Rosemary, Lemon and Thyme Oil

·      5 springs rosemary (each about 5 in long)

·      10 to 15 sprigs of thyme (each about 5 in long)

·      zest of 2 lemons

·      1 cup canola oil

Sterilize the jars that you are going to use: pour boiling water over them and let stand for 10 minutes

Preheat over to 300°F.  Remove the leaves from the rosemary and thyme sprigs.  Pour the oil into a two cup  oven proof glass measuring cup and add the leaves and zest strips.  Place the cup on a pie plate in the center of the oven and heat for one and a half to two hours.

Use a digital thermometer to test the oil temperature, it should read 250F before you remove it from the oven.  Let cool.  Store in the refrigerator in a sealed jar.

Rachel’s Thoughts: Delicious oil to dip bread in or mix into other recipes. 

Mixed into Pecorino Arugula and Tomato Pizza recipe.

Pecorino, Arugula, and Tomato Pizza

• Olive oil, for baking sheet and for serving (optional for serving)
• Equivalent of 3 smaller tomatoes
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 3 cups baby arugula
• 3 ounces shaved Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Turn a large baking sheet upside down; rub with oil. Pulse tomatoes in a blender until broken up and add salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and red-pepper flakes.
2. Spread on Whole Wheat Pizza Dough. Bake until crusts are golden, 18 to 20 minutes.
3. In a bowl, toss arugula with Pecorino; top pizzas with salad.

Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart

Rachel’s Thoughts: I added some Rosemary Lemon and Thyme Oil in with the crushed tomatoes to give it more flavour.  We also used a mix of baby spinach and arugula for the topping.  

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Serves 4

• Two teaspoons dried yeast
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 1 ½ cups white flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Mix the yeast, sugar, a pinch of salt and 1 cup of warm water in a bowl. Leave in a warm, draught-free place for 10 minutes, or until bubbles appear on the surface. The mixture should be frothy and slightly increased in volume. (If yeast doesn’t foam it’s dead!)

Sift both flours into a bowl. Make a well in the center, add the yeast mixture and mix to a firm dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes, or until smooth. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1-1 ½ hours, or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 400F. Punch down the dough and knead for 2 minutes. Lightly oil pizza tray and roll dough out.