Texas Mission Salsa

This recipe came to me from my cousin Charlotte

Ingredients

1 28oz can of tomatoes (whole, sliced, diced, whatever)
2 to 4 garlic cloves sliced a couple of times
1/2 to 1 seeded jalapeno pepper
a fist full of cilantro
1/4 to 1/2 of a small onion cut into chunks
heaping 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
squeeze of lime (optional)

Directions

Blend all ingredients until chopped and mixed well. Eat immediately or refrigerate overnight for a better flavor.

Balsamic Vinaigrette (from Julie Burnett)

This recipe comes via my cousin Julie Burnett from barefeetinthekitchen.com. It can be used as a salad dressing or drizzled on roasted vegetables and chicken wraps, etc.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the honey, balsamic, mustard, salt, pepper, and garlic.
2. Add the oil and whisk thoroughly to combine. Continue whisking until the dressing is fully emulsified.
3. Store in a jar with a lid and refrigerate. Shake well before serving.

Notes

• If you choose to make this in a blender, it will be a thicker dressing.
• This recipe makes 20 tablespoons, at 81 calories each.

Sourdough Discard Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

This recipe comes from makeitdough.com. The ingredients as listed make one large loaf and one regular size loaf.

Ingredients

564 grams water plus more for brushing
112 grams maple syrup
14 grams active-dry yeast or instant yeast
226 grams sourdough discard white or whole wheat
900 grams whole wheat flour
18 grams salt
112 grams olive oil

Directions

1. Bloom the yeast: Whisk the water, maple syrup and yeast together in a large bowl. Cover the bowl and let the yeast bloom until foamy, about 15 minutes.
2. Make the dough: Stir the sourdough discard, whole wheat flour and salt into the yeast mixture until no dry bits of flour remain. Switch to your hands and knead until a cohesive dough forms.
3. Knead the dough into the oil until completely absorbed. The dough should start greasy and gradually become smoother and less sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. (* If using a stand mixer, mix the dough ingredients except for the oil. Once a cohesive dough forms, knead the dough with a dough hook and slowly stream the oil into the bowl until completely incorporated about 5 minutes.)
4. Strengthen the dough: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough by folding it in half, then pressing and pushing with the heel of your hand. Continue this process until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 5 to 10 minutes.
5. First rise: Round the dough into a tight ball, and transfer it to a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Spread oil on top of the dough to prevent it from drying out.
6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
7. Prep: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a 9 by 4-inch Pullman pan (see note) with parchment paper or brush liberally with oil.
8. Shape the dough and place in greased loaf pans.
9. Final Proof: Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise untouched in a warm place. The dough should fill your pan and rise about ½ an inch above the rim, about 30 to 45 minutes.
10. Bake: Bake the dough for 10 minutes at 400 F. Without taking the loaf out of the oven, turn the temperature down to 350 F and continue baking for another 30 to 45 minutes or until the loaf registers at 200 F when probed with an instant-read thermometer.
11. Move the bread to a wire rack and let it cool completely, about 2 hours (ideally overnight) before slicing.

Greek Chicken Gyros

This recipe comes from https://www.recipetineats.com.

Ingredients

2 lb / 1 kg chicken thigh fillets , boneless skinless

Marinade

3 large garlic cloves , minced (~ 3 tsp)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar (or red wine or apple cider vinegar)
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp Greek yogurt , preferably full fat
1 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
Black pepper

Tzatziki

2 cucumbers (to make about 1/2 – 3/4 cup grated cucumber after squeezing out juice)
1 1/4 cups Greek yoghurt , preferably full fat
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or more if you want richer)
1 garlic clove , minced
1/4 tsp salt
Black pepper

Salad

3 tomatoes , desseeded and diced
3 cucumbers , diced
1/2 red spanish onion , peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves (optional)
Salt and pepper

To Serve

4 to 6 pita breads or flat breads

Instructions

Place the Marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag and massage to mix. Add the chicken into the ziplock bag and massage to cover all the chicken in the Marinade. Marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably 3 hours, ideally 12 hours and no longer than 24 hours.

Make the Tzatziki

Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to scrape the watery seeds out. Coarsely grate the cucumber using a box grater. Then wrap in paper towels or a tea towel and squeeze to remove excess liquid.

Place cucumber in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients then mix to combine. Set aside for at least 20 minutes for the flavours to meld.

Salad

Combine ingredients in a bowl.

Cook Chicken

1. Brush the outdoor grill with oil, then preheat on medium high. Or heat 1 tbsp of oil in a fry pan over medium high heat.
2. Remove chicken from Marinade. Cook the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through (cooking time depends on size of chicken).
3. Remove the chicken from the grill / fry pan onto a plate. Cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Assemble Gyros

If your chicken thighs are large, you may need to cut them. Mine were small.

Get a pita bread or flatbread (preferably warmed) and place it on a piece of parchment (baking) paper (or you could use foil). Place some Salad down the middle of the bread, then top with chicken and Tzatziki.

Roll the wrap up, enclosing it with the parchment paper. Twist the end with the excess parchment paper to secure it and cut if desired.

I prefer to lay everything out on a table and let everyone help themselves.

Recipe Notes

• Tzatziki – makes a generous amount. But better to have too much than not enough!
• Freezing – chicken can be frozen in marinade uncooked. Once thawed, massage well to remove curdling then cook per recipe!
• Cooked chicken will keep for 4 days in the fridge.
• Nutrition per serving assuming this serves 4 using pita bread.

Gyros

This recipe comes from tastesbetterfromscratch.com. 

Gyro Meat

1 lb ground lamb
1 lb ground beef , 80/20
1 onion , small
5 cloves garlic , minced
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper , or sub paprika and a dash of cayenne

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Assembly

8 pieces Pita bread , warmed
1 cup Tzatziki sauce* , homemade or store-bought
3 campari or roma tomatoes , sliced
1 red onion , thinly sliced
1 romaine heart , finely chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles , optional
Hot sauce , optional

Instructions

Make Gyro Meat (Bake in the morning or day before, if possible): Add onion and garlic to a food processor and very finely chop. Add to a bowl along with the ground meat, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, oregano, cumin, and Aleppo pepper. Use clean hands (or wear gloves if desired) to mix and mash the meat together really well, so it holds together densely.

Bake: Press meat mixture into a 9×5 inch loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 50-60 minutes, or until the center registers 165 degrees on a thermometer. Set aside to rest for 20 minutes, and then, ideally, if time permits, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. (Refrigeration will make the meat much easier to slice.)

Slice Meat: Remove meat from pan (reserve the fat drippings) and cut into thin strips, about ⅛ inch thick.

Brown meat: Heat a griddle, cast iron or skillet over medium high heat. Add some of the meat drippings or a little oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Once hot, lay the meat slices flat in the hot pan and cook for just 1-2 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp. (Alternately, you can lay the pieces flat on a lined baking sheet and broil for a few minutes in the oven.)

Assemble Gyros: Serve gyro meat in a warm pita, topped with tomato, onion, lettuce, tzatziki, and feta.

Notes

• Make Ahead Instructions: The seasoned raw gyro meat can be kept in the fridge up to one day head. Or store cooked gyro meat in the fridge for 1-2 days before slicing and toasting on the stove.
• Freezing Instructions: Gyros freeze very well, for a quick meal another day. Add leftover cooked slices of meat to an airtight freezer safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely, then re-warm before serving. You could also freeze the raw meat in the loaf pan. Allow it to thaw completely in the fridge before baking as instructed.
• Additional Topping Ideas: Fresh mint and parsley, sliced Kalamata olives, green bell pepper.
• For variation, try my Beef Gyros or Chicken Gyros recipe.

Tzatziki Sauce

1 cup Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chocolate Sourdough Noir Bread

Another recipe from the Clever Carrot. For more details, go to Emilie Raffa's wonderful blog.

Ingredients

150g bubbly, active sourdough starter
350g water, preferably filtered
50g sugar (vanilla sugar is nice)
1 tsp. vanilla extract or 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
500g bread flour
50g cocoa powder*
9g fine sea salt
65g chopped walnuts
65g raisins
150g semi sweet chocolate chips
powdered sugar for decoration

* I used Hershey’s Special Dark, a blend of natural and Dutch process cocoas

** You will need a 6 quart Dutch oven for baking

Instructions

Make the Dough

In a large bowl combine the starter, water, sugar and vanilla. Stir with a fork. Sift the bread flour and cocoa powder together and add to the bowl. Squish everything together with your hands until all of the flour is absorbed. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest (autolyse) for 1 hour. Note: use this time to soak the raisins in a splash of vanilla extract for extra flavor (optional). Drain and pat dry before using.

To the dough: Add the salt, walnuts, raisins and chocolate chips. Lift and fold the dough over itself several times and squish with your hands to incorporate. The dough will tear slightly as you fold. Don’t worry- this is normal. Work the dough as best you can until it comes back together into a rough ball.

Bulk Rise

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Leave it in a warm spot to rise. Your dough is ready when it no longer looks dense and has increased in volume about 1½- 2x its original size. This can take anywhere from 10 hrs @ 68 F; 5-6 hrs @ 75 F; 3-4 hrs @ 80 F depending on the temperature of your ingredients, the potency of your starter and surrounding environment (**see notes below). Optional Step: about 30 minutes into the start of the bulk rise, you can stretch and fold the dough.

Stretch & fold: To strengthen your dough, do a series of stretch and folds every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours of bulk fermentation. Simply gather a portion of the dough, stretch it upwards and then fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl ¼ turn and repeat until you have come full circle. You will have completed 4 folds. Try to keep the fillings tucked into the dough and not on the outside. This will prevent burning when baked.

Shape the Dough

To cut and shape the dough, divide your work surface in half; lightly flour one side (for cutting) and leave the other half clean (for shaping). Remove the dough from the bowl and place onto the floured section. You do not need to ‘punch down’ the dough; it will gently deflate as you fold and shape it. Cut the dough in half to make 2 loaves, or leave it whole for a single loaf. To shape, use a bench scraper to move your dough to the non-floured section (if there is any flour present it will be difficult to shape- brush away any excess). Gather the dough, one side at a time, and fold it into the center. Flip the dough over and place it seam side down. Using your hands, gently cup the sides of the dough and rotate it using quarter turns in a circular motion. You can also pull it towards you to even out its shape. Repeat this process until you are happy with its appearance.

Second Rise

Place the dough into a cloth lined 8-inch bowl or floured/lined proofing basket. It will need to rise again, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. It is ready when the dough is slightly puffy, but not double in size.

Towards the end of the second rise preheat your oven to 400 F. Cut a sheet of non-stick parchment paper to fit the size of your baking pot, leaving enough excess around the sides to remove the bread. 

Score the Dough

Place the parchment over the dough and invert the bowl to release. Using the tip of a bread lame, small, serrated knife or a razor blade, make four shallow 4-inch long cuts at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock around the dough. Use the parchment paper to transfer the dough to the baking pot. 

Bake the Dough

Place your bread into the oven (lid on) and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, and continue to bake (uncovered) for an additional 40 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of baking, crack open the oven door. This allows the moisture to escape, leaving your bread with a crisp crust. You can also take the internal temperature of your bread to double check that it is done. For sourdough, it should read about 205 F.

Cool

Remove the bread from the oven, and cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Notes

Because sourdough does not contain commercial yeast, it takes considerably longer to rise. In the summer months, it can take anywhere between 3-4 hours @ 85 F whereas in the winter, about 8-12+ hours @ 65 F. In the winter, I make my dough in the afternoon and leave it to rise overnight at room temperature. In the warmer months, I bulk ferment in the fridge to slow down the rise time.

Beginner Sourdough Bread

This recipe comes from Emilie Raffa at the Clever Carrot blog. I'm posting the basics here, but the actual blog post has a lot of great detail, especially for those new to sourdough bread baking.

Ingredients

150g/ 5.35 oz bubbly, active sourdough starter
250g/ 8.80 oz warm water, preferably filtered (see notes below)
25g/ .90 oz olive oil
500g/ 17.65 oz bread flour (not all purpose flour)
10g/ .4 oz fine sea salt
fine ground cornmeal or parchment paper

Notes & Tips

• For best results, weigh your ingredients using a digital scale. Because measuring cups vary in size and shape, they are not accurate for bread baking. Additionally, altitude and other environmental factors affect the density of the ingredients. You want the flour to water ratio to be correct!
• For a more soft and pliable dough, you can increase the water up to 300 g- 325 g total. In this case, be sure to use a cloth lined bowl (instead of the Dutch oven) for the second rise.
• You will need a 5 1/2 or 6 quart Dutch oven for baking

Instructions

Make The Dough

In a large bowl, add the sourdough starter, water and olive oil. Mix with a fork to combine. Add the flour and salt. Continue mixing with your fork until the dough becomes stiff. Then squish everything together with your hands to incorporate all of the four. The dough will be dry and shaggy. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, reusable wrap or a clean, very damp kitchen towel. Let rest (autolyse) for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, if preferred.

After the dough has rested: return to the bowl and work the dough into a rough ball, about 15 seconds.

Note: I’ve given a range in water quantity for the dough (see ingredient list above). If using 250 g of water, the texture at this stage will be quite dry and stiff. If using an increased amount of water, approximately 300-325 g, the dough will be more wet. Both textures are normal, depending on which route you take.

Bulk Rise

Now the dough needs to rise. Cover the bowl with light oiled wrap (alternatively, transfer the dough to a high-sided dough tub with lid and measuring marks). Let rest in a warm spot to rise, ideally 70-75 F. The dough is ready when it no longer looks dense and has almost doubled in size.

Note: The bulk rise time can take anywhere from 3-12 hours depending on the temperature of your ingredients, the potency of your sourdough starter, and your current room temperature. This will be different for everyone. For example, in the summer rise times can take anywhere between 2-4 hours @ 80º F/ 26º C whereas in the winter, the dough will take about 10-12 hours @ 68º F/ 20º C. Watch the dough and not the clock.

Optional Step: Stretch & Fold The Dough

During bulk rise, you have the option to perform a series of ‘stretch & folds’ to strengthen the dough. Start 30-45 minutes into the bulk rise. Gather a portion of the dough, stretch it upwards and then fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl ¼ turn and repeat this process until you have come full circle to complete 1 set. Do this once or twice spaced about 1 hour apart. Although this step is not mandatory, it will increase the total volume and height of your bread. Click here for a step-by-step video tutorial.

Note: Doughs made with 250 g of water vs. 300-325 g of water will feel completely different. The former will be more stiff; the latter will have more elasticity. One texture is neither right or wrong; just different and worth noting for comparison. When in doubt, always give the dough extra rest time in between sets if it won’t stretch with ease.

Cut & Shape the Dough

Divide your work surface in half; lightly flour one side (for cutting) and leave the other half clean (for shaping).

Remove the dough from the bowl, and place onto the floured section so that it does not stick. You do not need to ‘punch down’ the dough; it will gently deflate as you fold and shape it.

Cut the dough in half to make 2 loaves, or leave it whole for a single loaf.

To shape: use a bench knife to move your dough to the non-floured section (if there is any flour present, it will be difficult to shape- brush away any excess). Starting at the top, fold the dough over toward the center. Give it a slight turn, and then fold over the next section of dough. Repeat until you have come full circle.

Then flip the dough over and place it seam side down. Using your hands, gently cup the sides of the dough and rotate it, using quarter turns in a circular motion. You can also pull it towards you to even out the shape. Repeat this process until you are happy with its appearance. 

Note: When shaping, the idea is for the dough to catch enough surface tension on a non-floured area in order to create a tight ball. If there is flour present, it will slide around… and drive you nuts.

Second Rise

Now the dough needs to rise again, but for a shorter period of time.

Coat the bottom of your Dutch oven with cornmeal. Alternatively, use parchment paper to prevent sticking (this is what I do, now). Place the dough inside of the pot for a “free form” second rise, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Cover with the lid of the pot. The dough ready when it is slightly puffy but not double in size.

Preheat your oven to 450º F/ 232º C towards the tail end of the second rise.

Note: The “free form” second rise in the pot works best with a dough made with 250 g of water. It won’t spread. If your dough contains more water, skip the free from rise. You’ll need to do the second rise in a cloth-lined, floured proofing basket instead. The basket will hold its shape to prevent spreading. 

Score the Dough

Right before your bread goes into the oven, make a shallow slash about 2-3 inches long (or more) in the center of the dough. Use a bread lame, razor blade, sharp pairing or a small serrated steak knife. The cut should be about 1/4-inch deep.

Bake the Dough

Place the bread into the oven on the center rack (lid on) and reduce the temperature to 400° F/ 204° C. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, and continue to bake (uncovered) for an additional 40 minutes or until deep, golden brown. Keep in mind that all ovens are different; you might have to make minimal adjustments to these temperatures.

You can also take the internal temperature of your bread to double check that it is done. For sourdough, it should read about 205-210º F/ 96-98º C.

Remove the bread from the oven, and cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing. Don’t cut too soon or else the inside will have a gummy texture!