Tag: flatbread

Flatbread and Winery Dogs

This is going to be about my flatbread adventures but first, I want to share the recent winery adventure that inspired these tasty meals.

We recently spent some quality time in Springfield, Illinois. Our long weekend was filled with soaking up history, all things Lincoln, and discovering a Frank Lloyd Wright gem. All of this was very enjoyable but, midway through we decided we needed a break from all this wonderfully nerdy stuff.

We love wineries and the bottled fruits of their labors. We decided that the perfect way to wind down would be to head out in search of some wine and country air. Yes, there are wineries in Central Illinois and many of them are quite good. Danenberger Family Vineyard is an excellent example. We left Springfield for our afternoon in the country ready for adventure. And an adventure it was. Urban streets gave way to two lane blacktop and finally a mostly gravel road. Just when we thought we were lost, the dust cleared and we came upon a massive compound surrounded by corn fields. This was DFV.

There was something about this place that brought us back to our days in California. Driving up to wineries that were more like farms with the exception that their fields were vineyards. Friendly folks who were happy to share their wine with us. Then there were the dogs. They were always a part of the whole experience and a welcome diversion for our sons. Winery dogs are like no other group of canines. They reign as monarchs of their kingdom. Free to run, free to just curl up in a corner and wait for a visitor. Winery dogs don’t know what a stranger is. Every new visitor is a chance for some attention and they welcome you with a smile.

We entered the cozy tasting room and sampled some of the wines. They were very nice. Beyond the tasting room there was a restaurant, Sapori Italia. The restaurant had a long counter looking out on open airy seating. Its open kitchen was small but was equipped with a custom brick pizza oven and the menu board featured some very interesting flatbreads. This was the best cue for lunch, ever. What is lunch at a winery without wine? We had tasted several very nice ones and decided to have the 2018 edition of their “Stilettos in the Vineyard” Rose. We ordered our flatbreads, took our pager, and went out to find a shady table on the West Terrace. One of the winery dogs came with us, a Great Pyrenees pup named Sully. He made himself comfortable under our table. While we enjoyed our wine,And Sully and his buddy enjoyed our company.When our pager went off Sully got up and looked at us, checking to make sure we heard it. We all headed into the restaurant to retrieve our pizzas ( by this time we were officially a table for 4). We all returned, two of us ready to eat and two of us hoping the other ones were messy enough to drop something. Note: No begging occurred only camaraderie and a winsome glance or two. The flatbreads were wonderful. Our favorite was a Caprese with Heirloom Tomatoes and Fried Basil. These lovely pizzas were the inspiration for the recipes at the end of this post. Before we get there, I want to share the rest of this amazing place.

We experienced the wines, we ate the food, we enjoyed the dogs. We thought our afternoon was complete. Then we heard music. This wasn’t being piped in overhead, it was live and it was close by. We followed it back through the restaurant and through another door into what I can only describe as a large metal barn that had been transformed into a music venue. Yes, live music was also available here (and on a Saturday afternoon).There were tables, chairs, and sofas. Guitars and other musical memorabilia decorated some of the walls. One corner even sported a graffiti wall.Pretty amazing for a winery in the middle of a corn field, in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of Illinois. Thank you Danenberger Family Vineyard, you and your wine rock.

Now for a few words about my inspired flatbreads. I used Nan for my base. It is sturdy enough to hold a lot of toppings (my guilty pleasure) and is easy to find. Even Aldi carries it. The first creation was a bit of a riff on the Caprese we had at DFV. I mixed pesto with ricotta for base. Once that was slathered on, I added some Chicken and Zucchini meatballs (another story, another time) and some chopped Roma tomatoes. My cheese of choice was a garlic and herb goat cheese. Once it was baked I topped it with chopped basil and a drizzle of olive oil. Traditional but quick and very tasty.

The second creation was a bit more adventurous and more time consuming (worth every extra minute). I made a mustard aioli (which was really just grainy mustard and mayonnaise) for my base, I lightly caramelized some onions and did the same with  sliced portobellos. Grilled skirt steak joined in as well. Finally I added a few sun dried tomatoes and finished it off with blue cheese. Once it was baked, I sprinkled on some scallions. Wonderful once again.

These are my personal adventures. I hope they inspire you to create your own. I wrote up a general recipe to guide you through the process. Consider it an open ended blueprint.

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Flatbread

Nan Pizzas that you can top with whatever your imagination desires. Bake in the oven or on the grill. these are the basic components.

Servings: 2
Ingredients
  • 2 Nan Bread
Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees or heat the grill to Medium High. Lightly toast the Nan for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from the oven/grill and top.

  2. Choose a spreadable topping. Sauces like tomato, salsa, pesto, ricotta, aioli all work...there are many more.

  3. Choose a Protein. Any cooked meat, fish, or poultry, sausage, prosciutto, mushrooms, breadfruit...again, anything goes.

  4. Choose other toppings. Vegetables such as onions, squash, mushrooms, woody herbs, another protein, or whatever you have on hand.

  5. Top with cheese. Fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, feta, blue cheese, brie...the choice is your.

  6. Bake the pizza. Bake in the oven 10 minutes or so. You want the cheese to melt everything to be bubbly. Watch carefully as the edges burn quickly. If you are gilling the same rules apply and you will need to cover the grill.

  7. Gilt the Lily. Once the pizza is out of the oven, you can add anything else you would like. Soft herbs, olive oil, pepper flakes, grated cheese, greens tossed with a bit of olive oil and lemon. you can also choose to let it bask unadorned. Serve.

Rock, Roll (Up) and W(rap)

Call it a wrap, call it a pin wheel, heck, you could even call it a burrito or Stromboli. When a filling is wrapped in a bread product of one kind or another, and eaten out of hand it is, pinwheel_sandwichbesides being convenient, a delicious and versatile food. I remember when wraps first came on the scene. As I recall, it was sometime in the 80’s and pin wheel slices of ham and turkey sandwiches graced appetizer platters everywhere. The fillings were simple at first, but then cooks got more adventurous and even the wraps themselves went gourmet, adding vegetables and herbs to the basic recipe.

9-spinach-pita-wrapThe wrap is now a standard item on many casual lunch menus and every grocery store carries a variety of wraps. In my heart I know many of these are just fancy tortillas, but they do add flare to sandwich fixings. Recently they have had to share space with a new kid on the shelf, Flatbread.

The Flatbread, as a wrap vessel was probably founded in the fact that a rectangular shape wrapped better than a round one. It’s main claim to fame however, is that it’s great just laying there begging to be topped with whatever the imagination can think of. This is my current darling for sandwiches and pizza. DIGITAL CAMERAI’ve found a brand called “Flat Out” that comes in lots of flavors and even low carb/high fiber varieties. As I continue my healthier adventures, this seems like a marriage made in heaven. They are thin, pliable and quite tasty. I found them at Meijer with the breads at the deli counter. The company is located in Michigan and Flat Outs seem to be available at various stores across the country. 

The recipes that follow are my musings…a basic plan if you will, that you are invited to elaborate on and make your own. Cream cheese or another creamy spread helps cold fillings stay together. Once formed, wrapping the wrap in plastic and refrigerating it for a while also helps. For hot fillings a bit of cheese can melt and act as glue to hold things together. Don’t be tempted to overfill, it will come out (in) the end.

I love Breakfast burritos. Sadly, my favorite haunt for this meal just closed, but with Flat Outs I can do it myself and so can you.  Just scramble some eggs with the meats, veggies and cheeses of your choice, wrap it up and eat it up.

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Breakfast Wrap Sandwich
Print Recipe
This is how I made mine...use the vegetables you love or have on hand. Add meat or not, but add some cheese, it tastes good and helps glue things together.
Servings
1
Servings
1
Breakfast Wrap Sandwich
Print Recipe
This is how I made mine...use the vegetables you love or have on hand. Add meat or not, but add some cheese, it tastes good and helps glue things together.
Servings
1
Servings
1
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a medium fry pan. Add the onions and cook until they begin to soften. Add the peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes until the peppers begin to soften.
  2. Add the spinach and garlic to the pan and cook stirring frequently until the spinach is wilted and the garlic is fragrant.
  3. Scramble the eggs and add to the pan. Cook and stir over medium low, adding half of the cheese. Heat until the eggs are set to your liking.
  4. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on the flat bread and top with the eggs. Roll up carefully and let sit for 1 minute. Cut in half and enjoy.
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Leave out the eggs and ramp up the vegetables and it’s time for lunch. This wrap gives a nod to the pin wheels of the old days by using light cream cheese of the chives and green onion variety for the base and glue. Any vegetables would work. I opted for colored peppers, zucchini, and onion sautéed with a little olive oil and garlic.DIGITAL CAMERA

Veggie Wrap Sandwich
Print Recipe
This is how i made mine. You can choose the veggies you love and use any flavor of cream cheese spread.
Servings
1
Servings
1
Veggie Wrap Sandwich
Print Recipe
This is how i made mine. You can choose the veggies you love and use any flavor of cream cheese spread.
Servings
1
Servings
1
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a medium fry pan. Add the onions and the peppers. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until they begin to soften. 3-4 minutes.
  2. Add the zucchini ribbons and garlic to the pan and cook for 3 minutes more.
  3. Spread the cream cheese on the flat bread within a 1/4 inch of the edges. Top with the cooked vegetables and roll up.
  4. This is good warm or at room temperature.
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Let’s not forget about the Flatbread Pizza. These Flat Outs make a terrific pizza crust. They are a perfect size to feed one lavishly, but can be cut into smaller pieces for an appetizer. This pizza used herbed ricotta, fresh mozzarella, and mini gourmet tomatoes. Topped with some Italian Herbs and a splash of olive oil it was indulgent without breaking the carb bank.DIGITAL CAMERA

Flatbread Pizza
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This is my favorite combination for a meal for one. Choose the toppings you like, make more and share them with friends as an appetizer.
Servings
1
Servings
1
Flatbread Pizza
Print Recipe
This is my favorite combination for a meal for one. Choose the toppings you like, make more and share them with friends as an appetizer.
Servings
1
Servings
1
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray. Lay the flatbread on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 2-3 minutes. remove from oven.
  2. Spread the ricotta on the flatbread leaving a 1/4 inch edge. Lay the mozzarella on top of the ricotta.
  3. Lay the tomatoes on top of the cheeses. Drizzle with olive oil and top with the herb blend.
  4. Return the pan to the oven and bake 5 - 8 minutes or until the cheeses are melted and bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes before cutting.
  5. Cut in strips and enjoy. Make more than one, cut it in smaller pieces, and serve as an appetizer.
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DIGITAL CAMERAThese handy bread canvases are now a staple in my refrigerator. As warm weather approaches, I can see them making appearances on the grill both flat and wrapped. I can see them with sweet fillings laced with fruit and so many other ways. Flatbread is here to stay in general and in Mama D’s Kitchen in particular. I for one, couldn’t be happier.