Caprese Quinoa Casserole

Everyone needs a good, hearty casserole recipe. It's even better when said casserole recipe makes enough for lots of leftovers, freezes well, and works for all your vegetarian friends. One last perk? It uses more of the delicious fresh mozzarella I taught you how to make a few weeks ago. This casserole pulls all the flavors from one of the most classic Italian appetizers, the caprese salad, into one big dish of comfort.

Caprese salads should really only have four ingredients: the mozzarella, the tomatoes, the basil, and the balsamic vinegar. This casserole throws in a few more, namely quinoa, garlic, and onions. The quinoa adds protein and binds it all together since you can't really make a casserole out of cheese and tomatoes alone. I cook it in salted water until it's done; don't overcook it because it will bake in the oven for a while later (although it's pretty hard to overcook quinoa since you leave it until it absorbs all the water).

To retain the simplicity of the caprese salad, I limit the vegetables to tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Yes, casseroles often have tons of vegetables or other components, but I wanted the flavors I chose to truly stand out. I saute some onions and garlic together to add a bit more flavor to the dish, particularly the quinoa, which otherwise wouldn't taste like much other than, well, quinoa. When you get a bite of the quinoa and the tomatoes and the mozzarella together, it tastes fantastic, but the quinoa itself won't absorb much flavor from anything other than the onions and the basil.

As for the tomatoes, caprese salads are typically raw; a few slices of juicy tomatoes are perfect. In this casserole, however, I wanted to emphasize the natural sweetness of the tomatoes as well as draw out some of their excess moisture. I decided to roast some cherry tomatoes (which are naturally bite-sized) as well as top the whole casserole with sliced tomatoes. The tomato--and mozzarella--slices on top prevent the casserole from drying out and also add and extra layer of yumminess.

The mozzarella is always my favorite part, so I use two types. Like I said, I layer a few slices on top to keep the casserole moist, and I also shred a few handfuls to mix in the casserole. It helps hold everything together so it doesn't fall apart on your plate, and it adds a delicious creaminess to the dish. I completely understand if you don't make your own mozzarella, so just try to get whole milk mozzarella if possible. It melts better and yields a much better texture overall.

Assembling the casserole is about as easy as it gets. Just stir together your cooked quinoa, roasted tomatoes, sauteed onions, shredded/chiffonaded basil, and shredded mozzarella and spread it into a big skillet or glass baking dish. Layer slices of tomatoes and mozzarella in whatever pattern you want, pop it in the oven, and bake it until it's browned, bubbly, and hot. Meanwhile, I like reduce some balsamic vinegar so that it's syrupy and more of a sauce, but you can always just drizzle some on top. It's the perfect touch for this comfort food, and it's a much more filling alternative to the classic appetizer.

1 ¼ Cups Quinoa
1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
1 Small Yellow Onion, Chopped
4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
¼ Cup Chiffonaded Basil
1 ½ Cups Shredded Mozzarella
6 oz Mozzarella, Sliced
2 Plum Tomatoes, Sliced
¼ Cup Balsamic Vinegar

Heat oven to 400ºF and grease an 11x7" glass baking dish.

Bring 1 ¾ cups salted water to a boil in a small pot. Stir in the quinoa, turn heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed.

Spread the tomatoes on a foil-lined cookie tray and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 10 minutes or until shriveled and tender. Heat some oil in a small pan and add the onions and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes or until translucent and fragrant.

Combine the quinoa, tomatoes, sauteed onions, basil, and shredded mozzarella. Spread the mixture into the prepared dish and top with the sliced mozzarella and tomatoes. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and browned.

Meanwhile, heat the balsamic vinegar in a small pot over medium-low heat until thick and syrupy, 3-4 minutes. Drizzle over the casserole.

Serves 8
Recipe Adapted from Domesticate Me

Pizza Margherita

I've been visiting family in New York for the past few days, and one of the highlights (besides seeing all my relatives of course) is definitely the food. New York is a melting pot, and I've definitely had my share. I've had pasta and Chinese food and a few too many burgers, but my best meals were usually what New York is extra famous for: pizza. I was lucky enough to have both New York style pizza and extremely authentic Neapolitan pizza, and I still can't decide which was better. It was all so delicious that I was inspired to attempt my own at home. Despite the lack of a proper pizza oven, I think it turned out pretty well.

I'll start from the top. Two weeks ago, I taught you how to make mozzarella. Pizza is one of my favorite ways to eat mozzarella, and if you make a Neapolitan style pizza, you'll only need to slice up half the cheese the recipe makes. You can always buy mozzarella (I usually do), but pizza highlights the salty creaminess of the homemade cheese while also letting you save a lot of it for other purposes. If you do buy the cheese, I find that whole milk mozzarella melts and tastes better. You can shred or slice the mozzarella; I find that slices look prettier but shredded will cover the whole pie in gooey yumminess.

Some of you might be confused at this point. Is the cheese really the top? Well, I wanted to make a pizza margherita, which only has the crust, sauce, and cheese topped with some fresh basil and a drizzle of good olive oil. However, you can add whatever toppings you want. Some of my favorites are caramelized onions, sliced prosciutto, meatballs, and crispy bacon or pancetta. Keep in mind that a thin crust can only hold so many toppings, and if you use homemade mozzarella, you probably want to taste it more than whatever meat or veggie explosion you concoct.

The next step is the sauce. Anyone who has eaten Italian food with me knows how picky I am about it. It must be completely smooth, and if I find lumps or chunks, I will pick them out no matter how fancy the restaurant is. That's why I almost always use tomato puree for my sauce. You can use crushed or even whole or diced (though you might want to puree or blend those a bit) if that's your preference.

I do have one recommendation, though. I'm willing to sacrifice my velvety smooth texture for San Marzano tomatoes, which are only available crushed or whole. Yes, I know they are more expensive. A canned tomato is a canned tomato, right? Wrong. Certified San Marzano tomatoes are a special strain of tomatoes that can only be grown in a certain part of Italy, which has a unique soil composition. They definitely taste different (especially if you highlight them in a simple dish like a margherita pizza); I think they are sweeter and a bit more acidic with a more pronounced tomato flavor. You'll notice a difference, so splurge once to try it and you'll be hooked.

Now for my favorite part: the crust. Well, it's usually my favorite part, but maybe not when I'm using homemade mozzarella and San Marzano sauce. Regardless, this is a darn good crust. It's really easy to make, you'll end up with enough dough for two or three good sized pizzas, and it's a pleasure to work with. I often avoid making pizzas because I get so frustrated working the dough when the dough doesn't want to stretch or otherwise cooperate. This dough, however, is elastic and soft and can be stretched and rolled and molded really easily. You can make it extra thin or a little on the thicker side and it will still bake up nicely. There is a ton of yeast, and the initial yeast mixture practically triples in volume, so use a bigger bowl than you think (I learned the hard way). I add a bit of sugar to the yeast mixture so the yeast can "feed" on the sugar and rise even more. There's also some more sugar and honey in the dough because I'm a pastry chef at heart and I like everything a little sweet. Other than that, it's a pretty standard dough. All purpose flour works just fine here, so you don't have to worry about getting a whole sack of bread flour just to use part of it.

You'd think assembling a pizza would be simple enough, and it is. But I do have a few tricks to help. The main idea is to do everything as fast as possible once you have it all prepped. Crank your oven up as hot as it will go (at least 450F) and put your pizza stone in at the beginning if you have one. You want your stone to be nice and hot so your crust will start cooking as soon as it hits it. If you don't have a pizza stone and don't want to invest in one, just use a flat metal baking dish or cookie sheet but don't let it heat up in the oven; the metal will heat up quickly enough. Once your oven is preheated, pull out your stone, transfer your rolled out/tossed crust, and quickly spread on a thin layer of sauce and add the cheese. You want to work as quickly as possible so the sauce doesn't make the crust too soggy. Stick it back into the oven and cook it until it's as brown as you want it to be, usually ten minutes or fewer, so keep an eye on it.

I don't think anything will ever compare to a true New York style pizza or a real, authentic Italian pie. It's hard to compete, especially without a pizza oven (graduation gift anyone?). But I do think I've gotten as close as I can while still staying at home. Although I might not have an Italian grandma teaching me all her secrets or a brash New Yorker giving me instructions, there is definitely something to be said for high quality, made-from-scratch ingredients.

Pizza Dough:
2 0.25 oz Packets Active Dry Yeast
1 T + 1 tsp Sugar
5 Cups + 2 T Flour
2 Cups Warm Water (105-115F)
2 tsp Salt
1 T Honey

Whisk the yeast, 2 T flour, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/2 cup warm water together and let stand for 10 minutes or until foamy.

Combine the salt and 3 cups flour. Stir in the yeast mixture, remaining warm water, and honey until just combined. Gradually stir in 1 cup of flour. Knead the dough, adding the remaining flour as necessary, for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour.

Tomato Sauce:
Mince two cloves of garlic. Heat some olive oil in a medium pot. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about two minutes. Stir in a 28 oz can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes, 1 T sugar, 1/4 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp onion powder. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Pizza Margherita:
Heat oven to the hottest temperature, at least 450F, and leave your pizza stone in the oven while it heats.

Roll one third to one half of the pizza dough out to the desired thickness. Slice or shred some mozzarella, and prepare toppings if desired. When the oven is preheated, quickly transfer the dough to the hot pizza stone, spread with some of the tomato sauce, and top with the mozzarella. Add the toppings or sprinkle with fresh basil. Bake for 6-10 minutes or until golden.

Pizza Dough Recipe Adapted from Pizzeria Bianco

Mozzarella

With college starting in less than a month, I decided I needed to get into the Wisconsin spirit. One of my favorite ways to explore new places is to try the food, but after my visit to Madison and eating at quite a few amazing restaurants, I wanted to try making some midwestern food myself. Given that Wisconsin is America's dairyland (there's a cheese chalet minutes from the airport if that puts it into context), I wanted to try my hand at cheesemaking. Mozzarella is one of the easiest cheeses to make, and all you need to do is order some special ingredients (citric acid powder, double strength liquid rennet, and calcium chloride); I got mine online from Standing Stone Farms.

There are only a few ingredients in homemade mozzarella, but it's important to use the correct ones (read: absolutely no substitutions) and precisely the amount instructed. The main ingredient is whole milk. I often substitute low-fat milk in a lot of my recipes, but UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES do so here, and DO NOT EVER EVER EVER use skim milk. Did I get my point across? Don't shy away from the fat; that's what makes the cheese so good. I've heard that cheesemakers only use non-pasteurized or non-homogenized or some other special type of milk, but I just use regular old whole milk from the supermarket and it turns out just fine. A gallon might seem like a lot, but you'll be surprised how little of it will turn into cheese. The milk separates into curds, which are the solids that become the cheese after stretching and cooking (I'll get to that later), and whey, which is a protein-packed, mostly clear liquid. I've been trying to find ways to cook with the whey since you end up with so much of it, and one of my favorite uses is cooking oats and grains in it.

The purpose of the citric acid is to help separate the milk solids from the whey and allow the rennet to serve its purpose. Just two teaspoons of citric acid in a gallon of milk will make the milk start to clump. You won't see big chunks yet, but you should see some tiny little particles on your whisk as you stir it in. The calcium chloride helps the cheese firm up so you aren't left with mushy curds. You only need a little bit, and I dilute it in water so that it is more evenly dispersed. I also dilute the rennet, which makes milk proteins insoluble, causing them to separate from the liquid (whey) and form curds.

Now to actually make the cheese. The specifics of the cooking process are just as important as the specifics of the ingredients. I start by combining the milk and the citric acid in my biggest pot over medium-low heat. You should see small specks of solids, but there shouldn't be clumps yet. I whisk it often but not constantly, and I stir gently to avoid sloshing.

It has to reach exactly 88F before you can add the calcium chloride and rennet solutions. You should see clumping almost immediately, and within a minute or so you should get large curds and a nearly clear whey.

You need to keep cooking the mixture until it reaches 104F; once it hits 104, you can skim the curds out using a slotted spoon or small strainer and transfer them to a large heatproof bowl.

While the milk was heating up and separating, I also had a medium pot of heavily salted water on the stove. You want it to be extremely salty because that's how the cheese gets a lot of its flavor. By the time the curds hit 104F, I like the water to be just warm to the touch, about 100-110F. I pour some of the water over the curds and leave the rest on the stove to continue heating. Using disposable gloves, I start working and pulling the curds; they should be pretty clumpy and not too stretchy.

After about two minutes, I pour out half the water and replace it with some new water from the pot, which should be hot but just bearable to work with, about 140-150F. I continue working and stretching the cheese for another few minutes. At this point, you should start to see some strings, and the cheese should be more stretchy.

Again, I pour out about half the water and replace it with new water, which should be almost boiling. Since it's too hot to work with, I find that using a big metal spoon helps stretch the cheese without burning your fingers. I keep working the cheese until it's shiny and smooth.

The gradual heating of the water may seem tedious. It is. But it's worth it because otherwise you end up cooking the outside and not the inside. If you already spend this much time making the cheese, you don't want to ruin it by cutting corners here. After the curds are finally shiny and stretchy and done, they are pretty easy to roll into balls. I tend to make two spheres, but you can make a bunch of mini bocconcini, a braid, or even a giant mozzarella ball. To keep whatever shape you choose, leave the cheese in a cool bowl of water for 10-15 minutes to set. The cheese will stay for a few days; I store mine in pure water, lightly salted water, and/or whey.

If eating plain cheese isn't for you, I have a few recommendations that I'll be publishing over the next few weeks. However, I know how hard it is to wait to eat something as amazing as this, so I included one of my favorite recipes: mozzarella sticks. We've all had them in restaurants; they have a tendency to be greasy and bland, but use fresh mozzarella and you'll be eating these for every meal.

Wisconsin might be in the middle of the tundra (well, maybe not, but it certainly seems like it to a southern girl like me), but they make some darn good comfort food. I had some of the best food I've ever eaten, including burgers, cheese curds, and even Russian dumplings (see my foodie travel guide for more information). It inspired me to try and start cooking it before I left because who knows what kind of kitchen I'll be in for the next year or so. I feel like I'm in Wisconsin already, only with my own kitchen and 90 degree heat. Cheesemaking does seem daunting, but the finished product is delicious, impressive, and worth the effort. If you can't make it up to Wisconsin, it's the next best thing!

1 Gallon Whole Milk

2 tsp Citric Acid Powder

1 tsp Calcium Chloride

⅛ tsp Double-Strength Liquid Rennet

Non-Iodized Salt

Whisk the calcium chloride into ¼ cup water. Whisk the rennet into ¼ cup water.

Place a pot of heavily salted water on medium heat.

In a large pot, combine the milk and citric acid. Heat over medium-low until it reaches 88ºF, stirring often. Gently stir in the calcium chloride and rennet solutions. Heat over medium-low, stirring gently and often, until it reaches 104ºF; remove from heat.

Skim the curds from the whey and transfer to a large heatproof bowl. Add some of the salted water (it should be warm, about 100-110ºF) and begin working and pulling with gloved hands for about two minutes. Drain off half the water and replace with some of the hotter salted water (it should be hot, about 140-150ºF). Continue working and pulling for about two more minutes; it should start to look a little stringy. Drain off half the water and replace with some of the hotter salted water (it should be almost boiling); continue working and pulling until the cheese is shiny and smooth throughout. 

Roll the cheese into balls and transfer to a bowl of cool salted water. Let sit for 15 minutes, then remove and store in a container of water and/or whey.

For mozzarella sticks, heat a deep fryer or a few inches of oil in a large pot to 350F. Cut the mozzarella into sticks and/or nuggets. Season some flour with salt and Italian herbs, if desired. Whisk an egg with 1/4 cup milk. Season some panko crumbs with salt and Italian herbs, if desired. Dip the mozzarella in the flour, then the egg wash, then the panko, shaking off the excess between steps. Fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Mozzarella Recipe Adapted from Standing Stone Farms