Category: Recipes

Easy OVERNIGHT Bread

Bread making continues to be an ongoing practice for me.  Trying to find an easy,but good method has become a quest. This Easy Overnight Bread recipe that is so popular produced a fair product that was crusty. It is worth it to have the smell of freshly baked bread in the house. I made it a few times and adjusted the ingredients to make it even easier. My nonna would approve of this Easy Overnight Bread.

These no knead bread recipes are quite popular. It’s interior is bubbly and the bread is quite tasty.  All of these recipes are basically the same.  You simply mix the flour,yeast and salt in a bowl then follow  with the water, stir and let it sit overnight the magic happens in the preheated Dutch oven.  The Dutch oven works by raising the heat and increasing the humidity. This is a great article on the science behind the Dutch Oven https://www.seriouseats.com/2011/06/the-food-lab-the-science-of-no-knead-dough.html

INGREDIENTS easy overnight bread

  • 3 1/2 cups  all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons Mediterranean salt 
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water 

Process

In a large bowl stir together the flour, salt and yeast until all combined. 

Next add in the warm water and mix with a wooden spoon. The dough will look quite sticky. 

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise overnight. 


Take the dough out of the bowl and place it on a floured surface. Need a few times until you form a round dough ball. Have a little extra flour on hand to add to the dough until it loses its stickiness. 
Now sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the door ball and then turn it upside down onto a piece of parchment paper. I try to shape the dough into an even Circle. 

Add a little more flour to the top and cover the dough up with some plastic wrap while the oven heats up.  
Place any type of a Dutch oven into a 450 Fahrenheit oven. Heat the Dutch oven for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Remove the plastic wrap from your dough. Lift the dough up using the parchment paper and place it in the Dutch oven. Cover the Dutch oven with the lid and return to the oven to bake for 30 minutes

Remove the Dutch oven lid and cook for another 15 minutes. You can decide your desired level of colour that you want on your crust. If you want to cook more leave it in 5 to 10 minutes longer. Beautiful crust and moist interior. Look at those air bubbles.


Sliced with some butter.

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Easy Overnight Bread

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons Mediterranean salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl stir together the flour, salt and yeast until all combined.
  2. Next add in the warm water and mix with a wooden spoon. The dough will look quite sticky.
  3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise overnight.
  4. Take the dough out of the bowl and place it on a floured surface. Need a few times until you form a round dough ball. Have a little extra flour on hand to add to the dough until it loses its stickiness.
  5. Now sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the door ball and then turn it upside down onto a piece of parchment paper. I try to shape the dough into an even Circle.
  6. Add a little more flour to the top and cover the dough up with some plastic wrap while the oven heats up.
  7. Place any type of a Dutch oven into a 450 Fahrenheit oven. Heat the Dutch oven for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Remove the plastic wrap from your dough. Lift the dough up using the parchment paper and place it in the Dutch oven. Cover the Dutch oven with the lid and return to the oven to bake for 30 minutes.Remove the Dutch oven lid and cook for another 15 minutes. You can decide your desired level of colour that you want on your crust. If you want to cook more leave it in 5 to 10 minutes longer. Beautiful crust and moist interior.

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Mushroom Pesto: Recipes At My Table

Mushroom Pesto

Mushroom Pesto

This Mushroom Pesto makes such an easy meal or appetizer.  I use this on pasta today, but you can spread it over crostini for an amazing appetizer.  Pesto is anything you crush or in Italian we say“pestare”. Mushrooms add a thick texture to this pesto and a hearty feel. They are the meat of the vegetarian diet.  Today I am making a risotto with it.

When we were little, my grandparents and parents would forge for mushrooms.  It was so much fun.  We would go out to the woods and my nonno Salvatore knew so much about the different kinds of mushrooms.  I wish I had his skills or paid more attention to the different types. As we got older, it wasn’t cool to go mushroom picking.  If you want to start forging mushrooms, get educated https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/how-to-hunt-mushrooms/

One of my favourite mushroom dishes on the blog https://recipesatmytable.com/mushroom-orzo/

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil
  • 500 gr. fresh sliced mushrooms (I used baby cremini) 
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp cugar
  • 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • The juice and zest of half a fresh lemon
  • salt and pepper
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • extra olive oil for storing

Process

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add olive oil. Place in the onion and mushrooms.  Sprinkle in the 1/2 tsp of sugar.  The sugar will help to caramelize the vegetables. Remove saucepan from heat and set aside and let cool. 

Toast the walnuts.

Set aside a little of the fried onions and mushroom for garnish. About 1/2 a cup. Place the cooled mushroom mixture to a blender. Now add the walnuts,parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse blender a few times before blending until mixture is finely ground. Then stream in the olive oil.

I preserve it in a jar. It lasts in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. Top off with some extra olive oil.

Tonight we made mushroom risotto. I boiled the rice until al dente. Reserve one cup of the rice water. Then once drained I added some of the mushroom pesto, some of the rice water. 1/4 cup parmesan and 2 tbsp of butter and stirred.

Mushroom Pesto: Recipes At My Table

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Chicken Cacciatore:Recipes At My Table

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore

When we eat roast chicken, the best part is the chicken skin; and although, it may not be good for our health every day, it is ok to indulge once in a while. I like to use chicken thighs in my Chicken Cacciatore, but you can use a whole chicken if you like.  In my experience, there is more taste in the dark meat and it is tender.  The fat in the dark meat also makes a thicker tastier sauce. Leaving the skin on adds to the depth of flavour.

I like to serve  my cacciatore in a rustic style over a large portion of polenta. To entertain with this dish, I plate on a wooden board.  My family makes rabbit in this same style and when I researched the origins of chicken cacciatore, the research shows that the original dish probably had rabbit. Also, the original dish may not have had tomatoes;  the tomatoes came to Italy from the New World at a later date.  I enjoy reading about the history and development of recipes and food.

Now there are many versions to this dish. Mine is a quick and simple dish with some of the elements of the “cucina povera” and the ingredients that hunters may have had.  Remember, always be innovative, change things up, but above all keep it simple. 

For another tender and juicy chicken recipe checkout my https://recipesatmytable.com/white-wine-chicken-scallopini/

Ingredients

  • 8 pieces of chicken cut up
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • Salt and pepper 
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 celery ribs, sliced
  • 1 large carrot diced
  • 1/2 each yellow and red pepper, cut into strips
  • one can of sliced mushrooms
  • 2 cups chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/2  cup dry red wine
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • fresh parmesan and parsley for dressing once finished

Process

Season the chicken with the Italian Seasoning.

Dust the chicken in the flour. 

Place in the skillet with the olive oil and butter.  Salt and pepper.  When the chicken pieces are golden brown, set aside on a platter. 

Put the onions, celery, mushrooms, carrots and peppers into the pan and cook for about 5 minutes.

Pour in the tomatoes, wine, garlic, sugar and the tomato paste.  Bring all this to a boil.

Now add the wine, reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Let the space thicken.

Place the cooked chicken in the sauce.  Cover and place in a 375 F oven for 40 minutes.  

Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

You can serve this over pasta or as a main.  Tonight we are having it over polenta. Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese over it and some fresh parsley.  

Chicken Cacciatore: Recipes At My Table

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Oven Fried Chicken: Recipes At My Table

Oven Fried Chicken

Oven Fried Chicken

My Oven Fried Chicken is a healthier version of what my Nonna Emilia made, but it still brings back memories. The marinade helps to tenderize every part of the chicken and it adds such a crispy crust.  For sure your family will be licking their fingers and asking for more.  Make extra and eat it cold.  Either way, this will become a favourite at your house. 

We always used fresh chickens growing up.  Either from our butcher Mike or from a local farmer, my nonna picked those birds out with love for her family.  I buy local chicken that our butcher prepares.  They are smaller birds ranging only up to 3 lbs.  I don’t buy chicken at supermarkets because it is pumped with too much water and chemicals.  It’s important to know what you are eating.  Do your research!

My other chicken recipe that we make often https://recipesatmytable.com/chicken-italiano/

Ingredients

  • 3 lb  chicken
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 1 1/2  cups milk
  • 2 tsp of Italian seasoning
  • 3 cups Italian bread crumbs
  • olive oil for cooking ( I use my spray bottle)

Process

Cut the chicken into 9 pieces.  I don’t use the back, but save them for soup.

Mix the yogurt, milk and  Italian seasoning and whisk.

Put the chicken pieces into the marinade and put into the fridge for at least 6 hour.

Oven Fried Chicken: Recipes At My Table

Take the pieces out of the marinade and generously bread.

Place on a pan lined with parchment paper and sprayed with olive oil.  Spray some more olive oil over the top of the chicken.

Put in a 375 F oven for 50 minutes.  Turn each piece after 25 minutes. I like to peek into the oven.

Look at that colour!

We served it with pierogi tonight.

Oven Fried Chicken: Recipes At My Table

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