Theme Thursday: Knot

The theme for this week's 'theme thursday' is knot. If you've been keeping up with my blog you know that recently I've been trying to be healthier. I'm in those early adult years of my life where it's imperative for me to get into my peak health, and (hopefully) stay that way. However, it's not always easy when, as a college student, you're constantly faced with opportunities for cheap fast food. I've been cooking things from scratch more and more this semester, avoiding processed foods and ready-made alternatives. I'm constantly dabbling in vegetarian cooking, and I absolutely love to make vegetarian lasagna, with which I like to have a couple of Garlic Knots.

Here's a great recipe I recently came across at Petite Kitchenesse:

Ingredients:

Dough:

* 3 cups of all-purpose flour
* 1 tbsp. sugar
* 2 tsp. active dry yeast
* 1 tsp. salt
* 2 tbsp. olive oil
* 1/4 cup of milk
* 1 cup of lukewarm water (plus more as needed)

Coating:

* 3 cloves of garlic
* 2 tbsp. olive oil
* 2 tbsp. butter
* 3 tbsp. chopped parsley

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, and add in olive oil, milk, and water. Using a fork, incorporate dry ingredients into liquid until a ball forms. Turn dough out on a floured surface and knead until smooth, around 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a lightly-oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Remove dough from the bowl. Divide into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope. Tie in a knot and tuck ends into the center. Place the knots of dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for another 45 minutes.

In the meantime, heat butter and oil in a skillet. Add garlic and cook over medium heat, until it begins to brown. Add in parsley, stir to combine, and remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 400°. Brush garlic knots with half of garlic-parsley mixture. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the knots begin to brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Toss in the remaining mixture and serve.


I made these to go with my veggie lasagna the other night and they are divine.

*Check out the blog post RIGHT BELOW THIS ONE for the link to a website that features thousands of fantastic recipes! :-)

Bon Apetite!

-A