Anchovies!!

So this week I chose to cook with anchovies! I've always heard of anchovies, but never eaten or cooked with them. I chose to cook with them after watching many a episodes of Rachael Ray at the gym (I usually watch The Food Network while I run...it gives me inspiration for supper :) ) in which she cooked with anchovies...including them in pasta, pizza and even salad. I chose one of her pizza recipes and it was very yummy!

Ok, so enough about me how about anchovy! It is a small fish which is found throughout the world's oceans. It is a green fish with blue reflections. Anchovies are typically caught, salted in brine and then packed in oil or salt. At the grocery you can usually find this smelly fish in the canned fish isle or you can even find anchovy paste at some of your local grocery stores. Anchovies are found in some of your pantry staples such as Worcestershire Sauce, some Caesar salads and as an optional topping to pizza.

Here is my choice for the week-

Puttanesca Pizza by Rachael Ray

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons anchovy paste or 6 fillets flat anchovies
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped pitted good quality black olives
Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 prepared thin crust pizza shell (recommended: Boboli)
3/4 pound very thinly sliced fresh or fresh smoked mozzarella

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, anchovy paste and red pepper flakes. When anchovies (if whole) melt or garlic is tender, about 2 minutes, add tomatoes and olives. Simmer sauce 3 to 4 minutes. Top the pizza with sauce and the sliced cheese. Bake until pizza until cheese melts and crust is crisp, 10 minutes. Cut and serve.

**Anchovies melting in oil..yumm!




Finished product! It was very yummy and very flavorful. FYI...this is smoked gouda cheese on top b/c I couldn't find the smoked mozzarella cheese here in Paris :(

Rhubarb

Ok, so here is my first attempt at cooking something a little out of the ordinary. I plan to take on a new ingredient each week that I've never cooked with, while at the same time giving my readers a little background history about my pick of the week.
This week I cooked a Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler. I have never seen or cooked with this crazy looking so called fruit until this year. I was educated by the nice Kroger produce guy here in Paris.




So, a little background info about rhubarb...it was originally deemed a veggie, but now considered a fruit. It is typically used in pies for its tartness. Rhubarb, a perennial, looks like a red hued celery. When purchasing, beware of limp, blemished, split ended stalks which indicates a not so fresh rhubarb. Rhubarb can be purchased in produce section or in frozen section in a bag. Shoppers usually see this "pie plant" in stores in late spring through mid summer.



This recipe is a weight watchers recipe, so for all you point counters, this desert is only 4 points!


Ingredients:

-16 oz unsweetened frozen strawberries, thawed for 15 minutes

-14 oz frozen rhubarb, or fresh , cut inton 1-inch pieces, thawed for 15 min if frozen

-1/3 cup sugar

-1 Tbsp cornstarch

-1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

-3 Tbsp sugar, divided

-3/4 tsp baking powder

-1/4 tsp baking soda

-4 Tbsp reduced calorie margarine, cut into small pieces

-1/2 cups fat free sour cream

-1/4 cup fat free skim milk

-1 large egg, lightly beaten



Instructions:

~Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

~In a large bowl, combine strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and cornstarch. Mix well and spoon mixture into bottom of prepared pan.

~To prepare dough, in a large bowl or food processor, combine flour, 2 Tbsps sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Add margarine and mix with your fingers or process in the food processor until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.

~Add sour cream and milk and mix until dough comes together.

~Transfer dough to a lightly floured surace and knead 5 times, until blended.



~Divide dough into 16 eqaual pieces and roll eah piece into a small ball. Place balls on to p of strawberry-rhubarb mixture and gently press down to flatten. Brush the surface of dough with egg and sprinkle remaining sugar over top.







~Bake until filling is bubbly and top is golden brown, 45 min. Cool 15 min before serving. Yields about 1/2 cup fruit mixture and 2 biscuits per serving.