not-so-rustic sun dried tomato rolls

I've bookmarked a particular recipe for rustic olive rolls I saw on a blog before, well over a year ago. Since I had recently purchased some items from Oh Nuts, I decided to use the sun dried tomatoes I bought. What I liked about these is that they aren't packed in oil, yet they are soft.

The taste of these is great. A little acidic, but extremely tomatoey. What I like about these is that you have a greater option of how to use them, either packing them in oil yourself (much cheaper), adding to recipes sans oil, turning them into a pesto, and much more. The good part is that you don't need to soak them in hot water to get them soft because they already are.

The first step to creating these rolls is the sponge, which sets for 14 hours. I was a bit lazy so it ended up sitting for around 18 hours and it still worked out. The sponge is what adds that artisan flavor and rustic texture.

The next day, the sponge is added to more water, olive oil, yeast (the sponge had only 1/16 teaspoon, though I doubled the recipe so it had 1/8th), bread flour, and salt. I added a pinch of sugar.

To add more flavor I used 2 teaspoons of Penzeys Spice Bouquet Garni and I think 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder.

So why are these not-so-rustic? Well, I ran out of bread flour. I had made 3 batches of no-knead bread the beginning of the month and it used it all up. At least the sponge had bread flour. For the rest of the loaf, I used all-purpose flour and 1 cup of high gluten finely ground whole wheat flour with a tablespoon of wheat gluten.

Since all-purpose flour has less protein than bread flour, which aids in the lift and chewy texture of artisan breads. All-purpose is a mix of both high and low gluten flours. Tender cookies? Tender cakes? That's what the lower protein does. Oh well.

The bread had a great texture and kneaded well. Note to everyone: Cut my nails before making bread.

At this point, the dough was smelling great thanks to the herbs.

Once the dough was kneaded for 10 minutes and had a smooth feel, I chopped 20 sun dried tomatoes (I would suggest preparing ahead of time so that the chopping is finished before you make the bread) and kneaded them in. I wanted the dough to be stained red from the tomatoes so that it would look prettier. Next, the dough rises.

After the rise, you gently deflate and portion into rolls. I'm not sure if I weighed each piece or eyeballed, I think it was the latter. Since I doubled the recipe I ended up with about 14 rolls. The original recipe makes 6 so I probably made them a bit too small. Once I finished, I let them rise for about another hour.

I'll note that the recipe had the rolls rise on on a cotton dish cloth to maintain a rectangular shape, though since I wasn't making rectangular rolls I let them rise directly on the baking sheet, which I lightly greased and sprinkled with cornmeal, dusting the rolls with flour before covering.

The kitchen had a great aroma as these baked. I remember eating a sun dried bread at a cafe in downtown Grand Rapids a long time ago, and I hoped these would be similar. Texture-wise they didn't come out rustic at all because of the flour issue, but they were still very delicious. The flavors were more mellow than I had expected, though I'm sure you wouldn't want them to be overpowering if you ate them with soup or dinner. I would suggest slicing in half and toasting for breakfast.

---

Recipe

Rustic Olive Rolls, King Arthur Flour

roasted garlic and lentil Béchamel sauce with roasted tomatoes

My fifth recipe for the USA Dry Peas & Lentils Recipe Rivalry is for a Béchamel sauce with pureed lentils replacing the majority of the milk in the sauce. The sauce is flavored with roasted garlic and fresh tarragon for a nice, light flavor that can be used in a variety of ways, like pasta and poached eggs. Accompanied with the sauce is a side of roasted tomatoes. The flavor of the tomatoes becomes intensified and slightly caramelized when roasted, and compliments the flavors of the sauce extremely well.

What's great about this sauce is that it sort of looks like a cheese (Mornay) sauce. But it's not. But it also has some solid protein going on thanks to the lentils. I chose to go with yellow lentils again so it would give the sauce a nice, neutral color. The lentils are cooked with a mirepoix of carrot, celery, and onions, which are sauteed for a bit before broth (you can use either chicken or vegetable) is added. Once that's heated up, the lentils are added and cooked until tender, then pureed. Roasted garlic is added to the roux of the Bechamel for a little flavor boost. The taste remains light and not overpowering. My addition of tarragon might be a bit different than what you're used to, so start with just 1/2 a tablespoon and taste to see how you like it. Feel free to use the herb of your choice.

All that's left is a little shaving of aged parmesan and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt to finish, and what you have is a perfectly delightful twist on a traditionally heavy sauce. Still filling, but in a different, healthier way.

If you would like more of a brunch option, you can serve the sauce with soft poached eggs. The lightness in flavor and texture of the sauce compliments the eggs, leaving the flavors to blend together without one overpowering the other. And nothing is better than the taste of the runny yolk mixing with the sauce. Also, don't forgo the making of the roasted tomatoes as it compliments everything and will be the missing piece to the puzzle if you leave it out.

So here you have a great basic white sauce featuring lentils to use in a variety of ways, depending on what you happen to be craving at the time. You could also use this sauce in a lasagna, too.

Recipe after the jump.

This recipe was created as part of my involvement with the USA Dried Peas & Lentils Recipe Rivalry. I'll be blogging about lentil recipes over the next two weeks.

1. Lentils with Jalapeno, Cilantro, and Queso Fresco
2. Lentil Olive Salad with Fresh Mozzarella
3. Lentil Enchiladas with Homemade Ancho Chile Sauce
4. Lentil Sprout Spring Rolls with Shrimp

---

Print this recipe

Roasted Garlic and Lentil Béchamel Sauce with Roasted Tomatoes
Recipe by Christina Provo

Serves 5-6

For roasted tomatoes and garlic ~

8 Roma tomatoes, sliced in half (bottom edges leveled)
Olive oil
Sugar
Coarse sea salt
Pepper
1 head of garlic

For the lentil puree ~

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/3 cup pink lentils

For the suce ~

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
Roasted garlic cloves from 1 head of garlic
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 cup milk
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
lentil puree
2 teaspoons fresh tarragon, chopped

For serving ~

1-2 poached eggs per person, or
1 pound cooked fettuccine, cooked al dente, and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
Thinly sliced spinach
Parmesan, for grating
coarse sea salt

Directions ~

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with just a bit of oil, about 1/4 teaspoon, just a pinch of sugar (to help caramelize the tops), coarse sea salt and pepper. Slice the top of the head of garlic and drizzle with oil. Place, cut side down, on a small sheet of foil and wrap up. Put on same baking sheet as tomatoes, cut side down. Roast for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the tomatoes are beginning to char and have shrunk in size. The garlic should feel soft when pressed (check after 30 minutes). Remove sheet from oven.


2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat until hot. Add carrot, celery, and onion; saute for 7 minutes, stirring often. Pour in chicken or vegetable broth and heat to a rapid simmer. Stir in lentils, then cover with a lid and cook until lentils are soft and falling apart, about 20-27 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.


3. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. As it's heating, remove garlic cloves and smash with the side of a knife to form a paste. Stir into the butter with 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt and saute for 30 seconds. Whisk in flour and cook for 3 minutes. Pour in milk and chicken broth and whisk to combine, followed by pureed lentil mixture. Once blended, stir in fresh tarragon. Taste for seasonings.


4. If serving with poached eggs, arrange three roasted tomato halves on the plate and a bed of sliced spinach. Ladle sauce onto the spinach, then top with poached eggs. Grate parmesan cheese on top of eggs and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.


5. If serving with pasta, whisk pasta water into sauce. Arrange plate with three roasted tomato halves and a bed of sliced spinach. Place serving of pasta atop spinach and grate with parmesan cheese and sprinkle with coarse salt.

roasted tomato vodka sauce with prunes

Please, don't be deterred by the addition of prunes. My idea for this sauce came from another Italian recipe for a pork loin stuffed with prunes that I really like. The sweetness of the prunes enhances and contrasts against the savory flavors to create a depth of flavor, and it was my inspiration for this vodka sauce.

Since the tomatoes, onions, and garlic are roasted, the sauce is practically already cooked once everything gets into the skillet. This isn't necessarily a quick sauce, but you could put it together in about an hour if the water for the pasta is being heated as you prep the sauce.

Besides the vodka, which probably acts just like any alcohol added to pasta sauce minus the flavor (I'm guessing), vodka sauce has cream in it. So you're thinking this might be unhealthy? Not here. Although I do use heavy whipping cream, which I feel contributes and enhances to the smoothness of the sauce (yeah, it was also what I had), you could use half and half, general cream, or even whole. I wouldn't suggest 1%, no matter how fat you're feeling, because it might make the sauce too watery. There's also only 1/4 cup of cream in here, probably coming out to about less than a tablespoon per serving (this at least has about 5 servings).

The flavor came out about how I was expecting, savory with sweet undertones. I don't generally prefer sweet sauces, but I like the subtle taste of the prunes in here. Another "secret" addition was two anchovy fillets, and again, don't be put off as you can't even taste them, it's just one of those special additions that greatly contributes to the flavor. All in all, I'm pretty happy with the outcome!

Recipe after the jump

---

Print this recipe

roasted tomato vodka sauce with prunes
Recipe by Christina Provo

ingredients ~

1 pound Roma tomatoes, sliced into eighths
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 small onions, sliced
10 garlic cloves, smashed and coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/3 cup prunes, coarsely chopped
2 flat fillet Anchovies
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup vodka
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 pound spaghetti

directions ~

1. Preheat oven to 450° degrees. In a large pot, heat water with 1 tablespoon coarse salt for spaghetti to a boil.


2. On a rimmed baking sheet, place tomatoes, 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, onions, garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon basil, and white pepper. Stir to coat. Place on middle rack in oven and roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway.


3. In a large skillet, heat remaining olive oil on medium heat. Stir in prunes and anchovies, using the back of stirring utensil to break the anchovies up. Saute for about 1 minute.


4. When tomato mixture has finished roasting, spoon into bowl of food processor along with the prune-anchovy mixture, leaving excess oil in skillet. Process with 3/4 cup water until smooth, no longer than 30 seconds. In same skillet, saute tomato paste, letting it caramelize a bit, for a minute; pour in pureed tomato mixture and stir to incorporate with tomato paste. Add vodka, stir, and reduce heat to maintain a rapid simmer.


5. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente. Halfway through cooking time, take 3/4 cup pasta water and add to tomato sauce; stir, then stir in heavy whipping cream. Check for seasonings.


6. Once pasta has finished cooking, drain portion out into bowls. Stir parsley into pasta sauce and remove from heat. Serve atop spaghetti.

chicken satay

"No more spoons! Use your hands!" Says the charming schnitzel man!

Gosh, how I love that movie. And how I love chicken on a stick. In fact, many people like to eat with their hands, so you would probably enjoy satay, which is usually made by skewering raw chicken onto wooden skewers before cooking.

The marinade consists of yogurt, five spice powder, salt, raw garlic, cilantro, and possibly something else, but since I can't find the notebook I took notes in I'm not entirely certain.

Zucchini strips.

Orange peanut sauce.

Chicken skewered with a zucchini slice. The bummer part is that I should have blanched the strips because they kept breaking and falling apart as I was skewering them.

FIRE -- a necessary element. Half of the peanut sauce goes to baste the chicken strips.

Remember the zucchini strips? Many of them went as a sacrifice to the flames. And many of the skewers burnt to a crisp, although I soaked them for quite a while.

This is just beautiful stuff, right here.

Now, I don't like eating with my hands. They get all messy, I start up feeling claustrophobic, reaching for anything dry and soft to wipe my hands on, I just cannot unleash the inner kid that I keep locked away in the depths of my soul.

Balancing the chicken, here we have a simple cucumber-tomato salad with a miso vinaigrette. I believe I keep saying I will blog about the vinaigrette, and I will. Eventually.

Salad, chicken on a stick with orange peanut sauce and cilantro, and jasmine rice.