Week #50: Wyoming: Chicken Fried Steak & Gravy Pizza

State: Wyoming

No surprise here, but I have never been to Wyoming.  From what I hear, it is beautiful if you are the outdoors type.  After doing research, I discovered that Chicken Fried Steak & Gravy is big in Wyoming.  Since this is my last pizza and I have never made chicken fried steak before, I wanted to use this for a pizza.  I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

Steak:
1 pound cube steak
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1 cup flour
1 tsp. of onion powder
1 teaspoon or preferred amount of ground black pepper
Canola oil

Gravy:
3 heaping tablespoons flour
2 cups cold milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pizza crust
1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese

Gravy:

After cooking the steaks, scoop out about 4 tablespoons of the drippings and oil from the pan.  Please make sure not to include the brown cooked bits, which will make the gravy taste burnt.  Add the flour, stirring until well mixed. Over medium heat, slowly add the milk while stirring constantly. Cook until the gravy comes to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meat:

Cover the bottom of a large frying pan with enough oil to reach about 1/4-inch up the pan. Heat pan over medium-high heat. 

Whisk together the milk and egg in a shallow bowl.  Set aside. Place the flour in a shallow dish with salt and pepper.   Coat the steaks in the egg mixture, then toss in the bowl of flour.  Repeat the step one more time and then add to the pan. Cook until the bottom of the steak is nice and brown or around 3-5 minutes.  Flip steak over and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Be careful to not overcook or the flour will burn.  Continue this process until all the steaks are cooked and place onto a paper towel-lined plate.

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 450.  Cook crust for 10 minutes or until slightly browned.  Turn down heat to 400 degrees.  Coat the entire base of the pizza with the gravy.  Next, add the pieces of the steak onto the pizza, spreading out so each slice will have an even share of meat.  Sprinkle meat with some more gravy and add the cheese along the pizza.  Put into oven for 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to pizza cool before cutting or eating. 

Pairing:

For this pizza, you need something hoppy or something to bring out some richness into the dish.  I would choose an IPA or an Imperial Ale to bring out some flavor pairing with the two.  Cheers!

Learning Moments:

This is the first time I have ever made chicken fried steak and may not be the last.  This pizza was the final state inspired dish of this challenge and I have challenged myself along the way to get inspired by some of these local favorite dishes.  See blog section for a recap of all the pizzas and my top 5.  Enjoy! 

Week #49: Wisconsin - Brats & Beer Cheese Soup Pizza

State:  Wisconsin

When I think of Wisconsin, I think of cheese curds, beer, brats and the Packers.  From what I researched, beer cheese soup is a popular dish and bratwursts are very common as well. When making a pizza with bread flour, I had to do the beer cheese soup and brats pizza.  I hope you enjoy this, as it was very tasty. 

Ingredients:

4 ounces bock beer (I used Scotch ale)

1⁄2 cup onion - minced

1⁄2 cup carrot - minced

1⁄2 cup celery - minced

1⁄4 cup sweet red pepper - minced

1/2 (10 1/2 ounce) carton organic chicken broth

1⁄4 cup flour

1/2 cup half-and-half

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese - shredded

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt and pepper to preference

Soup:

Open beer and let stand while mincing vegetables.  In a medium soup pot, sauté the vegetables with 1 tablespoons of butter until they become translucent.  Add flour and create a roux, stirring until golden brown.  Add chicken broth and stir.  Add half of the beer and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low.  Pour remainder amount of beer into pot.  Stirring continuously, add half &half and cheese.  Heat until cheese melts.  Stir in sugar.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir until mixture thickens.  Remove from heat and allow soup to cool. 

Brats:

Preheat oven to 400.  Cook brats on both sides until they get a nice sear.  Remove from oven once the Brats reach 170 degrees and are mostly gray in color. Allow to cool and cut into slices. 

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 450.  Cook crust for 10 minutes or until slightly browned.  Turn down heat to 400 degrees.  Scoop out soup with a ladle and pour onto pizza.  Make sure to pour in small quantities, so that you do not go over the edges of the pizza crust.  Next, add the slices of bratwurst onto the pizza, spreading out so each slice will have an even share of meat.  Put into oven for 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to pizza cool before cutting or eating. 

Pairing:

When pairing a beer with this pizza, I decided to use Scotch ale versus a bock beer just for the flavor that the Scotch ale brings.  So I would recommend a Scotch or Bourbon Ale, or even an Imperial Stout.   Cheers!

Learning Moments:

This was the first time I made beer cheese soup and it is so thick, I could not imagine myself to eat it without the pizza crust.  I did find the soup tasty, but by itself, it would be too much.  This challenge has had me learn how to make things I normally I would not make.  I love where this challenge is taking my cooking skills and will force me to learn how to cook better.  Hope you try and enjoy this pizza!

Week #48: West Virginia - Mountaineer Chicken & Dumplings Pizza

State:  West Virginia

I have only visited West Virginia once, which was Charles Town for a Lolapooloza concert in 1994.  Lalapalooza was an all day festival, hosting the Beastie Boys, Tribe Called Quest, Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day, and many more well-known bands.  We were in High School and were pulled over by the police for throwing beer cans out of the window.  Luckily for us, we just had to dump the beer out and we were allowed to leave.  I was a much different person then, but the memory is clear as yesterday.  So when thinking about the state, I really did not have much to think about.  However, in my research, I found out that WV is known for Chicken & Dumplings.  Now my grandmother made killer C&D, which my mom has lived on with the recipe.  This is the first time I made it, which actually turned out really good.  This was my wife's first time eating chicken and dumplings, which she loved!  I hope you enjoy this pizza, because it was REALLY amazing!

Ingredients:

3 Chicken breast cutlets

1 12 oz. container of chicken broth

2 carrots - peeled and diced

1 small onion - diced

DUMPLINGS:

1 c flour

1 tsp salt

2 Tsp baking powder

1/3 c milk

Salt & pepper to taste

1 Pizza Crust

1 block of White Cheddar Cheese

Chicken & Dumplings:

Combine chicken, celery, carrots, onion, chicken broth, parsley, chicken bouillon granules, salt and pepper in a large pot.  Add enough water to cover chicken.  Bring chicken and water to a boil.  Then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove chicken and let stand until cool enough to handle.  Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.  Add meat back into the water and add salt and pepper.  Add peas, carrots, and onions, simmering on low. 

In a mixing bowl, combine dumpling ingredients and mix well to form a stiff dough texture.  Drop by tablespoonful’s into simmering soup.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 450.  Cook crust for 10 minutes or until slightly browned.  Turn down heat to 400 degrees.  Scoop out chicken and dumplings, arranging onto the pizza and ensure all areas of the crust are covered evenly.  Next, freshly grate cheddar cheese onto the chicken and dumplings.  Do not grate too much, just enough to add some extra flavor.  I would do 1/3 cup of cheese, just to add a little flavor without overdoing it. 

Pairing:

This pizza, you can use something to balance out the comfort, so I would go with a hoppy IPA or something with malty tones.  Of course I went with an IPA with a strong hoppy finish.  Cheers!

Learning Moments:

Why did I not ever make this before?  Man, this dish is amazing.  I love some Chicken & Dumplings!  This dish definitely reminds me of my mother and grandmother’s cooking.  The homemade version of dumplings is much better than the Bisquick versions.  I will definitely utilize this dish more often in our house.  I hope you enjoy this recipe!  

Week #47: Washington - Apple Cider Glazed Salmon & Apple Pizza

State: Washington

Washington is a coastal state, which focuses on seafood and produce.  When I think of the state of Washington, I think of apples and salmon.  So I found a recipe for an apple cider glazed salmon.  I definitely had to try this out and embrace the cooking of the West Coast.  I hope you enjoy this pizza, because it was excellent!  

Ingredients:

Apple Cider Glazed Salmon:

1 cup unfiltered apple cider

1 tbsp. honey

1 salmon fillets (1/2 lb.)

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. butter

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pizza crust
2 Green onion strands - diced

1 Washington apple – diced

¼ cup of Mozzarella

Glaze:

In a small pan and on medium heat, bring apple cider and honey to a boil.  The mixture reduces by about half, leaving you with a little more than 1/4 cup of glaze. Let the glaze cool down for a minute. 

Meat:

Arrange the salmon fillet skin-side down in medium in width bowl in a rimmed dish large enough to fit the fillet. Pour half of the honey cider glaze over the salmon and let it sit for 5 minutes. Leave the other half or 1/4 for the pizza crust.  Turn over the salmon, coating the other side and allow filet to sit for another 5 minutes in the glaze.  Heat olive oil in a medium skillet on medium-high.   Sprinkle the flesh side of the salmon fillet with salt and pepper.  Place the fillet flesh side down in the hot pan.  Cook for 2 minutes on medium high heat and while cooking, brush the sides of the fillet with some of the glaze.

Turn the salmon fillet over and brush with the remaining honey cider glaze.  Lower the heat to medium and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until the salmon is just barely cooked through.  Remove the pan from heat.  With any remaining juices, collect with a spoon and pour over top of the fish fillet.  Set aside for later. 

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 450.  Cook crust for 10 minutes or until slightly browned.  Turn down heat to 400 degrees.   Coat the base of the pizza crust with the saved apple cider glaze.  Next with a fork, flake apart the fish into smaller pieces.  Sprinkle fish across the base of the pizza.  Add diced apple and green onion.  Make sure to spread out, so each slice will have equal amounts.  Add cheese and place pizza into the oven for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Remove from heat and set aside for pizza to cool.

Pairing:

For this beer, I would recommend an IPA or something citrusy.  With seafood, a good pale ale or IPA can go a long way.  Cheers!

Learning Moments:

Before this challenge, I have never used salmon on pizzas and never made an apple cider glaze before.  This challenge is definitely opening up my cooking styles and will help me for whatever challenge lies ahead in the kitchen.  I will be ready to throw it down in the kitchen!   Enjoy! 

Week #45: Vermont - Maple & Pumpkin Breakfast Pizza

State:  Vermont

When I think of Vermont, I think of maple syrup and bacon.  So when deciding what to do for Vermont, I had to do a breakfast pizza.  I know some people are not a fan of breakfast food, but I LOVE me some bacon, sausage, and eggs for breakfast. Since it is the fall season, I had to add pumpkin into the pizza!  My goal was to bring sweet and salty flavors together for a pizza.  I hope you try out this pizza, because you are going to love it!

Ingredients:

1 sausage patty - diced into bit size pieces

4 scrambled eggs - I add black pepper to my eggs

3 strips of bacon

1 carton of pureed pumpkin

1 tsp of cinnamon

1 tsp of nutmeg

1 tsp of allspice

1 tsp of ginger

Maple syrup to taste

1 pizza crust (Added sugar to make it a sweet crust)

1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Sauce:

In a small bowl, add pumpkin, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon together.  Add in 2 tablespoons or so of maple syrup.  Mix well and set aside.

Meat:

Cook both the bacon and sausage normally.  Use a paper towel covered plate to absorb excess grease.  Cut into small pieces and set aside.

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 450.  Cook crust for 10 minutes or until slightly browned.  Turn down heat to 400 degrees.  First, cover the pizza crust with the pumpkin sauce base.  Next, add the meat and eggs, spreading out to cover all the areas of the pizza.  Then add the cheese as a topping.  Put pizza back into the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Remove from heat and allow to cool before eating.

Pairing:

For this pizza, I would recommend an oatmeal stout for this pizza.  I went with a stout and I went with a pumpkin beer from Magic Hat Brewing Company.  Magic Hat is one of the most recognized craft breweries in Vermont.  Cheers!

Learning Moments:

I realized with this pizza that you cannot go wrong with pumpkin, bacon, cheese, eggs, and sausage.  Any of those ingredients on a sugary pizza crust is amazing.  I cannot wait to make this pizza again, as it was amazing!!  Enjoy!

Week #44: Utah: Funeral Potatoes & Pastrami Pizza

State: Utah

I have never been to Utah, so when I was researching, I looked for dishes that are popular there.  With Salt Lake City being a large Mormon population, I found out that Funeral Potatoes is a very popular dish there.  Just like with most small churches, there is always some type of casserole dish.  When my father passed away, the Baptist Church had at least 5-8 different casserole dishes there.  They are comfort food and for funerals, it is all about helping people get comfortable.  Apparently, Pastrami burgers are very popular in Utah as well, so I decided to use Pastrami for the meat of the pizza.  With this challenge, I had to give it a whirl and I really enjoyed this pizza.  I hope you like it.  

Ingredients:

Utah Funeral Potatoes (Mormon Funeral Potatoes):

2 tbsp of butter, divided

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 a bag (32-ounce) of frozen shredded hash browns, thawed

1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 (8-10 ounce) box of organic cream of chicken soup

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 pizza crust

Additional Cheese for topping pizza

1/4 lb. of pastrami

Funeral Potatoes:

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan.  Cook according to the instructions on the bag.  Basically, brown both sides of the potatoes and add salt/pepper.  Remove from heat and allow potatoes to cool.  In a mixing bowl, add potatoes, butter, onion, soup, cheese, and additional salt & pepper.  Mix thoroughly and set aside for pizza recipe.

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 450.  Cook crust for 10 minutes or until slightly browned.  Turn down heat to 400 degrees.  With a spoon, add potato mixture to the base of the pizza crust and spread out like icing on a cake.  Add pieces of pastrami, spacing out to ensure all slices will be covered.  Then add cheese on top.  Place into oven and bake for 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Remove and allow pizza to cool before eating.

Pairing:

When you think of Utah, you normally do not think of great craft beer. However, Utah has a great brewery named Uinta, which produces some excellent beers.  My favorites are Hop Nosh and Dubhe IPA.  For this pizza, I went with an Imperial black IPA.  The goal is to balance out the cheesy and salty with a nice malty and hoppy finish.  Cheers!

Learning Moments:

I learned that casseroles are huge in America and every function in a church has some type of casserole or 1 dish recipes.  This one was a little different than Minnesota's version, because it had pastrami on it.  The pastrami really balanced out this dish.  This pizza was really good and is a must try!  Enjoy!

Week #43: Texas - Lone Star Brisket and Queso Pizza

State:  Texas

I traveled once to Texas for a business trip, but really did not get to experience what the state offers.  I went to Dallas and Houston airports, but did not see the cities.  I did stay in El Paso, TX for a couple of days and I tried to explore, but you really need a car to see some of the historical sites.  What I do remember most, is the great Tex-Mex food and definitely Queso!  So I wanted to make a pizza focused on traditional homemade queso.  I hope you enjoy, because we surely did!!

Ingredients:

Chile Con Queso:

1/2 onion diced (about 1/2 cup)

2 tsp of minced garlic

1 tsp of cumin

1 jalapeno pepper diced

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of flour

1 cup of whole milk

1 bunch of chopped and minced cilantro

½ lb of White American Cheese – Ask the deli to cut in blocks, then cut in squares

2 tomatoes, peeled and diced (about 1/2 cup)

Salt and pepper to taste

Queso:

1. Melt butter in a sauce pot on medium-low heat, and then cook the onions & peppers for about five minutes or until onions are translucent.

2. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

3. Whisk the flour into the butter, vegetable mix and cook for about 30 seconds.

4. Add the milk to the pot, and cook on medium, whisking constantly until sauce is thick, about five minutes. Stir in the cilantro, cumin and tomatoes.

5. Turn heat down to low, and slowly add the cheese stirring into the white sauce until completely melted. Repeat.

6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meat:

So this step was very easy.  I didn’t have 8-10 hours to slow cook a brisket, so I ordered from Holy Hog BBQ here in Tampa.  When I get a nice smoker, I will definitely do my own brisket.

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 450.  Cook crust for 10 minutes or until slightly browned.  Turn down heat to 400 degrees.  With a ladle, scoop out queso and ensure to cover all of the crust.   Tear up pieces of the brisket and lay onto pizza spreading out accordingly. Put into oven for 5 minutes to warm up queso and brisket.  Remove from oven and allow pizza to cool before eating.  Enjoy!

Pairing:

So when pairing a beer with this pizza, I would go with an IPA or Imperial stout.  I would usually pair a citrusy beer with this pizza, so it will balance out well.

Learning Moments:

So I learned how easy it is to make queso and not with Velvetta.  Seriously, if you are using synthetic processed cheese, you are not going to make it far in life.  That stuff will kill you!  Anyways, off of my ranting about synthetic cheese.  I really love fresh queso and using fresh ingredients, you can alter it to the way you want it.  I love cooking and this challenge is definitely helping me get outside of the box.  Hope you enjoy it too!

Week #42: Tennessee - Nashville Hot Chicken Pizza

State:  Tennessee

When thinking of Tennessee, you think of BBQ, Elvis, and Country music.  After researching, I learned that the Hot Chicken Sandwich is very popular in TN.  Since I love heat and chicken, I had to make a pizza out of this.  Since the sandwich is usually accompanied with fries, I had to put them on the pizza as well.  Here is my tribute to the state of Tennessee.  I hope you enjoy it!  It was very good.  

Ingredients:

1 lb of chicken fingers

1 cup of cooked French fries

1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 large egg

2 cups buttermilk or whole milk

2 tablespoons vinegar-based hot sauce (such as Tabasco or Texas Pete)

1 cups all-purpose flour

Canola Oil (enough to cover bottom of pan) - I am not deep frying the chicken fingers

6 tablespoons cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder or minced garlic

1 teaspoon paprika

Hot Chicken:

Sprinkle salt and pepper over top of the raw chicken. Next, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, and hot sauce in a large bowl.  In another bowl, combine flour and 2 teaspoons salt.  Add chicken fingers into egg and milk mixture, ensuring all sides are covered.  Then, dredge chicken into flour mixture, ensuring all sides are covered.  Continue the process one more time or three times if necessary. In a large frying pan, add enough oil to coat the bottom and turn on medium heat.  Cook on both sides of chicken until it reaches a dark brown.  Ensure chicken is cooked through at 170 degrees.  Remove from pan and allow chicken to dry on a plate with paper towels.  Allow chicken to cool, then cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside. 

Hot Sauce:

Whisk cayenne, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, and paprika in a medium bowl.  Carefully whisk in 1 cup frying oil and mix well. Brush fried chicken with spicy oil.  Save a little bit of oil mixture for crust. 

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 450.  Cook crust for 10 minutes or until slightly browned.  Turn down heat to 400 degrees.  Brush remaining oil onto pizza crust (See Learning Moments section).  Add a layer of cheddar cheese and add the cooked fries on top of the pizza.  Then, add the pieces of chicken across the pizza to ensure the pizza is covered appropriately.  Add a little more cheese and put back into oven for another 3-5 minutes to heat the cheese. 

Pairing:

With the heat of the chicken, the cheese and fries, this pizza screams for something acidic like an IPA.  For TN, I didn't have a beer from there at the time.  I will update this section very soon with a beer from TN.  Cheers!

Learning Moments:

I really enjoyed the pizza, but I wasn't a fan of using oil to coat the chicken finger.  When you put the pizza in the oven, it dried the chicken a little.  So, with that said, I would change from being oil base to more of a sauce based coating for the chicken.  I will probably take another stab at this pizza and use sweet potato fries instead.  The sweetness and the heat would make this pizza zing off the charts.  Overall, I enjoyed it, but with a hot sauce instead of oil, it would have been much better.  Hope you enjoy!  

Week #41: South Dakota - Sioux Falls Chislic Pizza

State:  South Dakota

So I have never been out to any of the Dakotas, so doing a pizza for this state took some research.  I do know that South Dakota is the nation's leading state for Bison and has a strong history of Native America influence in the cuisine.  When researching, I also found out that there is a strong German population that migrated to the Dakotas and Chislic became very popular.  Chislic is a seasoned meat, which could be Venison, Beef, Bison, or lamb. I decided to do a Bison Chislic, so I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of ground Buffalo meat or steak

2-3 potatoes cut thin

1 pizza crust

1/2 cup of cheddar cheese

1/2 cup of a creamy cheese (optional) - I did a Sarvechio from Italy

2 skewer sticks

Seasoning

1 1/2 tsp. Worchester Sauce

3/4 tsp. Chili Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp. Onion Powder

1/4 tsp. Ground Black Pepper

Meat:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  So for the Chislic, I decided to do ground bison instead of steak.  For the simple reason, that a pound of ground Bison is $10 and Bison steak is $20 a pound.  So, with that said, I went with the ground Bison.  Combine ground Bison, seasonings and Worcestershire sauce together.  Mix well and form into long style meatloaf.  With a teaspoon of olive oil, grease the skewer sticks and gently slide them in the center of the meat mixture.  Cook the Chislic for 20 minutes or so or until meat reaches 160 degrees.  Remove from heat and allow meat to cool.  Cut into small bite size pieces. 

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 450.  Add a layer of olive oil to the crust.  Cook crust until slightly browned and remove from heat.  While the crust is still warm, add a layer of creamy cheese to the base.  Add slices of potatoes to the pizza and spread out evenly. Next add meat pieces on top of the potatoes and then add a layer of cheddar cheese.  Cook pizza in the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Remove from heat and allow pizza to cool before eating.

Pairing:

For this pizza, I wasn't able to find a beer from South Dakota.  However, I was able to find a nice coffee stout to go with this pizza.  I would recommend a stout or imperial ale.  For wine, a Chianti or Pinot Noir would go very well.  Cheers!

Learning Moments:

So, if I could change a couple things on this pizza, I would have gone with the steak and I would have created some type of sauce.  It was a little too dry, so I had to put some extra Worcestershire sauce on it.  The pizza needed some type of sauce, so maybe a cheese sauce would have been great.  With that note, the meat tasted really good and the pizza was almost close to being amazing.  Hope you make a few tweaks and make it your own!  Enjoy!

Week #46: Virginia - Brunswick Stew Pizza

State: Virginia

Living in Maryland, I have visited many parts of Virginia.  All the way from Arlington to the southwestern part of Bristol.  Virginia is a beautiful state with mountains, valleys, farmlands, and apparently is for lovers.  I used to have a 1967 VW Bug and would go to the Bug In's with my dad in Manassass, VA.  Some other fun places to go in VA is Kings Dominion, Busch Gardens, and Williamsburg.  The Busch Gardens in my opinion is better than the one here in Tampa.  After doing research, I realized that the Brunswick Proclamation Stew is very popular in Virginia.  I have never made it or tasted it, so I figured that I would give it a try and I am glad I did.  This pizza was very tasty.  Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breast cutlets (2-3)

1 small onion - diced

2 ribs celery - diced

Water to cover

1 large can crushed tomatoes plus their juices

2-3 medium white potatoes - peeled (about 1 pound total)

1-2 cups of lima beans (Your Preference)

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 Pizza crust

1/2 cup of Mozzarella cheese

Stew:

First, combine chicken cutlets with onion in a medium stockpot.  Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. With a spoon, skim off and throw away any foam that forms on the surface. Add the celery and reduce the heat to medium to maintain a low boil. Cook uncovered for about 15 minutes or so.

Transfer the whole chicken, celery and onion to a bowl to cool.  Use a slotted spoon to remove any bits of fat and/or skin from the broth. Add tomatoes with juices, lima beans and diced potatoes. Cook uncovered over medium heat for 15 minutes or until the potatoes and lima beans are tender.

Season the stew with salt, black and cayenne pepper. Stir thoroughly, cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Next, chop the chicken up into bite sized pieces and add back into pot.  Cook for another 10 minutes and remove from heat.

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 450.  Cook crust for 10 minutes or until slightly browned. Remove from heat and turn down heat to 400 degrees.  With a slotted spoon, scoop out pieces of the stew and arrange evenly along the pizza crust.   With a slotted spoon, scoop pieces of the soup and put across the crust.  Make sure that you have pieces spread out evenly so each slice will have equal amounts of the mixture.  Next, with a ladle add about 1/2 of the stew along the crust. Please Note: Don't put too much stew broth onto the crust or it will leak over into a hot oven surface.  Finally, add the cheese on top and place into oven for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool before serving. 

Pairing:

For this pizza, you have to go with a stout or some type of porter.  This stew is made for the cold winter days and with a stout, it will keep you nice and warm.

Learning Moments:

At the step where the potatoes were tender, I should have taken out half of them and mashed them in the stew.  This would have thickened it a little better.  Either way, the stew and taste was really good.  When you added the mozzarella cheese, it made it taste amazing!  Enjoy!

Week #40: South Carolina - Old Charleston Shrimp & Grits Pizza

State:  South Carolina

I have been to South Carolina four times I think, but it was stopping through to a gas station on the way to Maryland or Florida.  What I do know about South Carolina is that they are well known for their shrimp and grits.  I love me some shrimp and grits, so I had to try it out.  For this pizza, I found an Old Charleston recipe, which incorporated bacon and sausage.  How could you go wrong with shrimp, bacon, and sausage?  This pizza was comfortably delicious and definitely worth trying!  Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup coarsely ground grits

3 cups water

2 teaspoons salt

1 pizza crust

1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices

3 slices bacon

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup chopped green onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Grits:

Bring water to a boil and add grits.  Reduce the temperature to a simmer and allow 15-20 minutes for the grits to cook.  Once grits thickens, add butter, salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat and allow grits to cool.

Shrimp Mixture:

In a bowl, sprinkle salt, pepper and cayenne pepper over shrimp.  Mix thoroughly.  In a medium pan, cook sausage slices over medium heat and cook until browned.  Take out sausage and set aside.  Add bacon and cook until evenly browned.  Transfer bacon to a plate with paper towels to absorb excess grease.  Retain 2 tablespoons of grease and discard the rest.  Add in the yellow bell peppers and garlic cooking until the onion is translucent.  Add in shrimp and sausage to pan. 

In a medium saucepan on medium heat, melt butter.  Once melted, add in flour to make a roux or a smooth paste.  Turn heat to low and stirring roux constantly, until the mixture is brown in color. Make sure not to burn the roux or you will have to start over.  Pour the butter-flour mixture into the skillet with sausage, shrimp, and vegetables.  Place the skillet over medium heat and pour in chicken broth, bacon and Worcestershire sauce.  Cook and stir sauce until it thickens and the shrimp are a bright orange or pink.

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 450.  Cook crust until slightly browned and remove from heat.  Next, lower oven temperature down to 400.  Add a layer of cheese to the base of the pizza.  Then, with a spooned ladle, scoop out mixture and apply to pizza crust.  Make sure to spread out toppings to ensure all slices will have equal parts.   Top off the pizza with green onion and place into oven for another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow pizza to cool before eating.  

Pairing:

So for this pizza, I was trying to find a Thomas Creek, but the beer store was all out.  However, I did find a Bayshore IPA, which is a Tampa beer and it was brewed at the Thomas Creek brewery.  Technically, this beer was brewed in SC, so it all worked out.  An IPA is good for this pizza, since you need some type of acid or citrus taste to balance out the pizza.  You can also go with a Pinot Noir or a Chardonnay for this pizza.  Cheers!

Learning Moments:

For this pizza, I skipped the flour part as I did not have any gluten-free flour.  I think it would have made a big difference in the sauce, but either way this pizza was tasty.  Anytime you have sausage and shrimp, you can't go wrong.  This challenge is definitely taking me outside my comfort zone.  This pizza was really tasty!  I hope you enjoy!   

Week #39: Rhode Island - Clam Chowder Pizza

State: Rhode Island

Going into this challenge, I wasn't sure if I wanted to do another chowder pizza.  Rhode Island's chowder is more like a soup with a broth consistency.  So, to honor the last chowder pizza of this challenge, I decided to tweak the recipe a little to make it my own.  This pizza turned out really good and was worth it. 

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. of chopped parsley

1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese

3 strips of bacon

1 pizza crust

Chowder:

2 medium sized diced red potatoes

3 celery stalks cut in half (long ways) and diced

1 can of clams

1/2 small Spanish onion

Salt and pepper to taste

1 carton of chicken broth

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. of garlic powder

1 tbsp. of butter

Soup:

In a medium sauce pot, cook the bacon until browned on both sides.  Once cooked, drain the majority of the grease from the pot except for 1-2 tablespoons.  On medium heat, add potatoes, onion and celery.  Stir constantly for about 5 minutes or onions are translucent.  Add in chicken broth and bring to a boil, then add clams.  Reduce heat and cover for 5 minutes or so.  Add the butter, Worcestershire sauce, and spices.  Stir until all is mixed in thoroughly.  Remove from heat and set aside.
  

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 450.  Cook crust for 7-10 minutes or until slightly brown.  Add a half of the amount of mozzarella cheese on across the crust.  With a slotted spoon, scoop pieces of the soup and put across the crust.  Make sure that you have pieces spread out evenly so each slice will have equal amounts of the mixture.  Next, with a spoon add about 2-3 spoonful’s of the broth along the crust. Please Note: Don't put too much broth onto the crust or it will leak over into a hot oven surface.  Put the rest of the cheese on top and place into oven for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Remove from oven and put pieces of bacon onto pizza. Sprinkle the parsley across the pizza and cut into slices.  Serve and enjoy!

Pairing:

When pairing a chowder pizza, I would suggest a good porter, stout, or scotch-aged ale. For wine, a nice soft Cabernet or Chianti would be good with this pizza.

Learning Moments:

After doing this challenge, I have learned how make my first chowder to eventually making my own recipe.  I plan on making plenty of these style soups, using different ingredients.  I think I need to make a Maryland and Florida chowder next!  This challenge has really helped me step up my game, creating new cooking styles and techniques.