Pizza Bianca with Three Cheeses

While Neapolitans rejoice at their hand in the creation of the traditional pizza, Romans take heart in their own variant of the pizza, the Pizza Bianca. This is a popular street snack, and is essentially lean bread topped with rosemary and olive oil. For sometime a little more substantial, I added jalapeños and tomatoes and topped it with a mixture of three cheeses, gouda, mozzarella and cheddar. I've also added some olive oil to make it softer. The recipes amounts here will make two 9" pizzas.

Ingredients
Base

• 3 cups plain flour
• 1 tsp dry yeast
• 4 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1tsp salt
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Topping

• 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp jalapeños, chopped
• 2 tbsp each of grated mozzarella, gouda and cheddar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp dried basil

Method

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water with some sugar. Leave aside to bubble up and activate.
2. Mix the activated yeast with the rest of the Base ingredients to make a soft dough. Leave aside in a warm place to proof.
3. Once it proofs, pre-heat an oven to 210 degrees C/gas mark 7.
4. Split the dough into two parts and roll it out into two thin rounds, about half an inch in width. Stretch it by hand and create light indentations on the surface.
5. Place the dough on a well oiled baking tray or iron griddle pan.
6. Drizzle some olive oil onto the dough and spread it to evenly coat the dough.
7. Sprinkle on the toppings evenly, dab some olive oil on the crust and place in the hot oven.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, until the crust turns a light brown and the cheese is bubbling and golden.
9. Remove and set it rest for 2 minutes before serving.

Oven-roasted Crab with Herb Butter

I love the salty and sweet flesh of fresh blue crabs, especially when served with a herb butter sauce as it accentuates the sweetness of the flesh. Its a little work to get through to the flesh, as blue crabs are typically much smaller than Dungeness or mud crabs, but its well worth it. Ive served this up with some herb fougasse, to soak up the butter sauce, but any sourdough or a dense bread will do. I've also used cleaned and cut crabs, as I prefer to let my fishmonger handle the nasty business of cutting through the top shell and removing the gills and tomalley. The herb fougasse recipe can be found at: Herb Fougasse.

Ingredients

• 2 blue crabs, cleaned and split down the middle
• 3 tbsp herb butter (with garlic, coriander, basil and pepper)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp paprika
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Add the paprika and a little salt to the crab pieces. Crack the claws and toss it around to have the rub coat the crab evenly. Set aside for an hour.
2. Melt the herb butter in a pan on low-medium heat, and add the garlic. Fry lightly to release its aroma, but be careful as to not brown the butter.
3. Add the crab pieces, lower the heat and toss it around so that the butter evenly coats the crab pieces. Add a little salt and pepper to taste; watch the salt though as the crab and butter have a little salt in them.
4. Place in an oven-proof dish, and place in a preheated oven at 240 degrees C/gas mark 8 for 15 minutes.
5. Add a dash of lime and serve the crab with the butter sauce dribbled over.

Herb Fougasse

A beautifully formed Provençal bread can be made plain with a topping of poppy and sesame seeds, or with a rosemary onion topping. Its a light and versatile bread that's a great accompaniment to soups or to mop up a gravy and its a fairly flat bread so can easily be stored away. The bread has a very light crust and can be cut into a number of other patterns. I used dry rosemary, chopped tomatoes and stewed onions to top, and kneaded some of the onion into the dough.

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour (I used 2 cups of white flour with 1 cup of wholewheat flour)
• 1 tbsp dry yeast
• 1 cup water, warm
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp olive oil, and a little more for brushing
• 1 tbsp dry rosemary
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium tomato, chopped into large, rough chunks

Method

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar into the warm water, and leave aside to activate.
2. Add the activated yeast to the flour, mix in the salt and 2 tbsp of olive oil and make a soft dough.
3. Leave the dough aside in a warm place to rise and double in size. It should take an hour or so.
4. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onions, stew them until they start to brown around the edges. Add the rosemary and take it off the heat.
5. Add half the onion-rosemary mixture to the dough and knead it into the dough. Add a sprinkling of flour if it seems a little too wet.
6. Roll the dough out into a thick rectangle, and take a knife or dough cutter and make a single incision down the middle of the rectangle. Leave at least an inch from the incision to the short edge of the rectangle. Make three more incisions on each side of the middle one, equally spaced, and an inch from both the long edge and the middle incision.
7. Pick the dough up and lightly set it down, to open up the incisions. Brush the top lightly with olive oil and add the remaining onion-rosemary mix and the tomatoes to the top. Leave aside in a warm place to proof, for at least an hour.
8. Once risen, place in a pre-heated oven at 240 degrees C/gas mark 8 for 15 minutes.
9. After 15 minutes, lower the heat to 180-190 degrees C/gas mark 6 and let it cook for another 15 minutes, for it to develop a light brown crust.
10. Let it cool before slicing. Serve it with a sweet relish or with garlic-parsely butter, to cut through the bitter onion and rosemary. 

Hefekranz

Hefekranz is a wondefully light and sweet german bread that's often made on festive holidays, like easter or christmas. The bread is made with a simple wheat dough and the sweetness comes from the raisins and dried cherries and that are embedded into the dough. It has a very light crust and can be braided or made into a wreath, and with strong black coffee and an egg, makes for a great breakfast.

Ingredients

• 3 cups white bread flour
• 1 cup milk, warm
• 4 tsp sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp salt, and a pinch to sprinkle over
• 1 tbsp dry yeast
• 10-15 raisins

Method

1. Mix the milk, yeast and 2 tsp sugar together and leave aside to turn frothy.
2. Add the frothy mixture to the flour, and add the remaining sugar, raisins and the eggs, with the tsp of salt. Keep a little of the egg aside for an eggy-wash.
3. Make a soft dough and leave aside in a warm place for an hour to proof.
4. Once the dough doubles in size, split into 3 equal parts, and roll out into three equally long ropes and braid them together. If you want to shape it into a wreath, gently turn the braid and attach the ends together.
5. Leave aside for a further 1 hour to proof, and double in size. 
6. Pre-heat an oven to 160 degrees C/gas mark 5-6.
7. Once the dough has doubled, brush the top with the beaten egg left aside and sprinkle a pinch of salt over. Push any stray raisins back into the bread and place it in the pre-heated oven. 
8. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the bread has a light golden crust and is cooked through. 
9. Let it cool, and then slice or tear into chunks to serve. This can be served up as it is, with a soft-boiled egg and coffee, or with a sugar frosting made with powdered sugar, butter and vanilla for a little extra-sweetness.

Herb Tomato Focaccia

I love the smell of fresh focaccia, it mixes the warmth of fresh bread with wonderful aromatic herbs, like thyme, rosemary and basil. To make a wholesome rustic bread, I've topped this focaccia with chopped tomatoes, garlic, thyme, rosemary and basil. This bread is great with a simple dip of just extra-virgin olive oil; I used one infused with oranges, and it makes a great 4 o-clock munchie with a hot mug of tea. I used dried herbs for this, as they were all I had available, but if you have fresh herbs available, use double the listed amount of dried herbs for that little extra oomph.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup fine semolina
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tsp sugar
• 1 cup luke warm water
• 1 tbsp dried yeast
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• Olive oil for drizzling
• salt to taste

Method

1. Mix the flour and semolina together and add the olive oil and some salt to taste.
2. Add the sugar to the lukewarm water and dissolve the yeast in it. Once it starts frothing, add it to the flour mixture and make a soft dough.
3. Knead the dough to release the wheat's gluten to make it elastic, where when stretched it recedes slightly.
4. Place the dough in a warm place to rise; it should take around an hour to double in size. You can place it in a warm oven to rise, by heating an oven at the lowest gas mark for 5 minutes, then switching it off and leaving the bread in it.
5. For the topping, add the chopped tomatoes, garlic, basil, thyme, rosemary, vinegar and a tablespoon of olive oil to a mixing bowl and toss it around.
6. Add some salt and leave aside for 10 minutes.
7. Once the dough has doubled in size, beat it down and flatten it out on a baking tray. Use you palms to push and stretch it out to an even thickness of about half an inch. Add a few indentations and wells with your fingers. 
8. Toss the topping mixture over the dough and spread it around. Drizzle the dough liberally with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and set aside for about an hour, in a warm place, for it to proof.
9. Once the dough has risen a second time, place in a preheated oven at 210 centigrade (gas mark 7) for 30 minutes, or till a golden brown crust appears on top and the bread is cooked through.
10. Pull it out once cooked and leave aside for 10 minutes to cool. Then cut it into thick slices and serve with olive oil.

Butter Garlic Prawns

There's this place that recently opened up in Bangalore, Mahesh Lunch Home, which makes a fantastic Crab in Butter-Garlic. Its rich and buttery, and perfectly complements the sweetness of the crab. I've been meaning to make this for quite some time, but never could find crabs at the local store, so I substituted them with prawns. The texture may differ, but it has that sweetness that works wonderfully with the crisp garlic. I've also added some red chili flakes and pepper to add specks of heat to cut through the sweetness. Its great with some lightly salted rice.

Ingredients

• 10-12 medium prawns, shelled and deveined
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4-5 peppercorns, ground
• 1 dried red chili with flakes, finely chopped
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt to taste

Method

1. Add the red chili and some salt to the prawns, and rub it into the prawns. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a pan, and add the butter.
3. Let the butter foam and add the garlic.
4. Once the garlic releases its aroma, add the pepper and chopped red chili. 
5. Stir around once and add the prawns and salt to taste.
6. Cook the prawns till they turn a light pink and take off the heat.
7. Let the prawns rest for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove and place it on a bed of rice.
8. Pour the butter-garlic sauce over the rice. Add a dash of lime and tuck in.