Beet, ricotta, and goat cheese pizza

Confession: there have been CSA beets hanging out in my vegetable drawer since last fall. Since this year's CSA will be starting up again next month, I decided it was time to roast them up for this pizza recipe. Most of the beets survived the winter just fine, but I had already cut the beet greens off...so no greens to wilt on top (the greens would never have survived the winter).

I usually buy whole wheat dough to make pizza, but lately I've been really digging these frozen corn meal crusts made by Vicolo (despite the name, they are not gluten-free). You may need to adjust the amount of ricotta/goat cheese mixture, depending on the type and size of crust you use. For example, I used about two-thirds of the mixture for one Vicolo pizza crust. I also used about 1/4 of a sliced red onion and 2 medium beets.

Beets and red onion

Getting ready to go in the oven

Beet, ricotta, and goat cheese pizza
Source: Adapted from Runner's World, February 2013
Serves: 4

Ingredients
Pizza dough, crust, or naan
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 ounces goat cheese
Roasted beets, sliced
Red onion, sliced
Beet greens or arugula
Olive oil
Vinegar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 
2. In a small bowl, mix together ricotta and goat cheese until smooth and spread on pizza dough, crust, or naan. Toss sliced, roasted beets and red onion in olive oil and add to pizza.
3. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until crust lightly browned.
4. Top with beet greens (or arugula) dressed in olive oil and vinegar; let wilt on the hot pizza.

Lunch (or dinner or breakfast) is served!

Baked tomato and eggs

I decided to make breakfast for dinner, with this recipe and a nice batch of buttermilk pancakes (I used my pancake recipe and substituted 1 cup buttermilk and 1/2 tsp baking soda for 1 cup milk). If you like a runny yolk or plan to reheat them, definitely go for the shorter cooking time (8 minutes).

Mise en place

Tomato sauce

Baked tomato and eggs
Source: adapted from Marcus Samuelsson
Serves: 2

Ingredients
2 eggs
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
Olive or canola oil cooking spray
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat olive oil in a pan, then add the garlic, pepper, and onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
2. Coat 2 ramekins with olive/canola oil cooking spray, then add the tomato mixture (evenly divided between the two ramekins). Crack an egg into each, on top of the tomato sauce, and then top each with 1/2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese.
3. Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on how runny you like your yolks. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!

Breakfast for dinner

Southern oven unfried chicken

I had some extra buttermilk, leftover from making Irish soda bread, that I wanted to put to good use. I also recently came across two recipes for buttermilk baked chicken...what perfect timing! One of the recipes used bone-in chicken breasts and the other used boneless. I made them both, and no big surprise, the boneless chicken won. It was easier to marinate and took less time to cook. 

With the hot sauce and cayenne pepper, this has a little kick. Feel free to omit either or both if you'd like it a little milder. Just a warning, the marinade with the hot sauce looks a little bit like Pepto!

Marinating the chicken

I had the chicken for dinner with some roasted potatoes and asparagus. I also sliced up some leftovers and put it on a salad for lunch.

Southern oven unfried chicken
Serves: 4-6
Source: Art Smith via People magazine, March 4, 2013

Ingredients
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp hot sauce
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups whole wheat or panko bread crumbs
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
Olive oil spray

Directions
1. In a bowl, combine buttermilk and hot sauce. Add the chicken and allow it to marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.
2. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper and paprika in a gallon-size Ziploc bag.
3. Remove chicken from the marinade and place in the bag. Shake well, until chicken is evenly coated. Lay chicken on lightly oiled baking sheet and chill uncovered for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
4. Remove chicken from refrigerator and lightly coat with olive oil spray. Bake 15-20 minutes, turn over and bake 15-20 minutes more or until done.

Dinner is served!

Garlic shrimp with white beans and tomatoes

I always seem to have this idea in my head that I don't like cooked shrimp...it's totally not true! I had this for lunch twice, over rice, and was kinda impressed with myself both times. I couldn't find smoked paprika (used regular paprika) and forgot to buy fresh parsley (used 1 tsp dried), but the results didn't suffer.

Getting my ingredients ready

Cooked shrimp waiting to get into the stew

Garlic shrimp with white beans and tomatoes
Serves: 4-6
Source: Pam Anderson via Runner's World, February 2013

Ingredients
1 pound medium peeled and deveined shrimp
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp pimenton (smoked paprika)
3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1/2 tsp hot red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf, broken into pieces
1 14.5-ounce can petite-diced tomatoes, drained
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 15-ounce cans white beans, drained
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tsp dried)

Directions
1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Toss shrimp with 1 Tbsp oil and pimenton. Add shrimp to skillet and saute 1-2 minutes. Add half the garlic during the last few seconds of cooking. Spoon shrimp into a bowl and set aside.
2. Return skillet to heat; add 2 Tbsp oil, pepper flakes, bay leaf, and remaining garlic. Cook until garlic is golden, a few seconds. Add tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid evaporates, 3-5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook until tomato mixture darkens.
3. Add beans and broth and simmer until it's a thick stew, about 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp and parsley; cook until heated through. 
4. Enjoy!

Final product

Roasted asparagus

Spring has sprung, which means asparagus! I am a big fan of asparagus...I used to like eating it cold out of the can. That probably stopped once I discovered how delicious fresh asparagus can be.

Are you one of the people who has smelly pee after you eat asparagus? Apparently only about 25% of the population can smell it, according to WebMD.

Ready to go in the oven

Roasted asparagus
Serves: 2-4

Ingredients
1 bunch asparagus
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Rinse asparagus and snap off the tough end of each stalk. Toss with olive oil and spread on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Cook for about 10 minutes. Rotate the spears and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until cooked (I like them slightly charred).

Delish!

April RC - Shōjō

RC had a baby! Congrats to Denise and Mitch, and a big welcome to Capri Olivia Lawson who was born on March 26, 2013.

Sunny Capri!

And this month we headed to Chinatown, but not your typical Boston Chinatown restaurant. Great pick Mark!

The cocktails are handcrafted (they make the infused liquors), unique, and delicious. My drink of choice was the Purple Heart (blueberry infused vodka, St. Germain, lemon). They also play old kung fun movies on a tv behind the bar.

We started with small plates...many of them, possibly almost everything on the menu:

• Tempura housemade pickles with whole grain mustard aioli
• Warm glass noodle salad with toasted peanuts, chicken, lime chili vinaigrette
• Suckling pig bao with smoked bbq sauce, homemade kimchi
• BBQ pork rib with sweet chili glaze, frisee fennel salad,
• Szechuan pork stuffed calamari with soy-ginger tomato sauce
• Duck fat hand-cut fries with sriracha aioli
• Salt and pepper calamari with gremolata, roasted pepper aioli
• XO fresh corn with soy, housemade XO sauce

My favorites were the warm glass noodle salad, the calamari, and the ribs. Yum. I was super excited for the corn, but wasn't a big fan. We were hoping to try the Damn! Damn!! Noodles!!!, but they are only on the lunch menu.

Warm glass noodle salad

Salt and pepper calamari

After all of the small plates, I wasn't even that hungry for an entree, but I still managed to enjoy the pulled pork ravioli. I was definitely a member of the clean plate club...delish! My fellow RC'ers ordered the steak frites (with kimchi butter and lemongrass-infused demi-glaze), the pistachio crusted tuna steak (with wasabi risotto, honey-soy glaze, and pumpkin croutons), and the pan-seared salmon (with dashi glaze, crisp Japanese eggplant, and miso mustard). I believe the Japanese eggplant was substituted out for spinach by someone who is anti-eggplant.

Char siu pulled pork ravioli with house smoked bacon,
Chinese celery, and shaved Pecorino

The only dessert on the menu was something called "chocolate sesame balls". Lucky for us they had a special 4:20 dessert, a brownie with toasted hemp seeds, Ben and Jerry's half-baked ice cream, and whipped cream.

4:20 dessert

The damage
$63 each

The rundown
Shōjō
9A Tyler Street, Boston

Boston strong

I still don't have a lot of words to describe my experiences at this year's Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, so I thought I'd share some of my photos. 

Happy moments at mile 16.8, by Newton-Wellesley Hospital...

Elite women

Elite men

Jerel!

Dave! 

What became the finish line for many runners...

Comm Ave

Copley Square after we were "released" from being in lockdown at the Westin...

View toward Boylston Street

Ambulances lined up on Columbus Ave

Walking home on the deserted Mass Ave bridge, a beautiful sunset despite the horrific events of the day.

Honoring and remembering the victims: Lu Lingzhi, Krystle Campbell, Martin Richard, and Officer Sean Collier.

Outside Boston University

Boston Common

Boylston Street

Boston Strong on the MBTA. Words I never thought I'd say: "I'm so happy to be able to ride the T!"

Yay MBTA

I posted this to Facebook on April 16:

I am...
Grateful that I and my friends are ok, and grateful for all of the calls, texts and posts. Heartbroken for the victims and their families whose lives will never be the same, and the families of Newtown who witnessed yet another senseless tragedy. Also remembering the anniversary of the VT tragedy.
Saddened for the runners and spectators whose marathon experience is forever tarnished. Humbled by the emergency personnel, hospital staff, and heroes who emerged yesterday.
Hopeful that Boston will triumph over tragedy.
Proud to be part of both the running and Boston communities.

My first Boston marathon (as a runner) three years ago was an inspiring and amazing experience. I've been contemplating my next one, and perhaps it will have to be Boston again, because we cannot let them win.