serves:  4

INGREDIENTS

8 oz. mushrooms (any type), finely chopped (I used a food processor)

1 cup cooked chickpeas

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 tablespoons soy sauce

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed

about 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp. dried

about 1 tsp. chopped fresh sage, or 1/4 tsp. dried

1/2 tsp. Hungarian paprika

1/2 cup vital wheat gluten

olive oil for brushing before grilling or panfrying

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium-sized skillet, cook mushrooms in 1 T. olive oil over medium heat with a pinch of salt until well-colored and most of the moisture is evaporated, 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, mash chickpeas together with 2 T. olive oil until no whole chickpeas are left.  Add the remaining ingredients, including the cooked mushrooms, and knead for about 3 minutes, until strings of gluten have formed.  The texture should be moist but firm (if it seems too mushy, add a bit more bread crumbs or wheat gluten, if it’s really dry, add a few drops of water, soy sauce or vegetable stock).

Form into 4 patties (burger shaped if you want to serve them on a bun, or “cutlet” shape if you want to eat them with a knife and fork).  Brush with olive oil on both sides, grill until browned on both sides and warm throughout.  Or, to fry in a pan, add a thin layer of olive oil to the bottom of a heavy skillet, cook burgers/cutlets on each side for 6-7 minutes, adding more oil as needed.

INGREDIENTS:

freshly made sub buns (from your grocer’s bakery section)

fake butter (what we call soft spread in a tub)

garlic powder

dried oregano

sprinkle cheese (Kraft parmesan cheese)

DIRECTIONS:

Place upper oven rack in the second position from the top. Preheat to BROIL temperature. Cut two sub buns and place open faced upon a baking sheet (Four halves). Spread the fake butter on each. Sprinkle garlic powder on each. Pour oregano in your left palm, take a pinch, and crush it as you sprinkle onto bread. This help open up the flavor of the oregano (credit: mom). Shake the sprinkle cheese. Don’t use too much cheese.

Place in broiler for 3-ish minutes. Keep a close eye, they’re done when golden brown. A little black around the edges is OK. You’ll smell it if you’re’ve left it in too long

Remove from oven and cut horizontally into roughly two-inch strips. Throw ‘em on a serving plate and place on dinner table. Watch them disappear!

Serves 4

The pizza I’ve eaten outside of the midwest has always been a disappointment and the problem is especially acute in Boston where it often tastes like cardboard collided with a canned tomato. I’ve spent a long time (years!) experimenting to recreate a recipe similar to the type of pizza I grew up with in Columbus, OH. The Bay Staters who ate this Ohio-style pizza with me were positive, although they were a little suspicious about the small, triangular pieces you get around the edges when you cut a pizza into “squares.”

An explanation for the uninitiated: In Ohio the crust is usually thin, but strong enough to hold a (square or rectangular) piece at the edge without the other side flopping over. On the other hand the crust is “tender,” not crackery but also not so bread-like that you have to tear off bites. The sauce and cheese have a strong, rich flavor. Toppings are incidental, but meat is not required for a rich flavor.

Dough

I’ll give you a shortcut for the sauce, but you have to make your own dough! This recipe makes enough dough for two 14-inch pizzas. The dough can be made in advance and refrigerated, but set it out to return to room temperature before rolling & cooking.

• 1 package of yeast
• 1 cup water
• 1 heaping tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons softened butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1. Measure one cup of cold water and then heat it to 110-115 degrees. This takes 45 seconds – 1 minute in the microwave and I check the temp with a meat thermometer.
2. Pour the water in a large mixing bowl and add the package of yeast and the sugar. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
3. Mix in the butter, salt, and flour and knead until the dough is smooth (3-5 min.)
4. Cover a bowl in olive oil spray, put the dough in it, cover with a towel, and let it rise in a place protected from drafts for about an hour.
5. Punch it down and let it rise again.
6. Roll it out evenly on a 14-inch pan (coated with olive oil) or a pizza peel (coated with flour).

Sauce

The sauce should not be too sweet and it needs lots of spices. Try the red gravy with love recipe, add lots of oregano, and food process all the vegetables after they are tender so the sauce isn’t too chunky for pizza. Or, if you need a shortcut, use Newman’s Sockarooni.

Cheese

Provolone! The key to Ohio-style pizza is to use a good quality provolone cheese, not mozzarella! This is the most important part to achieve “Ohio-ness.” You’ll need about 1/2 pound per 14-inch pizza.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Add sauce to your rolled out pizza dough. Spread it evenly all the way to the edges.
3. Sprinkle most of the 1/2 pound grated provolone evenly over the pizza. I save a little to go over the meat/veggie toppings.
4. Add the veggie or meat toppings of your choice. Pepperoni and mushroom is my family tradition but I also recommend mincing a few garlic cloves and adding them as the very last topping.
5. Bake the pizza at 375 degrees for about 20-25 min. The cheese should start to brown. I’ve been using a pizza stone lately, but it isn’t necessary.
6. Cut in squares and serve.

Tip

Advice from patdaddy:
If you’re not using a real pizza stone, It’s a good idea to pre-bake the crust for about 4-5 minutes before you put sauce/cheese toppings on. Then, continue to bake for the regular recommended time.

Ingredients:

• 2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
• 1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 15 oz can each:
  White beans
  Black beans
  Red kidney beans
  Corn
• 1 lb ground meat of your choice,
• 2 chopped medium red onions
• 2-3 shakes cinnamon
• 1-2 Tbsp chili powder
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 c fresh parsley
• 1/4 c fresh basil, torn

Directions:
Saute red onions till soft (a minute or so). Add ground meat and cook with onions till no longer pink.  Combine rest of ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for an hour or so. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 a pound of broad flat beans, such as Romano, or Dragon’s Tongue (purple and white marbled)

Olive oil

Garlic

1-2 T summer savory, finely chopped

Salt & pepper

Toss a mixture of the romano and dragon’s tongue in the olive oil, and add salt, pepper, and summer savory to taste.  Grill over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, 5-8 minutes.

A bunch radishes, any kind, with greens

Butter

Coarse salt or fleur de sel

Pepper

Bread

I don’t want to sound like a snob but of course, this tastes better with fresher ingredients.

Wash radish greens carefully, discard stems and chop finely.  Mix into butter that’s been allowed to sit out for a bit so that it’s soft.  I use butter from the farmers market that comes in a tub, usually about 2-3 tablespoons.  Mix radish greens into the butter.

Thinly slice radishes.

Butter bread with radish green butter, top with sliced radishes.  Add a few flecks of salt and finish with pepper.

Serves two

Ingredients:
3-4 eggs
1 bunch kale leaves, any kind, stripped from stems & chopped
1 small onion or 1 bunch scallions, diced, or both
1 red pepper, preferably roasted or grilled, diced
6 fingerling potatoes, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces
Smoked paprika
Cooking oil or butter or both
Salt and pepper
Optional: cheese
Heat oil/butter in skillet (I prefer cast iron). Add onions and scallions and sautee for a minute. Then add red pepper (lately I’ve been grilling red peppers whenever I grill anything else so I have them on hand to throw into things) and kale and saute a few minutes. Add potatoes in near the end. For the eggs, you can either fry them or scramble them; both are tasty. When I scramble, I just push the veggies over to make room for the scrambled eggs and cook them alongside until just barely set and then fold the eggs into the mixture and then plate it. With fried, I make little holes in the mixture for the eggs and then cook them until done. If adding cheese, sprinkle shredded cheese over the skillet at the very end of cooking and give it a minute to melt.

Salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle dish with smoked paprika.

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/4 cup New Mexican chili powder
• 16 ounces chicken stock
• 10 ounces tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt
• **NOTE: You can also use pre-purchased sauce, to save on time. I use 3 cans, but you can get away with 2. I like them really saucy.

Filling

• 3 cups grated cheddar cheese
• cups cooked and shredded chicken, ground beef, ground turkey, rice and beans, etc. (get creative!)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 10 corn tortillas
• 1 cup sour cream, for garnish
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions or cilantro, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Make sauce: In a saucepan heat 3 tablespoons oil, add flour and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Add chili powder and cook 30 seconds. Stir in stock, tomato puree, oregano and cumin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes until flavors are well-blended. Season to taste with salt.

Filling: Combine cheese, meat/beans of your choice, and onion for filling. Heat remaining 1/2 cup oil in a skillet until hot. Using tongs dip in tortillas, one at a time, to soften, and drain on paper towels. Dip each tortilla in sauce. On a plate fill with a generous spoonful of filling and roll up; place enchilada seam-side down in a baking dish and repeat until all ingredients are used up. Top with remaining sauce.

Bake 30 minutes. To serve, top with sour cream and scallions or cilantro.

Ingredients for loaf:

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine or shortening (I prefer butter)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 lemon, rind of

Ingredients for glaze:

• 1 lemon, juice of
• 1/4 cup sugar

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until creamy.
3. Blend in milk.
4. In another bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt and lemon rind.
5. Pour into batter.
6. Stir to moisten.
7. Scrape into greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
8. Bake in 350 degree oven for 55 to 60 minutes.
9. Cool in pan for 5 minutes.
10. Remove to rack and while still hot, with a toothpick poke holes all over the top of the loaf, and spoon glaze evenly over. (note: glaze will be watery and this is o.k.)
11. Cool.

Glaze:  Combine lemon juice and sugar in saucepan.

1. Stir and heat till sugar is dissolved.
2. Spoon evenly over top of hot loaf.

Ingredients:

• 8 large eggs (or egg substitute)
• 1/4 c chopped onions
• 1/3 c chopped mushrooms (or peppers, spinach, other veggie of your choice)
• 1/3 c chopped sausage, bacon, meat of your choice
• 2 – 6 oz shredded cheese (depending on how cheesy you like them)
• Pepper/salt to taste.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350. Spray 6-cup muffin pan with PAM (note: I use a silicone pan)
• Beat eggs until combined and fluffy.
• Mix all ingredients and distribute evenly in muffin tins.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until eggs are puffy and set.
• Cool and remove from pan.