Zesty Parmesan Crisps with Pine Nuts

Plain Cheese Crisps, aka Frico or Cheese Wafers, have been around forever, such reliable little nibbles that it's easy to take them for granted. Cheese Crisps are the little black dress of appetizers, dress them up or enjoy them unadorned. Serve them plain as a one-ingredient appetizer treat, or layer on some other ingredients to accessorize with a touch of zip and crunch for a tasty variation. 

Crisps can stand alone as tempting appetizers, or might pair with soups and salads as croutons or even containers (for salad, not soup - just saying). This recipe adds lemon zest and Italian flat leaf parsley for flavor, pepper for a little bite, and pine nuts for some crunch. Betcha' can't eat just one! Try your own variation, just to keep things interesting. 

Zesty Parmesan Crisps with Pine Nuts

makes 24 wafers

2 cups shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano 

1/2 cup pine nuts

2 Tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, minced

1 Tablespoon AP flour

zest of 1 small lemon

freshly ground black pepper (or cayenne for more heat)

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 
2. Combine the shredded cheese, pine nuts, parsley, flour, lemon zest and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper in a mixing bowl. Toss and stir to mix thoroughly.
3. Scoop up a generous tablespoonful of the cheese mixture and place in a tidy mound on the parchment paper; flatten slightly to form a 2-inch round. Form additional wafers, spacing the mounds 3 inches apart to allow for spreading. 
4. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Check them early - don't let them burn! Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a baking rack for a few minutes to firm up. Use a metal spatula to transfer each crisp to a baking rack to cool completely.

Note:Stir the cheese mixture again between batches so the flour coats the remaining cheese shreds. Store cooled crisps in a covered container between layers of waxed paper for up to 3 days, or freeze a batch and store for a quick-to-thaw treat.

Fresh-Herb Flatbread

#TwelveLoaves: Summer Herbs

This flatbread recipe began with an unscheduled visit to the old Goose Bay Cannery in Rivers Inlet. The cannery ceased operation in 1957 but the building complex remained. The site functioned as a fishing lodge for a period after that, but that venture closed and the site seemed destined to end up as just one more crumbling historic ruin. 

Enter a group of Burnaby, B.C. firemen who purchased the cannery ten years ago and have given the place a new life. Some Vancouver, B.C. firemen joined the group and I believe the ownership has now expanded to 27 members. The new owners undertook an impressive rescue and restoration project, both structural and cosmetic. The visible exterior changes range from restored boardwalks, new piling, a covered ramp to a huge concrete floating dock, roofing and siding repair and fresh paint everywhere you look. The visible improvements barely hint at the energy and effort involved in restoring the cannery complex.

We arrived at the site late in the day, an impromptu stop following a waterside photo shoot of the cannery. We accepted an invitation to tie up and tour the site (thank you, Ray and Tom) and join a group of visiting firemen and friends for dinner. My small taco salad-for-two was a puny contribution to the meal as we dined on scrumptious Firehouse lamb burgers, tiny red potatoes, fresh sweet corn and a giant Caesar salad. At least our box of red wine was a welcome last-minute addition to the menu.

How could we say thank you for such generous sharing? - with a little home cooking, of course. The visiting firemen filled their day with fishing and hiking, and had their entire trip menu well planned in advance, though their meal schedule seemed more… well, random and spontaneous. Flatbread was a perfect choice since fresh bread works, either as an anytime appetizer or snack or accompanying a meal. Pull it apart, dip a chunk in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and it’s heavenly. Slather a sliced baton with butter if that’s your thing. Eat a wedge plain and let the flavorful herbs shine in every bite. Cut a square and slice it horizontally to use for a sturdy, flavorful Panini base. Try a savory bread pudding. The possibilities are endless.

I formed four flatbreads using a basic pizza/focaccia dough recipe plus flavored olive oil and a bouquet of mixed herbs. Pitted Kalamata olives topped two of the loaves, an impulsive last-minute addition. We had to sample one loaf, ostensibly to check the timing and to taste-test before sharing. Success! The bread smelled heavenly, its fragrant aroma perfumed the galley and our entire end of the dock. As for the taste, well we ate the whole thing... slice by slice... one after another... until it was gone. No adjustments required on timing or ingredients.  

The three remaining loaves, still warm from the oven, were enthusiastically received by a few of the sailboat crew. As I walked away I heard them debating whether to enjoy them right away with a glass of wine, or wait and share them with the rest of the guys when they returned from fishing. We left the dock at dawn the next morning, before anyone else stirred, so I don’t know if the flatbread was a hit or a miss. I’ll assume the best; after all, who can resist fresh bread? At least I never saw any bread chunks floating in the saltwater.

Update 3/30/2014: Rod (a dock neighbor at the Goose Bay Cannery) caught up with us in Campbell River and reported the flatbread was delicious with the guys' late night seafood chowder dinner, and greatly appreciated. I guess the herbs made it a hit, not a miss.

Flatbread with Fresh Herbs

yields 4 small loaves

Ingredients

2 pkg (1/4 oz each) dry yeast

1 ½ cups warm water (abut 115 F)

1 tsp sugar

1 ½ cups AP white flour

1 ½ cups semolina flour

1 tsp salt

2 TB herb-floavored extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup assorted fresh herbs, chopped (I used oregano, thyme, Italian parsley)

Additional all-purpose flour as needed

More flavored olive oil and any toppings of your choice (optional) 

Directions

In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add the sugar and the AP flour. Beat vigorously for 1 minute. Dough should be the consistency of a thick cake batter.

Cover lightly with a damp tea towel and let rise in a warm spot until bubbles and lightens, usually 30 to 40 minutes. 

At the end of 30 minutes, stir dough and add the semolina flour, salt, and flavored olive oil. Mix well. Place dough on a floured surface and knead well for about 8 minutes, adding just enough additional AP flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. Form the dough into four balls. At this point, you can freeze the dough for later use or make it into flatbread immediately.

Roll or press a dough ball into an oval about 1/2 inch thick. If dough resists, let it rest for a few seconds, then continue shaping. Each ball should make a 12-to-13 inch flatbread. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet; brush lightly with seasoned olive oil and add any optional toppings. Prick here and there with a fork to minimize gas bubbles. Repeat with remaining dough balls - you will need a second prepared baking sheet. Let the loaves rest until dough lightens a bit.

 

Bake in the middle of a preheated 450 degree F oven until top and bottom crusts are golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack

Note: 8/29/14
I have submitted this to #TwelveLoaves, my very last-minute link to recipes from an inspiring group of bakers who work with a different theme each month. The August 2014 theme is Summer Herbs. This month our hostess is Sherron from Simply Gourmet.

Herb Crusted Pork Scallopini

Why was a small 2-pound frozen pork loin roast a problem? Don’t roll your eyes - I wanted the space for rolls of Cruising Cookie dough. You're laughing, right? Refrigerator/freezer space is an ongoing issue when we cruise. I need space for frozen vegetables, meat, poultry, etc. and a little ice cream to carry us through the weeks between towns and provisioning opportunities. The Capt. requires space for bait and fresh-caught seafood when we can’t consume the entire catch immediately. It becomes an interesting dialogue.

Two pounds of pork were too much for a dinner for two, and the roast was only partially thawed. So I sliced off three chops to work with for dinner and put the still-frozen chunk back in the fridge to deal with tomorrow. Next I cut a small bouquet of sage from the overflowing herb pot and paused… now what? 

Sage has such an assertive presence I don’t use it often; it needs other strong flavors to tame it. Garlic, grainy mustard and lemon sounded good, and in the end they all came together better than anticipated.

Sage and lemon are a tasty team, and the mustard and Parmesan add a terrific light crust. The sauce could be fancied up with marsala and cream instead of lemon, but we enjoyed the lighter approach. While I miss having a large in-ground garden,  the herb pot has been great fun to work with once again. 

Herb Crusted Pork Scallopini

3 pork loin chops (1/2-inch thick)

salt and black pepper

garlic powder (to taste)

3 Tablespoons grainy mustard

3 Tablespoons fresh sage, minced +more for topping

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
approx 2 teaspoons smokey paprika

1 Tablespoon canola oil or cooking spray

2 Tablespoons butter, cut in small pieces

zest of 1 lemon, divided

juice of 1 lemon

additional salt and pepper (optional)

Sprinkle a small amount of water on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Place a steak on top of the plastic and sprinkle again with water. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap and pound until about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining 2 steaks.

Lightly sprinkle the pork with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Spread one side with mustard, scatter half of the sage and cheese on top and press firmly to attach. Dust lightly with smokey paprika. Repeat on the second side.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the pork until lightly browned on both sides but still quite pink in the middle, 2 minutes or less per side. Add the butter to the pan and and heat until melted. Add the lemon juice and half of the zest and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce ingredients blend and pork is barely pink in the center.

Transfer to warmed serving plate and pour the pan juices over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining lemon zest, a scattering of shredded sage and additional salt and pepper as desired.