Grilled Naan

Yes, my basting brush is a man figure - and I love it.

I seem to like making naan bread.  It may not be the most authentic versions ever, but I manage to make it taste pretty darn good - and in the end, that's what matters right?

We got some green garlic in our CSA a couple weeks ago and it was really just sitting in the fridge waiting to be used.  I thought it would be a welcome addition to this naan.  Next time though, I may roll it in with the dough, instead of just using it as a topping in order to incorporate the flavor a bit more.

I love this grilled version because it provides a little bit more of a crispier naan, which I have no complaints about.  And hell... I just like using my grill, so why not?  Right?  Right.


Ingredients:

2 & 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 cup warm water
2 & 1/2 to 3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter, melted plus more for brushing
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 stalk of green garlic, sliced thinly

In a small bowl, combine yeast, sugar, and warm water.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, sift 2 & 1/2 cups of flour with salt.  Pour in melted butter, yogurt, and yeast mixture.  Mix well. If dough is too sticky, add remaining 1/2 cup of flour a little bit at a time, until you reach your desired texture.

Knead for about 15 minutes (yes, I got in my arm workout for the day with this one), or until dough is smooth and elastic.

Place dough in a clean and oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel.  Let rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Punch dough down and knead for about a minute.  Divide dough into 8 equal pieces and roll each one out into a circle/oval about 1/4 inch thickness.

Light a charcoal grill under medium high heat. 

Before placing on grill, brush each flatbread with melted butter and place on grill.  Brush top of bread with additional butter and top with green garlic.  Grill for about 2-3 minutes, or until dough is crisp on the bottom.  Be careful not to leave it on there too long because it will burn easily (trust me, I had a casualty or two, lol). 

I'm working on my food styling - comments/criticisms welcome!

We served this with some freshly made raita and Indian spiced salmon fillets (recipe soon to come, of course) and it was just a great dinner all around. 

So next time you're in the mood for some naan... bust out that grill and throw those dough pieces on there!

See you guys tomorrow for a CSA Week #4 update - we got some more great stuff!  And let me know if you want me to feature your CSA, as well - there's still time to e-mail me =)

Shrimp Naan Pizzas

 Happy Monday guys!  How was everyone's weekend?!

We got a TON of work done, let me tell you.  I practically rearranged our bedroom this weekend, and I'm still not complete.  I got a couple of things to spice up the room (some artwork, flowers, etc.), so it looks like an actual bedroom, instead of a bare prison cell.  Will definitely have to post some before/after pictures tomorrow.

We're also preparing for some garden work!  We went to Lowe's (which was a madhouse!), and Andy did some mulching and yard work.  I'm planting my seeds indoors this week, and tilling up the rest of my garden bed outside, so hopefully everything will be ready for the end of this week or next.  It's so exciting having a garden!  And the spring weather is absolutely amazing too - although it's raining a tad today.

Oh, and yeah, I'm on VACATION!  It's amazing, and kind of sad having to still go to class this week, but at least that's only 2 hours out of the day for 3 days.  I can live with that.

So on to today's recipe.  Last week's naan was a big hit with you guys and I'm glad!  And the whole reason I made the naan, was so that I could make these pizzas, from the same blog (Food For My Family) that I got the naan recipe from.  If you haven't checked out Food For My Family, I highly suggest you do!  It's full of awesome goodies, definitely kid friendly too!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Food For My Family's recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 pieces of naan bread
about 12 pieces of rock shrimp, cleaned
1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese, grated
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
1 teaspoon dried parsley

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil and garlic.  Mix well and let sit for about 10 minutes, in order to let the flavors infuse in the oil.

Lay out naan on a baking sheet and spread about a tablespoon of the olive oil mixture on each piece.  Top each piece of naan with about 6-7 rock shrimps.  Sprinkle about 1/4 cup each of pecorino romano and parmesan on each piece, as well.  Divide the dried parsley among the two pieces of naan, also.

Bake pizzas for about 10 minutes, or until shrimp is cooked through and cheese is melted.  Let sit for about 5 minutes, to cool, and then slice into pieces.

This is a perfect appetizer for dinner parties, or if you don't want to share, you can easily eat the whole thing for a light lunch - which is what I did.  Yes, I'm selfish.  And I'm proud. =)  But I'm sharing with you... so now we're even, right?

Enjoy your Monday guys!  I know I'll be doing some homework (which I should have done this weekend!) and some more cleaning/gardening!

Homemade Naan Bread

Happy Friday everyone!  This particular Friday is a very special one.  Not only is it April's Fools (don't worry, I'm not going to try any trickery on you guys!), but as of 8:30pm tonight, I'm officially on vacation! 

It's definitely more of a "stay"-cation, but hey, I won't have to work for a full 11 days.  So it's going to be amazing.

What will I be doing? 

SPRING CLEANING.  There's so much I want to throw out and do over, it's not even funny.  Will I get to it all done in one week?  Umm... no.  I highly doubt it.  I'll probably only get through 3, maybe 4 rooms out of the house, but hey, it's a start.

Anyway, let's get on with some naan!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Food for my Family's recipe

3/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 cups flour, plus more if needed
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch baking powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 & 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
cornmeal, for dusting
unsalted butter, optional

In a small bowl, add the water and sprinkle yeast over top.  Allow to sit for about 10 minutes until foamy. 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.  Mix in olive oil and sour cream until mixture is crumbly.  Slowly stir in the yeast and water mixture until a ball of dough forms.  My mixture was still a tad wet, so I added maybe 1/2 to 1 cup extra flour to get a desired consistency.

Knead dough on a floured surface for a few minutes until smooth.  Place the dough ball in a clean and greased bowl.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 500F with a baking stone or an upside-down rimmed baking sheet (i don't have a baking stone, so this is the method I used). 

Flip dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a couple minutes.  Divide dough into about 5-6 equally sized balls.  Dip each ball into flour and roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness.

Dust preheated baking stone or baking sheet with a light layer of cornmeal.  Wet hands and gently wet each piece of dough before placing them on hot baking stone or sheet (I did batches of 3).

Bake for about 5-7 minutes, or until tops are starting to brown and get bubbly.

Transfer each piece of naan to a plate and top with a pat of unsalted butter.

This was my first attempt at making naan and I must say that it couldn't have been easier!  Or more delicious!  I had a 1/2 piece of naan with each of my dinners this week, and it was the perfect accompaniment to my curried lentil soup I had the other night!  It's even great by itself!

How about you guys... have you ever made naan at home? 

Have a great weekend guys!  I'll see you next week for some goodies (and maybe some before and after pictures of the rooms I clean out!)