A Recipe for Health - Pizza Margherita

If you love pizzas, here is a healthful pizza recipe.


This classic pizza — a small amount of mozzarella and a lot of fresh, sliced tomatoes — may inspire other pies in your kitchen. Sometimes I substitute goat cheese for the mozzarella, and sometimes I make this on a yeasted olive oil pastry. So it’s really not a pizza, more like a tart...MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN of the NY Times.

For the garlic olive oil:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, halved, green shoots removed, and minced

Combine the oil and garlic in a small, heavy saucepan, and place over medium-low heat. Insert a thermometer, and when the oil reaches 140 degrees, just before the garlic begins to sizzle, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Strain. Refrigerate the oil, and use as directed.

For the pizza:

1/2 batch whole wheat pizza dough

2 tablespoons garlic olive oil (above)

3/4 cup grated mozzarella or crumbled goat cheese

About 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, sliced about 1/4 inch thick (I like to use a mix of mostly red with some yellow and green tomatoes)

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Several fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, with a pizza stone inside if you have one. Roll or press out the pizza dough to a 12- to 14-inch round. Place on a well floured baker’s peel or an oiled, cornmeal-dusted pizza pan.

2. Gently brush the crust with 1 tablespoon of the garlic olive oil. Sprinkle the mozzarella or the goat cheese over the surface, and top with the tomato slices, overlapping them slightly. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Slide the pizza directly onto the stone from the peel if using one, or place the pizza pan in the oven. Bake until the edges begin to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, and drizzle the remaining olive oil over the tomatoes. Sprinkle on the basil and serve. Alternately, allow to cool, then sprinkle on the basil and serve.

Yield: One 12- to 14-inch pizza.

Advance preparation: The dough can be made up to three days ahead and held in the refrigerator. The pizza can be served at room temperature.

Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.

101 Simple Salads

Salads are the fastest food to prepare and they are healthful too. Here for you to try them are 101 Simple Salads for the Season.

Hope you are having a wonderful summer!

Scrambled Eggs and Beancurd (Tofu)

Here is another recipe for tofu or beancurd that can go very well with rice or rice porridge.


Ingredients
# 200g soft beancurd
# 100g shelled prawns
# 3 tbsp sesame oil
# 1 tsp chopped garlic
# 1 tbsp shredded ginger
# 2 eggs
# 1 tbsp chopped spring onion
# 1 tbsp chopped red chilli
# 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Seasoning
# � tsp salt
# � tsp pepper
# Dash of ground black pepper
# � tsp chicken stock granules

Method
Dice beancurd and drain in a plastic colander until all excess water is completely drained.

Heat sesame oil in a wok and saut� ginger and garlic until lightly golden and fragrant. Add prawns and fry until almost cooked.

Crack in the eggs and add seasoning to mix. Scramble the eggs until cooked through.

Tip off the excess water from the beancurd and add it to the eggs. Toss briefly over high heat until cooked through.

Sprinkle in a dash of ground black pepper and add spring onion, chilli and coriander.


Recipe by Amy Beh of The Star

Spicy Savoury Tofu

Tofu is a healthful food but for some people, it can be rather bland. Here is a recipe for spicy savoury tofu to add zest to a meal.

Ingredients
# 2 pieces soft beancurd
# 1 tsp chopped garlic
# 1 tbsp dried shrimps, coarsely chopped
# Some sesame seeds
# 1 tbsp oil
# 1 tsp sesame oil

Sauce ingredients (combined)
# 2 tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce
# 2 tbsp tomato sauce
# 2 tbsp chilli sauce
# 1 tbsp HP sauce
# 1 tsp fish sauce
# � tsp sugar
# 1� tbsp water

Method
Cut beancurd into small rectangles and dab each piece with paper towels to remove any water.

Leave aside to air for 10-15 minutes. Deep-fry in hot oil over medium heat until golden brown and crispy. Dish out and set aside.

Heat a nonstick saucepan with oil and sesame oil. Saut� garlic and dried shrimps until fragrant. Pour in the sauce ingredients and bring to a quick boil.

Add the prefried beancurd pieces. Toss and fry until well coated with the sauce.

Dish out and sprinkle with sesame seeds.


Recipe by Amy Beh of The Star

Spicy Stuffed Fish

3 hard-tailed scad (cencaru) – (Clean and cut pockets at both sides of the fish.

Marinate the fish with salt and turmeric powder and put aside)

Cooking oil for deep-frying

Grind together:
1/2 grated coconut
10 dried chillies – softened and ground
10 shallots
4 cloves garlic
2 stalks lemongrass
2cm stub galangal
1 tablespoon dried prawns
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a wok. Fill the pockets at the sides of the fish with the ground paste. Deep-fry the fish, carefully turning it to ensure the filling does not fall out. Fry until it is cooked and a crust forms over the stuffed area. Drain and serve with rice and curry.

Source: The Star