February 8th, 2013
This post is also available in: French
Dearest readers,
In the beginning of the week we asked for your help with recipe testing for our upcoming book. So far, we’ve received nearly 400 emails from volunteers offering their time and expertise. We can’t even begin to tell you how immensely grateful we are for all of the support that you’ve offered us in the last couple of days. We’ve read through every single email and very much enjoyed learning about you, our reader. It warmed our hearts to hear that you’ve cooked and enjoyed things from this little space on the internet. We wish we could give every one of you a chance to test a new recipe, if only that was possible. We’re still in the process of selecting volunteers – the hardest job ever. Once again, thank you so much.
Today, we want to share this simple recipe for fennel and apple flat bread pizza. Fennel has been very popular in our household this winter, we just can’t get enough. This gluten-free crust is easy and nutritious, but any one of your favourite pizza crusts will work well here.
Fennel and Apple Flatbread Pizza
makes 2 flat bread pizzas
for the crust
1 1/2 cups purified water
3/4 tablespoon sea salt
2 1/2 tablespoons coconut sugar – divided
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 1/4 cups buckwheat flour – preferably sprouted, plus more if needed and for dusting
1/4 cup quinoa flour – preferably sprouted
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5 tablespoons olive oil- divided
for the topping
2 large fennel bulbs – sliced into 1/4-inch (6mm) thick slices, fronds reserved
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste
about 4-5 small to medium sized apples, such as Pink Lady, Honey Crisp or Granny Smith
ground cinnamon – to taste
to make the crust
1. In a medium sized jar with a tight lid, combine the water, salt and 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar. Shake to dissolve and combine well. Add the vinegar and shake a little more to incorporate.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the flours and mix them well. In another bowl, measure 1 1/2 cups of the flour mixture. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar, baking soda and mix to combine. Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 cup of the liquid, then mix with a spoon into a liquid dough.
3. Begin adding in more of the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough is no longer too sticky to be kneaded with your hands. Lightly dust your hands and the dough surface with the buckwheat flour. Knead the dough quickly, for about 2 minutes. It is important not to add too much of the flour, as it will be hard to fix. Usually, 3 cups of flour is what’s needed, but you can add a little more if necessary.
4. When the kneading is finished, divide the dough into 2 even portions, form each into a ball, and place them on separate pieces of plastic wrap. Flatten each with the palm of your hand and cover with more plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. You can make the dough in advance and refrigerate it overnight.
to roast the fennel, assemble and bake the pizza
1. Preheat oven to 415 F (210 C). Brush both sides of the fennel slices with the oil and lay them on a parchment paper covered baking tray. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top. Roast for 20-30 minutes, rotating and flipping the slices every 10-15 minutes, until soft. Lower the oven temperature to 395 F (200 C).
2. Take the dough out of the refrigerator, one portion at a time. Lightly dust your rolling pin with brown rice flour. Roll each portion on a separate piece of parchment paper into a 1/4-inch (6 mm) thick crust. Brush with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bake one piece at a time for 10 minutes.
3. Top with fennel slices and then apple slices. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Make sure not to leave too wide of an uncovered border to prevent the crust from drying and hardening. You can add 1-2 oz of goat cheese at this step if you like. Bake for another 12 minutes. Let cool slightly before slicing. Top with fennel fronds, microgreens and/or other fresh greens.
Tags: apple, fennel, flatbread, gluten free, pizza, recipe
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December 8th, 2012
Citrus season has taken off here in Florida. I’ve noted at least five different varieties of oranges, as well as tangerines and grapefruit while out and about. My favourite citrus fruit has got to be the blood orange – I am amazed every single time I cut one open and see its unbelievable colour.
Here is a salad to take advantage of all that abundance. Citrus, fennel, and quick marinated onions make for a refreshing, sunny dish. Lately, I’ve been very much into fennel, raw and cooked, making this fennel confit for weekday dinners.
In other news, Golubka was featured in the holiday issues of Vie and Fork magazines – what an honor!
And lastly, have you seen Sarah B.’s Ted Talk?!
Blood Orange and Fennel Salad
(serves 4)
1/8 medium size red onion – peeled and sliced
1/2 lemon
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
juice of 1 orange
3-4 oranges – peeled and sliced
2 clementines – peeled and separated into segments
about 7-8 olives, I used green and black Cerignola
1 fennel bulb – shaved
Squeeze lemon juice over onion slices and let sit while you boil some water. Pour boiling water over the onions to cover them completely and let sit for a couple of minutes. Drain, rinse quickly and squeeze out the excess water with your fingers.
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey and orange juice. Pour 1/2 of the mixture over the onions and let it marinate for 30 minutes or longer.
Peel the skins off the clementine segments. Arrange the orange slices, clementine segments, and olives on a serving plate, top with fennel shavings and marinated onions. Sprinkle the rest of the dressing over the salad. Garnish with ground pistachios.
Tags: fennel, orange, recipe, salad
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August 5th, 2012
This post is also available in: French
I’ve been cooking a whole lot lately, which tends to happen to me every summer. I don’t know if it’s the energy from the sun or all the inspiring warm weather produce, but the kitchen is my playground at the moment.
Paloma devouring a popsicle/ Shelled favas
Paloma turns four next weekend, and if you ask us parents how and when that happened, we’ll shrug our shoulders. She was just learning to walk, as far as we remember.
There will be a splash party for which Paloma has already made an excessive amount of imaginary cupcakes. The only request for the cake has been to make sure that it’s pink. And pink it will be.
Today I want to share a recipe for a salad that is as delicious as it is simple. My friend Ira recently served it at dinner and we were amazed by its vibrant flavours.
Slices of a juicy summer watermelon get soaked in sangria, topped with shaved fennel and baby arugula, and then sprinkled with a sweet dressing. Easy and beautiful.
Our beach at sunset / Black raspberries
You can use store bought sangria, of course, but now is the perfect time for a pitcher of the fruitiest homemade sangria. No pressure.
I like to make it with absurd amounts of fruit and berries of all kinds, lots of citrus slices too. The key is to let it sit overnight so the fruit absorbs the wine and vice versa.
Gazpacho for dinner / Another sunset
Easter egg radishes / Grilled peaches with creme
There have also been endless pots of gazpacho, batches of sorbets and popsicles, and peach grilling at friend Lena’s beautiful jungle-like backyard. Hope your summer is sunny.
Tipsy Watermelon Salad
1 medium watermelon – well chilled, rind removed, and cut into thick, uniform shapes
sangria
1 fennel bulb – shaved
baby arugula leaves
Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
In a dish, generously drizzle watermelon with sangria. Let marinate in the refrigerator for about an hour. To serve, top with shaved fennel and arugula. Mix all the dressing ingredients and drizzle on top of the salad. Finish off with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt.
Tags: fennel, raw, recipe, salad, sangria, vegan, watermelon
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