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Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Pitas


Ingredients

  • 1 1/8 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

  1. Place all ingredients in bread pan of your bread machine, select Dough setting and start. When dough has risen long enough, machine will beep.
  2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope. With a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6 to 7 inch circle. Set aside on a lightly floured countertop. cover with a towel. Let pitas rise about 30 minutes until slightly puffy.
  3. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Place 2 or 3 pitas on a wire cake rack. Place cake rack directly on oven rack. Bake pitas 4 to 5 minutes until puffed and tops begin to brown. Remove from oven and immediately place pitas in a sealed brown paper bag or cover them with a damp kitchen towel until soft. Once pitas a softened, either cut in half or split top edge for half or whole pitas. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for 1 or 2 months.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Italian Baked Cannelloni

Ingredients:
          Olive Oil
          1LB Ground Beef
          1 Onion (Sliced)
          1/4 tsp dried Sage
          1/4 tsp dried Rosemary
          Salt to taste
          1/2C of White Wine (1/4C White Vinegar + 1/4C Water + 1/2 TBSP Sugar)
          12oz shredded Cheese
          2 egg yokes

          4TBSP Butter
          4TBSP Flour
          2 C Milk

          2 (14.5oz) Cans Stewed Tomatoes
          1 Onion (Sliced)
          2 TBSP Butter
          1/2C of White Wine (1/4C White Vinegar + 1/4C Water + 1/2 TBSP Sugar)
          Salt and Pepper to taste
          12 Cannelloni pasta shells

Directions:
1. In a Large skillet over medium heat, warm oil and saute ground beef with onion, sage and rosemary; Cook until meat is evenly brown. Add Salt and Wine cook until wine is evaporated. set aside

2. to make Bachamel sauce: Melt 4 TBSP Butter in medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add flour and stir until well incorporated, stir in milk and bring to a slow boil until mixture thickens. Stir into Meat mixture and mix well. Stir in cheese and egg yokes; set aside.

3. In a medium Sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt 2TBSP butter and saute onion until soft and translucent and wine, let it cook down to evaporate; add tomato and salt. mix well; simmer for 15 min.

4. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. add pasta a few at a time, and cook for 8 to 10 min(DO NOT OVER COOK) or until al dente; using a slotted spoon. remove immediately to a pot filled with cold water. Lift pasta out with slotted spoon and arrange on a flat surface.

5. Preheat oven to 400degrees

6.  Spoon a line of filling(meat mixture) into each shell, starting from one end and use finger to push the filling inside of each shell, place in a 9x13 dish  and cover with tomato mixture.

7. Back in preheated oven for 15min or until heated through; when finished baking allow to stand for 5 min and serve.


* if you don't cook with wine use the vinegar water substitute it worked and tasted great when i made this
* Cooking the pasta too long will make it break when you try to fill them you might want to cook a few extra  
    just in case.
* I thought this meal tasted even better the next day reheated.
* I have started cutting all my onions when i get them from the store and freezing them and then i don't have to
   cut onions every time i cook and they don't go bad before i get to them.