Authors: Zoe Francois,Jeff Hertzberg MD
Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients (26 page)
1. Roasting the corn:
Peel off most of the corn husk layers but leave some of the inner layers in place; try to pull out the silks without disrupting the inner layers of corn husk. This allows for a little charring of the kernels but protects against burning. If you prefer, you can peel the ear of corn completely and wrap it in aluminum foil. Preheat a gas grill with burners set to medium for 5 minutes. Roast the corn over direct heat for about 15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes but otherwise keeping the cover closed. Check frequently to be sure that the corn isn’t burning. When done, cool slightly, remove the husk if needed, and then use a sharp knife to slice the kernels from the cob.
2. If you’re grinding your own chili powder,
briefly toast the dried pepper in a 400°F oven until fragrant but not burned, 1 to 2 minutes (it will remain flexible but will firm up when cool). Break up the cooled pepper and discard the stems and seeds. Grind the pepper in a spice grinder (or a coffee grinder used just for spices).
3. Sauté the onions and pepper:
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add the onion and sauté until beginning to brown, then add the poblano pepper and continue cooking until softened. Add the cumin and chili powder to the skillet and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
4.
Add the tomato and salt, bring to a simmer for 2 minutes, then remove from heat.
5. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 425°F,
with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty metal broiler tray on any other rack that won’t interfere with the
focaccia
.
6.
Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a rough ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
7.
Flatten it into a ½- to ¾-inch-thick round, using your hands and/or a rolling pin and a minimal amount of flour. Place the round on a pizza peel prepared with corn masa, cornmeal, parchment paper, or a silicone mat, and allow it to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for 20 minutes.
8.
Cover the surface of the dough with the sauce, leaving a narrow border at the edge—don’t layer it too thickly; you might have some left over for next time. Make sure you use the pepper and onion chunks in the sauce. Dot the surface with pieces of goat cheese and finish with the roasted corn kernels. If you’re using the chicken, roughly chop it and add to the dough round.
9.
Slide the
focaccia
onto the stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door (see
Chapter 3
for steam alternatives). Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the crust has browned. The baking time will vary according to the
focaccia
’s thickness.
10.
Remove the
focaccia
from the oven and sprinkle it with chopped cilantro and salt to taste. Cut into wedges and serve warm.
Seed-Encrusted Pita Bread
Traditional Middle Eastern puffed pita works just as beautifully with our whole grain dough as it does with the traditional white flour dough. One way to boost the fiber and vitamins in pita (or any bread) is to top the loaf with a generous mixture of seeds and cracked grain. It’s not a traditional pita, but it’s delicious.
“In my house, we use little round or rectangular pita breads as a lazy-man’s hamburger or hot dog bun. Just cut rolled-out pita dough into the shapes and sizes that you need and bake while you’re grilling the meat. The burgers and hot dogs go into the pocket. For more authentic American-style hamburger and hot dog buns.”
—Jeff
Makes 1 pita
Use any of these refrigerated pre-mixed doughs:
Master Recipe
,
100% Whole Wheat Bread
,
100% Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil
, or other non-enriched dough
1 pound (grapefruit-size portion) of any pre-mixed dough listed above
Seed and grain mixture for sprinkling to your taste, about 1 to 2 tablespoons: sesame, flaxseed, caraway, raw sunflower, poppy, and/or anise seeds
1. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 500
°
F
, with a baking stone. You don’t need a broiler tray, and rack placement of the stone is not critical.
2.
Just before baking, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. Place the dough on a flour-dusted pizza peel.
3.
Using your hands and a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a round (or several rounds) with a uniform thickness of 1/8 inch throughout. This is crucial, because if it’s too thick, it may not puff. You’ll need to sprinkle the peel lightly with flour as you work, occasionally flipping to prevent sticking to the rolling pin or to the board. Use a dough scraper to remove the round of dough from the peel if it sticks. Do not slash the pita or it will not puff. No rest/rise time is needed. If you are making smaller individual-size pitas, form, roll, and shape the rest. Before trying to slide the pita onto the baking stone, be sure it’s moving well on the board and not sticking anywhere.
4.
Brush the top of the dough with water and sprinkle seeds over the surface.
5.
Slide the pita directly onto the hot stone (it may take a number of back-and-forth shakes to dislodge the pita). Bake for about 5 to 7 minutes, until very lightly browned and puffed. Don’t overbake whole-grain pitas.
6.
For the most authentic, soft-crusted result, wrap the pita in a clean cotton dish towel and set on a cooling rack when baking is complete. The pita will deflate slightly as it cools. The space between the crusts will still be there, but may have to be nudged apart with a fork. Pitas made from 100% whole grain dough may puff only a little.
7.
Once the pita is cool, store it in a plastic bag. Unlike hard-crusted breads, pita is not harmed by airtight storage.
DON’T GET SMOKED OUT OF HOUSE AND HOME:
This recipe calls for an exhaust fan because there’ll be a lot of smoke from stray flour on such a hot stone. Make sure the stone is scraped clean before preheating. If you don’t have an exhaust fan, choose a lower oven temperature (450°F), and bake about 15 to 20 percent longer.
Once you gain experience, you can minimize this problem by using only as much flour on the peel as is absolutely needed to prevent sticking.
Aloo Paratha (Indian stuffed flatbread with potato and peas)
Aloo Paratha (Potato and Pea–Stuffed Flatbread)
In our first book, we included a recipe for
naan
, an Indian flatbread that we pan-fried in
ghee
(Indian-style clarified butter). In truth,
naan
isn’t intended for pan-frying; it traditionally gets its enrichment from
ghee
that’s brushed on after baking in an enormous
tandoor
(traditional stone oven). It’s really
paratha
that’s fried in India, but for our healthy-ingredients book, we decided to include a stuffed (
aloo) paratha
as an oven-baked bread. We’re filling it with a mixture of potato, peas, and curry, and it works beautifully as an appetizer before just about anything, or as the first course of an Indian or vegetarian dinner. Use a thin-skinned potato and leave the skin on for more fiber; with the protein and vegetable benefits of peas in the mix, you can consider this a full and balanced vegetarian meal (see
photo above
).
Makes one aloo paratha to serve six as an appetizer
PARTAKE OF PEAS AS THE PERFECT FOOD
?
Peas are readily available as a high-quality frozen product, and we really should be eating lots of them. Interestingly, we find that frozen peas generally are sweeter and fresher tasting than some fresh green peas. The explanation is that fresh peas become stale and starchy tasting within 24 hours of being picked; their nutrient content also declines. Frozen peas are usually frozen immediately after harvest, and that preserves their flavor and nutrition.
Like all legumes, peas are great sources of B vitamins, zinc, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and iron.
Use any of these refrigerated pre-mixed doughs:
Master Recipe
,
100% Whole Wheat Bread
,
100% Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil
, or other non-enriched dough
1 pound (grapefruit-size portion) of any pre-mixed dough listed above
2 medium thin-skinned potatoes, such as Yukon Gold
1½ tablespoons
ghee
gently melted in the microwave or on the stovetop, plus additional for brushing on top of the assembled
aloo paratha
(see
make your own
)
1½ tablespoons neutral-flavored oil
1 teaspoon curry powder, plus additional for sprinkling on top
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup frozen or fresh peas (no need to defrost or pre-cook)
1. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450°F,
with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty metal broiler tray on any other rack that won’t interfere with the
aloo paratha
as it rises (rise will be modest).
2.
Boil the unpeeled potatoes whole in water for 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain and mash with a fork or potato-masher; use everything, including the skin.
3.
Add the
ghee
, oil, curry powder, and salt to the potatoes and vigorously blend with a fork to distribute evenly. Gently fold in the peas so as not to mash them.
4.
Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
5.
Flatten the dough with your hands and a rolling pin directly onto a wooden pizza peel to produce a 1/8-inch-thick round, dusting with flour to keep the dough from adhering to the board. A little sticking to the board can be helpful in overcoming the dough’s resistance. Use a dough scraper to unstick the dough as needed. When you’re done, the dough round should have enough flour under it to move easily when you shake the peel.
6.
Cover half the dough round with the potato mixture, leaving a ½-inch border at the edge. Using a pastry brush, wet the border with water. Fold the bare side of the dough over the potato mixture and seal the border by pinching it closed with your fingers.
7.
Brush the top surface with some additional
ghee
mixture, and dust with additional curry powder. Cut three slits in the top crust, all the way through the top layer of dough, using a serrated knife. No resting time is needed.
8.
Slide the
aloo paratha
directly onto the hot stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door (see
Chapter 3
for steam alternatives). Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
9.
Allow the
aloo paratha
to cool slightly before serving.
TURMERIC: A MODERN-DAY FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
?
The filling for our
msemmen
is flavored with turmeric, among other delicious spices. Turmeric’s health effects (as an anticancer agent) hit the news in 2000, when it was touted as a marinade ingredient to counter the effects of carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals) that form in grilled meat. Researchers cite the low rate of cancer in India (where turmeric consumption is high), and even lower rates of cancer in southern India, where more turmeric is consumed than in the north. The active ingredient is curcumin, which makes up 2 to 3 percent of the weight of turmeric. Curcumin appears to be a cancer preventer, and may someday have a role in cancer treatment.
In addition to finding anticancer properties, some researchers have suggested that turmeric may have anti-inflammatory properties in general, which means it may be useful in countering arthritis, heart disease, and other degenerative conditions. The jury’s out on definitive health effects, but the flavor’s definitively delicious.
