Now sure, when you hear the title, you might think, big deal, it’s a mushroom and onion pizza. It is, but this one is special as the fresh rosemary takes this pizza over the top, plus it is meatless which makes it even better.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients for the Pizza Dough (makes 3 pizzas):

• 3 3/4 cup of bread flour
• 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 3/4 tsp table salt
• 3/4 tsp plus a pinch of sugar
• 1 1/3 cups of room temperature water

Ingredients for the Pizza:

• 1 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup of thinly sliced portabella mushrooms
• 1/2 cup of red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, stem removed, leaves roughly chopped
• flour

Make the dough by adding the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Mix. Add the water, and with your wooden spoons, or hands, mix until blended. I use my KitchenAid for this process to keep everything in the bowl during the rising process. Mix for about 30 seconds. The dough should be a bit stiff. Cover the bowl with a towel, and let it sit at room temperature until the dough has doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

Once risen, divide into three portions. With one of the portions, add some flour to a large pastry board, and start rolling it out into your desired pizza shape. If you are adventurous, try tossing the pizza, to get your desired thickness.

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees with the pizza stone inside.

Lay the dough onto the preheated pizza stone, and top with garlic, then the cheese, mushroom, onion, and fresh rosemary.  Place the pizza in the oven, cooking for about 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is nice and golden, or partially charred, and the cheese is nice and melted.

As I made a couple of other pizzas for the kids, I steered towards this one. As I loved the other ones, this one kept drawing me back to it. It was simple and again, that fresh rosemary not only provided a great smell, but the flavor was just spot on. I hope you enjoy.

The post Mushroom, Onion, and Rosemary Pizza appeared first on Simple Comfort Food.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients for Char Siu:

• Pork shoulder, cut into about 2 inch strips (I used thin pork chops)
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice
• 1/2 tbsp red food coloring

To a bowl, everything but the pork chops, and mix well. Add the pork to a gallon sized ziplock bag, adding the sauce. Give the pork a nice massage, making sure you incorporate the sauce onto the pork. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible, then tuck it away in the refrigerator for the night.

The following day when you are ready to make the pork, remove it from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before placing it on the grill. Heat your grill, and cook until the pork is cooked, about 12 minutes. Chop the pork.

Ingredients for the Banh Mi:

• 1 fluffy baguette (I used a bolillo roll as good Vietnamese bread is hard to find)
• 1/4 cup of Braunschweiger
• 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro
• 6 thin slices of fresh jalapeno pepper
• 1/2 cup pickled daikon and carrots
• 8 slices of cucumber
• 1 cup of char siu, chopped
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise

Take your whole baguette, or bolillo roll and warm it in a 350 degree oven for 3 minutes.

Slice the roll in half, and smear the braunschweiger on the top of the bottom roll. Top the braunschweiger with the sliced cucumbers, then cilantro, the chopped char siu, fresh jalapeños, the pickled carrots and daikon, then smear the mayonnaise onto the top roll.

Dig in. Any bite into a Vietnamese banh mi is amazing. This one is just as amazing. You get that great heat from the jalapeño but it gets transformed by the pickled vegetables, the sweet Chinese char siu, and then the freshness of the cilantro and cucumber that is only trumped by that wonderful braunschweiger. As I continued to eat this sandwich, I thought, this is probably one of the best sandwiches out there, and yet so many have taken a chance and had one. Two words. Make this. This Char Siu Banh Mi is awsome!

The post Char Siu Banh Mi appeared first on Simple Comfort Food.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients for the Pizza Dough (makes 3 pizzas):

• 3 3/4 cup of bread flour
• 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 3/4 tsp table salt
• 3/4 tsp plus a pinch of sugar
• 1 1/3 cups of room temperature water

Ingredients for the Pizza:

• 1/2 cup of store bought, or homemade giardiniera
• 1 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3 slices of hot cappocola
• 3 slices of salami
• 3 slices of mortadella
• 3 slices of sopressata

Make the dough by adding the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Mix. Add the water, and with your wooden spoons, or hands, mix until blended. I use my KitchenAid for this process to keep everything in the bowl during the rising process. Mix for about 30 seconds. The dough should be a bit stiff. Cover the bowl with a towel, and let it sit at room temperature until the dough has doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

Once risen, divide into three portions. With one of the portions, add some flour to a large pastry board, and start rolling it out into your desired pizza shape. If you are adventurous, try tossing the pizza, to get your desired thickness.

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees with the pizza stone inside.

Lay the dough onto the preheated pizza stone, and top with half of the cheese, then spread out the giardiniera. Layer the sliced meats on top of the giardiniera, arranging them much like you would pepperoni. Top with the remaining cheese, and place in the oven, cooking for about 20-25 minutes.

Remove and let cool for about 5 minutes before slicing into it, then dig in.

At first glance you might think, hmmm, just an ordinary pizza, but when biting into it you get all sorts of amazing flavors. The subtle heat from the heated giardiniera is balanced by those slightly crisp Italian cold cuts. I did not let my wife know what she was eating just to get her reaction, and she was blown away. I think it might be time to consider opening a pizza truck, what do you think? If you are wanting a new pizza idea, give this one a shot, it could be one of my top favorites right now!

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When I first thought of this recipe, I wanted a great crunch in the vegetables, along with a dressing that would lightly coat the vegetables. Not only that, but I really wanted that whole sweet, spicy, sour combination that Thai flavors excel at to come out in this recipe. At first I was hesitant if my wife would love this dish as she is not the biggest fan of fish sauce, but wow, was she ever impressed.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients for the dressing:

• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 tbsp palm sugar, or light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp good fish sauce
• 1 whole Thai chili, lightly smashed
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste

Ingredients for the coleslaw:

• 1 whole carrot, julienned
• 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup of fresh mint, chopped
• 1/2 whole red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 small head of radicchio lettuce, thinly sliced
• 1 small kohlrabi, trimmed, julienned
• 1 cup of bean sprouts, washed
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts

Start by making the dressing. Add everything to a bowl, and stir well. Add to a small skillet, and bring to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes, then set aside to cool.  Remove the Thai chili pepper.

Next, prepare the coleslaw ingredients and toss everything into a large mixing bowl.

Pour the dressing over the coleslaw, give a good mix, and set aside for 3o minutes prior to serving. When you are ready to serve, pour over the peanuts, and give a gentle stir.

Everything about this coleslaw is freaking amazing, and if you love Thai food, you are going to love this one. It’s everything you would probably expect in a coleslaw but then you get that impact of the sweet, sour, and mildly spicy. My wife, and I were loving this one. If you are looking for something different to make this summer, give this one a shot. Plus, you get the bonus of adding a few more ingredients to your Asian pantry, and to me, that is alright! Hope you enjoy.

The post Thai Coleslaw appeared first on Simple Comfort Food.

Let’s get started:

• 1 cup of peanut oil
• 1/2 cup of whole red dried chili peppers
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup of dark sesame oil

That’s it. How awesome is that?

Add the peanut oil to a skillet, and bring to a medium-low heat. Add in the chili peppers, as well as the garlic. Cook for about 15 minutes, reducing the heat to low along the way. About ten minutes in, add in the sesame oil.

Remove the skillet from the heat, and let cool. Strain the mixture and store the oil in your serving jar. I like to use the plastic squeeze bottles. Add in a dry chili or two to the bottle as well. Use however you want when you want a bit of additional heat, and store in the refrigerator when you are done. I hope you enjoy.

The post Homemade Chili Oil appeared first on Simple Comfort Food.

I do love jalapeño poppers, but they do require a bit of time to make, at least in my opinion and as I was already making pizza dough, I decided to take what I love about the poppers and turn that into a pizza, and whoa was it ever good. It had everything you wanted in a popper, but in slice.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients for the Pizza Dough (makes 3 pizzas):

• 3 3/4 cup of bread flour
• 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 3/4 tsp table salt
• 3/4 plus a pinch of sugar
• 1 1/3 cups of room temperature water

Ingredients for the Pizza (makes one pizza):

• 1/3 of the pizza dough, shaped into your desired circumference and thickness
• 6 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 whole jalapeño peppers, roasted, skins peeled and discarded, sliced
• 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
• pizza stone (optional)

Make the dough by adding the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Mix. Add the water, and with your wooden spoons, or hands, mix until blended. I use my KitchenAid for this process to keep everything in the bowl during the rising process. Mix for about 30 seconds. The dough should be a bit stiff. Cover the bowl with a towel, and let it sit at room temperature until the dough has doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

Once risen, divide into three portions. With one of the portions, add some flour to a large pastry board, and start rolling it out into your desired pizza shape. If you are adventurous, try tossing the pizza, to get your desired thickness.

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees with the pizza stone inside.

Place the shaped pizza dough onto the preheated pizza stone, and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, then smear on the cream cheese. Top with the cheddar cheese, the mozzarella cheese, then arrange the sliced jalapeño peppers.

Place back into the oven for an additional 15 minutes or until the crust is nice and golden and the cheese is fully melted.

Remove and let cool for about 5 minutes before slicing into it, then dig in.

When you first bite into it, you get that surprise from the cream cheese base, and it has that richness to it, but when you get that paired with the roasted jalapeño peppers, well, then it all comes together. This is a real treat, and one slice will do you just fine. Hope you enjoy.

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The post Cinco de Mayo Recipes appeared first on Simple Comfort Food.

I made this burger for a couple reasons. One I wanted to make this burger because it reminded me of something that would be like a torta style, and more importantly I wanted to reintroduce chorizo to my wife, and introduce the same chorizo to my kids. I think my wife had a bad experience with chorizo many years ago and since then never wanted to eat it again. I believe she cooked it, and really did not know how, and well, you get the picture. I know how to cook chorizo, and I knew exactly what I was going to do with this burger. As my wife and kids left the house for the piano practice, I quickly took out the hidden chorizo and began prepping patties, and the mise en place for the burger.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 lb ground chuck
• 1/2 lb Mexican chorizo, casing removed
• 1 whole avocado, mashed
• 1/2 cup shredded lettuce, per burger
• pico de gallo, to your liking
• queso quesadilla cheese, sliced
• 5 soft hamburger buns, sliced
• paper towel

Ingredients for pico de gallo:

• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
• pinch of salt

First make the pico de gallo. Take everything, toss in a bowl, and set aside to let the flavors come together.

Next, make your patties. Gently mix the ground chuck with the chorizo, and form into 5 balls.

Preheat your cast iron skillet to medium heat and let that come up to heat.

Before you begin, let me tell you that this is a bit messy in terms of grease splatter, so if you have a grease shield use it, that and a good overhead fan.

Take one, or two patties if two fit, and place inside of the heated cast iron skillet. Place apart from one another as you are going to smash these with your burger spatula.

Let the burgers sit there and cook for a few minutes, then smash them down into a thin patty. Let this cook for another few minutes, or until the edges begin to crisp.

Flip, and place some of the queso quesadilla cheese on top. Cook another couple of minutes.

In the meantime, lather some of the smashed avocado onto the bottom of a bun.

Remove the patty and place onto some paper towel to let any of the fat from the chorizo drain.

Gently remove the patty after draining and place onto the bottom bun. Top with as much pico de gallo as you prefer, then top with a heaping mound of lettuce before placing the top bun.

Repeat with remaining patties. You might want to drain any fat from the skillet before repeating with the remaining patties.

Dig in. As I was snapping photos of mine, my wife was just boasting about how good it was, questioning what that flavor was. Little did she know that was the chorizo that had that amazing flavor, and little did she know what when you cook it properly, it is really awesome in flavor.

She stated this burger was probably one of her most favorite burgers she has had. She does not lie when she tells me things like that, and to me, well, that was a winning burger in my book. I should also note the boys, who have particular taste buds, devoured theirs as well.

If you are looking for a new twist on a burger, and one that is perfect for Cinco de Mayo, give this one a shot.

The post Mexican Cinco de Mayo Burger appeared first on Simple Comfort Food.

Now don’t get alarmed by this agua fresca term, it’s nothing fancy, and it basically amounts to fresh fruit and water, however you can use other things such as seeds, or even flowers to rock out an amazing and refreshing drink. So as I craved another smoothie throughout the day, I decided to make a batch of agua fresca, which I enjoyed throughout various times of the day.

This is super easy to make so lets get started.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz frozen blueberries
• 1 pint of fresh strawberries, cleaned and sliced in half
• 1 cup of water, plus 6 additional cups
• 1/2 cup of simple syrup or your favorite sweetener
• ice

Start by adding the blueberries, strawberries, and one cup of water to a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.

If you have a stick blender use it, otherwise add the mixture to a blender, and blend for a few minutes.

Strain the mixture into a water pitcher, add the simple syrup, remaining six cups of water and a handful of ice. Place in the refrigerator for at least four hours before serving.

When you are ready to serve, add some ice to your glass and pour the blueberry agua fresca. Drink. Nothing beats the power of a simple, beautiful, and refreshing drink, and one that is perfect to serve for this upcoming Cinco de Mayo! Hope you enjoy.

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Our standard pizza has been a pepperoni, mushroom, and onion pizza, but personally I like loading one up with some hot Italian sausage, garlic, pepperoni, and black olives, even the occasional bell pepper tossed into the mix makes me happy. As I was making the pizzas, a thought came into my head. It could have been that I recently made the buffalo chicken mac and cheese pizza where mac and cheese was running through my mind, not sure, but I thought about making a mac and cheese that was loaded with everything I wanted in my pizza, hence the loaded pizza mac and cheese.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of elbow macaroni, cooked right before al dente
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 cups of milk
• 3 hot Italian sausages, casings removed, cooked, crumbled, drained
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 oz can sliced black olives, drained
• 15 oz can of tomato sauce
• 1 cup of small pepperoni slices
• 1/2 cup of shredded mozarella cheese
• 1 1/2 cup of shredded colby jack cheese

Start by making the base for the mac and cheese. Cook your pasta, drain, and set it to the side.

To a sauce pot add the butter and cook on medium heat until it is melted. Toss in the flour, and give a good stir using a wooden spoon of course. Continue cooking for a few minutes, stirring, and cook the flour out. Pour in the milk, and continue to stir until the sauce gets nice and thick.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Add the noodles to a large mixing bowl, and add in the minced onion and garlic. Top with the tomato sauce, and cheeses, then pour the sauce over the top. Top with the olives, Italian sausage, and pepperoni. Use that wooden spoon and give a good stir to incorporate all of the ingredients.

Pour this into a large casserole dish, and cover with aluminum foil. Place in the oven for 30 minutes, then when done, uncover and cook another 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit for about 20 minutes to let things sit.

Plating is easy. Get a nice scoop out of the dish and place on your plate. There is nothing fancy to the plating here, and you will note that at first bite you get that great aroma from what you would expect in a supreme pizza, but everything you wanted in a mac and cheese! Give this one a shot, and make it your own. Take what you want in your pizza and make a mac and cheese out of it! Hope you enjoy.

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