The Louisville Chef

After trying quite a few recipes and much experimentation, I have come to the conclusion that the key to good pizza dough is a cold rise.

I have found that dough which rests in the refrigerator for 24 to 72 hours has vastly more flavor than a quick made dough. Personally, I like a 72 hours cold proof. 
Dough which rises quickly tends to taste raw, like flour and water and there is little of the complex yeasty flavors that develop when given proper proofing time. 

There are so many variable to making a good dough, so experiment. Most top pizzerias have their own recipe and I think the crust is what really separates average pizza from the sublime.

Ingredients
3 cups Bread Flour or Italian 00 Flour
1 packet of Instant Yeast (Note: this is not the same as Active Dry Yeast)
1 tsp Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup, plus 1 Tbsp warm water, about 110 degrees F.

Put all of your dry ingredients into a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Blend them together and then slowly add your wate…

This French bistro favorite is wonderful and adapts to vegan perfectly. While traditionally made with goose or duck fat, this lighter, healthier version is just as good without the bad fats. 



Ingredients

1 1/2-2 lbs of Gold Potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch think. I leave the skins on for extra flavor. 
3 Tbsp Earth Balance
2 Tbsp Water
4 cloves of Garlic, peeled and sliced very thin. 
1-2 tsp Sea Salt 
Freshly ground Black Pepper
Fresh Parsley, loosely chopped 

In your largest lidded sauté pan, melt your Earth Balance on medium/high heat. Gently lay your potatoes into the pan in one layer. Allow them to begin to brown, add your water and put on your lid. 

Leave it for 20 minutes, then gently turn over each slice and add your garlic, salt and black pepper. Put the lid back on for an additional 20 minutes. Then remove the lid and increase the heat for a further 5 minutes to finish browning. Add the parsley and serve.

I love Indian food, but sadly, I've struggled to find really stunning Indian food outside of the UK, India or major urban areas in the us, (not saying it isn't there, haha, so no hate mail).  So out of necessity, I learned to make it myself. It requires some prep time, but it's not that difficult and Indian cuisine is a rich source for vegetarian and vegan dishes.

One of my fellow blogger's Pragati Bidkar, at Kamil's Kitchen has some wonderful recipes and I wanted to share this one. It's spicy, but you can adjust the heat by modifying the cayenne chili powder. I've adjusted the method slightly, but essentially, it's her recipe. Thanks Pragati.



Ingredients 2 cans organic Chickpeas aka Garbanzo Beans1 packet frozen chopped Spinach 1 cup canned, crushed or diced Tomatoes2 medium Onions4-5 whole Cloves1 stick Cinnamon3 Green Cardamom pods2 dry Bay Leaves1 tsp Cayenne Pepper, go down to 1/4 tsp if you don't like spicy1/2 tsp Black Pepper1 tsp Garam Masala2-…