Sicky sickerton and Son and Flatbread

Yes, I have been ill and so has the baby. However last weekend we were not and the husband made this yummy little creation, that we will be recreating with friends this weekend. I would love to comment further but my head is going to explode. Enjoy.

Grilled almost-Flatbread with Fresh Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Basil

Makes 6 small irregular shaped pizzas

Ingredients
Crust
4 ½ cups flour
1 ¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon yeast
¼ cup olive oil
1 ¾ cup water, ice cold
Semolina or cornmeal for dusting

Toppings
Fresh tomatoes, chopped
Fresh basil, shredded
Fresh mozarrella, sliced
Olive oil

Method

Early in the day, or the day before; stir together the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Stir in the oil and cold water with a big spoon until all the flour is absorbed, you may need to keep dipping the spoon in a bowl of ice cold water as you stir so it doesn’t stick. Mix for 5-7 minutes until the dough is smooth and sticky. Sprinkle with some more flour as needed. Abandon spoon and use hands to incorporate the flour completely.

Transfer the dough to a well floured surface and cut into six equal pieces. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly oil it. Sprinkle a bit of the flour on the dough and gently shape them into balls. Place the dough balls on the sheet pan and slip the whole pan into a large Ziploc bag (yeah right…. Who has a ziploc bag large enough for a cookie sheet?) use two large Ziplocs, one from each side to cover dough balls on the cookie sheet and put the pan in the fridge to rest. Overnight is best, we let it go for a few hours, I would say 4 hours probably. It can stay in the fridge for 3 days or be frozen for 3 months, it’s up to you… or you can use them all. J

Remove the dough from the fridge 2 hours before you plan to make the pizza. Dust the counter with flour, place the number of dough balls down you are going to use, and sprinkle with more flour you can probably switch to the cornmeal or semolina here, gently press them into flat disks (about 1/2 inch thick). sprinkle with a bit more flour and cover loosely with plastic wrap, let rest.

Right before you grill them roll them out slightly thinner than you want them, spray the grill with olive oil, and then spray the dough. Flip the dough in one fluid movement oil side down onto the grill. Let cook for 30 seconds and give the dough a quarter turn. Let the dough cook for an additional 30 seconds or until the dough begins to brown. Flip the dough again. Let cook for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Drizzle with olive oil. Cook until bottom is crispy and topping are warm and melty. Cut and serve.

Fish done two ways... as in the way it was suppose to be done, and the way it is getting done.

A quick thanks to my cousin, J, who designed my new banner... thank you, thank you. He's on top of things. I however am buried somewhere under a pile of rubbish that hasn't gotten done.... like say... oh a food blog post or two. I could blame the darling husband for leaving our computers in Illinois on the way to our vacation, but honestly I wouldn't have had time to write a thing, Internet service in which to post, or the desire to do so while sitting on a porch looking out over Lake Champlain with a glass of red wine, and local farm Vermont cheese. How I miss the Green Mountains.

Onto food related items... I was suppose to make Halibut tonight, but opened my fridge this afternoon to find out why said Halibut was on sale... whew... anyway... the Halibut sits waiting for the garbage men in the morning, and instead we are going for sushi. I will make the Halibut on Saturday, and since I am just back and drowning in other things, and have technically eaten this very recipe I'm posting it anyway. Since the only people that may possibly even know I have a blog are probably family members I'm sure you'll forgive me. Especially since I fed more than half of you while on vacation. And onto the food....

Halibut with Avocado Mash and Green Papaya Slaw

Ingredients

8 cups water
4 shallots, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, halved
12 thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, halved
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
Crushed red pepper
1 pound green papaya—peeled seeded and julienned (2 cups)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 large Hass avocado, mashed
Four 6-ounce skinless halibut fillets

Method

In a large saucepan, combine the water, shallots, garlic, thyme, peppercorns, kosher salt and oil. Squeeze the lemon over the saucepan and add to the pan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe bowl, mix the sugar and vinegar and microwave at high power for 1 minute; stir to dissolve the sugar. Add a pinch of crushed red pepper and the green papaya. Season with sea salt and black pepper and toss to coat.
In a small bowl, mash the lime juice into the avocado and season with sea salt and crushed red pepper.

Place the halibut in a deep, medium skillet, leaving some space between the fillets. Strain enough of the aromatic poaching liquid over the fish to just cover it. Simmer the halibut gently over very low heat just until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 10 minutes.
Spoon the mashed avocado onto 4 plates and top with the halibut. Using a slotted spoon, mound the papaya slaw on the fish and serve right away.

NOTES One serving 310 cal, 11 gm fat, 1.5 gm sat fat, 17 gm carb, 4.3 gm fiber.

And when all else fails take the family out for sushi. PS... the baby loves cucumber rolls with soy sauce and wasabi.