Deep Dish Pizza Crust [Chicago Style]

The only time I've ever eaten authentic Chicago Deep Dish Pizza was at Uno's in Chicago in the summer of 2011 with Jason and our friends, Brent + Jillian. And I loved it. True, it did sit like a brick in our stomaches but it was a flaky, buttery, delicious brick. I'd never thought to make it myself until I got an email from America's Test Kitchen that had the recipe. It's an easy recipe that take relatively little active time, though because of the two 45 minute rise times, it is probably a better recipe for a weekend night. We ate it for dinner and had New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert. Yumminess all around.

Deep Dish Pizza Crust [Chicago Style]

slightly adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Makes one 9" pizza crust [serves 2]

In a medium bowl, combine:
1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons yeast
Use a wooden spoon to mix together ingredients.

Sprinkle in:
3/4 teaspoon salt
Use wooden spoon to evenly distribute salt. [Adding in the salt after you've disbursed the yeast amongst the flour keeps the salt from having direct contact with the yeast and killing it.] Make a small well in the center of the dry ingredients.

Pour into the well:
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Again using the wooden spoon, pull the dry ingredients into the wet stirring vigorously. Once a ball of dough forms, invert bowl onto clean countertop. Use hands to knead dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. [Feel free to use a bread hook and an electric mixer; I just love kneading dough by hand.]

Lightly coat dough with:
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
Place back in bowl and tightly cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, 45 minutes to an hour.

Remove dough from bowl and place on clean countertop. Preheat oven 425 degrees. Use rolling pin to roll dough into an 8" x 6" rectangle. Use butter knife or spatula to spread 2 tablespoons of very softened, unsalted butter over dough, leaving a 1/2" border. Roll dough into a tight cylinder. Place dough so that the seam side is down and flatten into a 9" x 4" rectangle. Fold the dough like a business letter. Pinch the sides together to form a ball (see picture below).

Place back in bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Roll dough into a 13" circle.

Coat bottom and sides of 9" cake pan with:
2 tablespoons olive oil
Place dough in pan so that dough goes 1" up sides of pan.

Pour into the crust:
2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese (the pre-shredded stuff won't melt well, though I used it anyway because that's what I had on hand.)

Cover with:
1 cup pizza sauce
desired toppings

Bake on middle rack for 25-30 minutes.

Let rest in pan 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Eat up!

Rosemary + Sea Salt Wheat Bread

Rosemary + Sea Salt Wheat Bread

Kelley Gondring

In a large bowl, combine:
5.5 ounces bread flour
1.3 ounces wheat flour
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1 1/3 cup warm water
Use a wooden spoon to mix together, about 2 minutes.

Over the proofed yeast, sift:
1/2 teaspoon yeast
10.3 ounces bread flour
This second batch of flour and yeast should completely cover the first batch. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area of the kitchen and let rise for 3-4 hours.

Remove plastic wrap add to the mixture:
1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Use a wooden spoon and mix until the dough comes together. Place dough on the counter and knead until it comes together and the gluten can start to develop, about 5 minutes. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add as much as 2 tablespoons of bread flour. If the dough is still very sticky, cover with the bowl and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

After dough has rested, knead for 5-10 minutes so that the dough is elastic and smooth.

Coat the bowl and dough with olive oil and place dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Set in warm place for an hour or until the dough has doubled.

Once dough has doubled, remove from the bowl and firmly press down. Form a ball with the dough 6 inches wide and 2 inches high. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Let rise in warm place for 45 minutes or until dough is doubled.

While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 475º.

Score the top of the bread with an X. Use a bashing brush to spread olive oil over the dough. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and dried rosemary.

In a large casserole dish, place 1 cup of ice cubes. Place in the bottom of the oven and then place the bread on the rack just above the casserole dish. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 425º and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Transfer to wire cooling rack. Let cool slightly before cutting. Serve before dinner with a bit of olive oil and ground black pepper or with your favorite Italian dish (like Eggplant Parmesan, Sweet Sausage + Spinach Lasagna, or Spinach Ravioli).

Eat up!

Cranberry Orange Muffins

As I mentioned here, Thanksgiving this year was a bit different than in years past. The biggest difference for me is that we didn’t spend it in Winston-Salem. Instead, we spent the weekend at the beach. Because we celebrate the holidays with so few family members - the result of my parents’ siblings and their families living in Australia and Kansas - it was logistically easy to move our five-person gathering to the beach. Jason and I drove down after eating Thanksgiving brunch with his family, making it there just in time to eat, but not prepare, any of Thanksgiving dinner.

We spent the weekend doing a whole lot of nothing. I wrote several blog posts, baked tasty muffins, finished reading Hotel at the Corner of Bitter + Sweet, ate shameful amounts of food (though in small but frequent meals, as my stomach seems to be getting smaller as quickly as my belly is getting larger), watched two terrible movies, all while continuing to marvel at every kick, and punch, and hiccup that little snow pea delivers.

Several friends and acquaintances, especially of the male variety, have asked me if it is weird or strange to feel the baby moving around. Pre-pregnancy, I would have asked the very same questions but now that I am experiencing it, I have to say that it neither weird nor strange.

Instead, it is a little frightening, as every single movement is a reminder that this is real. And each shift in position leads to another question: Will she inherit my impatience? What about my haphazardly wavy hair? What kind of baby, toddler, adolescent, and adult will she be? Will we have a strong relationship?

It is also awe-inspiring. There is child - a daughter - that has grown from a tiny single-digit mass of cells into a human being that has bones and muscles and is able to kick me square in the ribs on a daily basis. Someone that we will finally get to meet in less than six weeks (if she is on schedule).

But mostly these bumps and turns and pushes are comforting. If she is kicking and rolling around in there, she must be thriving, right? And the physical discomfort I experience must be indicative that she is growing into a healthy, ready-to-be delivered baby.

In the last week or so, these movements have grown a little more predictable, a little more persistent. If I’m stressed, she moves less. When I am ready to go to bed, she moves more. And about five minutes after I’ve eaten, she moves most! Given the holiday that celebrates thankfulness through the abundance of food, it should come as no surprise that I experienced quite a bit of movement this weekend. These muffins specifically got her tossing and turning!

Cranberry Orange Muffins
adapted from Obsessed with Baking

Makes 14 muffins

Preheat oven 400º

In an electric mixing bowl, combine:
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
Beat for 1-2 minutes.

Mix in:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon orange juice
zest of one orange

Mix in until just incorporated:
2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Add:
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

Line muffin pan with liners.

Fill each halfway with batter. Add 1 teaspoon leftover cooked Thanksgiving cranberries.* Use a skewer to swirl in the cooked cranberries. Fill to liner’s rim with the remaining batter.

Bake 17 minutes. Once toothpick comes out clean and tops of muffins are golden brown, remove from oven. Remove muffins from pan and place on cooling rack.

Prepare orange glaze and orange-zest sugar.

*If you don't have leftover cranberries, add 1/2 cup raw cranberries, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup orange juice to a small saucepan and let simmer covered 10-15 minutes over medium heat.

Orange Glaze
In a small cereal bowl, combine:

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
Microwave 90 seconds.

Orange Zest Sugar
In a medium cereal bowl, combine:
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon minced orange zest

Hold muffin upside-down and dip the top of the muffin in the orange glaze. Let excess glaze drip off and then dip the top of the muffin in the orange zest sugar. Repeat. Serve warm with a dollop of butter.

Eat up!

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Country Ham

Thanksgiving 2012 was a different affair than in years past. Instead of eating Thanksgiving lunch AND Thanksgiving dinner - both with turkey and all the fixings, we debuted Thanksgiving brunch with Jason’s family. I wasn’t exactly sure what dishesThanksgiving brunch would yield but it ended up working out wonderfully. I was a bit afraid that folks would try to make turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, etc. into a brunch meal but thankfully, we ended up with some brunch favorites like Eggs Benedict, pancakes, and fruit with yogurt and granola, along with autumnal Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Coffee Cake, and Sweet Potato Biscuits.

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Country Ham

adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

Makes 16 biscuits

Preheat oven 425º

Prick all over with a fork and then place on a microwave safe plate:
~2 pounds sweet potatoes
Microwave potatoes for a total of 15 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes. Remove from the microwave and cut each potato in half. Let cool for about 15 minutes before scooping out the flesh.

Measure out 2 cups of cooked sweet potatoes and place in a large bowl. Reserve any leftovers for another use (like adding to traditional mashed potatoes).

Mix into the potatoes:
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to allow the potatoes to continue to cool.

In a food processor, combine:
3 1/4 cups cake flour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
Pulse together until the ingredients form a coarse meal.

Remove the sweet potatoes from the refrigerator and add the meal to the bowl. Use a spatula to fold the potatoes into the flour to form a moist dough. Invert the bowl onto a clean, lightly floured counter. Use hands to create one cohesive ball of dough. Knead dough until smooth, about 10 turns.

Lightly flour the top of the dough. Place a piece of waxed paper over the top of the dough and use a rolling pin to roll out dough so that it is about 1” thick. Use a biscuit cutter or the top of a round water glass (2 1/4” in diameter) to cut out biscuits. Repeat until all the dough is used, making 16 biscuits.

Place biscuits on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

In a small bowl, melt:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Brush butter over tops of precooked biscuits.

Bake for 18-22 minutes so that the tops of the biscuits are golden brown.

Cool 15 minutes.

While the biscuits are cooling, prepare 1/2-3/4 pound country ham.

Cut ham into biscuit-sized pieces.

Place in a skillet over medium heat, 60 seconds on each side.

Remove excess fat.

Cut biscuits in half and place 1-2 pieces of country ham on each biscuit.

Eat up!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping

On Friday morning, we had a mandatory meeting at work. I am lucky in that meetings at work are not particularly common; however, because I had Friday off, I wasn't super interested in seeing the inside of my building! I probably could have just skipped it and waited to be filled in until Tuesday, but I figured attending was the good employee thing to do.

I also figured that a mandatory Friday morning meeting could only be made better if it included a delicious snack! So I decided to make a coffee cake and bring it into the office. The irony is that I ended up waking up earlier than usual to get to work at the same time I normally do on my day off! Oh well...I think cake for breakfast is its own reward.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping

adapted from The Joy of Cooking

Preheat oven 350°

Coffee Cake
In an electric mixing bowl, beat together on medium for 2-3 minutes:
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar
Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Beat in:
2 eggs

In a small bowl, combine:
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

In a medium bowl, combine:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the electric mixing bowl and beat on medium until just combined. Add 1/2 of the sour cream mixture and beat on medium for 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Repeat, ending with the flour mixture.

Pour into a greased 12x8" glass pan. Set aside and prepare the streusel topping.

Streusel Topping
In a food processor, add:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pulse together to form crumbly mixture.

Sprinkle evenly over the coffee cake batter.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Remove from oven. Let cool 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares and plating. Serve warm.

Eat up!

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

I am always on the search for a great biscuit recipe. I found this one in my borrowed copy of The Bread Bible and decided it must be tried. The method behind it is much different than other recipes because the dough is so moist that the dough isn't rolled out. They amazing right out of the oven.

Southern Biscuits
taken from The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Preheat oven 500°

Using Crisco, grease bottom and sides of an 8" round cake pan. Dust pan with flour.

In food processor, pulse together:
1 1/2 cups Lilly White flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons shortening

Transfer to a large bowl.

Pour in:
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
With a fork, mix together completely to form a very wet dough. Let sit for two to three minutes so that dough stiffens a bit.

In a smaller bowl, place at least:
1 cup Lilly White flour

Coat hands with flour. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop up dough and place in the middle of the bowl with flour. Cover the top of the dough with flour. Then use your right hand to cup underneath the blob of dough, making sure to get both flour and dough. Move the dough back and forth between your right and left hands until most of the excess flour has fallen back into the bowl, shaping it as you go.

Place biscuit in greased cake pan. Repeat 6-7 additional times.

Bake for 5 minutes and then reduce heat to 475. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes. Two minutes before removing biscuits from the oven, brush with 1 tablespoon melted butter.

Remove from oven. Let cool for several minutes before removing from the pan.

Separate biscuits and use a fork to split in half while they are still warm. Spread butter and jelly on each side of the biscuit.

Eat up (immediately)!

Pecan Pumpkin Granola Bars

I promise that my next post will include nothing pumpkin! But I had nearly half a can of pureed pumpkin left over from making White Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies, so I figured I'd better use it before it went bad.

On our way home from a very fun weekend in the mountains with friends, Jason and I talked about how expensive granola bars are given how itty bitty they are. That, of course, got me to thinking about making my own granola bars. I've made plenty of granola but I've never bothered to form it into bars. Because tomorrow night we have our weekly birth class and it is our turn to bring the snacks, I thought I'd give it a go.

As I was getting ready to put the granola in the oven, Jason dubiously asked how I was going to get it to be hard. My response shows you how confident I was! Well, I'm gonna bake it. I dunno if it will work -- maybe it will, maybe it won't. I guess we'll find out...

I think these turned out pretty well for a first time shot. The toughest part of this recipe is cutting the granola into bars. Keep in mind that they aren't going to be perfectly shaped like the ones you'd buy in the store, so don't stress when they fall apart a bit. For the best results 1) use a really sharp knife, and 2) cut them as soon as you take them out of the oven.

Pecan Pumpkin Granola Bars
Kelley Gondring

Preheat oven 350º

Line 13x9 inch casserole dish with aluminum foil. [For crispier granola bars, use a larger casserole dish - or two, if necessary - so that the granola is not as thick.]

In a large bowl, combine:
4 cups oats
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup butterscotch chips, chopped
1/4 cup white chocolate chips, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves

Mix so that the all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

In a medium skillet, bring to a simmer over medium heat:
12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 scant cup pumpkin puree
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon molasses
Once all of the ingredients are incorporated, pour over the oat mixture. Use a spatula to evenly coat the oats. Pour into the lined casserole dish. Again using spatula, evenly spread in dish.

Bake 40 minutes.

Remove from oven. Use the aluminum foil hanging over the edges of the casserole dish to remove the granola from the dish. Immediately place on a cutting board and use a large butcher knife to cut into bars.

Place back in lined casserole dish (I used fresh aluminum foil) and bake for an additional 7 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Transfer to wax paper and let cool completely.

Decorate with melted white chocolate and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. (I melted 1/4 cup white chocolate chips, put it in a plastic bag, and cut a little hole in the corner.)

Let cool completely on wax paper.

Eat up!

Pumpkin Muffins with Pecan Topping

I'd have to say that one of the best things about autumn is that dishes with pumpkin as a main ingredient surge into the lime-light! I feel like Bubba talking to Forrest while they use their toothbrushes in the barracks in Vietnam: Anyway, it is like I was saying, pumpkin is the fruit of the harvest. There is pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin chili, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin granola, pumpkin ravioli, toasted pumpkin seeds, baked eggs with pumpkin and goat cheese, pumpkin pie, pumpkin curry, pumpkin soup, pumpkin in salad, pumpkin pancakes. And, umm, that's-that's about it.

Except that that's not it and I could keep going but won't!

Yesterday was a dreary, rainy, rather chilly-for-the-beginning-of-October-in-North-Carolina kind of Monday. And nothing wards off a case of the Mondays like warm soup, spicy croutons, and pumpkin muffins! So, much to Jason's chagrin, I rolled up my blue maternity sleeves and got busy dirtying nearly every dish in our kitchen. I always feel a little bad when the "I cooked, you clean" rule leaves him with a hefty pile of dishes, though I must say I do feel rather vindicated now that he's consumed four of these muffins in less than a twenty-four hour period!

Pumpkin Muffins with Pecan Topping
Kelley Gondring

Yields ~30 muffins.

Preheat oven 350º

Pumpkin Muffins
In a large electric mixing bowl, beat together:
3 eggs
3 cups sugar

Mix in:
1 cup veggie oil
1 15 ounce can pureed pumpkin
1 1/2 heaping teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ginger

In a medium bowl, mix together:
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin in three batches, scraping down the sides and bottom of the electric mixing bowl after each addition.

Pour scant 1/3 cup of batter into lined muffin tins.

Pecan Topping
Pulse together in a food processor until crumbly (not a paste)
1/2 cup chilled butter
1/2-3/4 cup pecans (or walnuts)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Sprinkle topping over the muffins.

Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy with a chai latte or your favorite hot beverage.

Eat up!

Croutons with a Kick

It isn't too often that I have a hankerin' for croutons. And when that craving hits, the processed, airy options from the box just don't satisfy me, so I almost always end up making the croutons myself. Last night I had just such a craving, and luckily, we actually had the right bread for the job (though it could have been a bit more stale).

Dinner last night consisted of butternut squash/red pepper soup, which I made with the butternut squash we'd gotten from our CSA. As the name suggests, the croutons packed quite the punch, which complimented this creamy soup beautifully.

I used sage for the croutons, but it can really be adapted for whatever spice works best with your main dish.

Croutons with a Kick
Kelley Gondring

Preheat oven 350º

In a small bowl or Pyrex measuring cup, combine:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cut into small cubes:
2 thick slices of crusty bread

Place bread in a small casserole dish. Pour the olive oil mixture evenly over the bread. Mix with a spatula so bread is evenly coated.

Bake 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through. (If you like really crunchy croutons, bake an additional 5-15 minutes. I like my croutons crunchy on the outside but still a little chewy on the inside.)

Use on salads or in soups. Or eat by the handful...

Eat up!

Cinnamon Rolls

The food in Alaska has been a bit less than stellar. In fact, some of it has been downright bad. But then the momma, with a little assistance from the poppa, came to the rescue, with the purchase of a five pound bag of flour, a generous container of cinnamon, and a bit of butter. We waited several days to actually make the cinnamon rolls since we were without our own kitchen until we reached Seward. But yesterday morning, these delicious treats emerged from our sketchy oven and made their way quickly into our hungry bellies!

Cinnamon Rolls

Kathy Gondring [Mom]

Makes 10 rolls.

Dough
In a large bowl, mix together:
1 cup water
1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg

One half cup at a time, mix in:
about 2 cups flour
Kneed dough for about ten minutes, so that it is soft and tacky. Cover and let rise until dough has doubled in height, about 90 minutes. The warmer the room, the faster the rise, so rise time will depend upon the temperature of your kitchen.

While the dough is rising, prepare the filling.

Filling
In a small bowl, use a fork make a crumbly paste:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Set aside until ready to use.

Punch down the dough and roll out into a 12x18 inch rectangle. Use a spatula to spread the filling over the dough. Roll dough into a long cylinder. Cut the roll into 3/4 inch pieces with a very sharp serrated knife - or even better, unwaxed unflavored dental floss.

Place rolls in buttered casserole dish. Place in the refrigerator and let rise overnight.

In the morning, remove from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature about 2 hours.

Preheat oven 350º

Let rolls bake for 20 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, prepare icing.

Icing
In a medium bowl, combine:
2 cups confectionary sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
If the icing is too thick, add a little more milk until the consistency feels right. Use a spoon to drizzle over the warm rolls. Serve immediately.

Eat up!

Mint Paneer Tikka

Last night was another great Sunday night dinner with friends and neighbors! Here is the recipe for the appetizer I made; tomorrow I'll post Kenneth's amazing chicken marinade.

Mint Paneer Tikka with Homemade Pita Points

Mint Tikka recipe adapted from Anjum's New Indian by Anjum Anand

Combine in food processor:
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup mint leaves
1 green chili, deseeded
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon flour (make it with gram/chickpea flour for gluten-free version)
4 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Pulse 20-30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl. Repeat.

Pour into a medium nonmetallic container. Add 12 ounces paneer and 1/2 cup cubed white onion.

Place in the fridge for several hours (or in my case 30 minutes because of time constraints).

Preheat oven 350º

While the paneer and onions are marinating, prepare pita wedges.

Cut 3 pita pockets into 24 individual pita points [8/pita pocket]. Spread onto a cookie sheet so that there is no overlap. Drizzle liberally with olive oil. Sprinkle salt, coarsely ground black pepper, dried parsley, dried lemon basil, and minced garlic over the pita points (quantity is up to personal taste).

Place in oven and let bake 10-15 minutes, or until pita points are golden brown.

Increase oven temperature to 400º

Remove paneer from fridge. Place pieces of paneer on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, flipping paneer halfway through.

To assemble, place one or two pieces on onion and one piece of paneer on each pita point. Serve immediately.

Eat up!