From the Archives

Just two short years ago, I lived in Queens, worked at a grocer that rhymes with Balducci's, and rooted for the Steelers in Super Bowl XL. Pittsburgh is my second home, and I missed it dearly knowing that I'd be missing the absolute chaos as Stiller fever took over the city. To bring some of that charm to NYC, I made some dishes that would evoke memories of the Steel City and harden even the most supple of arteries.

My apprentice for the evening was Mike. Together we made Black & Gold Pierogies with a cheesesteak filling in the style of Primanti Bros. We also made Black & Gold linguine with a saffron cream sauce.

The details are a bit fuzzy. My internet connection in those days was bootlegged from someone else in the building, and it was a little unreliable, so the post unfortunately didn't make it up when it was more relevant and fresh. Here's what I remember:

The yellow pasta was colored with saffron; the black with squid ink. Of the squid ink, Sheila said, "That smells like men-stru-ation."



The pierogie filling contained chopped sirloin, provolone cheese, french fries, cole slaw (I think) and probably some hot sauce.

The saffron cream sauce had shallots, saffron, vermouth and maybe some celery and carrots, probably thickened with a roux.

In the end, the Black & Gold prevailed. These colors don't run. 'N'at.

Photos by Mike.

I just ate a can of beans.

How could I, or why would I, eat a can of beans? Won't there be side effects to go with all those health benefits? To paraphrase Brandi, Yourmother's sister, I'm about to become a natural resource. But in the end, I'm a step closer to achieving a long time goal: the recreation of the black bean dip at Kaya, also served at Mad Mex, a small chain of Tex-Mex places in Pittsburgh.

What makes the dip so good and addictive is its alluring and elusive blend of spices, warmed into a pool of dip-able mashed beans with melted cheese on top. This isn't the first attempt at making this dish that I've been involved in. Several years ago, Chef Phateline and I took a swing at it with mixed results. Too much chili oil, maybe not enough cumin, but overall not too bad. After trying the real deal again recently, I figured it can't be too complicated. This is a restaurant pumping out dozens of pounds of this stuff daily. Maybe it's this:

Black Bean Dip, Kaya Style, v1.5

1 can black beans
2 tsp chili powder (regular old McCormick or similar)
1/2 tsp salt or more to taste
1-3 tsp hot sauce, to taste
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2-1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or jack, chihuahua if you have it)

Put everything except the cheese into a food processor or chopper. Whip it up until it's just getting creamy. Spread it into a shallow baking dish that will give it a depth of about 3/4 inch. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 400 F until the cheese is nicely melted. Serve with tortilla chips.

In retrospect, I probably would have made it a little spicier, maybe a little saltier, and it could have used maybe a little more cumin. Garlic powder or onion powder would be an interesting addition. Or maybe it's equal parts chili powder, adobo seasoning, and hot sauce. Go nuts. Let me know what you find out.

Thin Crust Pizza

About a year ago I was able to recreate my favorite Chicago deep dish pizza in the world. I need to update the cooking temperature and time on that one, by the way. 425 for 45 minutes should be more like it. My second attempt was rather doughy and unsatisfying, lacking the crunch in the crust that is needed.

Chicago's other pizza claim to fame is crispy, paper thin, square-cut pizza. This is by no means a competitor to New York style pizza, but a third form of the art. I have fond memories of ordering thin crust pizza back home in Chicago; fighting over the crispest, tiniest outer cuts; avoiding the inner, soggier slices. In fact, my main complaint about Chicago thin crust was the unavoidable sogginess of the inner square slices. My goal is to bake a paper thin pizza that is crispy throughout the pie.

After some digging on the internet, I came across a quick recipe for a thin crust that is prebaked before adding toppings, much like a pie crust. Here's the basic recipe for the crust:

Thin Crust Pizza

1 c warm water
1 pkg (or 2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
2 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 T olive oil

Dissolve the yeast in the water for a few minutes. In a medium mixing bowl, mix the flour and salt. Make a well and add the water-yeast mixture and the olive oil. Mix thoroughly with your hand and then turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for 8 minutes so that it is smooth and elastic. Allow the dough to rest in a clean bowl covered with plastic or a damp towel.

While the dough is resting, preheat your oven to 425 F. Have ready two 12" pizza pans or use a baking stone. Divide the dough into two balls and stretch each one to fit the pans. Bake the crusts for 12 minutes at 425. They will be slightly browned and crisp.

Add your favorite toppings and bake a further 1o-12 minutes at 425. The pizza in the picture was smeared with hummus and topped with canned diced tomatoes that had been drained for 30 minutes to remove most of the excess water. A little bit of oregano spiced it up just enough.

The crust proved to be crispy throughout the pizza, but it had a nice chewiness in the thicker parts so that it wasn't overwhelmingly crunchy. The taste is a little on the bland side, but it does remind me of some of my favorite old delivery places. Served with an ice-cold RC, this is a little taste of home. I suppose a little more flavor could be gained by allowing the dough to rise slowly in the refrigerator overnight, as with the deep dish crust.