Food For Thought

Here we are again... summer is almost over, and the only thing higher than my task count is the number of degrees outside. Who wants to cook in this weather? Let's get some pizza!!

Pizza is one of those magical foods which combines container and cargo. Like a sugar or waffle cone, not only do you get to eat the main business (sauce, cheese, and toppings) but you also get to eat the doughy plate! What a design, I wish I had invented it... I'd be rich, or at least a hundred pounds heavier.

I've shared a whole Sal's Pizza (18", 3 lbs) with Sammy Soseos, and not many men can accomplish such a gastro-intestinal feat, so this issue is dedicated to him.

Essay: The Four Dueling Pizzas My lovely italian wife has a favorite quote, "Any pizza is a good pizza." I used to ask her "So does that mean any husband is a good husband?" but I'm never happy with her come-backs so I don't push the subject. Well, we all need to agree to disagree. Since I'm usually the one driving around at night I pretty much have control of which pizza place we go to, so it's all academic anyway! If God wanted us to eat only veggies He would have made cows able to run faster. Some people think that anything with sauce and cheese on top makes a good pizza. Well, if what they say about ignorance is true... these people must be very happy. Not just any pizza will do, there are definitely qualities of pizza-ness that need to be recognized and sought after. I can't go into all of it now, as I'm typing this at home while on-call (beeper don't you dare BEEP!) and I'm not going to write a book about pizza (yet). But trust me, no matter how many snotty 9 year olds agree on a Fox 25 News poll in Massachusetts, Papa Ginos is still bad pizza. I wish we could do a survey/poll of people's favorite pizza places... but polls are as popular as me at a Chinese Buffet so they will remain empty. This article will discuss the four main types of pizza: Greek, Italian, Sicilian, and Deep Dish. I won't talk about Neapolitan (super thin pizza) because that anorexic style is for wimps. This is to highlight the qualities, and of course my opinions, about each type.

Four Pillars of Pizza

Greek

The Greek style pizza is extremely common in these parts. Every "House of X" and anything with "Brothers" in the title is Greek. Most greek places use regular ovens to cook their pizza. The pizza is characterized by a crunchy bottom with minimal amount of crust. The base of the pizza is usually thicker as well. Sometimes it feels like eating oily toast. There have been Greek pizzas I have eaten where the bottom is all greased up so it cooks like a "Grilled Cheese". Generally more cheddar is used in the cheese mix, as Greek pizzas have a bit of a bite to them. Sauce is minimally used. Sammy says "If it leaks, then it's Greeks!" (referring to the oily nature of pizza box bottoms.)

Italian

This New Yorker has the right idea.

Italian pizza is my favorite style, since I grew up in New York (Long Island, and of course the Big Apple, everywhere else north/west of Westchester might as well be the cornfields of Ohio for all we knew.) Even the Greeks that open a shop in New York don't dare make anything other than Italian style pizza. Italian pizza has a thinner base, ample "puffy" crust, and usually one type of cheese on top (Mozzarella). Sauce is used on a fair amount, but it's the thinness of the pizza that makes it good.

You can actually "fold" the pizza in half length-wise which does two things. It allows you to hold the slice in one hand, and it also provides enough internal friction on the cheese that biting into it will not cause it to separate off and flop onto your tender lips. OUCH! Try accomplishing that on a greek pizza and it's like trying to eat sauce and cheese between two pieces of melba toast.

Growing up I fed my dog leftover crusts, aptly called "Pizza Bones". I never dressed up like a princess though, honest.

Sicilian

Sicilian, if done right, is a sight to behold. Usually very large, rectangular, and an inch thick, the Sicilian is the closest thing to bread you'll find at a pizza place. Very doughy and heavy, it also comes complete with two or three coveted "center squares" that are meant for those people who like the crusts cut on their sandwiches. The Sicilian pizza

It's not easy to find a quality Sicilian pie, though. First off, a good pizzeria will have a sicilian starting to cook before you even order it. It should have the dough flattened to a rectangle, with a little sauce on top, UNDER the oven. There it can sit at a nice 120*F and rise slowly (for approx 45 minutes). The longer its allowed to be in this state the fluffier it gets. Then the chef will pull it out from under the oven, fight off the roaches, and begin to construct the pizza. Some more sauce gets added, then a decent amount of cheese (mozzarella) and of course the toppings piled high. Sometimes if I get a "garbage pie" which has everything on it except sardines, I need to use a fork and knife.

If anybody knows of excellent Sicilian style pizza place in Massachusetts or surrounding states please let me know about it.

Deep Dish

I didn't have any of these growing up, heck I didn't even know they existed until college when I went to Pizzeria Unos. I must say the simplicity of it all intrigued me. The crust is stuffed into a small iron cake pan, with chunky tomato sauce and a liberal amount of cheese added into it. Usually the crust is buttery and dry, and the fillings usually ooze out, so I only consider this more of a novelty type pizza and not a practical food at all. Besides, they are tiny!!

Local Restaurant Review of the Quarter

Islington Pizza

You wouldn't believe how many people on the web name their cats "Pizza".

Everyone in the Westwood building must have heard of Islington Pizza. It's the quintessential Greek pizza place, with all the fixins of the usual Greek-American fair. When I asked Sammy what he thought of the place, since he is after all a full-blooded Greek himself (related to Yanni), he said "[the price] keeps popping up!" I'm not sure what that means, but here are some of the highlights:

• Pizza - Horrible. The cheese is okay but the crust is tasteless.
• Chicken Parm Sub - Excellent. If you ask for a Large they don't give you a bigger roll, they just give you more chicken. Sauce is full of garlic so don't take your date there.
• Chicken Cutlet w/ Buffalo sauce - Excellent. The sauce is nice and thick, not watery or full of vinegar. You can actually get whatever sauce you want on chicken cutlets (fried), so try honey mustard too!
• Steak Tip Sub - Decent. The portion of steak tips is a little lacking, and it's always well-done to the point of charring, but with the option of adding barbecue sauce it's not too bad. Heck, get it with some lettuce and tomato and you can pretend you're eating a salad!
• Buffalo Chicken Wrap - Awesome. Grilled chicken chopped up with tomatos, lettuce, and CUCUMBERS wrapped and ready for you to eat. I'd get the dressing on the side, as it gets all soupy if they add it to the wrap.
• Steak and Cheese Sub - Decent. A pretty good sub. Depending on which chef you get, the cheese may be mixed in with the meat (preferred) or it may just be laying on the bottom of the sub roll.
• Garden Salad with Chicken - Excellent. Mmmm this is the only way I'll eat salad -- with oily marinated grilled chicken pieces. Tasty, and comes with a little bit of pita bread too.
• Angus Burger Plate - Good. They're not kidding, they give you a bonified plate with a burger on it, that must mean they're not lying about the Angus part, right? :-) This is a decent burger, usually overcooked, but the fries are good of course.\
• Cheeseburger Club - Good. It stays together and does not fall apart. I think they forgot the bacon last time I ordered this. A side of onion rings makes the bad thoughts go away.

Food For Thought is Archiving with OD now!

Ha ha, Optical Disk issues are fun to work on as they rarely require cleanups of the MAGIC data. Anyway I'm not archiving to OD but I am setting up a website with archived articles so you can read that recipe or opinion you've forgotten about. It can be found HERE but please don't fret if it's not ready yet! It depends on how fast I can get the files up and running so it may take some time to finish.

Recipe of the Quarter

Hungarian Goulash

I know I should be giving you a good grilling recipe, but golly gosh I'm just not in the mood right now. What I do have is a secret Apgar family recipe that I offer freely to you. I might even have some Hungarian in me... I'm not sure. Even if you don't cook the meat properly and it ends up being all tough and chewy, the flavor of the sauce makes up for it. Don't get scared away from the ingredients, most things should be on your spice rack.

Ingredients:
2 pounds stew beef, cut up into 1" squares
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup margarine
3/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup cold water

Directions

1. Brown beef, onion and garlic with margarine in SKILLET (to foster evaporation later on).
2. Stir in 1 1/2 cups water, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, dry mustard, paprika and salt
3. Heat to boil, then reduce heat. Cover to simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
4. Simmer a bit longer uncovered to thicken sauce, or make the flour & coldwater mixture, add gradually and stir in vigorously until thickness is desired.
5. Heat to boiling and stir for 1 minute.
6. Serve over egg noodles.

Questions and Answers

Please submit any and all food questions to me by email.

Q: I love Meatloaf but watching it boil in its own fat disgusts me. What else can be done?
Submitted By: Anonymous

A: Well, instead of cooking the meatloaf in a bread loaf pan, place it as a football-shaped mound on top of a cookie sheet. This will cause a maximum "crustage" which most people seek in a meatloaf, and it won't stew in its own juices. And please, don't use bread cubes... use bread crumbs when making meatloaf. Seeing spots of bread in a loaf is nasty.

(Historical note: Growing up I was disgusted by meatloaf and refused to eat it, so my mom poured spaghetti sauce over it during the last 5 minutes of cooking time, and told me it was a giant meatball. Of course I ate it right up.)