3 Cheese White Pizza with Spinach and Artichokes

A friend of mine requested a recipe for white pizza. His wife loves them. So do I. White pizza is an American variation with the red sauce omitted. Often the topping is just garlic butter and cheese. Toppings for white pizza are usually veggies, chicken, or shrimp. I like to top my white pizza with ricotta. It is less dry. I also add my ingredients at the end of the baking time.  If you add them earlier, they dry out. This is great served with a crisp, white wine.

This is a fun alternative to regular pizza.  Give it a try.

Servings: 8 slices

Hardware: Measuring spoons and cups, a cutting board and knives, a large microwave safe bowl, a plate, a mixing bowl, a wooden spoon, a sieve/strainer, a rolling pin, and a pizza stone or baking sheet, pizza cutter

Time: Resting time: an hour, Prep time: 10 minutes, Baking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1-16 ounce raw, fresh pizza dough (can be found in the bakery section of most markets)
• 1-2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (divided)
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1-2 tablespoons of milk
• 1 tablespoon basil pesto
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1-12 ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts
• 6 ounce bag of pre-washed baby spinach
• Cooking spray (if you don’t have a pizza stone)

1. Allow the pizza dough to rest in the bag, at room temperature, for an hour.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 400°.
3. Pour the artichokes into the sieve and allow them to drain.
4. Place the bag of spinach in the large bowl, cover it with the plate and microwave it on high for 3 minutes.  Check after 3 minutes. If it is wilted, set it aside. If it isn’t wilted, microwave it in 30 second increments until it is.
5. Mix the ricotta, ½ cup Parmesan, pesto, and garlic powder together. Add just enough milk to make the sauce spreadable. Set aside.
6. Punch the dough down. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a 14-inch diameter circle and very thin. The dough is very elastic and will shrink back. Keep stretching and rolling.
7. Place the dough onto the pizza stone or the baking pan. If you are using a baking pan, spray it with cooking spray first.
8. Spread with the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and the remaining Parmesan. Bake for 15 minutes.
9. While the pizza is baking, squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach.  Cut the spinach and artichoke hearts into bite size pieces.
10. Top the pizza with the artichokes and spinach.  Bake for 5 more minutes.  Serve warm with a side salad.

Spicy Curry Wings

Spicy Curry Wings

Wing Time.  However, it is getting difficult to come up with new flavors.  Recently, we have been eating more Indian food.  I decided to see how curry wings would work out. Really well I must say.

I know this calls for a lot of spices, but you probably have most of them in your pantry already.  The garam marsala can be found in most grocery stores.  You can make more of the sauce later.  It can be used to stew chicken or poured over poached fish or shrimp.

Servings:  Dozen wings

Hardware:  Kitchen scissors, 2 large plastic Ziploc bags, a plate, plastic wrap, measuring cups and spoons, a large heavy skillet with a lid (I use cast iron), thermometer, tongs, a baking sheet, a cooling rack (or paper towels), a sauce pot

Time: Prep-15 minutes, Rest time: 30 minutes, Cook-15 minutes

(Start cooking about 2 hours before you want to serve the wings)

Ingredients:

• 1 dozen wings
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons mild curry powder
• 1 teaspoon garam marsala
• Salt & pepper
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup milk
• 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• ½ cup cream
• 1 tablespoon mild curry powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon garam marsala
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• cilantro for garnish

1. Use the kitchen scissors to separate the flaps from the drummettes.  Also snip the points from the flaps. Liberally salt and pepper the wings.
   Mix the flour, cornstarch, curry powder and teaspoon garam marsala in a Ziploc bag.  Shake up.
2. Put the eggs and milk in the other Ziploc bag.  Shake like crazy.  Make sure the eggs are completely mixed.
3. Put the chicken in the flour.  Shake up. Then put the chicken in the egg mixture.  Then back into the flour mixture.  You can repeat this process if you like more breading.
4. Put the chicken on the plate and cover in plastic wrap.  Put in the fridge for 30 minutes.  This will help the batter adhere to the chicken.  You can leave the chicken in the fridge for up to three hours.  Remove the plate from the fridge about ½ hour before cooking to allow the chicken to warm up.  This will allow the wings to cook evenly.
5. Place the cooling rack over the baking sheet.  If you don’t have a cooling rack, just line the baking dish with paper towels.  Set aside.
6. Put enough oil in the pan to fill it about half way up.  Pre-heat the oil until it is 350°.  This step is very important to keep the chicken from absorbing too much oil and becoming greasy.  You will want to adjust the temperature while cooking so the oil stays between 300° to 400°.   
7. Place the wings in a single layer in the hot oil.  Do not crowd the chicken.  You may need to cook in batches. Cover the chicken and do not turn for at least 5 minutes.
8. Turn the chicken and cook until it is a crispy golden brown.  The drummettes take longer than the flaps.  To make sure your chicken is done, cut into the thickest part of a drummette, the juices that run out should be clear and the meat should be completely opaque and have no hint of pink.
9. As the chicken finishes, place it on the cooling rack to drain.  You can place the cooling rack in the oven on the lowest setting to keep the chicken warm.
10. While the wings are cooking place the tomato sauce, cream and the remaining spices in the sauce pot on medium.  Turn down to low and simmer. Stir often enough to keep the sauce from sticking.
11. When all the wings are finished, pour the sauce over them. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve warm.

Lemon Honey Wings

Super Bowl time again. That means wings! These are sweet and sticky and very good.

Lemon Honey Wings

Servings:  Dozen wings

Hardware:  Kitchen scissors, measuring spoons and cups, a baking sheet, a cooling rack (or foil), a sauce pot, wooden spoon, a large bowl

Time: Prep-10 minutes, Marinate-4-6 hours, Cook-50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 12 wings
• ½ + ½ stick of butter softened
• 4 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning
• Salt
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• Cooking spray

1.  Use the kitchen scissors to separate the flaps from the drummettes. Also snip the points from the flaps. Refrigerate until needed. Remove the wings from the fridge about ½ hour before cooking.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the cooling rack over the baking sheet. If you don’t have a cooling rack, just line the baking dish with foil. Spray liberally with cooking spray.
3. Liberally salt the wings. Mix ½ stick of the butter with the lemon pepper. Rub the wings with the butter mixture until they are completely coated.
4. Lay the wings in a single layer on the cooling rack place in the oven.  Cook for 20 minutes. Flip and bake for 20 more. If you prefer crispier wings turn the broiler on for 5 minutes or so. Make sure to monitor them so they don't burn. Turn the oven off and leave in the warm oven for 10 minutes.
5. While the chicken is cooking, place the remaining butter, brown sugar, and lemon juice into the sauce pot.  Heat on medium high, stirring until the butter is completely melted.
6. Remove the wings from the oven and toss in the honey sauce. Serve warm.