All recipes from “California Pizza Kitchen Family Cookbook,” by Larry Flax and Rick Rosenfield.
WALDORF CHICKEN SALAD
1 pound baby field greens
2 large or 3 small, cored and thinly sliced tart green apples (Granny Smith OR Pippin)
3 ribs celery, sliced diagonally
1 pound red seedless grapes, halved
1/2 pound crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
4 Grilled Garlic Chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch strips
2 cups Candied Walnuts
1/2 to 1 cup balsamic vinaigrette OR blue cheese dressing
Toss all ingredients with dressing of your choice in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Divide among 4 chilled serving plates and serve immediately. Makes 4 entree servings.
GRILLED GARLIC CHICKEN: Place 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts between sheets of waxed or parchment paper, and gently pound to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Do not pound too thin; this is just to ensure that they will cook evenly. Combine 6 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir to mix. Add chicken breasts to bowl, one at a time, turning each in marinade. Refrigerate chicken 10 to 20 minutes.
Grill chicken on a hot grill, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Do not overcook. OR bake, skin side up, in a pan, in a preheated 350-degree oven about 30 minutes, until internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Use chicken immediately, as desired, or cool and refrigerate up to 3 days.
CANDIED WALNUTS: Lightly grease a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or butter. Combine 3 tablespoons honey, 3 tablespoons sugar and 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter in a large nonstick skillet and heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to boil. Reduce heat and simmer mixture, stirring occasionally, until syrupy and light beige in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off heat. Add 2 1/2 cups (about 12 ounces) walnuts halves and pieces to the syrup and stir to coat completely. Transfer nuts to a baking sheet, spreading evenly. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven 12 to 15 minutes, turning pan once, until a deep caramel color.
Carefully remove walnuts to a mixing bowl, scraping up any bits that stick to pan with a metal spatula. Sprinkle nuts with 3 tablespoons sugar and a pinch kosher salt. Toss to coat evenly. Allow nuts to cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week. Do not refrigerate. Makes 3 cups.
CURLY MAC & CHEESE
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds uncooked fusilli
1 quart heavy whipping cream
2 pounds Velveeta cheese, cubed
Bring 6 quarts water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt. Cook fusilli until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
Meanwhile, pour cream into a large pot. Add cubes of Velveeta and remaining 2 teaspoons salt and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until Velveeta begins to melt. Add drained pasta and stir well. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally until Velveeta is completely melted and sauce begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve in warm bowls. Makes 6 or more entree servings.
WHITE PIZZA WITH BACON
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
4 cups OR 2/3 of a 6-ounce bag fresh spinach
Pinch kosher salt
Pinch ground black pepper
1 pound Traditional Pizza Dough (recipe follows) OR 1 pound store-bought pizza dough
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
2 slices, cooked, chopped bacon (1/4 cup), optional
2/3 cup grated fontina cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
Place a seasoned (or oiled) 16-inch pizza stone in middle of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F, at least 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute or until garlic just begins to brown. Add spinach, salt and pepper to pan and cook, stirring, until leaves are just wilted, about 1 minute. Drain and immediately spread spinach on a plate to cool to room temperature.
Roll and shape Traditional Pizza Dough into 1 (13-inch) or 2 (9-inch) circles and place on a floured pizza peel. If you are more comfortable working with one piece of dough at a time, you can shape and dress the second piece while the first is in the oven. If making 2 pizzas, split all topping ingredients in half.
Spread cooled spinach over dough to within 1 inch of outer edge. Top with mozzarella and bacon. Distribute remaining cheeses over mozzarella, finishing with dollops of ricotta.
Transfer pizza to heated pizza stone in oven. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese at center is melted and bubbly. Slice and serve. Makes 1 (13-inch pizza) or 2 (9-inch) pizzas.
TRADITIONAL PIZZA DOUGH
This recipe can easily be doubled, or even tripled for a pizza party. You can use the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer if you’re making a double or quadruple batch of this dough. Otherwise use the paddle attachment or make the dough recipe here by hand.
1 teaspoon active dry yeast (not quick rise type)
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water (105 to 110 degrees F)
1 1/2 cups unbleached bread OR all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Make sure water is not too hot to avoid killing yeast and preventing dough from rising.
If using a stand mixer, use the paddle because the dough hook will not mix this size batch efficiently. In the mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil and stir by hand just to distribute. Add dissolved yeast and place bowl and paddle on the mixer. Start mixing on lowest speed to mix. Increase speed slightly and mix 2 to 3 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Do not over-knead, as this will build up too much gluten and make dough difficult to shape.
To mix by hand, place dry ingredients in a 4- to 6- quart mixing bowl and stir to combine. Make a well in center and pour in liquids, reserving 1 teaspoon olive oil. Use a wooden spoon to combine ingredients. Once all flour is mixed in, turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface and with lightly oiled hands, knead dough 5 minutes. It should be smooth and elastic, but will still be slightly sticky.
Place remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a 1-quart mixing bowl and spread with your fingertips. Place dough ball in bowl, move around the oil, then turn it over so that oiled side is facing upward. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
You may use the dough at this point, but if possible – and this requires some planning – punch dough down, re-shape it into a ball, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough overnight; this will develop a more flavorful dough with a chewier consistency.
About 2 hours before ready to assemble the pizza, remove dough from refrigerator. Leave dough in a single ball or if making other size pizzas, use a sharp knife to divide dough into 2 or 4 equal portions.
Roll each portion of dough into a round ball on a smooth, clean surface, making sure to seal any holes by pinching or rolling. Place newly formed dough balls in a glass baking dish, spaced far enough apart to allow for each to double in size. Seal top of dish with clear plastic wrap. Set aside at room temperature, until dough balls have doubled in size, about 2 hours. They should be smooth and puffy. Dress pizza according to the recipe. Makes 1 pound dough, enough for 1 (13-inch) pizza, 2 (9-inch) pizzas or 4 (6-inch) pizzas.
