Books, Dinner, Exercise.

Not a lot going on in our lives at the moment, principally because I am trying to read all these library books which have turned up at roughly the same time. The other day I finished the latest Valdemar book Closer to the Heart by Mercedes Lackey. Part of the Herald Spy series. Now I am wading through a huge book by Robin Hobb called Fool's Quest. I think I may have missed the one before so I guess I will have to get hold of it. But boy is it a big book. - 754 pages. Then I have a thriller (I think) called Little Black Lies and yet another David Weber book waiting at the library to be collected. Phew. I do love to read, but this inundation of books is proving a bit much. The trouble is, I reserved the books ages ago, as I've said, but I had no idea they would all become available at once. Not only that, some of the newer books, like Robin Hobb's, are being awaited by other people. I have very much enjoyed all of Robin Hobb's books and this one is proving to be no exception. Being a dragon fanatic I particularly enjoyed the dragon books which are part of the series although written as a separate trilogy.

Saturday night we had pork chops and I was wondering what to do with them so browsing through

my recipe programme, I discovered one which I had invented and of which I had no recollection. I decided to make it again and it turned out very well. It's odd that I don't remember it one little bit. This is my plate. I have lots of green beans because I don't have a potato. These are French sliced flat beans by the way. Basically the only kind we eat these days unless I do something with the other beans, but we don't enjoy them plain at all. Anyway, as you will see the chop has mushrooms on it, I used more than I had written in the recipe but I wanted to use some up which I had had a tad too long. Maybe I will add the recipe tomorrow. It was pretty good.

Today, Monday, is bowling of course, one of our favourite days of the week. I missed not having an exercise class on Friday and there won't be one on Wednesday so I have been trying to do some of the exercises on my own. It's surprisingly difficult to remember all the things we do. I am more concerned with copying the aerobic exercises. Some of the other things I am fine at anyway. Balance in particular. Since learning T'ai Chi it has improved my balance tremendously. I just wish I could persuade Matt to join these classes. Oh well.

This is a new one on me, something I have never seen before. I don't eat pizza much, but I think I would like to try this one.

Rick Easton's Pizza With Potatoes

 Mark Bittman - New York Times

Potatoes may seem an odd topping for pizza, but the Pittsburgh-based baker and cook Rick Easton has developed a crust that is so sturdy it can actually support more than its own weight, and these potatoes – boiled until soft, hand-crushed, flavored with olive oil and rosemary and made even more delicious by the addition of mozzarella – are not only traditional, but amazing. Be sure to bake the pizza until it is good and brown on the bottom; take a peek if you’re not sure.

Ingredients

Pizza dough

• 3⁄4 teaspoon or 2 grams yeast
• 1 7⁄8 cups lukewarm water
• 3 ½ cups or 500 grams bread flour, plus more for dusting
• 3 teaspoons or 8 grams kosher or sea salt
• 4 tablespoons or 40 grams extra-virgin olive oil

Toppings

• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary leaves
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. In a comfortably large, preferably rectangular plastic container, dissolve the yeast into 13⁄4 cups of lukewarm water. Mix in the flour with your hand, squishing it together, just until the flour is absorbed. The dough will be very wet and shaggy. Remove what stuck to your fingers, and mix into the dough. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.
2. Dissolve the salt in remaining 1⁄8 cup of water, and mix with your hand into the dough. Don’t worry if it doesn’t all mix in. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and rest for another 20 minutes at room temperature.
3. With wet hands, release the dough from the sides of the container. Coat the top of the dough with 1 tablespoon of oil, and make a trifold or letter fold by lifting up the dough one-third of the way through and letting the end drop and fold underneath. Repeat this action on the other side so that the seam is on the bottom. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and rest for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Repeat this process two more times. After the third fold, rest the dough in the refrigerator for about 24 hours. Sometime halfway through resting, repeat the trifold with oil one last time.
4. If you have a pizza stone, slide it on the lowest rack or on the floor of your oven, and heat oven to 500. Heat for at least 30 minutes and preferably longer before baking. Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Once they are cool enough to handle, remove the peels and crush gently into medium chunks by hand; lay on a sheet pan or some wax paper in one layer to allow them to cool.
5. Lightly grease an 18-by-13-inch jellyroll pan with olive oil. (A cookie sheet of a similar size makes a good alternative.) Wipe the pan clean with a dry paper towel; it’s important not to bake the pizza on too much oil. Flip the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently press out into a rectangle 1⁄2-to-3⁄4-inch thick, being careful not to deflate the dough too much. Place one forearm over the dough, and use the other hand to flip the dough over the forearm and then into the pan, leaving the floured side up. Rearrange the dough on the pan, again pressing only lightly.
6. Spread the topping evenly across the dough, drizzle generously with oil and bake on the pizza stone (or directly on the bottom of the oven or lowest rack) for 5 minutes. Move the pizza to the middle rack in the oven, and continue to bake for 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden brown.
7. Using a bench scraper or metal spatula, scoop under the pizza, and scrape to release it from the pan. This may take some blind faith and a bit of elbow grease. Slide out onto a cutting board, and slice into pieces using a chef’s knife, scissors or pizza cutter. Serve immediately or at room temperature, or reheat.

Have a great day