Monday, May 9, 2011

No-Knead Overnight Parmesan and Thyme Rolls

These rolls are basically a savory version of cinnamon rolls. The hardest part of making these is remembering to start them the night before. I like very fluffy rolls so let them raise for 2 hours, but the choice is yours. If you are lazy and don't want the thyme to be as potent, skip cooking it. Enjoy!
Ingredients
  • 1 teaspoon dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2/3 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
  • 11 cup (4 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
  • 2 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup whole-wheat white flour 
  • 2.5 cups all-purpose flour, divided
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Preparation
  • 1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes or until bubbly.
  • 2. Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add thyme to pan; cook 1 minute or until bubbly and fragrant. Add thyme mixture and milk to yeast mixture, stirring with a whisk; add 1/2 cup cheese, sugar, salt, and egg, stirring well.
  • 3. Weigh or lightly spoon whole-wheat white flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Using a wooden spoon, stir whole-wheat white flour into yeast mixture.  Lightly spoon 2 cups all-purpose flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add all-purpose flour to yeast mixture, stirring well. Add enough of remaining all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to form a smooth but very sticky dough. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (Dough will not double in size.)
  • 4. Remove dough from refrigerator. Do not punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a floured surface; sprinkle dough lightly with flour. Roll dough into a 24 x 7–inch rectangle. Brush dough with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese evenly over dough; sprinkle with pepper. Beginning with a long side, roll up dough jelly-roll fashion. Pinch seam to seal (do not seal ends of roll). Cut roll into 16 (1 1/2-inch) slices. Place slices, cut sides up, on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until rolls have risen slightly.
  • 5. Preheat oven to 400°.
  • 6. Place pan in oven, and immediately reduce heat to 375°. Bake rolls at 375° for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Yield: 16 rolls

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Greek Salad

Since the weather is finally getting warmer, I had a serious desire for a taste of summer and made this for dinner. I love this salad and since it has no lettuce it lasts forever in the fridge (though it doesn't need to because it is so good). I used grape tomatoes to cut down on the chopping and simply diced the cucumber and onions to make it easy. Next time I am going to double this so I can have more leftovers. I also love kalamata olives because they are fairly mild. If you want to use black olives instead, feel free but it won't be as authentic.


3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
clove garlic—minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano 
¼ teaspoon salt 
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and extra for garnish
3 tomatoes—cut into wedges
¼ red onion—sliced into rings
½ cucumber—sliced into thick half-moons
½ green pepper (capsicum)—chopped
4 oz (120g) feta cheese—cut into small cubes 
16 kalamata olives


PLACE the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano in a small jar with a screw-top lid and shake to combine. PLACE the salad ingredients in a large bowl. POUR the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine just before serving. GARNISH the Greek salad with a little freshly ground black pepper.