FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Forcing The Conversion

by

IMG_5488

Lately, it seems as though I’m awfully committed to being a tomato liker.  When I was home for Christmas, I ordered a caprese-esque dish from Food + Drink Lab.  Shortly after, I asked my roommate to make a caprese salad for New Year’s Eve dinner.  Over the weekend, I ate tomato on a sandwich on purpose.  And tonight, a caprese salad was once again on my mind.

IMG_5429

I picked up a vine of yellow tomatoes at the market, hoping that their lack of redness meant a less tomato-y flavor.

IMG_5447

I made a super simple balsamic reduction by bringing 1/2 cup balsamic and 1 teaspoon sugar to a boil and whisking until thick.  And then I assembled: yellow tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, balsamic reduction, fresh basil.

IMG_5456

I was severely wrong about the yellow tomatoes being less tomato-y.  They were super seedy/slimy in the middle, but I forced myself to eat them anyway, hoping each tomato experience will bring me closer to that like feeling.  I ate a plate full and then brought the rest up the hill to the boys.  They mounged, they approved.

Whooped Pants Pizza

by

There were two things that got me through tonight’s workout at H.E.A.T. Bootcamp:

1.  Meeting Andrea.  When Katie found out I was moving to Austin, she introduced me to Andrea, who had recently moved from Atlanta to Austin, via Facebook.  We’ve been chatting up a storm over the past few months and it was great to finally meet her!

2.  The pre-prepped batch of pizza dough that was waiting for me to cover it with a bunch of goodness when I got home.

I’ve been on this crushed red pepper/sriracha/spicy kick for the past few months, so I couldn’t help but purchase this gynorm jalapeno at the market over the weekend.  I was a tad nervous that fresh japs would be too intense, so I sliced them on the thin side.  It was a good move.

As far as the rest of the toppings go, I brushed the dough with olive oil, topped with sliced tomatoes, portobellos, and the thinly sliced jalapenos.  I brushed everything with olive oil again to ensure nothing turned dry or crispy and baked in a 425 degree oven for 8 minutes.

When the veggies were looking good and wilted, I added fresh mozzarella pearls and baked for another 5-ish minutes until the cheese was melted.  I am a huge fan of cooking with fresh mozzarella, but it tends to release a TON of water when it cooks.  I remedied the soggy situation with a paper towel after baking, but I’m wondering if I should squeeze some of the excess moisture out of the cheese prior to baking next time.

And even though my go-to pizza toppings for the past decade have been spinach and artichokes, I’ll happily push those aside for mushrooms and jalapenos.  Spicy umami is where it’s at!