Sunday, April 20, 2014

Walking in Circles

Walking, not wandering, deliberate circles
From here to Pi
A pie for one
A Friday night with purpose
So don't call my evenings a bore
For they bear meaning
Whenever I make them so

Circular and continuous? Too much to take out of an odd-shaped Pizza pie?
Spring and me - confused and lost at a foggy cross-street

So from a hectic week, so slow to pass it seems time blurs by
I topped it off with a treat I've been meaning to try:
Pizza, homemade, not grilled but that's soon for another day.
A meal to round out a week, square off a semester, and make whole a fractured year

But wait, finals is still only 2 weeks near...
Recalling when Pizza was fun, not the glutenous fear which so long ruled my habits
Pizza Friday will rise again, like Pasta - pronto!

And cheers to a summer, superior, and more evenings spent slowly, 



Pizza Pie, simply tried, so only the tips to slice up some spice in life:
The First-Take Pizza Pie

  • If you find yourself short on cheese but rich in Tofu (a strange situation, this I know) Try mashing up your tofu as follows:
Tofu Ricotta Salata
Combine 1/2 block fork-mashed tofu with 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar, or less to taste, 1 tsp ground sea salt like the beautiful Pink Hawaiian Sea Salt I slowly deplete - alas. Add Pepper and a spritz of lemon juice and mix, setting aside to let the flavors meld. It makes a mean vegan cheese on pizza!
  • Roast your veggies before addition! Roast broccoli, Onions sliced thinly, and red peppers with a splash of Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar make a great topping - and appetizer...
  • Pre-bake your crust! Overloading be damned, you will not find a crisp crust without a pre-bake (and a quick pricking with a fork) espescially if you like me think of crust as more of a means of transport than a pizza-lead.
  • Bake it hot! Preheat to at least 450F and reduce towards the end of cooking, it makes a crisper crust.
So walk away from the pizza stay, a Box and grease stains abound. Sure, I love a good pie from a reliable parlor but find in the middle, so many more mediocre.
Make pizza: a rounding experience. Or square, if Sicilian is what you prefer.

Lesson learned?
A good pie cries out for a meal al-fresco but a chili spring will do.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Slow the Pace

Too fast these few weeks past
But too slow the steps towards their end
A sunday morning: time to grasp
All that was within

So here, a simple bowl of porridge
Savory, not sweet
to savor the arrival of spring, finally for sure
and glaze over the past time, since last,
When writing
wandering
and Watching, seated back
Weren't within.

Savory Balsamic Breakfast Porridge
~for One~

2 tbsp Rolled Oats
1 tbsp Dense grain (Amaranth, perhaps Quinoa)
2 tbsp Steel-Cut Oats
1 tsp salt
Curry powder, cinnamon, cloves, rosemary to taste
1 tsp fennel seed
_
1/8 cup wheat bran
optionally 1.5 tbsp Hemp protein

Reduction
1 small dried fig, sliced thinly
1/4 onion sliced thinly
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbsp water
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tsp honey

I prefer to soak my grains overnight, so adding them to a pan with spices and 1 -1 1/2 cups water I let them sit overnight. While they boil in the morning, after about 10 minutes on low heat, add the protein and certainly the bran.
Now begin to caramelize the onions over medium heat, then adding the salt and pepper and balsamic vinegar, reduce to low heat and watch. if it thins too quickly, add water. Add the figs while still thin and continue to reduce until sticky and viscous but not adhering to the pan.
Pour atop your hot porridge and swim in a salty-sweet spring morning in an Italian balsamic haven.

Next time I walk to Italian
I'll be sure to sample the Oats
-Maybe Farro - farina -
A Balsamic Polenta might do!

Learned?
Dont ever let life get by the wayside in lieu of a desire to make light of it.