Homemade pizza

Quick and easy recipe for homemade pizza (no special oven needed).

Homemade pizza

Dough (following Jeff Varasano's quick yeast culture recipe)
2 parts Caputo "00" flour
1 part Unbleached flour
Regular baking yeast (proofed in warm water)
Salt

Sauce
Canned peeled plum (Italian) tomatoes
Garlic
Extra-virgin olive oil
Fresh basil
White or yellow onion (optional)
Crushed red pepper (optional)

Autolyse and wet-knead (see link above) your dough ingredients. Let rest 20 min in mixer then knead again with more flour. Let rest a few hours in the fridge, remove, and let warm to room temperature.

Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Drain canned tomatoes and add when garlic is golden brown. If you burn the garlic, throw it away and start over (it's not worth trying to salvage!). Reduce heat and simmer (can cook for 30 min or a few hours, depending on your preferred consistency). During cooking, tomatoes can be broken up with a spoon or, if you want fewer chunks, you can puree the sauce in a blender after cooking.

Knead out thin and top your dough with a little sauce, cheese of choice, and any other creative topping you can think of. We tried a few different types of pizza: mozzarella and basil, white pizza with garlic and parmesan, and chicken and basil. Thow it in the oven (broil or as hot as you can get it), with a pizza stone if possible. Cook until bubbly and delicious!

Don't mind our square-shaped pizzas below!

Palalia Pale Ale

Palalia Pale Ale (IPA) - 5 gal (19 L)
Slightly modified from Charlie Papazian's recipe.

Ingredients:
3 lbs sparking amber dried malt extract
3 lbs golden light dried malt extract
1 lb crystal malt
0.5 lbs malted barley
2 tsp gypsum
2 oz Northern Brewer hops (boiling)
0.75 oz Cascade hops (finishing)
1 pkg American-type ale yeast
0.75 c priming sugar (bottling)

Toast malted barley at 350 °F for 10 min. Steep at 140-160 °F for 30 min.

Boil schedule:
60 min Malt extract, boiling hops, gypsum
1 min Finishing hops













1/3/10 Boiled. Pitched yeast. S.G.=1.053
1/8/10 Major fermentation activity stopped. Racked to secondary fermenter. S.G.=1.015
1/17/10 Bottled. S.G.=1.015
1/29/10 Tasted first bottle (bottled for 2 weeks). Tastes good! A little more turbid than I wanted it to be, but the copper color is good. Taste is fairly well balanced, bitter, and assertive. The roasted malts come through well on the finish. The lower ABV of this beer is more in line with an English IPA than an American or West Coast IPA.
1/7/10 Tasted again (bottled for 3 weeks). Keeps getting better and better! Flavor is more refined, drier, and more balanced. Clarity improved (better pour?).

O.G. = 1.053
F.G. = 1.015

(OG - FG) x 105 = 3.99 = ABW
ABW * 1.25 = 4.99 = ABV

Homemade kimchi

Here's a recipe for homemade kimchi I tried recently. This is my first crack at it, but it came out really well! It seems like you can try a lot of different vegetables in kimchi, so I'll be making again, changing up the ingredients a little bit.

Homemade kimchi
1 head cabbage
1 head bok choy
1 head tatsoi
3 green onions
8-10 small radishes
3 large carrots
Korean red pepper flakes
Fish sauce
Bonito flakes






























Peel and soak cabbage in salty water (1 cup salt:10 cups water) for several hours or overnight. Rinse and cut into bite-sized pieces. Cut up other vegetables in the same way and combine. Mash vegetables (to release water) and add spices to taste (READ: use gloves!). Jar and fill with water if necessary to submerge vegetables. Leave lid loosely tightened to allow CO2 to bubble out (READ: otherwise jar may burst!). Let sit out for a day or two, depending on how sour you like your kimchi. Throw it in the fridge. It will keep for a week or two, continuing to get sour with time.

Wild mushroom dishes

Three dishes made with edible wild mushrooms collected in Mendocino. We used Pig's Ears (Gomphus clavatus) for the sauteed mushrooms and risotto, and Yellow Foot/Winter Chanterelle (Cantharellus tubaeformis) for the soup, but any chanterelles would work for either.

For each recipe, mushrooms should be cleaned (with fingers and a moist towel - NOT washed) and dry-sauteed after preparing. This procedure constitutes cooking over high heat without butter or oil to release fluids contained within the mushrooms. This liquid is then poured off and discarded, and/or allowed to evaporate.















Sauteed wild mushrooms
After dry-sauteeing, reduce heat and add olive oil, salt, pepper and minced garlic. Cook 5-10 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender and garlic is golden-brown. Add coarsely-chopped parsley during the last few minutes.




























Wild mushroom risotto
Sautee some onion with salt in tab of butter and olive oil until translucent. In a separate pan, sautee mushrooms with butter after dry-sauteeing. Back in the original pan, add arborio rice, continue to sautee for 5 minutes, then add mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Add another pat of butter and stir. Add white wine, allow alcohol to evaporate. Next, add stock (homemade is best) one ladle at a time. When just about done, add parsley, season as necessary. Garnish with parsley, serve with lemon wedge.














Cream of chanterelle soup
Sautee some onion in butter, add mushrooms (after dry-sauteeing), salt and pepper and continue to sautee. Add a couple tablespoons of flour and sautee until flour is cooked and nutty. Add stock and simmer. Add cream, continue to simmer, and season as necessary.

Mendocino mushrooms

I took a camping trip to Mendocino this past weekend (at and near Van Damme State Park). Hiking was great, including stunning coastal scenery, breaching whales, diverse and abundant mushrooms, and a pygmy forest. Pictures don't capture the beauty, but check them out below!

Dogfish Head Brewery

I recently took a tour of the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, DE. If you aren't familiar with this craft brewery, they make some seriously off-the-wall ales. Relatively new to the beermaking scene, their sales have really spread in the last decade. The tour was adequate, but I was a little underwhelmed as a homebrewer. I was hoping for a little more depth, but I suppose a personal tour would have been better for that. Also, I was looking forward to sampling some non-retailed or rare beers, but they served only four standard beers. Still, a fun tour at a brewery that is pushing the envelope of craft beermaking.













We also got a chance to see the famed Palo Santo wooden cask, which is used to age some unique beer. The New Yorker covered this interesting story here. I'd love to see Dogfish Head do some lagers, but that is another story.

Hiking Cold Canyon

Here are some pictures from hiking at Cold Canyon a few days ago. Enjoy!

Fall in Davis

Halloween has come and gone already. We hosted a fairly successful pumpkin carving festival. Mine was a screaming, crazy-eyed 'Foot Eating Pumpkin,' and luckily remained unmolested by neighborhood teenagers. (It's the one behind Jack Skellington in the photo below).















We lit our squash-like gords and set them on the front step, but they failed to bring many trick-or-treaters. I was reluctant to give candy to two kids who looked about 19, only one of whom had a costume. They were definitely past the cut-off, but I didn't want a trick. It could have gotten ugly:



Having recently discovered the UC Davis Meat Lab, we pitched in and bought half of a pig last weekend. The barbeque isn't finished yet, so we elected to cut the pig up and cook pieces individually. Bones made stock and fat was rendered for lard. Some cuts were smoked, others braised. A portion of the braised meat was pulled and fried in lard to make carnitas. Mushroom-stuffed trotters, paired with roast tenderloin, were excellent. The pig is a wonderful, delicious animal!





















It is about time I start exploring what is actually outside of Davis. This year up north is going to come and go before I know it; the time is now to take advantage. Tomorrow, a few friends and I will be doing a half-day hike at Cold Canyon. Pictures to follow...

Mimosas in the countryside

Preface: I like mimosas. I like mimosas even more over an outdoor brunch in the countryside. The Krimmenel had us over to his new swanky spot, which happens to be out in the middle of nowhere. Perfect. He's got chickens, horses, gardens, copious (and delicious) prickly pears. We stopped by the Winters Farmers Market along the way for some fresh local fruit. I must say, I am mighty envious of his chickens... need to get my hands on some of those. What a great way to spend a Sunday morning. Finding time to relax is important!

Wonderful Davis and Midwestern nostalgia

I'm settling into Davis very well. Here, in no particular order, is a brief list of things I am enjoying:

1) Biking EVERYWHERE (and saving money on gas)
2) Farmers markets selling produce that is actually local
3) Having these at home again: a real table to eat on, big kitchen to cook in, and backyard to garden
4) Amazing housemates (and they cook!)
5) An incredibly professional, supportive, and welcoming graduate group
6) Big green trees
7) Friendly people and a slow way of life (despite the hustle of grad school)

On the other hand, I am waist-deep in grant writing season. :/ It would be nice to score some cash this year ... we will wait and see, wait and see.

In other news, I took at trip to my alma mater (Ohio State) recently. It was great to catch up with old friends - those that are still around town. I also had the chance to meet with some colleagues from my old lab. I felt nostalgic.















The campus looks great, too. Renovation of the main library is complete and the new student union is almost done. I felt nostalgic.















It rained the whole weekend, but what better representation of Columbus? I hadn't sat and listened to a thunderstorm in over a year. I felt nostalgic... but in a good way. :)

The Odyssey

I've just returned from The Odyssey. Sounds intense, right? The Odyssey is a week-long extended orientation field trip for new ecology students at UC Davis, with the goals of introducing us to field stations, research opportunities, and each other. We packed up into 6 vans and drove east. First stop: Tahoe Environmental Research Center for a tour of Lake Tahoe. Oh and I started out in the "Mario Van," which included built-in Super Mario Bros. 3 for the entertainment factor. The slogan, "Keep Tahoe Blue," has a lot of truth to it. Because the watershed is so small compared to the vast size of the lake, the water is clear and a surreal shade of blue.














We spent the night at Sage Hen Natural Reserve and were off to Mono Lake the next day. Mono Lake is like something from another planet. It is super salty, but alkaline (it feels oily like soap). Not much can live in this environment, mostly brine shrimp and alkali flies. Washed up along the shoreline are piles upon piles of fly pupae casings. Hungry yet? However, the lake does have some redeeming values. Tall carbonate deposits, called 'tufas,' can be found here. Also, Mono Lake acts as critical resting and feeding habitat for migratory shorebirds. Nearly all of the migrating shorebirds in North America stop here for lunch.



















The TAs wore costumes the whole trip, which lightened the mood and was an integral part of the experience. Vans had themes... Big Lebowski, Derek Zoolander's Derelicte Campaign, Mario & Luigi, etc. Pink day and costume dance parties were absolutely wild. Acting ridiculous is a great way to get to know someone!





















We next visited the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab, or SNARL (nice acronym, huh?). Late night activities included hot springs, which I had never experienced before. It was pretty incredible. A series of pools provided a gradation of heat to suit your taste.

We visited Rock Creek and Inyo National Forest for a bit of hiking, although a few people fly fished instead (catching lake trout mostly). During the hike to Mono Pass (10,599 ft) we went for a dip in Ruby Lake, which is snowmelt-fed. I lasted about a minute. The vistas of mountains and high-elevation forests were unbelievable. Until now, I hadn't done much exploring at this elevation, among such striking mountains.






























We continued to gain elevation, exploring the bristlecone pines in the alpine tundra of the White Mountains. The geology and biology of this region is, of course, breathtaking. Bristlecones grow very slowly at high elevation, resulting in incredibly dense wood. They are thought to be among the oldest organisms on the planet (some perhaps 5,000 years old). Even the dead trees are beautiful, since decomposition occurs so slowly at elevation. Small lichens growing on rocks are typically thousands of years old, as well.





















Finally we reached the ultimate goal of The Odyssey: climbing White Mountain (14,254 ft). The hike started at about 12,000 ft and is roughly 5 miles each way. But, the climb is "up-down-up-down-up" and with the thin air was intense. It is remarkable how low oxygen kills performance. We first five up the mountain made it in under 2 hours - respek! Lunch and nap on the warm roof of the summit building was a necessity before the return hike. The next day, on the drive back to Davis, we stopped by Yosemite for lunch.













In every way, this was an amazing trip. Definitely full of memories that I will cherish. More amazing than the stunning sights and exciting activities were the 50 new friends I made. In meeting all these new people, I am really looking forward to a year at Davis. :) It is going to be hard to leave.

Whirlwind

The summer has flown by yet again. In May I could see it all outstretched in front of me, but now feels like it passed in an instant. Why does summer seem particularly fleeting? I have been making some moves since my last post 3 weeks ago. I took the train to L.A. to visit an old friend. The train ride sports spectacular views...















... and is reasonably priced compared to Northeast counterparts. The first stop off the train? World-famous Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles, naturally! What's that you say? Never heard of this combination? Well... neither had I, to be honest. But man, it goes together like scrapple and eggs!















We visited the Venice Beach an Santa Monica farmer's markets, both funky scenes. I avoided Hollywood as much as possible (OK, we drove by...). The San Fernando Spanish Mission and Griffith Observatory/Planetarium were both cool and educational. The Mission had some very old maps of the west coast, some suggesting that the entirety of California was actually an island. Fascinating!

















Back to San Diego and off to D.C. for a wild weekend with Rucas! I visited the Air and Space Museum and Smithsonian Natural History Museum, places I haven't been since I was a kid. I continue to be amazed. I joined my cousins at Comet Ping Pong, where they specialize in sustainable ingredients, novel pizzas (soft-shell crab, clam, eggplant...), and, um, ping pong? Nothing like losing to someone who's age is in the single digits... dang. My trip wasn't complete without a visit to Ben's Chili Bowl for artery-clogging goodness (the chili half-smoke is out of this world!). Mmm, I can feel my right arm getting numb just thinking about it.
















I've had some very good friends from high school visit San Diego. We cruised up to Del Mar for horse racing and free live music (reggae legend Steel Pulse). They went to the zoo, SeaWorld, and San Diego's beautiful beaches. Of course before, they left, I had to take them to In-N-Out Burger for some serious West Coast eats.















In other news, I finally started some of my own field work in the late summer. I've got a small pilot study started, which is good because I'll be land-locked for 9-12 months. Lets hope for some good data. I'll be leaving for Davis early next week. Between traveling and showing friends around town, I'm starting to realize that I will miss San Diego. Davis should be very, very cool, but I think I'll be happy to come back in 2010.

Urchins in the LJER and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Been diving a bit in the La Jolla Ecological Reserve. Some of the lab's current research is looking at predation on urchins, both during the day and at night (which comes with a different suite of predators). Here are some cool pics!

















































In other news, I am leaving San Diego in just over 3 weeks! Ahh!!! I have a lot of my own research to get done before then, but I am looking forward to UC Davis.

Finally, my friend, office-mate, and future roomie is on a UCSD New Horizon cruise, on her way to the "Garbage Patch" in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean. Perhaps you have heard about this place on such shows as Oprah?

Due to our propensity to construct and litter non-biodegradable waste, and concentric ocean currents, there is a concentration of garbage in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is estimated to be from the twice the size of Texas to that of the entire continental United States! Hopefully she'll find lots of trash (her passion) although it makes me sad to think about all that waste that will be here for, in practical terms, forever. You can read about her very interesting research on marine debris and bioaccumulation of plastics here and the blog on the Garbage Patch cruise here.

Live music, baseball, and carnitas

I checked out some live music a few weeks ago. Stay Classy hosted a concert, street festival, and tickets to the Padres game for only $20! Not a bad deal. Cage the Elephant opened for Del the Funkee Homosapien of Hieroglyphics and Souls of Mischief. What a sweet outdoor venue... both artists brought the house down! And the Padres won! I need to cruise downtown more often, it has a lot to offer.









































Scruffy celebrated his birthday last week with home-made carnitas and smoked ribs. Mmmm.... :) That's all for now!

Trip back East

I took a short vacation and flew to Delaware for a few days. There were lots of outdoorsy activities, such as visiting Longwood Gardens, hiking at the Laurel Preserve, and canoeing the Brandywine River. Here are a few pictures:












































































































I also went to see Wilco at Frawley Stadium. They do a really good live performance. I got my fix on a lot of my East Coast favorites which are scarce here in Southern California, including scrapple and eggs, big green forests, and rivers with moving water! I got to see a lot of family at my uncle's 70th birthday party. Plenty of good people in this bunch, both the young...





















...and the young-at-heart.





















There is whole roast pig at said party? Why, yes, I would be interested in that! Turns out that pig cheek really is delicious, but I prefer snout.