The latest craze in pizza in the Columbus area seems to be "pick-your-own-toppings and flash baked" model. Many restaurants are opening up where customers walk in, request the toppings they would like on their pizza in a similar way that ingredients are requested at Chipotle, and the pizza is baked super fast while you wait.
Yesterday Lindsay and I tried Rapid-Fired Pizza in Westerville. I had received a buy-one-get-one-free coupon in the mail and figured why not give it a try? The Hog Heaven was tasty and the crust was crisp and light. While I would have liked a little more pork on my pizza, I would recommend this tasty dining destination.
Visit the company's website at: https://rapidfiredpizza.com/
Chinese five spice pork is a wonderful dish that is not the most healthy option for the health-minded eater, but is a delicious treat on special occasions.
Start with pork ribs, cut into portions consisting of 2 ribs each. Cook sesame oil in a large cast iron dutch oven until just browned on each side.
Dice some ginger and garlic.
Afterwards, add the ginger and garlic to a saucepan that also contains sweet white wine, sugar, soy sauce, and teriyaki sauce. Cook down the liquid until it forms a toffee.
Add the ribs to the pot and pour some chicken stock over the ribs.
Cook over slow heat for about 2 hours. Allow the volume of the liquid to reduce significantly. Pull the ribs out and remove the bones. Return the meat back to the pot.
Once the liquid volume has reduced significantly and the meat is very tender, stop cooking and serve with sticky brown rice.
While it's quick and easy to go out for pizza or order deliver, the Food Pope encourages you to try some simple and easy options at home to make fresh, tasty, and inexpensive pizza every bit at good as a professionally-made pie!
For my homemade pizza, I started with several whole cloves of garlic that I sliced in half and roasted in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Other favorites that I like to add to my pizza include bacon bits, onion, green pepper, mozzarella cheese, and bleu cheese.
Roll out the store-bought pizza dough that you purchased and pre-bake according to the instructions on the package.
Spread the sauce out on the crust. I like to use tomato paste, because the flavor is a bit more intense. I also like to brush the crust with butter and add rosemary for some added flavor.
Add your toppings and bake! I like to watch the pizza closely to ensure that the cheese is cooked, but the crust doesn't overbake. Enjoy!
Today I tried a new take on the traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich that graces my lunch several times a week. Several weeks after placing an order on Amazon.com, a small package shipped overseas from London lay on our doorstep. Inside, jar of Vegemite was carefully packaged in cardboard and plastic.
Upon opening the jar, I first noticed a strong aroma that smelled distinctly of brewers yeast, not very unlike the aroma that rises from the Budweiser Brewery near my home in Worthington, OH.
Excited to try this Australian staple, I spread a very small amount on one side of my sandwich and a reasonable portion of peanut butter on the other. The result was delicious.
My parents were in town last week and we had a wonderful visit. While here, I made teriyaki chicken for my parents and my Mom asked for the recipe for the homemade teriyaki sauce I used on the dish. I named this simple recipe Mimi's Heavenly Teriyaki Sauce in honor of my mother's countless homemade dishes she prepared for my father, sister and I over the years and the love for cooking that she helped instill in me.
Mimi's Heavenly Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients:
2 cups sweet white wine (moscato or reisling both work well).
1 knob of fresh ginger (about the length of your thumb)
2 cloves of garlic
3 Tbs brown sugar
4 Tbs soy sauce
4 Tbs teriyaki sauce
The whole trick of this recipe is to simmer the sauce down to about a fraction of the initial volume. Peel and chop the ginger and garlic finely. The following link provides a nice tutorial on peeling ginger https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJMDmaHuMeA
Add all the ingredients into a flat saucepan. Start with a medium heat and then slowly reduce it as the sauce thickens. As you heat the sauce, whisk it frequently. The finished product should be very dark in color and thick (almost like molasses).
Spoon over cooked vegetables, fish, chicken or rice for a wonderful treat. Enjoy the rest of the bottle of wine with your meal :)
