Grilled Salad Pizza and Grilled Sausage Pizza!!

The summer is officially winding down, which is absolutely not okay, seeing as Michael and I feel that we have barely been able to enjoy it at all. However we did receive sweet vacay time last week, this is the reason why we have been MIA.

My family has a cabin in sequoia national forest, about 4 hours from Los Angeles, with a view of mountains, trees, and the Tule river; it is one of my favorite places to go in the whole world. This last time we decided to try some really healthy eating, and in the meantime also slide in a lil grilled pizza.

This recipe is so simple, and because we wanted it to be camping and BBQing friendly, we used a simple dough mix and added our favorite toppings. We made a sausage, onion, and mushroom pizza with a light sauce, and a salad pizza. Enjoy these recipes, there is no way you will be disappointed.

*We used Auntie Annie’s mix, the kind that makes pretzel, it is also a bomb pizza dough mix.

Ingredients:

Dough mix or premade dough

Sausage Pizza:

1 cup crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon garlic salt

5 sweet Italian sausages

3 small green onions

½ cup sliced mushrooms

Salad pizza:

2 cups mixed lettuce

3 cloves garlic diced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Pinch of salt



 

 

Before you do anything, if you need to mix your dough, do so now because dough needs about 40 minutes to rise. The actual cooking of the pizza goes by really quickly so it is important to create your mise en place and lay out everything first.

Start by slicing mushrooms, slicing onion, dicing garlic, and measuring your olive oil out. To create the sauce all you need to do is mix the diced tomatoes, oregano, and garlic salt in a small bowl.

Next because we don’t want any of the sausage to be served raw, in a sauté pan, break up your sausage links into small bits and cook until your sear it and it is almost completely cooked all the way through.

Now that we have everything prepped, get your grill started. Lay your coals out evenly because we don’t want just the middle to cook. Have low heat, otherwise the dough will burn before you have time to cook the middle (trust me I had REALLY doughy pizza the first time haha).

Maybe set up a little table by the BBQ  so that you have everything close by, and be sure that you have a paper towel or a brush to brush the olive oil on for the salad pizza.

Once the dough is ready, separate it into two different pizzas. Roll them out about a 1/4 inch thick, so not that thick, and put back in the fridge to let harden for about 5 minutes.

Now lets get grilling! Start with the salad pizza, because this one is good cold. Once the coals are ready, pull the pizza off the plate and lay on the BBQ. The pizza will instantly start to bubble, and you only want to cook for about 2-3 minutes, brush with olive oil trying not to pop the bubbles. Now flip, and brush more olive oil on, top with garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook for another 3 minutes and pull off and let cool.

Now to cook the sausage pizza, cook first side of down then flip. Quickly put sauce on, then sprinkle evenly the sausage, mushroom, and onion, and then cover the BBQ with the lid. This lets the toppings cook a little while preventing the bottom from burning. Only do this for about 4-5 minutes, and then pull off.

*If you aren’t happy with how cooked the toppings are but the crust is cookes, put the pizza under a low broil in the oven for about 5-10 more minutes until the toppings are cooked more, even add a little olive oil to help. But watch it, you don’t want to burn it.

Finish up the salad pizza by adding the lettuce and the remainder of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and serve with the hot of the grill sausage pizza.

Happy pizza grillin!

Micro-green Farm to Table Salad

With Michael newly being instated as sous chef at A-Frame, part of his new repertoire is to be in contact with farmers from local farms in the Oxnard and Malibu. In honor of local farmers and the gorgeous harvest of the California summer we created this lovely and bright micro green and herbed salad with fresh vegetables topped with queso fresco. We hope you enjoy this salad and take a look at what your local farmers have to offer to you!

*There is no real measurement to this salad, except for dressing, but use your own judgment….you want a relatively even amount of vegetables.

Ingredients: serves 4-6
4 medium heirloom tomatoes
3 Persian cucumbers
3 small golden beets
2 small ears yellow corn
5 large leaves basil
2 large sprigs tarragon
2 cups micro-greens
2 large cloves garlic
3 tablespoons ponzu
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 lemon
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
½ cup queso fresco

 

Most of this salad is just prepping and cutting your ingredients. I created a mini buffet of sorts and put it together at will.

To start, clean all of your vegetables, and set out a few small bowl to place your vegetables in. Running the blade of a knife along the center of an ear of corn away from your body, remove all corn kernels. Next quarter and dice your cucumbers. Using a mandolin if you have one, slice beets paper thin, as thin as a chip. Then dice your tomatoes into pieces all the same size.

For the tarragon, pull all the leaves off by holding the top end of the little sprig and rubbing your finger in the opposite direction to pull leaves off, then chiffonade. To chiffonade all of your basil at once, lay the leaves on top of each other, roll them up tightly, and then slice from right to left. Mix tarragon and basil together.

In a large bowl pour an even amount of all of the chopped and cut vegetable together, and half of the tarragon basil mix.  Pour 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in, all of your black pepper, and ½ Tablespoon of salt, and stir and let sit for no less than 10 minutes.

To create your salad dressing, finely chop garlic and place in small bowl with remainder of salt and olive oil, the juice of one lemon, and the ponzu. Mix together. Pour ¾ of the dressing in the vegetables and mix together.

To assemble the salad, mix the rest of the basil mix with your micro greens and toss with the rest of the salad dressing a bit at a time. Be sure not to drown the greens, so if you feel it is too much dressing don’t use it all.

The best way to plate is to toss a small amount of green with a large spoonful of vegetables and a Tablespoon of queso fresco at a time, or just mix everything together at once!

Enjoy, and get to know what is growing in your neck of the woods.

 

 

 

 

Bonne Fete Nationale!

La Fête Nationale ou, le quatorze juillet! In English known as Bastille Day or the 14^th of July. I suppose we could say that it is the French Independence day, it is a day symbolizing the rise of the modern nation of France.

All history aside, what we miss so much about France, specifically Paris, is not only the art, the life, the people, it is the food, specifically French bistro food. The croque monsieur is the king of French bistro food, first appearing on menus in 1910 as a quick bar snack. This sandwich goes beyond your mother’s ham and cheese sandwich and elevates it with gooey gruyere, Dijon, and a slathering of béchamel.

Make this sandwich, drink some rose, and watch some firework, and Bonne Fête Nationale!

Ingredients: makes 2 or 4 small ones
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 ½ Tablespoons flour
1 cup hot milk
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ Lb ham (any sweet smokey ham) not too thin
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Pinch nutmeg
6 oz grated gruyere
¼ grated parmesan
4 slices sourdough bread
Whole grain mustard

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.



Toast the bread by placing the slices down on a baking sheet and put in oven. Toast 5 minutes, then flip the slices and toast another 3.

In a small sauce pan, melt butter on low heat. Once melted, add flour and stir for about 2 minutes.

Next slowly add hot milk while constantly whisking, until it has thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Take off the heat and add the salt, pepper, pinch of nutmeg, ¼ cup of gruyere, and all of the parmesan. Mix and let sit.

To assemble the sandwich spread whole grain mustard on two slices of bread, next lay the ham and sprinkle with half of the left over gruyere. Lay another piece of bread, and smother with cheese sauce and top with remaining cheese.

Bake in oven for 5 minutes, and then turn the broiler on and broil for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese has browned.

Voila! Eat alone, or you can serve with some Dijon on the side, and some cornichon pickles to balance out the rich creamy cheese!

Happy Fourth Apple Cherry Pie!

 

Happy Fourth of July! Fourth of July is about family, BBQ, hot dogs, parades, fireworks, patriotism, beer on front lawns mid-day, walking in the middle of the street, staying out late when you are a kid!

I still have that sense of wonderment and excitement around the Fourth, that feeling that I will be allowed to stay out and walk around by myself with my friends, and gallivant as I please. It is funny that I still get this way when I am a grown (kind of) adult, and I can do as I please! It is still more fun however when you are running to go get the best view for fireworks.

Though my experience growing up by the ocean in beautiful Pacific Palisade California is different from Michael’s in Bethesda Maryland, one thing absolutely holds ours and everyone else’s experiences together is a good old fashion pie!

We were unable to tell which pie is more American; apple or cherry, so we made an apple cherry pie!

Enjoy, and have a wonderful Fourth!

Ingredients:

Pie Crust:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/4 sticks (18 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed
1 egg
1 Tablespoon milk

Filling:
½ lb sweet cherries
4 granny smith apples
1 lemon
1 cup sugar plus a pinch
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

 

Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter, and process until it looks like meal. While still processing, pour in ice water in a slow steady stream until it just combines.

Divide batter in two and let chill for 1 hour to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 375.

To create the pie filling, pit and halve your cherries, place in a bowl. Core and cut the apples into quarters and then really thin slices. Place in bowl as well, and squeeze the lemon juice over it. Mix the sugar and cinnamon in with the fruit and stir.

To assemble pie spread flour on a flat surface and roll out to about 11 inches wide. Lay on the bottom of your pie pan. Pour your fruit into the pie pan, and dot with butter.

Roll the second dough out and slice into long 1 inch wide pieces. Create a lattice of pie crust by laying one strip down and then another, to create a weaving pattern.

Brush the pie crust with a mix or egg and milk, and sprinkle with sugar.

Place in oven and bake for 40 minutes, then cover the pie with tinfoil, and bake for another 20.

 Finito! Put that pie in the window, but don’t let anyone steal it. Happy 4^th!