October 25, 2020
Good news! Kevin and I just moved out of our old home and into our new home. I didn’t realize how much I missed the open kitchen in our old home until I started cooking and baking in the kitchen in our new home. The oak cabinets in our new home just did not have the same feel as the all-white cabinets in our old home. Thus, we set out to give the kitchen a new facelift. Out went the oak cabinets and in came newly painted cabinets. The white paint definitely helped brighten up an otherwise darkly lit kitchen. I did give myself a couple weeks to see if I would get used to the oak cabinets. As the days passed by, I started to miss the kitchen in our old home. The most efficient and economical way to replicate our old kitchen was to hire some pros to repaint our cabinets. The resulting kitchen is almost indistinguishable from the look of our old kitchen. With the kitchen redone, I was finally ready to get back to work in the kitchen. My latest kitchen experiment is turning my favorite garlic knots with marinara sauce into scallion garlic knots with marinara sauce. My scallion garlic knots can be best described as a cross between scallion pancakes and garlic knots, two of my absolute favorite carbs. I grew up eating scallion pancakes and garlic knots as often as I could. Scallion pancakes were part of my family’s monthly meal and/or snack rotation. They came in handy when I wanted something savory quick. Garlic knots, on the other hand, were a snack I would only order during pizza nights (usually Fridays or weekends in our household). When I was growing up, garlic knots at the local pizzeria where I grew up were very cheap. I could get four garlic knots and a side of marinara sauce for less than two dollars. They were so cheap to get, I never even considered making my own. I only began making my own garlic knots when I moved from Brooklyn to the Midwest. Shortly after leaving the convenience of the local pizzerias in Brooklyn, I started to experiment with making my own versions of garlic knot as a way to satisfy my intense cravings for them. The garlic knots I often ate growing up were always served with a side of marinara sauce, so of course I had to make a side of marinara sauce to serve with mine. The idea for adding scallions into my usual garlic knots came about as I was thinking of a new spin to put on my garlic knots. I wanted the garlic knots to have layers of flavor, and thought why not fold thinly sliced scallions directly into the dough. This way, I can get layers of oniony flavor in every bite of the garlic knots. The first trial for my scallion garlic knots turned out exceptionally well. The garlic knots were golden-brown and crispy on the outside. The insides of the garlic knots were buttery, garlicky, oniony, and featured layers of fluffy carb-y goodness. Kevin and I ate up all of the garlic knots right away the first time around. I waited until my cravings kicked in again, which didn’t take long, and whipped up another batch of scallion garlic knots. When the next trial turned out just as good, I had to share my findings. The scallion garlic knots with marinara sauce were dangerously addictive. I had to be careful when eating them to make sure I did not eat the whole batch in one sitting (yet again).
For the scallion garlic knots:
· my pizza dough recipe or store-bought pizza dough
· 6-8 garlic cloves, finely minced
· 6-8 sprigs fresh parsley, finely chopped
· 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
· ¼ cup olive oil
· ½ teaspoon kosher salt
· 2 stalks scallions, thinly sliced
For the marinara sauce:
· 1 cup of pureed tomatoes (from a can)
· 2 tablespoons tomato paste
· ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
· ½ teaspoon kosher salt
· ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
· 1 teaspoon dried oregano
· ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Directions:
1) Prepare the pizza dough ahead of time following the recipe here or just use store-bought pizza dough.
2) Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
3) In a medium bowl, combine the minced garlic, chopped parsley, butter, olive oil, and salt. Set aside.
4) Divide the dough into about 15-18 pieces. Flatten each of the pieces with a rolling pin. Sprinkle on some thinly sliced scallions onto each piece of dough. Pinch the edges of dough pieces to seal in the scallions. Gently tie each of the dough pieces into a knot. Place the knots on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough pieces.
5) Generously brush the butter garlic mixture onto each of the scallion garlic knots. Place the scallion garlic knots into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the scallion garlic knots are golden brown.
6) To make the marinara sauce, heat a small pot on medium low heat. Add the pureed tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt, pepper, dried oregano, and garlic powder. Stir to combine all ingredients. Simmer the sauce for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm with the scallion garlic knots.
Takeaways: The scallion garlic knots are best when served warm from the oven. For an even more luxurious garlic knot, top with everything seasoning right before baking. I’ve tested out some everything seasoning topped scallion garlic knots once more with a batch of my latest scallion garlic knots. The everything seasoning topped scallion garlic knots turned out toasty, and super good once baked.