No-oven skillet pizza

Edited 11-24-14: I have worked on this recipe some more because we use it constantly. Here are some improvements. If you like thicker crust pizza then you need to turn down the heat a bit. I have also been pressing out the dough on a piece of parchment paper and transferring the whole parchment paper onto the skillet. This keeps the bottom from getting too dark. When I do the flip, I remove the paper. Enjoy!
 
Before you discount this recipe just based on the title and what your personal pizza prejudices are, I dare you to try it. Honestly, I may never make pizza in the oven again. This was that good.  I started out by Googling "stove top pizza" because my galley oven is broken and we have yet to find the pieces to fix it. I ended up on the Pizza Lab's site and starting out with his idea I began to modify things for my own taste. Give it a shot and I promise you won't be disappointed!

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough Recipe: The recipe at this link is for 3 pretty large pizzas in the 14" range, depending on how thin you make it. I made 3/4 of this recipe and divided the raised dough in 4 balls and made 4 pizzas the size of the bottom of my cast iron skillet. It's really important to start out with a good dough recipe and this is the best one I've ever used.

Pizza sauce, small jar
Mozzarella or pizza 4-cheese mix grated, 8 oz
Pepperoni or whatever other toppings you like.




Directions:

Make the dough per the recipe. After it rises, divide it into 4 or 5 balls and set them aside. You need the heaviest skillet you have and I have found that cast iron works the best. Heat the skillet to 500°. This is very important. Check it with a digital thermometer - the laser type that we keep on the boat to check the engine temp is what I use. If the temp isn't evenly 500° over the skillet bottom, turn the pan until it's fairly even. The way that my burners are set up on my galley stove, the skillet can't quite get over the middle of the flame without bumping into the rails around the stove top so I have to turn mine frequently. When the skillet is almost ready, press one of the balls into a circle a little larger than the bottom of your skillet. The dough will shrink back as soon as it settles in the pan so you need to make it slightly larger than that diameter.

While you are waiting for the skillet to heat, heat up your sauce and toppings. If you're using veggies, saute them and keep them warm. If you're using pepperoni, toss it in a small skillet and heat it up till it just starts to crisp. Keep the toppings warm.








Once the skillet is hot, place it on a heat diffuser. Oil the skillet with olive oil and gently lower the circle of dough onto the skillet. Turn the skillet periodically to even the heat. Check the bottom of the crust with a spatula. It should take several minutes for the crust to  become golden brown and for bubbles to appear in the dough on the top.

Brush the top with olive oil and flip it over. Cook it for a few minutes until the places touching the skillet become golden brown and the remainder is no longer doughy.

Flip it back over, spread with your sauce, cheese, and toppings. Immediately turn the burner down to low and cover the skillet with foil or a lid that has a vent hole in it.

Let it cook a few more minutes until the cheese melts and the bottom is crispy but not burned. This recipe makes fantastic crispy crust, chewy inside pizza that is as good as any pizza shop!

Rice Balls

As you may have gathered from previous posts, some of my grandchildren have some pretty severe food allergies, the primary ones of which are wheat and dairy. Since they are living with us on the boat for a few weeks while they prep their boat for their new life as full-time liveaboards, I've been back to cooking primarily gluten free. This means a lot of rice and, while I happen to love rice, eating it with nearly every meal I was beginning to tire of it. A little creative thought and we have found their new favorite recipe. Like most of the recipes I post here for galley preparation, this one is highly adaptable, and is even more fantastic if you happen to be one of the lucky ones who can have dairy and wheat. It's a bit reminiscent of the ubiquitous Tater Tots. The recipe uses cold, leftover rice and you can turn these balls into a savory side dish by adding Italian spices and parmesan cheese, or you can make wonderful cinnamon raisin ones similar to donut holes which we had this morning and didn't last very long. Use your imagination!

Ingredients:

2-3 cups of cold, leftover rice
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (you can use gluten free crumbs if you have allergies)
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (optional if you have a dairy issue)

Directions:

Mix everything in a bowl well. Wet your hands and roll large tablespoons of the mixture into balls the size of golf balls and put them on a cookie sheet.  In a large, straight sided skillet, heat several cups of oil (1/2" or 3/4" depth) to 375°. Gently place half of the balls into the skillet. Turn frequently while cooking so they cook evenly. Cook them until they are deep golden brown. Drain on a paper towel lined plate and repeat with other half.

If you want to make the donut version, use the following:

2-3 cups cold, cooked rice
2 eggs
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins


This recipe was an experiment that ended up turning out incredibly delicious and I wanted to share it with you. I hadn't done very many process pictures before I realized it was turning out this well, so the pics are pretty limited.  It's a pretty simple recipe, though, so give it a try!

Sweet and Smokey Spice Mix

I've been playing around with spice mixes lately. There's a group of McCormick spice blends that I really like, but I can only seem to find them at Walmart and I can't get there very often so while we were in the Bahamas I decided to try my hand at mixing something close and was pretty happy with the result. So enjoy, and please if you have some additions or suggestions feel free to comment.

Sweet and Smokey Barbecue Spice Mix

1Tbl Garlic Powder
2 Tbl Chili Power
1 Tbl Onion Powder
1 Tbl Salt
1 Tbl Smoked Paprika
1 Tbl Cracked Pepper
3-4 Tbl packed brown sugar
1 Tsp Cinnamon

Mix the spices well in a bowl and sprinkle heavily on pork chops  before pan frying.  I really intended to have a picture of the finished product, but I had some very hungry toddlers underfoot and somehow it completely escaped my attention. This picture of the chops in progress will have to do. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Coco-Nut Muffins

When we were in the Bahamas this winter, coconuts were everywhere for the taking. Any walk could yield a dozen coconuts if you were so inclined to clean them. We really like fresh coconut and snack on it like we do peanuts and fresh coconut, in particular, lends a sweetness and moistness to baking that you just can't find anywhere else. Toward the end of our two month stay (the reason for lack of posts here since internet there is not fast enough for pictures), we picked up an extra coconut and cleaned the outer husk off but kept the hard shell inside and took it with us back to the States. One of our good friends came to Nassau to make the crossing back over with us and the coconut happened to be residing in the aft cabin where he was staying. He happened to comment one day that the coconut seemed to be staring at him, and after taking a good look I had to agree. One thing led to another, and soon the coconut had a face drawn on and a name, "Coco". Well Coco met his demise this week since my food-allergy-prone grandsons arrived and required some coconut-laden breakfast treats.

Muffins are one of the easiest baked goods to make gluten-free so we have them pretty frequently when the kids are around. These muffins are extremely moist and flavorful and will be our favorite one now, changed occasionally with the addition of seasonal fruit, raisins, or dates. Whether you're gluten sensitive or not, these muffins are a great way to start out the day.

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups oat bran
1/2 cup fine cornmeal
1 cup freshly grated coconut, divided in half
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 rounded tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup almond milk + 2 Tbl
2 Tbl coconut oil



Directions

Preheat oven to 400°. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and set aside.













Mix the egg, pumpkin, milk, and oil in another bowl and set aside.












Lightly grease the bottoms of 12 muffin tins with extra coconut oil.  Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until combined and the dry ingredients are incorporated. If the batter is dry, add the extra 2 Tbl of milk. Humidity plays a huge factor in muffin recipes and the amount of liquid required. Do not over mix. This is the number one mistake people make when baking muffins. If you over mix the batter, the muffins will be dense instead of tender.

Spoon the batter evenly into 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle the remaining half cup of coconut on top. Bake at 400° for 18-20 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. If your oven runs hot, check at 15 minutes. On the boat, it takes me 20-22 minutes. Ovens vary.

Coco, may you rest in peace.

Green boat

There's a pretty notable movement to have a green boat these days. Solar powered, wind powered, electric...but I would like to take the meaning of green boat in another completely different direction.

My daughter recently read an article about how NASA was using plants to detox the space station from chemicals and mold. Number one on the list was English Ivy. While shopping for something totally unrelated a few days later I happened on a reduced rack of small 4" potted plants and picked one up as an experiment. I was skeptical, I admit, as a boat is so full of mold potential even if there aren't any leaks, just due to the amount of condensation present. I was also concerned about the wide temperature swing in the boat, but the tag on the plant assured me that it could withstand a 40° to 95° range. On our home lake that would encompass about 2 months of the year, but we were preparing to leave to go cruising and were determined to stay well within that range.

I put it in a nice spot on a medium light shelf above my closet next to a port, and went home for the weekend. When we came back the following weekend the plant was nearly dead. I wasn't surprised, but disappointed. When we went back to the city at the end of the weekend I forgot to take the plant home with me and on returning the next weekend expected to find it completely dead. To my surprise, there were several small, new green leaves on one of its stalks. The only thing I can attribute it to is that there was so much mold in the boat that it shocked and took a bit of time to adjust. Whatever the reason, the plant is doing well and adds an element of color to the interior of the boat that does wonders for it. It was a very well spent $1.74.


By the way, when my daughter came to visit she promptly named the plant Starbuck after the chief mate in Moby Dick, but I'm thinking these days his namesake is more likely the Starbuck of Battlestar Gallactica fame since he's endured some real trials and yet continues to survive with a bit of feistiness. He's become a qualified crew member aboard Kintala. So the next time you're near  a clearance rack of 4" potted plants, see if one doesn't call out and tell you he wants to go cruising.

Vienna Snack Loaves

This recipe is one of my absolute favorites. It's a versatile boat bread recipe that can be shaped into 2 large italian style loaves, 3 medium everyday cut bread with butter and cheese loaves, 4 large hoagie buns, or 8 sandwich rolls. I usually make a half recipe, which is what follows, mostly because if you're in warm weather the bread will mold before you can eat it all if you do a whole recipe. You can double it though if you have fridge space, or you're having company, or you just feel like being nice by delivering a warm loaf to someone. The recipe comes out of my favorite bread cookbook, The Red Star Centennial Bread Sampler, which is out of print but if you ever find it at a used bookstore I highly recommend you pick it up. Mine is heavily taped up from all the years of use.

Ingredients:

2-3/4 to 3 cups bread flour
1 package instant yeast
1-1/2 tsp sugar
1-1/2 tsp slt
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbl water
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbl butter







Directions:

In a large mixing bowl stir together1-1/4 cups of the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Set aside.

 Heat water, milk and butter in a small saucepan until it reaches 120°. The butter does not need to melt. I've been using a trigger style infrared thermometer to test the liquid with, one that we bought to use on the engine but it works really great for bread as well.

Mix the heated liquids into the dry ingredients and beat for 3 minutes with either a hand mixer or a wooden spoon. It should get totally smooth and bubbles should begin to appear. I've been using a kitchen timer app on my phone that works pretty well.

Add enough of the rest of the flour in by hand to make a soft dough. It will be sticky as you work it with the spoon but should begin to take the shape of a ball and to clean off the sides of the bowl. Put a little flour onto your work surface and begin to knead the bread. Knead it for 5-8 minutes or until it gets elastic and smooth. If you have never kneaded bread you can watch my video and instructions in the Thin Crust Pizza Recipe for help. Clean your bowl and oil the inside of it. Put your ball of dough in the bowl and turn it over so the top is oiled. Cover the bowl with foil and then keep it somewhere warm and free of drafts until it doubles in bulk. You can make a warm space by turning on your oven for a few minutes and then turning it off and putting the bowl inside, or by setting it on a heating pad or a hot water bottle. It will take 30-60 minutes to double depending on the ambient temperature. It should look like this.

 After the dough has doubled, take your fist and punch it down in the middle. Then take the edges and fold them to the middle and work around until all the air bubbles are gone.

 Cut the dough into two pieces. Press one piece into a rectangle about ten inches long by 5 inches wide.

Start rolling the long edge toward you and press it into the remaining dough along the bottom ede of the roll. Try not to trap any air bubbles into the roll.

When it's all rolled up, turn it over and pinch the edge together.

 Place the pinched edge down on a square of parchment paper cut to fit your pan and sprinkled with cornmeal. Cut diagonal slits into the top with a sharp knife.

Take the other half of dough and cut it into 4 equal pieces. Press each piece out into a small rectangle and roll it toward you like the loaves. If you want longish rolls then stop there. If you want rounder rolls then take that mini loaf and begin to roll it from one end to the other, pinching as you go and sealing it like the loaf on the bottom.

 Grease the tops of the loaves and/or rolls with olive oil or cooking spray.

Put them in a warm place free of drafts until they're almost doubled in size. If you are not preheating your oven in order to save propane, then you want to start to bake them when they are a little less raised. They will finish raising as the oven preheats. This can take some experimenting on time so I suggest that the first time you make this recipe that you preheat your oven.

 

Bake them from 20-35 minutes, again depending on your oven. Cool completely before slicing or they will crush. This is a very tender, moist bread.

If you have troubles, know that yeast bread failures are usually a fault of one of these situations: your liquids are too hot and you have killed the yeast, you are using old yeast, you are using self-rising flour, or you have tried to raise the bread somewhere drafty. 

If you have any other difficulties please feel free to email me, svkintala att gmail dott com.

French Breakfast Puffs

The key word in the title of this blog is "Comforts". The food on here is comfort food, pure and simple. Emotionally healthy, but diet food? Not so much. So there is the disclaimer. Now, on to breakfast this morning.

In my defense, it was cold on the boat. 43° outside, and 47° inside with no heater. Certainly not the vicious -20° wind chills my daughter eldest was experiencing in Iowa City, IA, but it called for some heat nonetheless. So rather than cold cereal, or even oatmeal, some sort of baked good was called for.

This recipe was given to me by my nephew years ago as part of a church youth group recipe book. I haven't made it in years due to our attempt to eat healthier, but I drew it out of the recipe stash today and simply refused to think about healthy and decided to focus on warm. Comfort food folks...

French Breakfast Puffs

3 cups all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Coating:
6 Tbl butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
3 tsp cinnamon


Mix flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in one bowl. Set aside.












Cream butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add sugar. Cream again. Add eggs and blend till mixed.











These puffs are mixed using an alternating method. Add 1/3 of flour mixture and mix until dry ingredients are incorporated...













Then add 1/3 cup of the milk and mix well. Repeat, alternating flour and milk, mixing well in between.









Divide into 12 greased muffin cups. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until just turning golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.











While puffs are baking, mix cinnamon and sugar and set aside. Melt butter.

Remove puffs from oven when done and transfer to wire rack. While still warm, roll tops in melted butter and then cinnamon sugar.

Serve warm.