My first mission for this recipe was to make the crust. How was I going to get it thick and fluffy, airy inside and slightly crisp outside? I used my bread machine to make the dough (use beer in lieu of water if you have it, and add oregano and basil to the dry ingredients) and found a round cake pan to press it into. I went about halfway up the sides, as I didn’t want it to rise over the top of the pan, then I pre-baked it in a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes, just until it rose and the crust was barely beginning to brown.

The pre-baking worked well. It ensured that my crust had a crisp bottom, and it gave me a solid form to load my ingredients into. The end result was a crusty exterior, an airy interior, and a great overall thickness. I might pre-bake every crust from now on.

But! When it came time to remove the pizza from the pan, I couldn’t. The next day, I went and bought a springform pan and tried the recipe in that. It worked perfectly. You can find quality springforms for under 20 bucks. I bought mine at the Faberware outlet for $8.99. Get a nice heavy duty, non-stick model that’s easy to work.

For the sauce, I opened a can of whole tomatoes and crushed them. But I wanted a thicker base and the smokier flavor of tomato sauce in addition to the nice acidity and chunkiness of the whole tomatoes. The solution, I found, was half of a 4.5 oz. can of tomato paste. I mixed it into the tomatoes, along with garlic, basil, oregano, and black pepper.

Overall, I found it to be well-balanced, with enough crust and sauce to make it deep dish. Traditionally, you eat deep dish with a knife and fork. I tried to convince my husband of this, but he insisted on picking it up anyway. Whatever. It was tasty!

Ingredients (for two pizzas):

2 lbs. dough
1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese
14 oz. whole tomatoes
2 oz. tomato paste
pepperoni, green pepper, mushrooms, or ingredients of your choice
garlic power, basil, oregano, pepper, or other spices of your choice
Parmesan cheese

Special Equipment:

springform pan

1. Make your dough. Form it into your pan, only extending halfway up the sides, and making the sides slightly thicker than the bottom. Pre-bake crust in a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes, or until the crust has risen and is just slightly browning.

2. To your pre-baked crust, add a thick layer of mozzarella on the bottom.

3. Layer your pepperoni, diced green peppers, sliced mushrooms, or ingredients of your choosing, over the top of the cheese. Use ingredients liberally.

4. Add a light layer of cheese over the top of your chosen ingredients.

5. Top with a thick layer of sauce.

6. Finely grate Parmesan cheese over the top of the sauce.

7. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until Parmesan is melting and the crust is golden brown.

8. Pop out of the springform pan, and let cool slightly before cutting.

Two pizzas will serve 3 people easily, 4 people if you have other dishes or light eaters.

When I returned to the Pacific Northwest ten days later, I found Safeway brimming with citrus, the bounty of which was almost overwhelming. Bins stuffed with limes and lemons, stands topped with tangerines, grapefruits, and Valencia and Navel oranges, smaller crates lined with mandarins, satsumas, kumquats, and tangelos. My mouth puckered just looking at it. It was Christmas all over again.

I bought a variety and went home determined to resume my pre-vacation habit of full meal salads at least once a week. And to be honest, I was so over-saturated with rich, holiday food, I couldn’t wait! Plus, I’d snuck a ball of chèvre into the cart, a cheese I had yet to try, and which I knew, being made from goat’s milk (chèvre is French for goat), my husband would refuse to eat. Still, I thought it’d go perfectly with the dish I wanted to create.

Luckily, it did. Chèvre is wonderfully creamy and slightly tangy. It’s softer and milder than feta, which is an alternative to consider if you like stronger, harder textured cheeses.

Also, because I’m all about balance, I contrast the colors and textures of the greens and citrus fruits with crunchy, brown nuts, and chewy, red cranberries. I like a combination of pecans and walnuts, but hazelnuts would compliment the dish, too. And if you use tart citrus fruits, consider using sweet cherries instead of cranberries. Other options, which I haven’t tried, but would add pungency, are sliced red onions or snipped chives. Enjoy!

Citrus Chicken Salad

Marinade Ingredients:
2 cups orange juice
zest from one orange
juice from one lemon
1-2 tsp. spicy brown mustard
1-2 tsp. sesame oil
black pepper

Salad Ingredients:
1 bunch green leaf lettuce
2-3 kinds of mixed citrus fruits, peeled and sectioned (I like mandarin oranges and tangerines.)
1 cup toasted pecans
¼ cup toasted walnuts
½ cup dried cranberries
2 chicken breasts
chèvre cheese

Reserve half of the marinade. You will use this half to dress your salad greens. Pour the remainder over your chicken breasts and marinate for a minimum of two hours. Remove from marinade and grill until done. (Or pan cook if you’re feeling lazy. Or if it’s too cold outside. Or you’re out of propane.) Once the chicken is done, let it rest, then slice thinly. Let cool.

Chop pecans and walnuts and toast until golden and aromatic. The oven, toaster, or even stovetop works fine for this. Use a low heat, and watch carefully. Once they start to release their oils, they will burn quickly. Let cool.

Wash and dry salad greens. Toss with reserved marinade in a large bowl. Add sectioned citrus fruits, dried cranberries, toasted nuts, and sliced chicken. Toss again. Sprinkle chèvre over top. Add fresh ground pepper, and any additional ingredients, if desired.

Serve with warm sourdough bread, dripping with butter. Mmmmm.

The dishes he serves are simple—lasagna, spaghetti with pomodoro or ragu sauce, penne with broccoli. And Sicilian pizzas, or, what we Americans call calzones. But they are insanely tasty.

I can’t remember why I decided to try an eggplant dish, or if I ordered the Penne Norma or the Norma Sicilian Pizza. (Both excellent!) What matters is that my first experience with eggplant was at Trinacria, and it set the standard for every eggplant dish thereafter. It was melt in your mouth creamy. It was divine. So far, it is the only eggplant, served by a restaurant, I’ve truly enjoyed.

Many Italian restaurants list eggplant Parmesan on their menu, and this is probably the dish that comes to mind when you hear the word eggplant, though it is widely used in many cultures. The problem, however, is that most restaurants serve eggplant Parmesan deep-fried. Yuck. There is no faster way to ruin the taste of eggplant than to saturate it in old frying oil, in my humble opinion. Eggplant tends to absorb flavors, and the last thing I want to taste in my dish is an overabundance of oil. Even if it’s good oil. And often, you’re left with the rubbery texture of undercooked eggplant because deep-frying doesn’t, in my experience, completely break down the cell walls. Double yuck.

So as not to be limited in my eggplant experiences, I set out to learn how to prepare it like Eugino Alio does. I’ve found roasting it in a hot oven works best, though the Sunday’s at Moosewood Restaurant cookbook has a wonderful recipe for baked eggplant sandwiches. The key to great eggplant, however, lies in how you prepare it. It must be salted, pressed, and left to drain for a minimum of one hour.

Sounds complicated, but it’s really quite simple. It does mean you must allow yourself ample time, but you can come home, start the eggplant, open a bottle of wine, and begin prepping the rest of the dish, and really, it’s no problem at all. And the results are definitely worth it. The salting removes the bitterness of the seeds, and allowing the salt to sit and penetrate the eggplant breaks down its cell walls, which makes it more tender.

Here’s exactly how I do it:

Thinly slice, or dice, one eggplant. Place it, in layers, in a colander, making sure to salt each layer. I salt lightly. Take a heavy bowl, or a bowl loaded with canned goods, and place it on top of the colander. Press down and let it rest that way for a minimum of one hour. If the eggplant is relatively seedless, one hour will be plenty. If it’s packed with seeds, more time might be necessary. After an hour or two has elapsed, take a paper towel and blot the eggplant to remove excess salt. Now it’s ready for roasting or baking, or frying, if you must.

Now that we’ve got that covered, here’s the eggplant inspired dish I came up with. Eugenio Alio eat your heart out.

Penne Norma with Sweet Sausage and Roasted Garlic

Ingredients:

1 lb. penne pasta
1 medium eggplant
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage (not the skinny breakfast links)
28 oz. can tomatoes in puree
14 oz. can whole tomatoes
1 head garlic, roasted (I’ll tell you how in a minute)
fresh basil
fresh thyme
¼ -1/2 cup red wine
olive oil
Parmesan cheese
salt, pepper, dried basil, marjoram, and garlic powder

1. Get that eggplant going per the directions above. For this recipe, dice it.

2. For that head of garlic that’s to be roasted: Remove the outermost papery layer. Place in a small oven-safe dish, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour a small amount of water into the bottom of the dish, cover with aluminum foil, and roast in a 375 degree oven for 35-45 minutes, or until fork tines sink into the cloves. Remove from oven, allow to cool, then squeeze the cloves out of their casings. Reserve.

3. Once your eggplant is done draining, place it in a large casserole dish and toss it with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and a bunch of fresh thyme. Roast, uncovered, in a 400 degree oven for about forty minutes, or until thoroughly tender. (Be sure to stir often, as you don’t want sticking to occur. Also, don’t be concerned if the eggplant looks very dry during the first half of the process. Continue to roast and stir, and it will soften and get brown and creamy looking. I promise.)

4. Add your roasted garlic to the eggplant during the last ten minutes of roasting.

5. Once you have your eggplant in the oven, pan-fry your sausages. Brown each side, turn the heat to low, and let cook until almost done. Slice them into thick slices and finish cooking, browning each side.

6. To make the sauce, combine the tomato puree, the whole tomatoes, the red wine, a teaspoon or so of fresh thyme, and the dried spices. Chop up the whole tomatoes with the back of your spoon, and let simmer while your pasta cooks. A note on the wine: If you’re drinking red wine with your meal, reserve a bit of that. If not, I keep a four pack of 187 ml bottles on hand for just this purpose.

7. Cook your pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water. When done, reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water, then drain the penne in a colander.

8. In a large bowl, toss the penne with the pasta water (this prevents the pasta from sticking). Add the eggplant, the sausage, and the sauce, then top with fresh basil slivers, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and fresh ground pepper for those who like it.