The Lederman Kitchen

I get it, not everyone likes seafood pizza.  It's so good though...  I had to make this one while Michelle was out of town because she doubts this one.  Trust me though, if you like clams and you like shrimp, then you'll love this pizza.   You will need: Pizza dough - store bought or homemade 2-3 cloves of garlic mozzarella cheese ricotta cheese small amount of bay shrimp (maybe 1/2 cup) can of clams, drained (or you can use cooked fresh clams) dried thyme dried oregano salt and pepper If you are making your own dough, then you'll need an hour or so to let it rest.  If not, just preheat the oven to 500 and start prepping the ingredients. Start by chopping up some garlic and slicing the cheese.  Fresh mozzarella has a lot of moisture so I like to slice it early and place on a paper towel to drain off some moisture so our pizza isn't soggy.  Drain the clams and add to a bowl with the garlic and shri...

As I continue my quest to broaden my cooking horizons, I continue to dip my toe into Indian cuisine.  This super easy Chicken Masala recipe is a great jumping off point.  The meal comes to together quickly, is super tasty, and is not overpowering for those new to Indian cooking.   You will need:  1 cup plain yogurt 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon garam masala 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt 1 large garlic clove, pressed 1 4- to 4 1/2-pound roasting chicken, cut into 8 pieces, or individual chicken pieces 2 small onions, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices I made this while Michelle was out of town so I took the opportunity to only use dark meat (thighs and wings) for this recipe. I also paired it with some store bought naan, homemade raita, and brown basmati rice.  Raita is a very tasty yogurt sauce that is often used to cut through the heat of certain Indian dishes.  Whil...

I came across this great recipe a while back and at first was not sure how the ingredients would all come together.  We loved it so much that this recipe made its way into our regular rotation. This recipe is enough for 4, or in our case dinner and lunch for 2: 1 1/4 cups pitted brine-cured green olives 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1/2 cup olive oil 1 (2 1/2-pound) head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch-wide florets (8 cups) 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped Scant 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes 1/4 cup water 3/4 pound dried spaghetti or linguine 1 ounce finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/2 cup) plus additional for serving 3/4 cup whole almonds with skin (3 3/4 ounces), toasted and coarsely chopped I decided to make homemade whole wheat spaghetti for this, but store bought is of course fine.   Instead of using the pasta roller, I decided to try and make the spaghetti using the...

I'm a big Cobb Salad fan, but I've never made it at home before.  I typically spend $15 for the salad all over town.  My version at home was just as good as the restaurant staple and costs half as much. For a delicious dinner for two: 1 head of lettuce (I used Romaine) 4 strips of thick cut bacon 1 tomato About 1 cup of croutons 1 avocado 2 green onions 2 eggs 1 cup of cooked, chopped chicken 1/2 cup of crumbled blue cheese For the dressing: 1 shallot 1 garlic clove 1 tablespoon of dijon 1 tablespoon of vinegar (White Wine, Red Wine, or Champagne all work well) 1 tablespoons of olive oil This is just a salad so it should be super simple.  Start by hard boiling the eggs and cooking the bacon.  Stack the bacon and cut into strips.     While the eggs and bacon cook, chop up the rest of the ingredients.  I used some leftover roasted chicken, but you can just buy a rotisserie chicken or grab a fe...

Snapper is a great fish.  It's mild and delicious and super easy to prepare.  Paired with couscous and kale it rounds out to perfect weeknight dish.  This whole meal can come together in 20 minutes. This recipe is for 2 people, but you can easily scale it up for more: 1 head of kale 2-3 tablespoons of ricotta cheese 2 cloves of garlic 1/2 cup of couscous 1/4 cup of slivered almonds 1 red snapper fillet (probably about 3/4-1 lb) 1 teaspoon of lemon juice 1/4 cup of dry white wine 1 tablespoon of olive oil dash of nutmeg salt and pepper I actually forgot to take pictures of the couscous, but it's super easy to make.  Just use 2 parts liquid to 1 part couscous.  Boil 1 cup of water or stock and a drop of olive oil.  Once boiling, add the couscous and remove from the heat.  Cover and let rest for about 5 minutes.  Then fluff with a fork, season with salt and pepper, and add some sliced toasted almonds (if desired...

If you are making pulled pork, invite some friends over.  It's impossible not to make a lot.  Michelle has been asking me to try my hand at this for a while, so I finally decided to give it a shot.  It's definitely not an everyday meal but is perfect for Sunday night and a group of friends.   I paired our pulled pork sandos with creamy coleslaw, baked beans, and homemade potato chips.  Crazy delicious... I read a few recipes that called for a 5-7 lb pork roast (shoulder or Boston butt).  Mine was only 2.5 lbs and we had dinner for 4 and a ridiculous amount of leftovers.   You'll need a few hours to roast this bad boy and: 1 pork roast (again, mine was 2.5 lbs but you can go bigger if you have a big crowd) 3 tablespoons of paprika 1 tablespoon of garlic powder 1 tablespoon of brown sugar 1 tablespoon of dry mustard 2 tablespoons of kosher salt Hamburger buns For the coleslaw: 1/2 cup mayo 1/4 cup sour ...