THIN CRUST CHICKEN GORGONZOLA PIZZA

Don't you feel bored making the same pizza all the time? I do. That's why after making hawaiian pizza with thick crust all the time, then this time *yesterday to be exact* I made some experiment. I tried to make a new crust and topping recipe.

Thin crust from Kitchen Simplicity was my choice this time. The original recipe was made from AP flour, then I changed it into half AP flour half whole wheat flour. And for the topping, I tried the combination of chicken, cilantro and gorgonzola cheese with mayonnaise and mustard sauce *honestly, those are the only ingredients left in my fridge :)*

Surprisingly, the outcome of my experiment is really good! The crust is perfect *my hubby liked the thin crust more than the thick one now :)*, and the topping and sauce really made a perfect combination. I guess, this recipe is my to-be-true-recipe :).



Thin Crust Chicken Gorgonzola Pizza

Ingredients:
Pizza Crust:
1 cup warm water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. yeast
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbsps. apple cider vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Pizza Sauce:
1-1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup mustard
1 Tbsp. sugar (I used 2 tbsps. splenda)
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1-1/2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. pizza seasoning

Toppings:
2 pieces chicken fillet, boiled and shredded
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 can black olives, sliced
3/4 cup cilantro leaves, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
1-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:
For Pizza Crust:
Mix all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Stir together water and sugar. Sprinkle yeast over top. Let proof for 10 min.
Stir in oil, salt, vinegar and 2 cups flour mixture until well incorporated.
Add additional flour mixture and knead until pliable and barely sticky. If you use standing mixer, set the speed at speed 2 and beat it with dough attachment until pliable and barely sticky.
Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
Once doubled, punch it down.
Roll and stretch the dough to cover a 14-inch ungreased pizza pan. Cover with pizza sauce and toppings of choice.
Bake at 500ºF for 10-12 min. until browned and bubbly.

For Pizza Sauce:
In a saucepan, combine all ingredients. Stir until well combined. Heat it over medium heat until bubbly. Turn off the heat and set aside.

For Assemble:
Lay the pizza dough to cover a 14-inch ungreased pizza pan. Prick the dough with fork. Cover the dough with pizza sauce and toppings. Bake in preheated oven at 500F for 10-12 minutes until browned and bubbly.

SPICY PORK PIROSHKI

Sometimes, when you read a recipe book it is not just giving you the new recipe, also it gave you an idea to create a new recipe. It happened to me few weeks ago, when I borrowed a recipe book from a friend of mine, I saw a recipe that totally new for me. The name also was the first time I heard about. PIROSHKI *I know...I know...I'm not too familiar with western food tho I lived in US for almost 2.5 years*! Yes, piroshki is a name of pastry that originally from Russia.

Since I never see, taste or make it, I really blinded with what piroshki is. I can't tell the one that I made is the correct one or not. In my mind, pastry *as piroshki is catagorized in pastry fams by Russian* is always related with croissant, pie and flaky. But, to me, Russian pastry *at least piroshki* is same as mini bread *or we are Indonesian, called it roti unyil*.
When in the recipe book, it made eggplant piroshki, I made up my own piroshki which is made from pork, bacon and some herbs including chilli powder. It tasted good and my hubby and friends liked it :).



Spicy Pork Piroshki

Ingredients:
Pastry:
4 sachets (28 gr) dried yeast
2 tbsps sugar
315 ml lukewarm milk
3 cups (375 gr) all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
125 gr butter, melted

Filling:
1 pound pork loin, minced
1/2 pound bacon, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1-1/2 tbsps Italian seasoning
1/2 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp tabasco
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
3 tbsps fresh parsley, chopped

Preparation:
For The Pastry:
In a medium bowl, combine yeast and sugar. Stir in the milk. Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour the yeast mixture and the melted butter into the centre of the flour. Stir with dough attachment at speed 2 until the dough is smooth and pliable. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Remove the dough from the bowl. Knead the dough lightly (the dough will be very soft but should not be sticky). Then, divide the dough into 24 portions.

For The Filling:
Mix all ingredients in a big bowl. Divide it into 24 portions. Shape it into short log. Set aside.

Finishing:
Preheat the oven to moderate 350F (180C/Gas 4). Grease baking sheets. Set aside.
Flatten 1 portion of dough into a small disc and place 1 portion of filling in the centre of the dough. Wrap the filling and press the edges firmly and seal it tight. Place assembled pastries, sealed-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Set aside in a warm place for 20 minutes. Brush the piroshki with beaten egg and lightly sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until cooked through and golden.

KOREAN SEASONED FRIED CHICKEN (YANGNYEOM TONGDAK)

I never try this Korean Fried Chicken before, but once I saw the pic of it at CG's blog my mouth just can't stop watering :). Fortunately, I have almost all ingredients except rice syrup or honey.

The preparation didn't take more than an hour, it's a perfect recipe when you don't feel like cooking. Also, the taste is good :). My hubby and I can't stop nibbled it til I need to hide it so we have something to eat for dinner :).



Korean Seasoned Fried Chicken (Nangnyeom Tongdak)
Source: Maangchi via Cooking Gallery

Ingredients:
Fried Chicken:
6 pieces (3 lbs) chicken fillet (you can use chicken wings or whole chicken as well), cut into chunks
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup potato starch powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup glutinous flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
Oil for frying the chicken
Toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Sauce:
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup hot pepper paste (use 1/4 cup if you dislike spicy)
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon apple vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation:
For The Fried Chicken:
Season the chicken chunks with salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands.
Add all dry ingredients: tapioca flour, glutinous flour, all-purpose flour and baking soda, plus the egg.
Mix everything well. When you notice that it's too dry, add some drops of water, just to make sure that the chicken chunks are well coated.
Fry the chicken over high heat until brown and crisp, about 10 minutes.

For The Sauce and Serving:
Heat olive oil in a pan and add the minced garlic. Stir fry until fragrant for about 30 seconds under medium heat. Add tomato ketchup, hot pepper sauce, sugar and apple vinegar. Cook until thoroughly mix, for about 1 minute. Toss in the fried chicken until well coated. Sprinkle the chicken with toasted sesame seeds. Serve it with lettuce and warm rice.