Mozzarella | I Can Cook That

Bacon, Tomato, and Arugula (BLT) Pizza

I haven’t made a pizza recipe on here in a while (since October! Wow!) so it’s about time I rectified that! I honestly would not have typically chosen this recipe from my latest Cooking Light magazine, but my boyfriend spotted it on the cover and put in a special request. He typically eats whatever I decide to make without complaint, so I figured I could make something out of my typical repertoire just this once 🙂

This BLT Pizza is pretty self explanatory: pizza with bacon, “lettuce” (arugula), roasted tomatoes, and even a mayo base. It does take some time to make though (~1 hour) so either plan accordingly on a weeknight or save this recipe for a weekend!

This is also the first time I used a pizza stone (very exciting, I know). I’ve apparently had this little guy for a while but completely forgot about it! If you don’t have a pizza stone, just use a large cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

Ingredients:

1 pound ripe tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup canola mayonnaise

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

2 garlic cloves, grated

4 center-cut bacon slices, cut in half

10 ounce fresh pizza dough

1 tablespoon cornmeal (if needed)

2 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup baby arugula

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Wild Mushroom Truffled Pizza Topped with Runny Eggs

.Pizzas are a great weeknight meal option; it’s easy to make it out of products in your pantry and can be customized for whatever you’re in the mood to eat that night (or what you need to clean out of the fridge!) There is a pizza place near me in Philly called Nomad Pizza that has one of my favorite pizzas: their Truffle Pecorino pizza. The pizza is topped with cheese, garlic, shiitake mushrooms, truffle oil, and a runny egg.

I wanted to try out a version of this pizza for myself. I used a mixture of baby bella, maitake, and shiitake mushroom caps and made a quick garlic truffle oil to drizzle on for extra flavor to make this recipe for Wild Mushroom Truffled Pizza Topped with Runny Eggs.

Ingredients:

1 store bought pizza dough
1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon, divided
2 garlic cloves crushed
a drizzle of white truffle oil
1 package of sliced shiitake mushroom caps
1 package of sliced baby bella mushrooms
1/4 cup maitake mushrooms (or any wild mushroom you prefer)
salt and pepper, to taste
4 oz ricotta
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
4-6 oz brie (I used Champignon German Brie with mushrooms)
2-4 oz Boschetto al Tartufo (Boschetto with Truffles) – you can also just use any mild cow cheese you’d like
2 eggs

Continue reading Wild Mushroom Truffled Pizza Topped with Runny Eggs

Caprese Stuffed Grilled Balsamic Portobello Mushrooms

With grilling season here, I am in search of recipes that aren’t just, well, burgers. I love a good grilled burger, but they can get old pretty quickly. I realized recently that I haven’t had many mushroom recipes lately so this is the perfect time to try grilling a portobello mushroom! I kind of combined two recipes for inspiration for this post. The mushrooms are first brushed with a soy-balsamic marinade and grilled. They are then filled with a mixture of tomatoes, mozzarella, roasted garlic, and basil.

Ingredients:

6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 large portobello mushrooms

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 small to medium sized tomatoes, chopped
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Artichoke and Arugula Pizza with Prosciutto

This weekend, I was looking for a quick meal to feed myself and a bunch of friends. I wanted something that doesn’t really involve a sit-down meal but would fill everyone up. Homemade pizza is perfect for situations like this. You can add whatever toppings you want and can even make a bunch of smaller pizzas to have variety. I found this recipe for Artichoke and Arugula Pizza with Prosciutto from Cooking Light and basically stuck to the recipe. I did substitute in fresh pesto instead of the jarred stuff and I’d suggest doing the same. Fresh pesto is so much tastier and it really doesn’t take long to make.

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
2 tablespoons commercial pesto (or homemade pesto)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 (9-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and drained
1 ounce thinly sliced prosciutto
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups arugula leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

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Grilled Tomato Orzo Salad in a Tomato Bowl

We have been having such a warm spring in Philadelphia. So if the weather is going to pretend it is summer, I will as well! To me, summer means tomatoes, corn, pesto, pasta salad, and of course, grilling.

Before I go into this recipe for Grilled Tomato Orzo Salad in a Tomato Bowl, first I want to tell you about Lipman Tomatoes. Lipman Tomatoes, a business-to-business company that has been supplying tomatoes and other vegetables to grocery stores and restaurants for 70 years, is about to launch a consumer-focused brand and website. Lipman contacted me about developing a recipe to celebrate their launch, which is the perfect opportunity for me to give into my “summer fever”. I decided to make a Grilled Tomato Orzo Salad served in a Tomato Bowl. (Update: the site is now live! Check out my recipe here!)

Lipman sent me an awesome assortment of their tomatoes. I decided to use the grape tomatoes for grilling, and the Vintage Ripe (a beautiful heirloom tomato) as my tomato bowls. The assortment also came with some cherry tomatoes and plum tomatoes so expect me to be on quite the tomato kick in the coming days!

Ingredients:

4 large Vintage Ripe tomatoes

1 cup orzo

4 cups vegetable broth

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 corn on the cob (or 1/3 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed)

8 oz mozzarella balls (if you cant get marinated mozzarella balls, even better!)

1 cucumber, seeded and chopped

Mint, for garnish

For the pesto:

2 bunches fresh basil leaves (about 2 cups packed)

1/3 cup walnuts

3 garlic cloves, minced

the juice and zest of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup grated Parmiginao-Reggiano cheese

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Risotto Balls with Marinara Dipping Sauce

I love when you can incorporate leftovers from one meal into a new dinner the next night. I am a huge fan of risotto, but it can get a little old eating reheated risotto after a few nights. Risotto balls are the perfect way to still use those leftovers but have a completely different meal. I used my leftover Mushroom Risotto for this recipe, but feel free to use whatever you might have.

Ingredients:

1 cup risotto

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 large egg

6 fresh mozzarella balls

1 tablespoon fresh basil, roughly chopped

1 shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup marinara sauce (I used Pomi Tomato Basil sauce)

Oil, for frying

Add the risotto, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, basil, and the egg to a small bowl. Mix to combine.

Form the risotto into palm sized balls, adding a mozzarella ball in the center and forming the risotto around the mozzarella ball. (It should make 6 risotto balls)

Add the remaining bread crumbs to a plate. Roll the balls in the bread crumbs and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. (This will help the risotto balls keep their shape when you fry them.)

While waiting for the 30 minutes to pass, chop the shallot and garlic. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to a saute pan over medium high heat. Add the shallot and garlic.

Cook for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup marinara sauce and simmer on low for 10-15 minutes. Keep warm.

Heat the oil to 350 to 375 degrees. (I was a bit low on canola oil so I actually only ended up putting about an inch depth of oil in the pot. It still turned out fine, but having enough to cover the risotto balls would make this easier/quicker to make.) Add the risotto balls two at a time.

Cook until cooked, turning to cook evenly (about 3-5 minutes). Transfer to a paper towel. Serve while still hot with the marinara sauce.

These are crunchy little balls of deliciousness. I didn’t know risotto could taste better than it already did until now!

The risotto was so yummy I completely forgot about the mozzarella ball in the center, but was more than happy to come upon it!

It didn’t melt all the way, which I would have preferred, but it was still delicious. The marinara sauce was the perfect dipping accompaniment. I love the Pomi Tomato Basil sauce because it really doesn’t need anything to make it taste awesome. (I’ve written two posts in the past about all the positives of Pomi. Check them out here and here)

Is it bad that I might put some risotto to the side from now on just so I can have these the next day?

Lemon Pepper Chicken with Creamy Artichoke & Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

Well, that’s quite a long title for a dish. I don’t really know what else to call it though, this recipe was a result of me trying to make a meal with what I had on hand. I was send some chicken from Gold’n Plump, and one of the options was Lemon Pepper Seasoned Boneless Skinless Breast Fillets. I had some tarragon left over from my Salmon Croquettes and I thought the lemon pepper seasoning would go perfectly with that, along with some sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts.

Ingredients (this makes two servings):

2 lemon pepper seasoned boneless skinless breast fillets

1/2 box pasta of your choice (I used fusilli)

1 teaspoon olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup cream

4 artichoke hearts, quartered

1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon chopped tarragon

salt and pepper, to taste

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

the juice of one lemon

Gold’n Plump’s chicken is individually packaged, which is awesome for people who live alone or do not have a family of four. I tend to not buy chicken because I never manage to finish the four fillets usually included in one package. The individual servings allow me to take what I need and freeze the rest for later use.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside. While the pasta is cooking, add the olive oil to a saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and the green onions, and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the cream, sun dried tomatoes, tarragon, and artichoke hearts.

Cover and simmer on medium low for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. While the cream mixture is simmering, heat a grill pan (or a saute pan if you don’t have a grill pan) over medium high heat. Add the chicken and sear on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.

The chicken will not be fully cooked through. Slice into thin strips and add to the cream mixture. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.

Add the pasta to the cream mixture and toss to coat.

Add the mozzarella cheese. Cook for another 1-3 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb some of the sauce, and to let the cheese melt.

Remove from heat and squeeze the lemon juice in to the dish. Mix and serve.

Despite the cream, the flavor of the chicken still shone through, it was really nice! I loved having such a nice amount of flavor from the chicken without having to remember to marinate it beforehand.

Artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, and tarragon work so well together.

You could have this dish without the pasta, but I like it to soak up all of that yummy sauce.

Note: Although the Lemon Pepper Chicken is available in some markets, it is not available in the Philadelphia area. However, Targets in the area do carry the following Gold’n Plump products:

All Natural Boneless Skinless Breasts
Extra Tender Boneless Skinless Breasts
90/10 Ground Chicken
All Natural Drumsticks
All Natural Whole Chicken
Extra Tender Tenders
All Natural Wings
All Natural Boneless Skinless Thighs

Caprese Tomato Bites

I know, I know. It’s January. What the heck am I doing posting a Caprese recipe? I had a craving for a Caprese salad and I can’t bring myself to buy large tomatoes so out of season. Cherry tomatoes always seem to be around the same level of taste all year long, so I thought this might hold me over until the spring. The recipe incorporates all ingredients found in a traditional Caprese salad, while making it into a cute appetizer bite. I found this recipe on Taste of Home and mainly stuck to the recipe, with a few changes based on what I could find.

Ingredients:

1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into smaller pieces
6 fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

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Balsamic Bruschetta Chicken

I honestly don’t know why I don’t make more dinners that involve chicken. I guess I just never have any on hand. This week, we were celebrating one of my friend’s birthdays by making her dinner and we settled on a chicken dish. I was really at a loss for what to make, so luckily Budget Bytes came to the rescue with her recipe for Balsamic Bruschetta Chicken. (Please excuse the photos in this post. I wasn’t exactly planning on making a post about it so they aren’t that fantastic. But this recipe is too good not to share!)

Ingredients:

For Chicken:

4 thin chicken breasts
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Basil, thinly sliced
Parsley, chopped

For Bruschetta:

4 medium roma tomatoes
1 small sweet onion
1 medium garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Continue reading Balsamic Bruschetta Chicken

Eggplant Parmesan Stacks

I received another eggplant in my CSA share this week so I thought I’d attempt Eggplant Parmesan. I saw this slightly different version of the recipe on MyRecipes.com, originally from Sunset Magazine and thought I’d give it a try.

Ingredients: (makes 2 servings)
1 eggplant
1/2 tube cooked polenta
Olive oil cooking spray
1 onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves or 2 teaspoons dried basil
1 can (14 oz.) tomato purée
1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (6 oz.)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Begin by preparing your eggplant. Rinse the eggplant and cut off both ends. Cut the eggplant crosswise into 4 equally thick slices.

Using only half of the tube of polenta, cut the polenta crosswise into 4 equal slices.

Lightly spray a cookie sheet with the cooking spray and add the polenta and eggplant to the sheet. Spray another layer of the cooking spray on the slices.

Cook for 20 minutes, or until the eggplant is soft and the polenta is heated through.

While the eggplant and polenta are cooking, prepare your onion, basil and garlic.

Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat and add the onion, garlic and basil.

Cook until the onion is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomato puree and 1/4 cup water.

Stir to combine. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and cover to keep warm until the eggplant and polenta are finished cooking.

When the rounds are heated, sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the slices. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.

To assemble, add one of the larger slices of eggplant to a plate.

Top with 1 tablespoon tomato sauce.

Add one polenta slice.

Top with another tablespoon of sauce.

Repeat with another eggplant slice, tomato sauce, polenta slice & more tomato sauce. Top with 1 tablespoon panko. Repeat this process to plate the other eggplant Parmesan stack.

If desired, spoon the remaining tomato sauce around the stacks.

What an inventive “eggplant Parmesan” dish! It was really simple too, the whole meal was ready in just over 30 minutes.

I think I honestly prefer this version to the traditional eggplant Parmesan. I always find the breading to be a bit too heavy for the eggplant so the polenta was a happy alternative. Not to mention, I was able to make only two servings so nothing went to waste! Now to find a recipe to use the rest of my polenta…

Curly Endive, Prosciutto & Mozzarella on Bruschetta

This week, I received curly endive as part of my CSA. Curly endive, also known as frisée (French for “curly”) is really not one of my favorites; it’s really quite bitter. I tend to usually push the endive to the side when it comes in a salad. I thought it was about time I gave this poor green a chance to enter my repertoire. I found this recipe on Food Network, a Giada De Laurentiis recipe.

Ingredients:
1 baguette, sliced into 10 pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
20 pieces of curly endive
1 7-oz ball of fresh water-packed mozzarella cheese, drained, cut into 10 thin slices
10 thin slices prosciutto
2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinaigrette

Ingredients for Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. My baking sheets were dirty so I used a cake pan (whatever works). Brush the olive oil over the bread slices and bake until crisp, about 15 minutes.

Take 2 pieces of curly endive and 1 slice of cheese and wrap with one slice of prosciutto.

While waiting for the bread to finish, make your vinaigrette. Add all ingredients except the olive oil to a bowl and whisk.

Slowly add in the olive oil in a slow steady stream until emulsified.

When the bread is finished, arrange on a platter. Top each piece of bread with a prosciutto roll and drizzle with the vinaigrette.

The prosciutto and mozzarella work well with the bitterness of the endive. These would be a great appetizer at a party, assuming you’re willing to share. (Yes, it really is that tasty!)

Lasagna

Lasagna. It seems like such a simple dish that will result in many freezable meals (9 to be exact). Always looking for a way to have already-prepared lunch or dinner options, I decided this weekend was the time to conquer the classic Italian food. I mean, how much work can layering different ingredients be?

Three hours later, I ended up with this:

Not too shabby. Just a long process!

Ingredients for Lasagna:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons for the lasagna

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups whole milk at room temperature

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (recipe below)

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound ground chuck beef

1 1/2 pounds ricotta cheese

3 large eggs

1 pound lasagna sheets, cooked al dente

1 package (16 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

4 cups shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Ingredients for Tomato Sauce:

Olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 can pureed tomatoes

Salt and pepper

2 dried bay leaves

1 tablespoon each of dried: thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary and parsley

The tomato sauce takes a good hour itself, so start this before anything else. While making the sauce, leave the milk on the counter so it can reach room temperature. Also leave out the frozen spinach to thaw.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add cans of tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and the rest of the spices (bay leaves through parsley). Simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Remove bay leaves and remove pot from heat.

Feel free to use just some store-bought sauce. I personally can’t do it. Who told all the sauce companies that sugar should be a main ingredient? Gross. So yeah, the 25% of me that is Italian absolutely cannot handle sauce out of a jar. I digress…

Next, to make the béchamel sauce, melt 5 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in another pot. When the butter is melted, add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes.

um. “smooth”? yeah, I don’t know what happened

Gradually add in milk, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps. Continue to simmer and whisk over medium heat. Make sure the heat isn’t up too high; you don’t want the milk to burn! Stir until thick and creamy, about 10 minutes.

it should coat the back of a wooden spoon, like this

Remove from heat and add to tomato sauce. Stir until well combined. Set aside and allow to cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

While the sauce is cooling, cook the lasagna according to the package directions. Lay lasagna pieces out individually on a tin foil so that they don’t stick together.

In a sauté pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When almost smoking, add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Break up large clumps to make sure all parts of the meat are browned, until there is no more pink meat. Remove from heat and drain any excess fat. Set aside and allow to cool completely.

In a medium sized bowl, mix the ricotta and eggs. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

To assemble (in a lasagna pan):

line bottom with lasagna sheets

add 1/3 of bechamel sauce

add all of the ricotta mixture

add all of the spinach

another layer of pasta sheets

add all of the meat

add half of the mozzarella cheese (1 bag)

add another 1/3 of the bechamel sauce

one last layer of pasta sheets

add the last of the bechamel sauce

top with remaining mozzarella cheese

add Parmesan cheese and thin slices of 2 tbsp of butter

To cook, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the lasagna pan on top, cover with tin foil and place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake until the top is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for another 15 minutes.

woo! finally done!

Allow to cool if you plan on putting into individual containers (as I did). I find it hard to believe that something with this much cheese, pasta, and sauce could honestly taste bad. But seeing how much not-so-good-for-you things went into this, I think I’d sub in some “less” bad ingredients next time (skim milk, partially skim cheese, low fat ricotta, ground turkey).

Although this was quite the task, I think it was totally worth it. I’ve already had this for lunch one day this week and have plenty more stored away in my freezer for future meals. Yum.

so. many. meals.