Pantry Chocolate Cake (A.K.A. Wacky Cake)

Here's something for you while you're waiting for the results of the Whole Chicken Challenge!  I was watching a cooking show recently, and the host made a chocolate cake that only contains pantry ingredients--no butter, milk, or eggs.  She called it Busy-Day Chocolate Cake, but some people might recognize this recipe as Wacky Cake.  No one is sure when or where Wacky Cake originated, but it seems an awful lot like a depression-era or WWII-ration cake.  Another bonus: you can make it in the baking pan, saving you the work of doing a bunch of dishes!  Another bonus: it happens to be vegan, if you or someone you love are into that sort of thing.

Considering my patisserie-education background, I was slightly skeptical.  Dan was quite skeptical.  I figured "Okay...even if I hate it I only spent about $0.75 cents on the whole thing.  What have I got to lose?"  I made it last night and it's actually really good. It came out kind of crunchy on the top and edges and cakey everywhere else.  We ate it plain, but you could certainly top it with anything you like (powdered sugar, Swiss meringue, whipped cream, broiled marshmallows, canned frosting, jam, ganache.....).  You could probably even add chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the batter as well.  I wouldn't add more than about 1/2 cup of either though; it's kind of a small cake.

So without further ado, here is the recipe:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (I'll admit that my tablespoons were slightly heaped)
1 tsp. baking soda
scant 1/2 tsp. table salt
6 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp white vinegar (I substituted cider vinegar, and it still turned out yummy)
1 cup cold water

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).  Measure all the dry ingredients into an 8" or 9" square baking pan.  Whisk them together to distribute the ingredients and break up any big lumps.  Note: My cocoa powder was really lumpy, so I sifted the ingredients into a large bowl and then added it to the baking pan.  Then I just wiped the bowl with a dry paper towel and put the bowl away.

2.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the oil, vanilla, vinegar and water.  Gently whisk to combine.  I would highly recommend getting into the edges and corners with a spoon to make sure all the dry ingredients are mixed in.  Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.  Let cool completely in the pan, set on a wire rack (you won't be able to turn it out of the pan if you follow these directions).  Top with deliciousness and serve. 

You won't be disappointed!

Beans and Rice

I've been wondering what all the hype was about regarding beans and rice.  But I love beans, I love rice, why not love them together?  I realized also that one of my favorite prepackaged frozen meals is Santa Fe Style Rice and Beans.  Well, favorite is maybe an overstatement.  It's good for a frozen diet entree.  Anyway, Dan's mom gave us some gourmet heirloom beans for Christmas, and I had a ton of rice, and I didn't have much of anything else in the house, so tonight we ate Beans and Rice.  It was pretty damn good--and CHEAP.  Here's the recipe:

Serves about 4

• 1 cup dried beans (small red beans, black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, cranberry beans, black eyed peas, etc.   We used Rio Zape beans tonight, which are similar to pinto beans)
• 4 cups cold water
• 2 tsp. salt

1. Combine the above ingredients in a large bowl or a saucepan before you go to bed.  If you're thinking that the salt is going to make the beans tough, I assure you they won't.
2. The next night, when you're ready to cook, drain and rinse the beans, discarding the soaking water.  Then place the beans into a medium saucepan and add about 6 cups of water.  Also add 2 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces.  If you are cooking black beans, add a pinch of baking soda to keep them from changing color.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes to an hour; until the beans are tender.  Since the pan is covered, you shouldn't need to add any more water, but if you notice that it's getting low or the beans are sticking to the bottom of the pan, it's OK to add more.
3. While the beans are cooking, chop 1/2 a red onion, and mince 2 cloves garlic.
4. When the beans are done, set a strainer into a large bowl and strain the beans out, but save about 2 cups of the cooking liquid.  You will use this for the sauce.
5. Return the saucepan to the stove, put over medium heat, add about 1 tsp. vegetable oil and saute the onion until soft.  Then add the minced garlic, 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. ground cumin, 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, 1/4 tsp. ground coriander, 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper to taste.  Cook until fragrant.  Next add 2 Tbsp. tomato paste; stir to combine.  Add some of the cooking liquid and stir, scraping up anything that might be stuck to the bottom of the pot.  Add the beans back to the pot, and then add as much or as little liquid as you'd like.  Simmer covered for about 10 minutes, then uncovered for another 10 minutes.  You want the flavors to concentrate and the sauce to thicken a bit.  How thick is up to you.  Don't forget to taste the beans and adjust the salt!  While the beans and sauce are simmering, cook your rice.  When the rice is done, it's dinner time. 

To serve, top a portion of rice with the beans and sauce.  Then top with sour cream and lime juice or a little vinegar to taste.

Seriously folks, this stuff was good.  The beans we had were from a company called Rancho Gordo.  I'd check them out if you're interested in eating some beans you've possibly never heard of.  A pound of beans runs about $4.95, but it's still a cheap meal, since you're only using about 1/3 of a pound of beans.  Also, the oregano I used is from this company also, and it was amazing.  I'm officially a fan! 

Happy Cheap Cooking!

Homemade Pizza - The best pizza you'll ever have!

I love pizza--and who doesn't?  It's one of my favorite things to make at home.  I'll give you the recipes for dough and sauce, but you can put whatever you want on top of those.  There's really no limit to what you can put on there.  It's bread and cheese--almost anything will taste good on that!  Don't be scared to make your own dough.  This method is really easy and only takes about an hour.

Pizza Dough
Makes one large, two medium, or 4 small pizzas

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. instant yeast (this is about half of one envelope, but I always buy the jar of yeast)
1 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. table salt
1 cup warm water (not hot--hot water will kill the yeast)
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (put this in the water)

1. Preheat oven to 200 (or warm) for 10 minutes, then turn the oven off.
2. Place all the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse to combine.
3. Pour the water and olive oil into the food processor with the machine running until dough starts to form.  There should be a ball of dough and some little chunks.  You might not need all the water, so pour somewhat slowly.  If you pour it all in and it still looks like cereal, then add a little more warm water.
4. After your dough ball has formed, let it sit in the food processor for two minutes.  Then run the motor for another 30 seconds.  
5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and satiny (only takes about a minute).  Form the dough into a ball and place into a bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Then spray the top of the ball and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Let rise (or proof, as they say in the baking/pastry circles) in the warm oven for about 40 minutes, or until doubled in size.
6. "Punch down" the dough (note: do not actually punch the dough.  You just did all that work putting air bubbles in there!  Instead, gently lift up the dough around the edges of the bowl and let it relax.  I like to think of the dough sighing, as in "aaaah" not "Harrumph!")  Divide the dough in half or in quarters (or don't, if you're making one big pizza), and shape each piece into a ball.  Let these balls rest for 10 minutes on the counter covered with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel.  Now you're ready to shape into pizzas! 

I will readily admit that while I'm really good at making dough, I'm a lot less gifted at shaping it.  My pizzas never come out perfectly round, but I don't care.  If it tastes amazing and nourishes you, then what's the problem?  I'm naturally a perfectionist, but I've decided to let this one go.  Anyway, a good way to shape pizzas is to flatten the dough ball with the palm of your hand.  Then use your fingertips to press it out flatter, starting in the middle and working your way out to the edges.  Next, hold the dough with your "stupid hand" and gently pull it outward with your "smart hand."  Give the dough a quarter turn and repeat until you've pulled out all four corners.  Top it with your delicious toppings and bake it on a baking stone or sheet.

Bake at 500 degrees until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted:
Large pizza: from 7 - 12 minutes, depending on thickness
Medium pizza: from 3 - 6 minutes
Tiny pizza: 5 minutes

Caitlin's Zesty Pizza Sauce
1, 15-oz can of tomato sauce
2 tsp. olive oil
one clove garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste (for me, two good pinches of salt and a two good grinds of pepper)

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet or small saucepan.  Saute garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add all the other ingredients, and simmer gently for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens slightly.  The idea is to concentrate the tomato flavor and let the flavors develop.  Done!

Tips for making good pizza totally awesome:

• Preheat baking stones or sheets for 30 minutes.  Use another baking sheet or a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal or semolina to transfer your pizza into the oven.
• Saute "wet" ingredients first to avoid soggy pizza.  This is usually veggies, like spinach and mushrooms.  Anything that gives up a lot of liquid when sauteed is best put on your pizza already cooked.
• Put the cheese on last, not first.  Somehow it all just stays put better that way.  I do like to put a little bit of cheese on the bottom, but very little.
• Use quality ingredients.
• Have fun and be creative!  My dad used to make a shrimp, mushroom and feta pizza that was pretty amazing, and I haven't been to any places around here that make anything like that.

Feel free to share your favorite pizza!

Potato Soup with Chives

It just started to get kind of cold around here, so I've got soup on the brain.  Last night I made this soup, which is one of my favorite recipes.  The instructions from Cook's Illustrated say to blend this creamy soup, which I've usually done, but I think it comes out really thick and gluey.  This time, I just used my trusty potato masher to blend the soup, and I think it came out great.  Plus, I didn't have to clean the blender!  Try it yourself:

Potato Soup with Chives
Serves 4 to 6 (or two really hungry people)

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, olive oil or vegetable oil
1 Medium onion, 3 medium shallots or 1 medium leek (white & light green parts), chopped
2 Tbsp. white wine or dry sherry
2 large russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2" dice
2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (one can is almost 2 cups; you can make up the difference with water or milk)
1 tsp. salt
ground white pepper (to taste)
1 to 1 1/4 cups milk
2 tsp minced fresh chives (or freeze-dried, but put it in with the broth)

1. Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add onion, saute until golden, about 5 minutes.  Add wine and potatoes, stir-cook until wine evaporates, about 30 seconds
2. Add broth, salt and pepper (add the dried chives now, if you're using them) to the saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Using your trusty potato masher, mash up those potatoes.  There will still be some lumps, but this is good in this instance.  Just get it as smooth as you can.
4. Stir in the milk (start with 1 cup, then add more if you like your soup thinner), and heat through.  Stir in fresh chives, if using.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.  Serve immediately.

We ate this with the last of a loaf of Almost No-Knead Bread, which I made myself earlier this week.  I think I'm going to make another one tonight.  Do I smell another post?