Taco Pizza

 With the weekend here it's always nice to have something fun for dinner on a Saturday night, especially if you are staying in, having friends over for a movie night, a game of cards or to watch the hockey game on TV. One of the best things to eat for such an occasion is pizza, and why order take out pizza when you can make great tasting, innovative pizzas at home. This recipe is for my taco-pizza, inspired after a visit to Boston Pizza last year. It combines all the classic taco toppings and a few extra twists. First I start with a homemade dough, followed by a homemade spicy tomato sauce featuring chipotle peppers, then a generous layer of spiced ground beef, and onion, jalapenos, bell peppers and Mexican cheese. After the pizza is cooked I top it off with some shredded lettuce, fresh chopped tomato, avocado, sour cream and cilantro. Yum! It's just like a taco but in pizza form. Here's how I make it.

Basic Pizza Dough

3 1/2 cups flour (I use 2 cups bread flour with 1 1/2 all-purpose)
1 1/4 cup of warm water (100 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit)
1 packet of yeast
1 tsp white sugar
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp salt

In a large bowl, add the warm water. Be careful to get the temperature right or the yeast will either not activate if it is too cold or be killed if it is too hot. I use my digital thermometer. Dissolve the sugar in the water and stir in the yeast. Let the mixture activate for about 10 minutes. Once the yeast has worked, add the salt and oil, and begin adding the flour gradually, mixing with a wooden spoon. I like to mix it into a well incorporated think batter, and then begin adding the flour more slowly. Near the end or the flour, its time to get your hands in there. On a clean counter, begin kneading the dough. This is a critical process, and it is important not to under knead. You may need to add flour to the board occasionally. I like to press the dough with the palms of my hands, fold it back on itself, and give it a quarter turn, and repeat. After kneading you will have built up the glutens in the bread...a key in good pizza dough. Form into a ball, and add a little olive oil to the bottom and sides of your bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with a clean towel, and rest in a warm place to rise...about 1 hr, until well risen to the top of the bowl.

At this stage, I like to punch down the dough, cut it into however many pies I want to make (e.g. in half for two large pan pizzas). I next grease my pie pan with olive oil and begin stretching the dough. Once done, I cover again and let it rise a second time...for about 15-30 minutes. Then I restretch to the corners and its ready for toppings. If I am using my pizza stone, I let the second rise take place in seperate bowls, and hand toss the dough to make my pie.

Spicy Tomato Sauce for Taco Pizza

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large can of tomato puree (32 oz)
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 Tbsp Dry Oregano
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
Salt and Pepper

In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, add the olive oil, onion and garlic, salt and pepper. Saute until softened, and add remaining ingredients. Simmer on a low heat for about 30 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste and that's it.

Spiced Taco Beef: (makes two pizza)

- 1 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
- taco seasoning (if you're desperate use a store bought packet, by I prefer to make my own by adding the following:
- 1 tsp of chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp each of garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, chipotle powder, black pepper
- 1 tsp salt

In a saute pan, a a little oil and heat over a medium heat. Add the beef and the onion and the jalapeno and brown in the hot pan, stirring occasionally. Before the meat has cooked through add the seasoning and combine well. Add a little splash of beer (or water or beef stock), about a 1/4 cup and let the liquid reduce down. Reserve for topping the pizza.

To make the pizza, divide the dough in half and spread out over two greased pizza pans or cookie sheets. Top each pizza with the sauce, followed by the seasoned beef mixture and then some grated Mexican cheese. Add additional sliced onion and or pepper or black olives if so desired. Cook in a preheated 425 degree over for about 13-15 minutes until the crust is browned on the bottom and the cheese is bubbly.

Let cool for 5 minutes and cut into serving pieces. Let your guests top their own pizzas with such toppings as shredded iceburg lettuce, diced tomato, pickled jalapenos, fresh cilantro, sour cream, diced avocado, black olives, banana peppers, etc.

Smokin Goulash

One of my favorite meals growing up was my Mom's goulash. I always remembered it being better than anybodies. It was nothing fancy, but it was done just right. There wasn't too much sauce, the beef was browned nicely, and the spices were spot on.  A simple combination of sauteed onion, green pepper, mushrooms and ground beef with macaroni, a can of condensed tomato soup and the essential Hungarian paprika made for a wicked meal. It was even better when Mom would make it early in the day and we'd reheat it for supper. Just like with a soup, the flavors developed after being taken away from the cooking process. Topped off with some Parmesan cheese, a squirt of Heinz ketchup with some buttered homemade white bread on the side and it was just the perfect meal. As a kid who played hockey nearly every day in the winter, it was a great way to carb load, in addition to getting lots of protein and veggies in me.

Now, as good as my Mom's goulash is, it isn't exactly goulash, at least not in the technical European style. Goulash, often called Hungarian Goulash is traditionally a stew made with aromatic vegetables (i.e. onions), tomatoes and cubed beef, seasoned heavily with Hungarian paprika. Much of the goulash that is made by home cooks in North America more likely resembles what my Mom makes. Versions with ground beef, tomato soup and macaroni were made popular by cookbooks such as Betty Crocker's back in the seventies (its sometimes called American chop suey here in the States).

When I got a craving to make goulash last week, I wanted it to resemble my Mom's dish and I wanted to use her secret of cooking it early in the day, and eating it later for suppers and as leftovers for work. With that being said, it wouldn't be me if I didn't put my own spin it. First of all, as a way to make the dish healthier I used a whole grain pasta (penne - because that's what I had on hand) and I added a little chopped kale for a burst of vitamins. The other big change I made was the addition of smoked paprika, in addition to regular Hungarian paprika. The result was a delicious, meaty and smoky goulash that was put a twist on tradition, but will be the start of a new family recipe. Here's how I made this wicked scoff.

Smokin Goulash

Ingredients:

 -        1 ½ pounds lean ground beef

-          2 ½ cups wholegrain pasta (penne, macaroni or similar)

-          2 Tbsp olive oil

-          1 large (2 small) yellow onions, diced

-          1 large green bell pepper, diced

-          1 carrot, diced

-          5-6 cloves garlic, minced

-          2 Tbsp paprika

-          1 Tbsp smoked paprika

-          1 tsp each of salt and pepper

-          ¼ tsp hot red pepper flakes

-          3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

-          A few shakes of hot sauces such as Tobasco

-          2 cups crushed tomatoes

-          2 cups of kale, shred/chopped

-          fresh parsley

-          paprika and smoked paprika for garnish and to put on top

Directions:
Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente or just slightly undercooked. Drain and reserve.

While the pasta is cooking saute the onion, green pepper and carrot in the olive oil in a large saute pan. Once the vegetable start to become tender, push them to the edges of the pan and add the ground beef to the center. Brown the beef on one side, break up with a wooden spoon and combine with the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes until things begin to caramelize a little. Add the garlic, chili flakes, paprika and smoked paprika to the mixture and combine. Next add the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and crushed tomatoes. Mix well, and cook for about 5 minutes until the beef is fully cooked and the vegetables are tender. Add the cooked pasta and kale, turn off the heat, mix well and cover. When ready to eat, reheat the goulash in a low oven. To serve, sprinkle dishes with fresh parsley and extra smoked and Hungarian paprika and pepper if so desired. Also nice to grate some fresh Parmesan cheese over the top. Bon appetite!

Say hello to my little frineds! SLIDERS

Invented by the American hamburger fast food chain White Castle, and now a restaurant phenomenon everywhere, sliders are quite simply mini-burgers. Smaller buns, smaller patty, smaller amount of toppings equaling huge flavor and huge fun.

Just as with hamburgers/cheeseburgers, the variety of sliders that can be made and enjoyed is endless. The key to making a great slider is simple. Choose small, soft rolls and stuff them with a juicy, well season, non overcooked burger. I have found that I am beginning to find "slider rolls" labeled as such at the grocery store, but if you can not find the, small soft white dinner rolls are a good option. in my neck of the woods, I prefer Martins Potato Rolls "for Sliders".

This past weekend we had company I wanted to make a dinner that was casual, could be made on the grill, and would be tasty! I've been enjoying using my meat grinding attachment on my stand mixer and I had some nice sirloin steaks that I thought would make good slider meat. Sirloin is leaner then chuck (90% as opposed to 80%), so I was conscious to only cook the sirloin sliders to medium/medium well, or pink as they say at some burger joints in order to retain the juiciness I was looking for. Chuck is probably the best meat to use for burgers, especially if you want it to be cooked all the way through and don;t mind the extra calories or fat.

My goal was to make a trio of sliders. For inspiration I drew on a couple of classics, in addition to using some more of my "Newfie screech coffee spice rub". What I came up with was a bacon cheeseburger slider, topped with sharp Vermont cheddar cheese, fried onions, ketchup, yellow mustard and dill pickle; a green chili sliders, topped with canned green chili's (diced and sauteed with fresh jalapeno, garlic and cilantro) and pepper jack cheese; and finally, a Newfie Screech coffee slider equipped with a drop of steak sauce and sauteed mushrooms deglazed with a drop of dark rum

 For my slider meal, I made 12 sliders out of a little more than 2 pounds of freshly ground sirloin. Each patty was about 3 ounces. For burgers I typically do not season the meat until I have formed the pattys, and usually I only add salt and pepper. I like to let the condiments and toppings bring the extra flavors. This is what I did for my sliders, with the exception of the the third slider, which received a liberal coating of the Newfie Screech coffee-spice rub on each side. For cooking the sliders, either pan fry them or cook them on a hot grill until desired doneness. As I said, for a leaner meat like sirloin (or if you are using buffalo or moose, etc) it's best to not cook past medium-well, while the fattier ground chuck will be more forgiving. I usually season the burgers, grill on the first side for about 4 minutes, flip, add the grated cheese and close the lid. By the time the cheese melts I remove the meat so that it can rest for a couple of minutes while I toast by buns. Then I assemble the works and dig in.