Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

One of the main problems with making a pizza at home is heat. To get a pizza similar to what you might find at a restaurant, you need high heat. This is where the ability of cast iron to hold heat comes into play. Using this method is a great way to get restaurant-quality results.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. pizza dough

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• ¼ cup pizza sauce

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano

• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

• ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• Kosher salt

• fresh basil leaves for garnish

  INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place a 9 inch cast iron skillet inside the oven. Heat oven to 550 degrees with the skillet inside.

2. CAREFULLY remove the skillet from the oven and spread the oil in a thin layer across the pan.

3. On a lightly floured surface, work pizza dough into a 9-inch circle.

4. Gently place crust inside of the cast iron skillet.

5. Spread sauce in an even layer across the crust.

6. Sprinkle thyme and garlic powder over the sauce.

7. Add cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges of the crust are dark golden brown.

8. Broil for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese starts to get dark golden brown spots.

9. Sprinkle with Kosher salt and garnish with fresh basil leaves. Slice and enjoy!

Zucchini Pizza Bake

I walked into our production building today to be greeted by a bag of zucchini on a table. We’ve now reached that give-it-to-anyone time of the season. Really. One plant is enough.

Ingredients

• 4 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

• 1 pound ground beef

• ½ cup chopped onion

• 1 (15 ounce) can Italian-style tomato sauce

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• 1 green bell pepper, chopped

• ½ cup sliced fresh mushrooms

• ½ cup sliced black olives

Directions

• Step 1

  Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place the zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with salt; let drain for 15 minutes then squeeze out the moisture.

• Step 2

  Combine the zucchini, eggs, Parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella, and 1/2 cup Monterey Jack in a large bowl. Press the mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

• Step 3

  While the zucchini crust is baking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the ground beef and onion. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Stir in the tomato sauce and Italian seasoning.

• Step 4

  Spoon the sauce mixture over the baked zucchini crust. Top with the bell pepper, mushrooms, black olives, and the remaining mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheeses. Return to the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until heated through. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Zucceazy

The great zucchini harvest is upon us! Here is another recipe to add to your repertoire of zucchini cookery.

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

• Step 1

Season zucchini with salt and pepper and brush lightly with olive oil.

• Step 2

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Place zucchini slices, a few at a time, into hot pan and cook until the pattern of the pan is imprinted into zucchini, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes.

• Step 3

Combine olive oil, vinegar, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Brush cooked zucchini with olive oil mixture and serve.

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

My wife and I made this recipe over the weekend. However, we scaled it up so we would have 4 pans to freeze for later meals. If you scale up the recipe, I recommend also increasing the amount of tomato sauce. We found that we came up a little short on the sauce distribution.

Ingredients

For the sauce:

- 13.5 fl oz tomato sauce

- 3.4 fl oz vegetable stock

- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

- 2 tbsp sugar

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1 pinch salt

- 1 pinch pepper

For the stuffed cabbage rolls:

- 1 cabbage head

- 17.5 oz ground meat

- 2 eggs

- 4.2 oz jasmine rice

- 1 diced onion

- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

- 1 cup parsley, chopped

- 1 pinch salt

- 1 pinch pepper

Directions

1. To prepare the sauce, mix the tomato sauce with the stock, balsamic vinegar, and seasoning. Now spoon the sauce into a casserole dish; the bottom of the dish on the inside should be completely covered in sauce.

2. Next, remove the cabbage stem and boil the entire cabbage in salted water for 10 minutes. Take it out of the water and remove the leaves that are already soft. Keep boiling the cabbage and removing leaves until you have enough for your shells. Refresh the leaves in cold water and leave them to dry. To finish, cut away the stem at each corner.

3. It's now time to make the filling. First, add the ground meat, eggs, jasmine rice, onions, garlic, and parsley in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix all the ingredients by carefully kneading them with your hands. Now mold a handful of the mixture into a roll using your hands.

4. Now we come to rolling up those rolls. Place a meat roll in the center of a cabbage leaf, fold in its sides, and roll the leaf from the bottom so that the meat is completely covered. Repeat this process until you've used up all the meat mix and leaves.

5. Place the finished cabbage rolls in the casserole dish, keeping them tightly packed. Then spoon the rest of the sauce on top.

6. Bake the stuffed leaves at 320°F for 45 minutes in a convection oven.

Campfire Meal: Hobo's Delight

This recipe combines hamburgers with onions, baby carrots, and potatoes in individually cooked foil packets. It’s easy cleanup makes it the perfect meal for camping.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean ground beef

• 1 onion, sliced

• 1 (16 ounce) package baby carrots

• 4 potatoes, peeled and sliced

• seasoned salt to taste

• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

• Step 1

  Preheat grill for medium-high heat.

• Step 2

  Form the ground beef into individual patties, and place each patty on a piece of foil large enough to hold the patty and some vegetables. Layer each patty with onion slices, carrots, and potato slices. Season with seasoned salt, salt, and pepper to taste. Wrap foil around food, and seal each packet tightly.

• Step 3

  Grill 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Carefully open each packet (the steam that escapes will be very hot), and serve.

Grilled Tarragon Mustard Chicken

If you're looking to grill some chicken but are tired of the traditional grilling sauces, try this. It's flavorful and doesn't require time to marinate.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

• 1 tablespoon dried tarragon

• 1 teaspoon honey

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

• Step 1

  Preheat grill for medium heat and lightly oil grate.

• Step 2

  Whisk mustard, garlic, tarragon, honey, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel; coat one side of each breast with mustard sauce.

• Step 3

  Place chicken, coated side down, on grill; cover with remaining sauce and close grill lid. Turn chicken over after 10 minutes. Cook chicken breasts until no longer pink in the center and juices run clear, about 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F.