Italian - - Page 10

by BS

Pittsburgh vs. Arizona Super Bowl Food-Off

Super Bowl week is here and ES is confused. With no cheeseheads, cheesesteak-heads, or scrappy underdogs to root for, and no Patriots to root against, we just don’t know what to do. This year’s game is between Pittsburgh, which we think has something to do with steel but we’re not quite sure what; and Arizona, which we can always find on a map given two guesses but don’t know much else about.

There’s nothing worse than showing up at a Super Bowl party and not knowing which team to root for, but how to decide? Between making dips, buying beer, and ordering pizza, there’s just no time to research the merits and demerits of the individual teams.

So we’re choosing who to root for the only way we know how — based on which team has the best food. Will it be Pittsburgh with its all-American blue collar traditions? Or Arizona, with it’s sun-baked spicy flair? (The Cardinals are based in Phoenix, but since they claim the whole state, we’re gonna go ahead and give it to them, since we suspect they might need a boost anyway). Without further ado, the Pittsburgh vs. Arizona Super Bowl Food-Off:


First Quarter: Best Sandwich

OK, we lied. Turns out we do know at least one thing about Pittsburgh. Namely, Steeltown is home to Primanti Brothers, one of the most outrageously amazing sandwich shops in the country. We can’t think of a more appropriate way to enjoy the big game than with a Primanti Bros. pastrami sandwich, piled high with perfectly spiced meat, coleslaw and french fries. Yes, fries inside the sandwich, not on top of or beside. The only problem is trying to stay awake for the second half. (Photo: The Halberg)	Uh-oh, Pittsburgh. We did some research and it turns out America had outrageous sandwiches before the Italians got here – and we mean waaaaaaay before. If you ever find yourself around Mesa, Arizona, you’ll want to stop by Arizona Native Frybread and pick up a traditional Navajo Sandwich — golden frybread filled with grilled lamb meat and topped with lettuce, red onions, tomatoes and fire roasted green chilis. Now that’s a sandwich. (Photo: chowdownphoenix via Serious Eats)
	Point: Arizona. Can’t hate on Primanti Bros, but that frybread is just too damn enticing.
Second Quarter: Best Pizza

We try not to eat pizza outside NYC, but we’d make an exception if we drove by Vincent’s Pizza Park, because that crust looks so crispy, the cheese so golden brown, and, um..for g-d’s sake there’s an entire pig on that pie! Might have to start carrying around a pic of this beauty so that every time we go into a pizzeria and see a pepperoni pie with five or six measly ‘ronis on it we can show them this craziness, where the pepperonis actually have to be placed sideways to make room for all of them. Bravo, Pittsburgh. Youse sure know how to eat some meat. (Photo: hanzabean)	We gotta say we’re a little surprised by how many people out there on the Internets claim the very best slice in America is served up at a pizzeria in Phoenix. Specifically, they’re talking about Pizzeria Bianco. The thin-but-not-flimsy crust does look impressive (seriously, look) and the toppings are nothing if not ballsy. For example, the “Rosa” you’re looking at is topped with onions, parmagiana reggiano, rosemary and Arizona pistachios. Yes, that’s pistachios as in pistachio nuts. On a pizza. We’re intrigued. (Photo: roboppy)
Point: Pittsburgh. Arizona gets an A for effort, but this is the Super Bowl, not the Oscars, so pepperoni trumps pistachio.
Third Quarter: Best Hot Dog

Good gravy! If we had to paint a picture of what the Super Bowl means to America, it would probably look very much like this photo. The bacon and cheddar dog is one of just many heart-stopping options offered at Pitt favorite D’s SixPax & Dog’s, but in our humble opinion, it’s the most perfect. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated. Take meat. Cover with bacon. Douse in cheese. Pray for forgiveness. (Photo: Mr. Velocipede)	The legendary Sonoran Hot Dog may have originated in neighboring Mexico but it was made famous by the Hispanic-heavy neighborhoods of southside Tucson, Arizona. A bacon-wrapped hot dog is placed on an oversized bun and topped with pinto beans, tomatoes, onion, mustard, mayo, crema, relish, jalapenos…well, you get the point – basically whatever the hell else they have on hand. (Photo: Mr. Frosted)
Point: Pittsburgh. For pure all-American outlandishness, we’ve gotta give it to Pitt.
Fourth Quarter: Best Beer

Iron City Brewing company has been drowning Pittsburgh’s sorrows for going on 150 years now, and the Steelers probably wouldn’t have won half as many games if their fans didn’t have this solid stand-by to get them through all those snowy seasons. (It’s also safe to say this brew probably played a hand in the invention of the three culinary delicacies presented above). (Photo: Iron City)	Daaaaaamn, ‘zona! Is there anything you people won’t put hot chilis in? It doesn’t get much more macho than drinking a beer laced with hot serrano chili peppers. Arizona gave the world just that with Chili Beer, a Cave Creek, Arizona original (now produced in Mexico). (Photo: srboisvert)
	Point: Arizona. Hot, cold, and drunk, all in one bottle. What more could a fan want? Tie game!

Look’s like we’re headed to overtime, and it’s up to you, readers. Who cooked it better? Pittsburgh or Arizona? Vote below, and don’t forget to do the thing where you tell me how dumb I am and that everything I said is completely wrong.

[Poll id=”31″]

Previously on ES:

March Madness: America’s Top 10 Drunk College Foods

America’s Real Best Ballpark Food

The Top 10 Foods Only America Could Have Invented

by gansie

The Big Easy

After walking around in the freezing cold celebrating BARACK OBAMA’s inauguration, I really didn’t feel like cooking much, but still wanted something warm and easy. And I certainly didn’t feel like fighting with squash for an hour, especially after such a lovefest filled day. I mentally scanned the pantry and remembered all of those boxes of pasta that we’ve stockpiled for nights just like this.

I also decided that I didn’t feel like taking out a cutting board, I didn’t feel like using a knife and I didn’t want to get another pot dirty. So here’s my no-cook, no-knife pasta dinner. Don’t worry, I didn’t say no fat.

Adventures in Cheesemaking

Anyone who has been following ES on twitter, or even just talked to me in real life these past few weeks, is aware that I’ve become obsessed with cheesemaking.

Well, in truth it’s been a more-talk, less-action kind of obsession, but I’ve decided I’m really into it ever since I saw a guy making fresh mozzarella at Fairway a few weeks back. He was shaping it in a metal bowl, then wrapping it up in plastic and it was warm when you bought it. This was one of those eye-opening, food-changing experiences for me, as I’d never really thought of cheese as something you could just make from milk as opposed to a food that grows on a magical cow-tree somewhere high on a hilltop in France or Italy.

So when I saw this super-simple recipe for ricotta in Bon Appetit (only three ingredients!), I had to try it. I picked up a cheesecloth at a local greenmarket (basically a glorified paper towel, it only costs a few bucks), and I was ready to cheese. Two words of warning:

1- Cheesemaking, like sausagemaking, is not for the faint of heart. With all the curdling and separating and whatnot, it gets a little gross-looking. I was doing this myself, so my photos are not highly stylized, but you’ll see how it really looks, warts and all.

2- It’s also not for those with heart problems. As with making ice cream, there’s the whole problem of realizing how much fat actually goes into making a tiny little slice of cheese. A half-gallon of milk only makes one-and-a-half cups of ricotta. Kinda intense.

If you’re still feeling brave, read on…

Holy Moly, Skillet Meals by Bertolli!

As ES’s resident microwave expert, I’m constantly looking for shortcuts to make cooking faster because frankly, sometimes I come home after work and I just don’t want to devote 1 or 2 hours to prepping and cooking dinner.

So recently, we were sent some of Bertolli’s new Skillet Meals, and let me tell you, in complete seriousness, they are AWESOME!!! Located in the Frozen Food aisle (maybe my favorite aisle in the grocery store I’ll admit) the Bertolli Skillet Meal provides a complete meal for two, ranging from Shrimp Scampi Linguine to Chicken alla vodka and Farfelle to Italian Sausage and Rigatoni – and all you have to do is throw it in a Skillet for TEN MINUTES! And that’s it!! It’s ready! And I swear to you it’s soooo freaking good. I even got Vio into it (she says she CRAVES it now!!) and if she says it’s good, then believe me, it is!

I also love it because all of the meals contain vegetables, such as asparagus, tomatoes and zucchini – and the ingredient list contains no scary five syllable words that you’ve never heard of, it’s all straight forward, good ingredients. I would prefer if they offered a meal with whole wheat pasta, but for a frozen meal, this is TOPS! Plus on their website, they even provide wine pairings for each meal. Bertolli is definitely frozen food gone classy!

in Uncategorized 5 comments

by BS

White House Guessing Game: Who Will Cook for Barack?

With the epic campaign season finally concluded, Washington has moved on to that quadrennial guessing game that has the corridors of power all abuzz: Who will the president-elect bring with him to the White House?

We here at ES could care less about some hard-hitting chief of staff or misogynistic treasury secretary candidate. The real burning question is: Who will Obama appoint as White House Chef? All we know for sure is that some serious change is in need after Bush’s eight years serving BBQ and hohos at official state dinners. Here are the leading candidates, along with our exclusive odds, and a few additional people we think P-E Obama should put on his short list.

WaPo’s Tom Sietsema says the frontrunner is definitely Art Smith. The chef at Capitol Hill’s new Art and Soul restaurant, Smith has both the inside DC knowledge the new prez needs, and the down-home Chicago background he loves (he was Oprah‘s personal chef for 10 years). Smith’s upscale-downhome specialties (caviar and horseradish hoe-cakes, red eye gravy pork chops) would deliver a hearty slice of Americana to visiting heads of state. Odds – 3:1

Or maybe Obama wants to skip the in-between and go fancy-fancy. Barack and Michelle’s first meal out after winning the presidency was at Chicago’s Spiaggia, the same place the first couple celebrated their anniversary and Michelle’s b-day this year. That’s quite the endorsement! A native of Kenosha, Wisconsin (swing state!), chef Tony Mantuano offers high-end Italian cuisine featuring dishes that even foodies can’t decipher, like STRANGOZZE VERDE CON LUMACHE, AGLIO E PANE GRATTATO. Yum! (I think). Mantuano would bring a touch of class back to the Oval Dining Room. But then again, Barack might not be too enthused about Italian lately. Odds – 7:1

BHO could show an important display of bipartisanship by asking current White House chef Criseta Comerford to stay on in his administration. Hand-picked by Laura Bush in 2005, the Philippines-born Comeford is the first female to lead the White House kitchen, thus allowing Barack to hang on to the Hillary vote. Plus, then he could get rid of Gates. Odds – 8:3

So those are the most likely bets. But honestly, none of these choices would bring the radical change and hope Obama promised us. Let’s forget the Washington insiders and shake things up a little bit, Barack! Here are our alternative recommendations:

Hott Links: Sex Sells (Food)

– I seriously need a pasta maker. Even before I saw this ad. [erdoland via SE]

– Apparently, the new way to win a woman’s heart is by being a gastrosexual. It’s not as disgusting as it sounds. [Daily Mail]

– Or you could just wow her with underpants toast. [Nice Cup of Tea and Site Down]

in Trends 1 comments

by BS

Riding the Pine

As you know, we here at Endless Simmer are effing obsessed with pine nuts. OK, maybe it’s just me, but I know there are more of you out there! So, Endless Simmer is embarking on a high-tech research project to chronicle every single dish that can be made with pine nuts. You’ll see the results in the near future on ES, but first, we need your help.

Here’s the deal: We’re holding a Pine Nut Recipe Contest.

Send us your very best pine nut recipe, and you could win a free subscription to La Cucina Italiana magazine! Only the best of the best will take it home, so be sure to bring it. Here are the rules/standards:

– All recipes must be original. It’s OK if you’ve already featured it on your blog, but no Cindy McCain-style recipes please.

– The crazier/more creative, the better. You’re probably not going to win by telling us how great pine nuts are mixed with basil and spread on pasta. But if you make soup, pies, bread, or biscuits with pine nuts, that’s more like it.

– Send photos if you have them. Will definitely improve your chances.

– Email the recipes this a-way, with the subject line “Pine Nuts”

Photo: Sa_ku_ra

in Contests 9 comments