Eat Athens

Pizza Margherita using wild yeast pizza dough (Pizza Goon)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:57:37 +0200

This second post about obtaining yeast the old fashioned way, deals with making a dough out of that starter. This will entail gently coaxing more and more yeast cells to take an active role in the feast of the sugars in my flour thus creating the gasses I need for the dough to [...]

This second post about obtaining yeast the old fashioned way, deals with making a dough out of that starter.

This will entail gently coaxing more and more yeast cells to take an active role in the feast of the sugars in my flour thus creating the gasses I need for the dough to rise. Then I will hit it with the heat for a nice tasty crust. Here’s my goonish explaination during a weeknight rush at Avalanche Pizza.

Recipe:

1 Cup starter from the Wild Yeast Pizza recipe. (last blog post)

1 Cup Bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (optional)

**This recipe works best if you feed your starter the night before and leave it out to proof. This will enhance the feeding frenzy of the yeast and speed up the development of your dough.**

Mix one cup of the starter with one cup of the bread flour.

add the oil and the salt after mixing with your hand. If the dough is too stiff, add water. I prefer a stiffer dough but many bakers and pizza guys think a sticky, soft dough does a better job as it rises faster.

You now should have a 12-13 ounce dough ball, either cut in half (for 2 small 9-10 inch pizzas), or one do not cut (for a large 12-14 inch pie crust.)

Cover with a wet cloth and let sit for 1 hour. Then refrigerate for 4 hours. This will slow the yeast activation giving it time to slowly eat at the sugars. This aging process is what I use for all of my pizza dough the, making a better taste and a more consitant rise. ((*if you are impatient, and the dough is rising fast, please feel free and form your pizza round.))

It’s at this point that I must remind you that you are working with all natural yeast now and it takes some time to get the intense rise as you experience with commercially bought yeast. This is why most bakers will add a small “Kicker” of store-bought yeast to boost the rise of the dough. If you are a purest, or just a masochist-like me, don’t do it. As you pass the months by, conducting the feeding process of your starter, the flavor will intensify and the rise in your dough will be more immediate and predictable. Now only after only 8 to 10 days, the natural yeasted experience is still in it’s infancy.

After the 4 hours in the fridge, let the dough balls sit out over night covered with a damp cloth to keep it from forming a crust.

By the next day, the dough should have risen. The gluten strands should be stretching now with the gasses. This is your proofed rise.

If you see holes or pits where the dough looks as though it is cracking where gas has escaped, your gluten strands may not be strong enough to keep the gasses in from either your flour not being strong enough or because your kneading was not consistant enough. Don’t despair, you can re-knead the dough and wait for at least 1 hour before continuing.

Preheat your oven at 475 degrees

Take the dough and form a pizza round from the easy dough recipe in this blog.

Top this pie with anything and everything you want. I started out simple because if I messed this up, I didn’t want to have to make all my toppings up again. I put a large spoonful of organic tomato sauce, some fresh basil, whole milk, fresh mozzarella, sea salt and extra virgin olive oil. (Here I put the pizza on parchment and on a pizza screen because I was using a pizza oven.)

After 12 minutes at 475 degrees, the dough, although a thinner crust, rose nicely, showing a fine cornicione (corn-e-CHON-aye). This is the crust around the edge where you can see the cell structure formed by the gasses. Alot of Italian judges in competition will press down on this crust to test for a bounceback- a sign of a great cornicione.

Well, now that I have a great starter, I’m gonna grow this monster to make some bread. Maybe, if I get good at it, I’ll do another post on it.

Semper Pie

Wild Yeast Pizza Levain (or Starter) (Pizza Goon)

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 05:10:15 +0200

I’m so excited about this pizza and can’t help feeling like Dr. Frankenstein. I just wanted to scream “It’s aliiiiive” just like Gene Wilder when this fabulous Pizza Margherita came out of the oven. Like when I see a crispy baguette or ciabatta finishing it’s bake in golden brown splender; it’s that feeling of triumphant finality that I made something from nothing, that I didn’t screw it up (again) [...]

Spelt bundled in a Chesterhill, Ohio field and Neal Cherry’s stellar grapes make the beginning of a great pizza.

I did this pizza because I’ve received numerous questions about using a naturally obtained yeast in a pizza crust recipe. Some people refer to a “Yeastless Pizza Recipe” but that really isn’t true because yeast is everywhere. It’s one of the oldest known cultivated organisms and has been found by archeologists in 4000 year old egyptian bakeries.(Now that’s “Old School!”)

To create this pizza, I must first capture wild yeast and ferment it with 3 things, a warm environment, flour and water. The yeasts will multiply producing carbon dioxide, lactic acid and alcohol which will in turn change the texture and flavor of the dough. The gas raises the dough while the lactic acid adds the flavor. Capturing the gas in cells which can be seen in bread and pizza dough depends upon “The Gluten Net” that is formed by the strength of the flour.

So, this process of creation is fairly easy if you’ve got the time, temperature, yeast and flour.

This starter or ”Levain” (the French call it), is also called ”Chef” or ”Mother.” Any bread or pizza crust really does taste more complex, nutty, malty and buttery than straight commercially raised yeasted dough. It does though take time and patience to complete the baking cyle. But the reward is the knowledge that you made a natural product using the air, earth, water of this planet. How’s that for sustainability?

Most bakers use this starter and fortify it with commercially raised yeast but for this recipe, we are gonna take it to the limit, with only wild yeast!

I could get extremely technical about this dough but I don’t have the time. Plus I’m not qualified, If you wish to know all the technical aspects about bread, just get “The Bread Bakers Apprentice” by my baking hero Peter Reinhart. His blog is awesome also. You can also go to my freind Tony Gemignani’s International School of Pizza in San Francisco where you can learn from an 11 time World Champion pizza maker everything you need to know about pizza.

Right now I just want to show you a way to capture yeast from nature, encourage the yeast to grow and produce bubbles of gas and make a great pizza with it. This is what it entails.

Finding wild yeast: Raisons, Apples, Plums, Peaches, Nectarines, Grapes, and even vegetables offer a landing zone for wild yeasts. You will find alot of wild yeast just cruisin’ around the air but these fruit and vegetables are best at capturing as much yeast as will need to facilitate a rise out of your pizza dough. Remember, the acid in certain vegetables may kill the yeast.

Getting the yeast to activate: We will use the simple method of just putting the yeasted fruit in warm, uncontaminated tap water for a period of 3 to 4 days. Don’t be stupid and use modified bottled water thinking it to be more “pure.” We are reveling in nature here, using an organic micro-environment for out pizza benefit! Bottled water sucks.

Adding the flour to the yeasted water: We will work to slowly bring the yeast to life by offering it natural proteins and sugars to feed on. Please don’t use bleached flour, organic is better and half whole wheat will add to the flavor.

Patience is indeed a virtue: We will wait on natures time to witness our harnessing of the miracle of fermentation. (Hopefully while drinking a beer, which contains yeast also.)

Don’t worry if you stray off course a little: If you put too much water or flour in the recipe, don’t worry, I won’t tell. It’s all a learning experience. Just make sure you label stuff or you will find yourself screaming “Who threw my starter awayyyyyy!”

Use this starter forever: If you follow a simple plan of feeding and retarding your starter, you can keep it forever. My freind Matt Rapposelli has a starter that is almost 20 years old. Cool!

Recipe:

For the yeast capture:

Here the goon starts the warm water bath for the grapes. How many did he eat after this video? About 20,(the pig)

Start with about 3 to 4 cups local organic grapes (seeded or not) obtained from the wild or a grape grower that doesn’t spray chemicals on the fruit. Other fruit will suffice but I’ve found that the spherical nature of each grape seems to capture more wild yeast floating through the air than other fruits. (DO NOT WASH THE GRAPES)

Put the grapes in 3 cups of spring water. Squeeze some grapes in the water to offer the yeast sugars to eat. Leave using cheesecloth and a rubber band for 4 days. Stir each day. In the end, the mixture will smell like wine or a combination of weak balsamic vinegar and wine.

These are the grapes after 4 days.

Strain the mix, disgard the grapes. Keep the cheesecloth. Always leave the grape water out on the counter, not in the fridge.

For the Starter:

In a bowl, put 1 cup organic, unbleached bread flour (it has more protein than all purpose), 1 cup organic, whole wheat or spelt, half a cup grape-water mixture. Mix well and pour into a small container with the cheesecloth or a damp towel (the towel will be better for eliminating crust forming). Stir this mix every hour if you have the time, you will see it increasing in bulk and bubbles.

The first day of feeding:

Take the day-old flour and grape water combination, (it should be starting to bubble) and mix it and 1 cup bread flour and 1/2 cup of the grape water in a bowl. Stir, leave in the bowl or transfer to a clean container,cover and leave for 24 hours stirring every couple hours.

Second day of feeding:

Wow! The mixture will start to tell you that it is activating by the smell of fermentation and by the bubbles. I used plastic wrap because of all the yeast flying around my store, but you can use a wet rag or cheesecloth.

Repeat the same mix and measurements. Transfer to a clean container. After another 24 hours, this is what you will have. An active pre-ferment made by wild yeast.

Store this starter in the fridge in a covered container.

Feed your starter regularly, about 2 times a week. To feed it, take out one-third of the saved starter to add room and just add one cup of flour and enough water and stir well enough to make a thick sticky paste. Leave this at room temperature for 4 hours. Put it back in the fridge. If making a pizza or bread, always feed the starter about 12 to 24 hours out and leave it at room tempererat wiure.

If you forget to feed it, take it out of the fridge and coax it back to life by mixing flour and water into it. You can add a little beer to give it a kick, or a raison or two.

Please forgive me as my Three year-old has a fever tonight. Tomorrow, I will show you how I made the dough with this starter using no other yeast and the subsequent pizza.

Good night and don’t forget to feed your mother!

Braised Leek and Potato Pizza (Pizza Goon)

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 03:01:11 +0200

While working as a dining room captain at Le Ciel Bleu restuarant at the Mayfair Regent Hotel in Chicago, Illionois, the most requested soup on our menu was the vichyssoise. It’s rich, creamy potato and leek combination was to die for, (with all the heavy cream the French chefs poured into the soup, it was sure [...]

Now, I have the opportunity to replicate the savory, creamy and sharp combination that these two mid-summer vegetables offer, thanks to all the great farmers around this area. I’ve decided to make a pizza with fresh leeks and Mr. Stripy tomatoes obtained at the Chesterhill Produce Auction, organic Corolla Potatoes from Rich Organic Gardens in Shade, Ohio, locally aged, whole milk white cheddar from Athens’ Own and fresh Chrevre from Integration Acres in Albany, Ohio.

The most fun in putting this pizza together was bidding on certain veggies at the Chesterhill Produce Auction. It’s 28 minutes away from Athens, Ohio through the winding route 550. This takes you through the wilds of Ohio, (in the most literal sense) passing through Amesville, (famous locally for thier “coonskin library” where in the wild days, they traded skins for books) and into Morgan county and Chesterhill, where alot of Amish and other productive Ohio farmers live.

The produce auction is also a great way for these far-flung farmers to sell the fruits of thier labor and is managed fabulously by the folks at Rural Action like TomRedfern and Bob Fedyski.

The auction is a study in etiquette and aggression. The chef on your right may be a good friend but during the auction, he’s your worst enemy. He disgusts you as he eyes those baby pattypans or ripe smelling cantalopes with envy. That stuff should be yours. Needless to say, I try to limit the amount of coffee I consume and stay away from heavy metal music on the way there.

Here is a video of what the Chesterhill Produce Auction had to offer this last Monday.

Once the bidding starts, the fun begins.

The potato and leek pizza today is for my lunch so I am going simply, even though I will layer the potatoes like a Tortini di Patate which is the Italian version or the French Tourte aux Pommes de Terre. I’m starving, lets go.

Preparation: Preheat oven to 475 degrees and put an upturned heavy cookie sheet or a really great pizza stone in there. Make the 2 dough balls in the Easy Dough Recipe and set one aside in the freezer for later.

2 medium yellow fleshed potato such as Corolla or Yukon Gold.

2 tablespoons salt

2 medium sized leeks

1 large garlic clove

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 large Mr. Stripey summer tomato.

1 cup aged white cheddar (preferably whole milk cheese)

1/2 a round of chevre or 3-4 tablespoons of your favorite goat cheese

For the Potato:

Using a bowl, place 2 cups water and whisk 2 tablespoons salt in to melt. Using a mandoline, shave the potato into slices really thin but not thin enough that you can read through. They should still stand up on thier own. Place them in the water and stir, making sure to seperate slices. This salt water bath will pull the starch out of the potatoes and “cook” the potatoes, thus making a better, more crispy bake. Keep in this water for 15 minutes.

When the potatoes are limp and the water is smokey with starch, pull them out and strain. Dry the potatoes on a cloth or paper towel and rinse the bowl out. Dry the bowl out and pour 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in. Place the potatoes in the oil and toss with a couple turns of cracked black pepper. Set aside.

For the leeks: (you should start this just after the potatoes are put in salted water)

Cut the leeks off 3 inches above where the green starts. Measure to make sure they will fit the pan. Reserve the top of the leek for sauces or soups. Do not cut the bottom of the leek off. Instead trim the “Hairs” or roots off of the bottom as this will hold the leek together. (Some chefs tie the leeks so they don’t fall apart, but the presentation is not important here and they will be under the potatoes.) Wash the leeks thouroughly.

Place 3 cups of water in a pan. Add a large, crushed clove of garlic and the leeks turn on high. When the water starts to boil, put the heat down to medium, add the butter and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes or until the leeks are easily penetrated with a fork. Put the leeks in the refrigerator to cool. After they have cooled, cut the leeks in quarter inch slices and set aside.

For the tomato:

Cut the tomato in quarters then cut the insided out leaving the outside flesh and the skin in a “flower petal” shape. Cut lenghtwise two or three times then turn and cut into cubes. Put in a stainer and reserve.

O.K., lets make the damn pizza!

“Bang out” (pizza industry term for making a round pie shape) the pizza dough on the counter. Place on parchment paper.

Place the cheddar and chevre on the dough. Then the leeks.

On top of the leeks fan the potato slices overlapping a quarter to a half of the one under it. This may take some time and even longer of you have a hook for one of your hands, but be patient- the result is spectacular.

Place on the hot pizza stone for 12 to 14 minutes or until the bottom is dark brown and the crust is golden brown. You may have to turn the pizza for an even bake.

When the pie is out of the oven, garnish with the tomato dice and fresh dill sprigs. Enjoy hot or cold.

Domenico Crolla’s Chanterelle Pizza (Part II) (Pizza Goon)

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 05:32:18 +0200

Now that I have the chanterelles, I have decided to contact an award winning pizza expert to design a pizza for me. My expert in question is Domenico Crolla, one of the greatest Italian specialists in the world. Domenico resume’ reads like the stories of restauranteurs of old-born into a restuarant family, he worked his way up [...]

Without sounding like a ”kiss ass” I can truly say that Domenico has gained an international reputation as the best of the best because of his dogged pursuit of excellence through simplicity. This is the reason he has also come out a champion in many culinary arena’s such as Italian Chef Wars and the International Pizza Challenge.

Chef Crolla has recieved many awards. Above with his daughter and right,with his wonderful wife and partner.

“So,” you’re saying to yourself, “Big deal, you called a guy in Italy to design a pizza…” No, I contacted a guy in Scotland! Yes, Domenico owns and operates, with his wife Gena, 2 of the most successful restuarants in the U.K.- Bella Napoli and Pizza Corture.

Domenico has recieved the United Kingdom Gold Award for pizza in 2007 and 2008 and for Italian Best Restaurant in 2007 and 2008. He is the head judge for the Pizza Expo, the largest pizza convention and competition in the world and (get this) has won THRICE (that’s 3 times) as Pizza designer of the year for the United Kingdom- in 2006, 2008, and 2009.

My first reccolection of Chef Domenico Crolla was at the Pizza Festiva at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2008. The field was brought down to four finalists which luckily included me and my pesto chicken pizza. One of the other contestants a long-time restuaranteur motioned me over to the curtain seperating the judging area from the prep area.

“Hey John, see that guy?” He said pointing at Chef Crolla.

“Yea.”

“Watch out for him, I know he’s the judge who screwed me out of the finals.”

“Why?” Said I.

“He kept up with all these incessent questions. Like ‘How old is your dough?’ and ‘What kind of tomatoes did you put into your sauce?’ and ‘What kind of pre-ferment is in your crust?’” The guy paused and let out a breath. “I didn’t know what to say, I just froze. What the !@#*!@* is a pre-ferment anyway? All I’m saying is look out for him, he’s trouble.”

“So, was he mean to you?” I asked.

“No, he was pretty cool, said that my pizza looked real good.” The contestant said.

“So what makes you think he voted you off?” I asked again feeling like a detective now.

“That damn accent dude, he sounds like Sean Connery, damned unnerving when you’re trying to present a pie!”

It was that year that I was introduced to Domenico Crolla’s cultured inquisitiveness. He does sound like (the original 007) and it feels like he is pointing a loaded Walther PPK at your crotch when you get up to the judges table. But as soon as you hear his questions, you know he’s getting to the heart of the matter- great pizza!

Now, hold on. You think I’m a sicko for putting paw-paws on pizza? Dominico holds the World Record for the most expensive pizza in the world…just a measly $4200.00. It’s a little ditty with lobster marinated in Cognac, champagne-soaked caviar and 24 carat god shavings. Now that’s a big pizza Wow, here it is.

Well, enought about Domenico Crolla and lets get to the heart of his recipe and our beautiful chanterelles.

Use one dough ball from the Easy Dough Recipe on this blog. Preheat the oven to 475 and put an upturned cookie tray or your favorite pizza stone in to pre-heat.

For the mushrooms:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 cup chanterelle mushrooms cut vertically down the center. (larger ones can be vertically center-cut in quarters)

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. When hot, place the chanterelles in the pan and saute for 2 minutes. Add the shallots and stir. Saute for another minute. Add the garlic and saute for an additional minute. Add wine and reduce for 2-3 minutes until almost all liquid is gone. Turn off the heat and add the chopped parsley

For the Pizza:

2 Bosc pears sliced thin on a mandoline or by knife.

3/4 cup Bel Paese Cheese or creamy cheese like soft havarti (Bel Paese is best)

shaved Parmesano Reggiano

Reserved sauteed chanterelle mixture

Form the seven ounce dough ball into a pizza following the instructions in the easy dough method. Place it on parchment. Add the cheese. Place the pear around the pizza in a fan on top of cheese then place mushroom mix on the pear. Place some shaved Parmesan on top.

Place in preheated oven for 10 to 14 minutes until the crust is golden brown. This pie was Fabulous! Thanks Domenico!

Zucchini Brownies (eat with the season)

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:20:00 +0200

This is the time of year that we're overloaded with zucchini, and are running out of ways to use them. Last year we published a "Zucchini Mock Apple Pie" that was popular. Now, through our friend, Julia Farver, we have this recipe for "Zucchini Brownies".

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup vegetable oil (try substituting w/ coconut oil)
* 1 1/2 cups organic light brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon sea salt
* 2 cups shredded zucchini
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
*
* 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/4 cup coconut oil
* 1 1/2 cups rice syrup
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and sea salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and coconut oil; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the rice syrup (warmed to soften), milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Yield
24 servingsThis is the time of year that we're overloaded with zucchini, and are running out of ways to use them. Last year we published a "Zucchini Mock Apple Pie" that was popular. Now, through our friend, Julia Farver, we have this recipe for "Zucchini Brownies".

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup vegetable oil (try substituting w/ coconut oil)
* 1 1/2 cups organic light brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon sea salt
* 2 cups shredded zucchini
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
*
* 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/4 cup coconut oil
* 1 1/2 cups rice syrup
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and sea salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and coconut oil; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the rice syrup (warmed to soften), milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Yield
24 servings

Domenico Crolla’s Chanterelle Pizza (Part I) (Pizza Goon)

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 01:09:24 +0200

It’s July in southeast Ohio and that means chanterelle’s are a poppin’ out in them thar hills. I couldn’t pass the urge to head out and do some fast scanning of my favorite (and secret) patch of forest where my kids and I found some fabulous chanterelles last year. This year I found them in a [...]

This year I found them in a wider swath than last year, they were peeking out from under roots and moss which made hunting a real “squint-fest.”

The false chanterelles (called Jack-O-Lanterns) were also out in force in thier bright orange poisonous splender. They have smaller stems, bright orange color, sharp gills and usually grow on wood. (See the ones climbing up a buried branch) and the thin stem and sharp gills on the right Jack O Lantern mushroom.)

In my last post about chanterelles, “Dances with Chanterelles,” I used them with apricot, duck, Gouda, Parmesan, parsley after the mushrooms were reduced with a chicken stock. This year, I have a few ideas of what to do, but none of them written in stone yet. (That’s code for “I haven’t a clue.”)

Here is a video of my excursion into the steamy, steep, bug infested world where these delicious beauties thrive. My camera man is my left hand and apologies to all about that. I also said “Yellow” about the false chanterelles in which I meant “Orange.” (I blame that one on the tight women’s beach flip flops I went hiking with.)

Next, I’ve gotta find a great pizza to make with these. I instantly go through the rolodex in my mind to contact the perfect person who would know what makes the best chanterelle pizza. That is Dominico Crolla, award-winning chef, entrepenuer and pizza expert. I am hoping he responds to my e-mail, or I’m gonna have to either change the name of this post or find some other guy in the world named Domenico Crolla.

Sandy Plunkett, Graphic Artist, Pizza Lover (Pizza Goon)

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 06:00:29 +0200

I’ve known Sandy Plunket for a number of years as one of the most proficient and gifted graphic artists of our time. Luckily for me, he lives nearby and I see him every Saturday morning going to get the New York Times as I’m finishing up my baking retinue. Last year I got up the nerve to ask him to document the changing landscape and burgening strip of plastic restaurants sprouting up on the east side of my town of Athens, Ohio, as well as my own small business life at Avalanche Pizza.

I gave him complete artistic freedom to depict me, my business and anyone in my town as he sees fit. ((GULP!!)) Yes, that’s me as Mr. Abacus, the greedy, cantankerous wolf-like small business owner…enough said.

Now Sandy has come out with a new graphic novel that has received rave reviews. “The World of a Wayword Comic Book Artist.”

I am now proud to show you the first 12 segments of “Harold Mitty, Pizza Boy.” All of you out there who think this is not literature…go soak yer head in a dang toilet.

Here is Harold Mitty, Pizza Boy.

It is all true. Please keep the screen pointed away from small children and animals and click on the picture to enhance it.

Artisan Schmartisan; Bread Quackery, 2010 (Pizza Goon)

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 17:53:41 +0200

This Saturday promised to be a big day at the Athens Farmers Market so I took my triple stack of pizza ovens for a spin. They hummed all night long, taking only 9 hours to bake over 400 loaves. This time cooking not only breads, but fougasse (French flatbreads), ladder bread, pizza al taglio, na’an, stuffed [...]

This Saturday promised to be a big day at the Athens Farmers Market so I took my triple stack of pizza ovens for a spin. They hummed all night long, taking only 9 hours to bake over 400 loaves.

This time cooking not only breads, but fougasse (French flatbreads), ladder bread, pizza al taglio, na’an, stuffed fougasse, Afgani Bolani, Turkish pide, pizza Margherita, ghost chili pizza (the hottest chili known) and lots of loaves of Italian ciabatta turned into two “Sang-wich” forms-one with fresh mozzarella, fresh basil (some call a Caprese sandwich,) and the first of this years best tomatoes topped with extra virgin olive oil and Trapani sea salt. The other with a teriyaki-braised pancetta, cilantro. fresh spinach and Italian Prosciutto crudo.

Because of the absence of the locally aged cheddar this week, I had to lean heavily on imported Gruyere, Fontina, Asiago and a Mozzarella Provolone mix.

All of my breads were baked with either organic whole wheat, organic all-purpose or ”All Trumps” flour. I used a major pre-ferment as approximately 60 to 80 percent of any single batch, depending upon the flavor profile (or items kneaded into the dough.) The pre-ferment was started with 6 day old pizza dough mixed with a poolish of whole wheat and high gluten.

You may notice my reference to Antoine-Augustin Parmentier. He was not only the person who started the first smallpox vaccinations under Napoleon, but brought into France the use of the potato for food. The potato was first introduced in europe in 1640 and was only used as pig food. In 1748, the French Parliment acutally banned the use of the potato, reacting to the widespread rumor that it cause leprosy. By 1772, Mr. Parmentier got the Paris Academy of Medicine to declare the potato edible.

Thanks for the help of Patty Nally, who comes in at six and assembles all the sandwiches, makes pizzas and puts up with a spastic guy who’s been baking all night. Joel Fair also helps me until the wee hours of the morning. He is the na’an master and helps me blast throught all the fougasse. Others who start the whole process from Tuesday on are Matt, John Mitchell and the management staff at Avalanche Pizza.

I hope to see you all at next Saturdays market with even more bread, (we sold out an hour early.) I promise to have some curry bread, brioche and pissaladiere.

Semper Pie,

John Gutekanst

Joe Bastianich, Portobello’s and Food Cost (Pizza Goon)

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 04:18:29 +0200

Sometimes in this wild media world of celebrity chefery and culinay tourism, a small but important glimpse of restaurant reality flashes across the screen. This is the same reality that every serious restauranteur battles every day. This small question was brought out by Joe Bastianich, (who along with Mario Batali runs some of the best restaurants and pizzeria in the nation.) The forum [...]

This small question was brought out by Joe Bastianich, (who along with Mario Batali runs some of the best restaurants and pizzeria in the nation.) The forum was the Iron Chef “Battle Beans” in January of this year. The target of this questioning was Iron Chef Bobby Flay.

I had just come home after wrestling with a 60 pound pile of dough containing horseradish, parmesan, lemon zest and fresh dill into small 17 ounce rounds destined for my Afghani Snowshoe Na’an. I stared like a zombie as Mr. Flay’s dishes were presented with his usual cocky flair. (The following expert is real and taken from the real Youtube footage, (please plug your kid’s ears at the use of “Food Cost” here-it may dissuade them from wanting to cook again.)

Joe Bastianich: “In the world of endless options on mushrooms, portobello would be the last one I would pick, not my fave.”

Bobby Flay: (Looking unconfortable and nodding)

Jeffery Steingarten: I like the mushroom, now why did you dis (disrespect) the mushroom?”

Joe Bastianich: Because it’s so 1994, kinda watery, diluted, they don’t have alot of flavor and we’ve come a long way from portobello’s.

Bobby Flay: (Looking more uncomfortable)

Jeffery Steingarten: “What do you use?”

Joe Bastianich: Maybe morels would have been fabulous with this because the sauce is very punchyand rich, it’s got a kinda guac (guacamole) feel on the pallette. It’s not like there is a food cost issue here in Kitchen Stadium, he chose to use the portobello.

Bobby Flay: Now looking pissed-off, uncomfortable and ‘over’ this whole conversation.

Jeffery Steingarten: Well, I think it’s fine, even though it is 1994. (laughs with Mr. Flay like a schoolkid.)

For the first time since the old Japanese versions of Iron Chef, I stood up and actually applauded Joe Bastianich for showing his restauanteur’s view of how and why cuisine is sourced, cooked and presented in the real world.

What Joe was alluding to is that since Iron Chef is “Fantasy Island with Food” Mr. Flay might as well pull out all the stops and use a better ingredient…say like morel or chanterelle mushrooms. Joe evidentely has had years of wrestling with the costs involved in serving dishes that are fabulous but make little or no profit. He obviously wanted a mushroom that was more exotic, flavorful, expensive with little or no thought of what it costs, after all, it was Kitchen Stadium.

Food cost for a lowly pizzeria like mine at Avalanche, is the same as it is at Babbo, the flagship of the Bastianich/Batali fleet. Restaurants live and die with good or bad food and labor costs. In the book “Heat”, the author Bill Buford makes a big deal of Mario Batali visiting his kitchen and going through the garbage can to find usable items carelessly cut off and thrown away. Most people reading think “Oh, how disgusting- in the garbage can!” But every person who has owned a restuarant knows that Mr. Batali did that because food cost is the key to his livelihood.

In honor of Joe and Mario, my next blog will feature some bodacious chanterelles that I just got from my favorite spot. I’m looking for some Beluga Caviar, monkfish liver and a nice 1945 Chateau Lafite Rothschild to pair them with.

The Garden (Gwen in the Kitchen)

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 03:39:00 +0200

With all this unrelenting heat and humidity, I'm taking a break from baking! It is far too hot to turn on the oven, and probably won't until the fall!

Until then, I'll be concentrating on food preservation techniques such as canning, pickling, freezing and drying - mostly with produce from our garden! Here are photos of our two garden plots at the community garden:

June 1
(a few weeks after initial planting)

We used the square foot gardening technique - that's my husband in the background.

A tomato plant! I accidentally dropped my seedlings and now I don't remember which tomato plant is which. So...this is either a Pruden's Purple or a Peacevine cherry...guess I'll find out in a few weeks.

Zucchini blossoms! A couple of male blossoms on my largest zucchini plant.

-------

June 22

Even bigger...and now with zucchinis!

Rattlesnake Pole Beans starting to make their way up 'n up...

I planted a little bed of sassy salad mix in the middle of the pole beans.

Tomatoes grew about 6 inches!

Plot #1 with plot #2 in the background.

-------

July 8 (Today!)

Plot #1! So bushy and starting to creep beyond it's boundaries...

Plot #2! A little slow going...but getting there!

The Rattlesnake Pole Beans ran out of climbing room!

Little tomatoes all in a row...I'm pretty sure these are the Pruden's Purple.

Zucchini, Baby Butternut, and Little Leaf Cucumbers all hanging out together.

My two favorite greens...Rainbow Swiss Chard and Lacinato (Dinosaur) Kale!

I'll keep posting garden updates every couple weeks and once my garden really starts producing, I'll share my food preservation techniques and recipes. Hooray!!