo Kyobashi Areas Izakayas (part 3) 東京の居酒屋　東京駅八...
June 27    Lemon Crumb Bar レモンクラムバー
June 30    Tokyo Kyobashi Areas Izakayas (part 4) 東京の居酒屋　東京駅八...


July 2025
July 3    Matcha Almond Pancake (again) 抹茶アーモンドパンケーキ
July 6    Izakaya in Kanazawa 金沢の居酒屋
July 9    Topping of Katsu-Don カツ丼のあたま
July 12    Kyoto Izakaya in Kyoto Station area part 1 京都駅付近の居...
July 15    Vinegar Cured Mackerel Sushi with Shiro-ita Kelp バッテラ
July 18    Kyoto Izakaya in Kyoto Station Area Part 2 京都駅駅付近付...
July 21    Pea, Ricotta ad Mint Gazpacho えんどう豆、リコッタチーズとミントのガス...
July 24    Tottori Izakaya and Shinkansen “Izakaya” 鳥取の居酒屋と新幹...
July 27    Pea, Avocado and Mint Blini グリーンピー、アボカド、ミント　ガスパッチョ
July 30    Izakaya in Sapporo Part 1 札幌の居酒屋パート1

August 2025
August 2    Chilean Sea Bass in Sweet “Saikyo” Miso メロの西京味噌焼き
August 5    Izakaya in Sapporo Part2 札幌の居酒屋パート2
August 8    Cream Cheese Muffin クリームチーズマフィン
August 11    Sapporo Lunch Places Part 1札幌の昼ごはん パート1
August 14    Pork Vindaloo with Baby Corn and Edamame ポーク “ビンダル...
August 17    Izakaya in Sapporo Part3 札幌の居酒屋パート3
August 20    Impromptu Eggplant Mushroom Stir-fry 茄子と椎茸のオイスターソース炒め
August 23    Sapporo Lunch places part2 札幌の昼ごはん　パート2
August 26    Cold Udon with Sesame Sauce 胡麻ソース和え冷製うどん
August 29    Izakaya in Sapporo Part 4 札幌の居酒屋パート4

September 2025
September 1    Savory Breakfast Mini Cheesecakes ミニチーズケーキ
September 4    Izakaya in Sapporo Part 5 札幌の居酒屋パート5
September 7    Mapo (sort of) Eggplant “麻婆風” 茄子
September 10    Izakaya in Sapporo Part 6 札幌の居酒屋パート6
September 13    Oyster Mushroom and Chiku-wa Stir-fly with Yuzu-ko...
September 16    Cheese Straws チーズツイスト
September 19    Small Dishes or “Sake-no-sakana” 酒の肴
September 21    Prosciutto, dates, and goat cheese bites
September 24    Cabbage and pork belly stir-fry キャベツと豚バラの炒め物
September 27    Scallop fry ホタテのフライ
September 30    Yellow Squash Garlic Bites イエロースクワシュ、ガーリックバイツ

October 2025
October 3    Green Yuzu, “Kinome” Japanse pepper leaves 青柚子と木の芽
October 6    Japanese “Mizu” eggplant Asazuke 水茄子の浅漬け
October 9    Spanish Mackerel dumpling Soup topped with “Kinome...
October 12    Cucumber with Miso Sauces 味噌胡瓜
October 15    Moon gazing 10/6/2025 月見
October 18    Dishes from Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi Block キハダマグロ刺身の柵
October 21    Scallion Cheese Pinwheels ねぎとチーズの渦巻き
October 24    Hiyaoroshi Sake and Matsutake ひやおろし酒 “如空”と松茸
October 27    Funny cake ファニーケーキ
October 30    Julienned vegetable salad 刻み野菜サラダ

November 2025
November 2    Salmon Shrimp Pâté with Shiitake 椎茸入り鮭とエビのパテ
November 5    Cheese Pennies チーズ (ペニー) バタークッキー
November 8    Japanese Cucumber with “Sudachi” Miso 酢橘味噌胡瓜
November 11    Indian Pudding インディアンプディング
November 14    Kabocha Blini かぼちゃビリーニ
November 17    Brioche ブリオーシュ
November 20    Caramelized onion pizza 飴色玉ねぎピザ
November 23    White Pizza “Pizza Bianca” 白いピザ
November 27    Vanilla Shoofly Pie バニラシュウフライパイ
November 30    Simmered “Ni-Yakko” tofu 煮やっこ

December 2025
December 2    Nutmeat Pate 木の実のパテ
December 5    Wood-ear Mushroom in Sesame Sauce キクラゲの胡麻和え
December 8    Lemon Sponge Pudding/Pie レモンスポンジプッデング
December 11    Scallops and Shrimp with Yuzu Galic Butter Sauce ホ...
December 14    Sweet Potato muffin with Dates and Cranberries サツマ...

Pesto Blini ペストビリ二

Our window sill basil is still growing very well. Although we use cuttings for pizzas and salads etc, we still need to harvest a relatively large quantity of basil every-once-in-a-while. Although my wife made basil cake/bread, our default to use up excess basils is making pesto. But once the pesto is made, we have to use it in a reasonable time or freeze it. Once we freeze the pesto, we tend to forget about it. We used most of the last batch for pesto and red pepper sauce pizza. My wife came up with this to use up the remaining pesto.  “Pesto Blini”! This is an extension of “Roasted pepper blini”.  We had it toasted as a part of breakfast it had a nice crisp crust and the pesto flavor came through as a savory dimension. We have to enjoy this with other appropriate toppings.

Ingredients(X2.5) makes 17 blini
1/2 cup pesto
5 tbs melted butter
1/2 +1/8 cup cream
5 large eggs, beaten
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 3/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
In a medium bowl, add the egg, the pesto, the melted butter and cream, then add the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until well blended. (You may need to add more liquid so the batter is the consistency of pancake batter.)
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pyrex dish. Use the melted butter to grease each of the platar cups of a cast iron platar before adding the batter . Pour the batter into the cups until they are 1/2 full. Cook over moderately low heat, turning once, until set, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining butter and batter.

This makes a lovely savory crumpet like bite. It also provides a nice contrast to the usual flavors that appear for breakfast and it is a great way to use up pesto left over from pesto pizza.

Pizza Made in Indoor Electric “Pizzaiolo” Pizza Oven

After my wife gave me this indoor electric pizza oven for my birthday (at the end of March), I have made quite a few pizzas (4-5 times, total of 10-12 pizzas) in the past 2 and half months. The  pizzas I made were quite good (better than the ones I made using our regular oven) but they can be improved and I kept changing the settings and dough recipes. I also got a pizza steel made for the Pizzaiolo and tried that too. 

Compared to the pizza stone, the steel retains and conducts heat better. When making multiple pizzas, the pizza stone requires a few minutes to recover and reach the correct heat settings after making each pizza. The pizza steel appears to stay hot.  The bottom of the crust gets carbonized a bit too much, though. I only used the pizza steel once.  I have to try a few more time before I can evaluate properly.  I am sticking to the pizza stone for now. 

In any case, picture #1A is my most recent pizza (using “00” flour, half Margherita and half pepperoni). To me, the crust charr marks are just right (“Darkness” setting at 11 o’clock) as compared to #3 which was too charred with the “Darkness” setting at one o’clock.

The next pizza (picture #1B) is our first attempt using pesto (from the basil on home-grown on the window sill) and red pepper sauce. The cheeses are low moisture Mozzarella and fresh goat cheese.

The picture #2 is another Margherita I made earlier. It looks “charred” but the taste was not bad, it did not taste like you are eating pure carbon but it was too much charr. This was the “darkness” setting at one o’clock.

Picture #3 is one of our most popular pizza; artichoke hearts (from a jar) with olives. Cheeses are mozzarella, Irish cheddar, smoked gouda and fresh goat cheese. This was baked immediately after the #3 pizza (I prepared this pizza in a wooden pizza paddle while the first one was being cooked). This made this pizza crust bottom not as crispy and charred since the pizza stone was not completely recovered heat.

Although this is still on-going process, the below are my current set-ups for the oven and dough.

Dough: I tried both “00” and bread flours with and without addition of olive oil. “00” dough without olive oil is a bit too chewy for us but addition of a small amount of olive oil appears to make it better (may not be authentic for Neapolitan or New York pizza). For us, the bread flour or “00” flour does not make a big difference but  we may even prefer “bread-y” consistency of crust using the bread flour.

Ingredients:
3 and 1/2 of flour (either bread or “00”)
2 tbs olive oil
1 (or a bit more) cup of water
2 tsp Kosher salt
2 tsp instant yeast

Addendum: (65% hydration with weighing)

520 gram 00flour

340 gram water

Directions: (I use the food processor fitted with a kneading blade in low-speed up to 4 cups  of flour).
After running the blade to mix all the dry ingredients, I drizzle the water in a thin steady stream as it is running until the dough forms above the blade (the surface is a bit sticky). Let it sit for 5 minutes for better hydration and run another 1-2 minutes. Take it out on a floured board and hand knead until elastic. Placed the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over to coat all the surface, cover it with a plastic wrap and place it in a proofing box at 85F for 1 hour or until doubles.

Deflate gently, fold several times and divide it up into 4 equal dough balls (I weigh making 4 balls of a bit over  200grams each). After the first rise, I divide the dough and form 4 balls with a smooth surface. Place it in a small Ziploc bag coated with olive oil inside and let it sit in the refrigerator at least overnight or up to  several days. I take out the dough balls one hour before baking and let it come to the room temperature. If I do not use it within several days, I freeze them. (to use the frozen dough, I transfer it to the refrigerator one day before to completely thaw).

I hand stretch the dough to make 10 inch pizza, coat it with olive oil with crushed garlic. I place the slices of  low moisture Mozzarella first and then tomato sauce.

Oven settings: “Wood fired” and the darkness setting to “11 o’clock”. Preheat for 30 minutes. I use the modified the wooden paddles which fit the oven perfectly. I use corn meal on the paddle so that the dough slides better. I cook for 2 minutes (as it is the automatically setting). Steam and some smoke come out during cooking so I use the oven under the hood with the exhaust fan running. For the next pizza, I wait until the stone temperature completely recovers (a few minutes until the “at temp” indicator light stops blinking).

Is it worth it?? Although pizza I made using the regular oven and pizza stone was quite good, pizza cooked in the Pizzaiola is definitely much better. They cook so quickly (instead of 6-7 minutes in the conventional oven they’re done in just 2 minutes). So if you have a pizza party, you could turn out a few pizzas in a jiffy. I am trying to keep this oven clean but it is a bit of a chore. Other use of this oven may be to bake focaccia (which we tried with a good result) or naan (which we have not tried yet).

Red and Green Udon “Pasta” with Prosciutto 生ハムのせ緑と赤のうどんパスタ

I came up with this for lunch one day. This is a left-over control dish. A few days ago since it is getting hot, we had cold “udon” pasta with tomatosトマトの冷製パスタ for lunch.  We usually make this dish with thin udon 糸うどん rather than fettuccine. I also cook up more than what we can use for this dish since cooked udon noodles can be used for other dishes and are handy to have. We also had left-over roasted red pepper sauce and pesto which I made a few days ago and used to make a white pizza with those sauces on top. We still had a bit more of the red pepper sauce and pesto left, so I came up with this dish (picture #1). The topping is prosciutto. It was also left over from the cold tomato pasta. I also added grated Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of our favorite Spanish olive oil. 

I thought of making cold pasta but ended up with warm pasta. I just sautéed the pasta in two separate small frying pans with small amount of olive oil. I added the red pepper sauce and pesto to each pan and warmed them up.

I topped this with prosciutto, grated parmesan and drizzle of olive oil. This was a quite good pasta dish. In addition, we managed to finish a few left-overs.

Focaccia Bread Baked in Breville Pizzaiolo Indoor Pizza Oven

I have made focaccia bread and its variations baked in a convection oven. We liked a thicker and breadier version which was cooked in a baking pan in lower temperature (350F) for longer time (30 minutes). 

Recently, my wife gave me an indoor-electric pizza oven, Breville Pizzaiolo as a birthday gift. I am making pizza several times using different flours, dough recipes and temperatures. Generally, I am quite impressed with the quality of pizza that can be made in this oven but I am still making pizzas to find the best combination for me. Once I have enough information, that will be the subject of a separate post. This post is just to note a few things I can do to improve the focaccia. The focaccia was great albeit one side of the top was a little too high done (#1). The result of  using the top heating unit is a bit uneven for heating.

I used the carbon iron pan that came with the oven for baking the focaccia. I pre-seasoned the pan as per the instructions and it worked great. With a 30 minutes secondary rise, the bread has nice texture and flavors (#2). We really like the crusty surface and nice soft interior.

The recipe is just for my notes so that I can improve it next time.

Ingredients:
3 and 1/2 cup bread flour
2 tsp Kosher salt
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp instant yeast
1 cup and a bit more  lukewarm water

Olives, black and green, sliced
Fresh rosemary, leaves removed and roughly chopped
4 or more tbs olive oil

Directions:
Add the flour, salt and yeast to a food processor fitted with a kneading blade. Mix briefly and pour in the olive oil in a thin stream. While the blade is turning in low-speed, add the water in a thin stream. Look carefully until a dough ball forms above the blade (the dough ball is slightly sticky). Let is stand for 5 minutes for even hydration. Turn the processor on low speed for 1-2 minutes. Turn the dough ball out on well floured board and knead for 3-5 minutes making a smooth elastic dough. Shape the dough into a  smooth round and place it in lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Let it rise for about 1 hour (I use a proofing box at 87F).

Deflate the dough and fold several times on well floured kneading board making a disk of dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes (so that the gluten relaxes and it becomes easier to stretch). Meanwhile lightly oil the carbon iron pan. Add the disk of dough in the pan and using your finger tips spread the dough to fill the pan. Add the rosemary to the olive oil and spread over the dough and scatter the olive slices. Using your finger tips, press and embed the olive (picture #3). Cover and let it rise for 30 minutes (or skip this and immediately proceed to baking*). 

*I like the fluffy texture and usually let it rise second time but baking in the pizza oven, it may better without the second rising since the top heating element is very close to the surface.

Using  the pan pizza setting (475F for 18 minutes) and the top heat in the middle (I may reduce the top heat to prevent the surface scorching too much, see picture #1).

Remove the bread from the pan using spatula and let it cool on the cooling rack.

We really like this version of focaccia bread. Compared to my usual focaccia, it has nice crust and the texture is much better. With a good flavorful olive oil with salt and a glass of good cab, we made the dinner from this bread.

Table of contents 2024

January 2024
January 1,    Happy New Year 2024 明けましておめでとう2024 
January 5,    Tomato and Egg Stir-fry with Wood Ear and Natto 納豆、トマト、木耳の卵炒め
January 22,   Goat Cheese Scallion Muffin ゴートチーズと青葱マフィン
January 25,   White "Pineberry" and Red "Koyo" Stawberries 白いイチゴと昂揚イチゴ
January 28,   Beef with Kon-nyaku and Vegetable "Kimpira" Stir Fry 牛肉と蒟蒻の金平

February 2024
February 3,     Chestnut Brown Butter, Sage Muffin 栗の粉とセイジマフィン
February 8,     Grated Lotus Root and Tofu Ball レンコン豆腐饅頭
February 11,    Sweet Onion Bread Pudding 玉ねぎのブレッドプデｨング
February 15,    Shad Roe from South Carolina 南カロライナからのシャドロウ
February 18,    Cranberry Camembert Cheese Bites クランベリーソース、カマンベールチーズ　バイツ
February 21,    Simmered Shad Roe with Vegetables シャドロウの煮付け
February 24,    Shad Roe Pasta  シャドロウパスタ
February 27,    Pickled Cucumber キュウリの漬物

March 2024
March 1,    “Maitake” Hen of the Woods Mushroom in Brown Butter and Sage 焦がしバターとセイジ風味舞茸
March 4,    Instant Pot BBQ Baby Back Ribs バーベキューベイビーバックリブ
March 7,    Salted Oatmeal Cookie 塩味オートミールクッキー
March 10,  Lobster Salad ロブスターサラダ
March13,    “Roman” Gnocchi ローマンニョキ
March 22,   Duck Tender Cutlet and Arancini 鴨ささ身のカツレツ
March 25,   Mary Walsh’s Currant Cake マリーウオルシュのカラントケーキ
March 28,   St. Patrick’s Day Dinner, Lamb Chops and Cabbage with bacon セントパトリックのディナー

April 2024
April 6,    Pumpkin “Kabocha” salad カボチャのサラダ
April 10,    Mini Fruit Galettes ミニフルーツガッレト 
April 21,    Spinach Soufflé (easy version) ほうれん草のスフレ 
April 30,    Frangipane Rolls フランジパンロール 

May 2024
May 13,    Pickled Micro Cucumber and Daikon 小さなキュウリと大根のピクルス 
May 15,    Steamed Carrot Buns with Ginger Custard 人参蒸しパン生姜カス... 
May 18,    Braised Eggplant with Oyster Sauce 茄子と椎茸のオイスターソース炒め
May 21,    Creamed Spinach with Cauliflower Puree カリフラワーピュレのク
May 24,    Anchovy Salad アンチョビサラダ
May 27,    Daikon Steak and Two Appetizers 大根ステーキ
May 30,    Focaccia Bread Baked in Breville Pizzaiolo Indoor Pizza Oven 

June 2024
June 2,    Steak and 2004 Joseph PhelpさんInsignia ステーキデｨナーと2004 インシグニア
June 5,    Gyoza made with New Round Gyoza Skin 日本風の餃子の皮で作った餃子 
June 8,    Filled Wool Bread 毛糸のパン 
June 11,    Shrimp Shumai 海老焼売 
June 14,    Pumpernickel Boule ドイツ黒パン 
June 17,    Ice Breaker “Summer” Sake 玉川アイスブレイカー酒 
June 20,    Carrot Panna Cotta 搾りたて人参ジュースのパナコタ
June 23,    Miso-marinated Firefly Squid ホタルイカの味噌焼き 
June 26,    Wood Ear Mushroom and Wakame Salad 木耳とわかめの和物 
June 29,    Nine “Otoshi” Appetizers お通し九種類

July 2024
July 2,    Egg roll 春巻き
July 5,    Red and Green Udon “Pasta” with Prosciutto 生ハムのせ赤と緑のうどんパスタ
July 8,    Pizza Made in Indoor Electric “Pizzaiolo” Pizza Oven 
July 11,    Garlic Chive Dumpling ニラ頭饅 or 韮菜万頭
July 14,    Mitsuba ミツバ 
July 17,    Dassai 45 and Dassai blue comparison 獺祭45とDassai Blue 50 飲み比べ 
July 28,    Cucumber in soy sauce 胡瓜の醤油漬け
July 31,    Tofu, Egg and Garlic Chives Stir Fry 豆腐ニラ玉、木耳入り

August 2024
August 9,    Home Coffee Roasting 緑コーヒー豆の自家焙煎 
August 12,    Icelandic Pumpernickel (Rye) Bread アイスランドのライ麦パン

September 2024
September 2,    Smelt Fry シシャモフライ
September 5,    Pesto Blini ペストビリニ 
September 8,    Yakitori de le Canard 鴨ささみで焼き鳥 
September 11,    Vegetables in Cold Broth 冷製のトマトの煮浸し 
September 14,    Pesto Blini Prosciutto Cheese Sandwich ペストビリニの生ハムチーズサンド
September 17,    Chicken Tender Fry with Salted Plum Sauce and Perilla ささみの梅大葉揚げ 
September 21,    Simmered Dried Daikon Threads 切り干し大根の煮物 
September 24,    Fresh Corn Blini コーンビリニ 
September 27,    Stir-fried Eggplant and Shiitake in Oyster Sauce 茄子と椎茸のオイスターソース炒め... 
September 30,    Mashed Potato Blini マシュポテトのビリニ

October 2024
October 3,    Five appetizers お通し５品
October  10,    Hen-of-the-Woods Grilled Cheese 舞茸のチーズ焼き
October 13,    Strawberry Blini いちごビリニ 
October 16,    Enoki mushroom frittata エノキ　オムレツ/フリッタータ 
October 19,    Kabocha salad カボチャサラダ 
October 22,    Matsutake (from Weee) Touban-yaki 松茸の陶盤焼き 
October 25,    Black Cod Marinated in Saikyo miso 銀鱈の西京(味噌)焼き
October 28,    Egg-wrapped Kabocha カボチャの黄金焼き 
October 31,    Almond Olive Oil Cake アーモンドオリーブオイルケーキ

November 2024
November 3,    Hiyaoroshi Sake Dewanoyuki “Sho-nai Bijin” 出羽ノ雪　冷やおろし庄内美人
November 6,    Hiyaoroshi Sake “Shichi Hon Yari” 七本槍　純米ひやおろし 
November 9,    Prosciutto-wrapped Haddock 生ハム巻きハドック (コダラ) 
November 12,    Marinated Chicken Tender Cutlet 鳥のささみのカツレツ
November 15,    Crispy Enoki Mushroom エノキのパリパリ焼き
November 18,    Bagel ベーグル 
November 21,    Chestnut Apple Soup クリとリンゴのスープ 
November 24,    Norwegian Mackerel Teriyaki 冷凍ノルウエイ鯖の照り焼き 
November 27,    “Imo-ni” Stew famous in Yamagata 芋煮庄内風 
November 30,    Matsutake and beef cooked in an Aluminum Foil Pouch 松茸と牛肉のフォイル焼き

December 2024
December 8,    Chestnut olive oil bread 栗とオリーブオイルケーキ
December 11,    Marinated Tofu and Egg Sir fry 味付け豆腐の卵炒め 
December 16,    Braised daikon with carrot, wood ear, and fried tofu 大根と人参の炒め物
December 19,    “Taco Carnitas”-ish タコ カルニタもどき
December 21,    Tofu in Warm Broth ミニ湯豆腐

Cheesy Lebanon Bologna bites チーズとレバノンボロニャ ミニマッフィン（バイツ）

 Some time ago, my wife made some small muffin/bites with cheese and Lebanon Bologna which is the perfect small appetizer with wine. We kept them frozen and she served the last two. She wanted to make some more and we naturally assumed we could find the recipe in our blog but after some searching, we could not find it. So, we concluded we must not have posted it. We looked for the original recipe and had difficult time but finally my wife found the print-out of the recipe. The original recipe came from King Arthur Flour web site and called “Cheesy Pepperoni bites”. The original recipe calls for “Pizza flavor seasoning ” to make it taste like pepperoni pizza, I suppose. As usual she took the recipe as “advisory” and made some changes mostly based on what ingredients we had available. So she used Lebanon Bologna (she keeps some on hand frozen) instead of pepperoni, added chopped fresh chives and omitted the pizza seasoning (since we didn’t have it).

I ask my wife to take over.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (180g) AP flour
1/4 cup (28g) Cheddar Cheese Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (57g) butter, cut in pats
1/2 cup (50g) Lebanon Bologna (or pepperoni, diced) (#1)
1 cup (113g) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup (14g) sliced chives (or scallions) (#1)
3/4 cup (170g) milk

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a bite-sized tart pan; a mini muffin pan, or a baking sheet. If using the pop-up tart pan, have an ungreased baking sheet available to use as a base.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, cheese powder, baking powder, salt.
Add the butter, working it in until the mixture is crumbly.
Add the Lebanon bologna, shredded cheese, and scallions, mixing to distribute (#2 above).
Add the milk, mixing just until everything is evenly moistened.
Scoop the dough by the level tablespoonful (second smallest ice cream scoop we have)  into the mini-muffin pan. 

Place the mini muffin pan onto a baking sheet to catch any drips.
Bake the biscuits till they're a medium to deep golden brown, 10 to 14 minutes.
Remove the biscuits from the oven, and cool briefly on a rack. Use a table knife to pop the bottom of the pan off the biscuits

I am sure pepperoni works well in this but Lebanon Bologna’s smoky and sweet flavors also work well. It is very cheesy with cheddar flavor which may be due to the addition of  “Better cheddar cheese powder” from King Athur. 

Butter, butter, butter, butter, rolls バター、バター、バターロール

My wife recently bought a cookbook called “Fast Breads” by Elinor Klivans and these were the first things she made from it. The are called buttery rowies. She thought they looked like croissants but were much easier to make so she gave them a try. 

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups unbleached AP flour
2 tsp. Salt
2 1/4 tsp. Yeast
1 cup warm water (recipe calls for water 130 degrees F. I thought that was too hot and would kill the yeast. I don’t know what the purpose of such a high temperature would be.)
1 cup (two sticks) of butter softened for 20 minutes to room temperature

Directions:
Put the flour, salt, and yeast in the bowl of stand mixer. Add the water and mix until the ingredients are combined then beat for 4 minutes. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Cut the butter into 1/4 inch slices. Pat and roll the dough into a 10 X 8 inch rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Distribute the 1/2 of the butter pieces on the rectangle (picture on the left below). Using a spatula spread the butter evenly over the dough leaving a 1 inch border all around. With the long edge facing you fold the dough over into thirds and pinch the edges tightly to seal. (The dough should now measure 3 X 8.) Roll the dough out into a 12 X 6 rectangle. Distribute the remaining butter over the rectangle. Again using a spatula spread the butter evenly over the dough rectangle leaving a 1 inch border all around. With the short side facing you fold the dough into thirds pinching the sides to seal tightly. Let the dough rest 5 minutes.

Line baking sheet with 1 inch sides with parchment paper. Gently roll the dough into a 10 x 8 rectangle. Using a sharp knife (I used a pizza cutter), cut the dough into 2 inch squares. Place the squares on the baking sheet one inch apart, cover and let rolls rise for about 30 minutes. (They will not rise much but will soft and puffy). Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown (picture on the right). (Some of the butter will leak out so they will be baking in bubbling butter).
Let cool about 10 minutes then serve.

These rolls are basically a butter deliver system for those who like butter but are too embarrassed to just gnaw on a raw stick of it straight out of the package. To get an idea of how much butter was involved, the ratio of butter to flour is one stick of butter for each cup of flour. Also the picture on the left above, just shows half the butter used. Twice the amount of butter shown there goes on the same rectangle of dough. When the rolls came out of the oven they were literally swimming in melted butter. My wife tipped the baking sheet and ladled spoonfuls of butter over the top of the rolls to use it up. While the rolls were crispy on the outside they were completely soaked in butter on the inside. In short this is a prime example of “too much of a good thing”. This was way too much butter. My wife couldn’t eat them. I think they could be quite good, however, if made with half the amount of butter. 

No knead pizza dough 捏ねないピザ生地

Since we are into "no knead" breads, when my wife found a recipe for "No knead pizza dough", I had to try it. Using this dough, I made my usual version of Pizza Margherita.

The pizza shown below was my wife's suggestion including several cheeses (mozzarella,  Monterey jack and smoked gouda) with baby artichoke herts, black and green olives (Devina brand).

No knead pizza dough recipe came from King Arthur flour web site.

Ingredients: (this makes two pizzas like above)
250gram AP flour
1/8 tsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
185gram lukewarm water

Directions: (only making dough part was quoted here)
1. Stir all of the ingredients together. Cover the rough, sticky dough and let it rise at room temperature for 24 hours. After this first rise, you may choose to refrigerate the dough for up to 6 days, which will help develop its flavor.
2. Divide the dough in half. Shape each piece into a ball. Place each ball seam-side down into a floured bowl.
3. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to proof (rise) for 45 minutes to an hour, while your oven preheats.
4. Scoop the dough onto a well-floured work surface and dust the top with flour. Using your fingertips, gently depress the dough, being careful not to touch the outer edge of the crust; you want it to remain thick.
5. Lift up the pizza and use your knuckles to gently stretch the dough into a circle about 10" to 12" in diameter. Move it to a well-floured pizza peel (I use yellow corn meal).

The topping and baking parts I followed my usual way. Although I cooked the pizza the usual 5 minutes, because of the high water content of the dough, retrospectively, I would have cooked the pizza longer maybe 7-8 minutes.

This pizza crust was a bit more flavorful but not that much different from my usual crust. Handling the dough was much more tricky since it was so wet. I may try it again with a longer cooking time.

Basil pesto pizza ペストジェノベェーゼピッザ

Every year we used to plant basil in our herb garden but, in general, it did not do well. Maybe it was too much sun; it bolted very quickly and the leaves were tough.  So, we went back to buying basil in small packets from the grocery store. Most of these store-bought basils clearly had a hard life. They were a bit pathetic and already wilted by the time they came to reside in our refridgerator.  Since, due to covid, we have not been going to the grocery stores often nowadays, and we could not get out to buy herbs for our garden, my wife decided to try rooting some of these sad store-bought basils. She was generally successful. About 70-80% of the basil she tried, developed roots and 95% of those really started to grow after she transplanted them in soil. (The ones she planted in top soil did not do quite as well as those planted in potting soil). So now, we have a small collection of basil pots sunning themselves in the kitchen windows. 

Since the plants were in need of trim, one day my wife recruited me to make pesto. The above is after my wife harvested leaves for the pesto. I made pesto in standard way (Just add basil, pine nuts, garlic, and salt into the mini food processor and add olive oil while the processor is running. Finish by adding grated Parmesan cheese). Next question; what to do with all this pesto? She then suggested making a pesto pizza. Which I did (shown below). 

This was entirely her idea. She asked me to use both fresh and low-moisture mozzarella cheese and two kind of olives (Karamata and anchovy stuffed green olives, which we happened to have). I brushed the dough with garlic infused oil, placed the slices of mozzarella cheese and spread the pesto over the cheese slices, then placed the olives. This came out rather nice with a fresh basil taste that worked well with the olives and mozzarella. Of course, we had to make our usual Margherita pizza as well. (Note the basil chiffonaid on top).

So, this is a good use of the basil forests now growing on our kitchen window sill. We restrained ourselves to having just one slice from each pizza, so we would be sure to have left overs to crisp up in the toaster oven during the week. Of course, to be heart-healthy, we had red wine which went so well with pizzas as usual.