Week #23: Mississippi - Po Boy Catfish and Shrimp Pizza

Gluten & Corn Free Crust and Batter

State:  Mississippi

From what I researched about Mississippi, the state has Cajun roots just like Louisiana.  I didn't want to do a dish that was too close to what I did before, so I did a little more research on what dishes are popular.  From what I gathered, fried catfish Po Boy sandwich is a big food staple in this state.  So, I decided to take on the challenge of doing a fried catfish and shrimp Po Boy.  Experimenting with catfish is not my expertise, but I was very surprise at how good it turned out.  

Ingredients:

Fried Catfish & Shrimp:

 1/2 lb. of catfish or 1 fillet cut in half or 3 pieces depending on size.

 1/4 cup milk or half & half or light cream

 1 egg

 1/8 cup Rice flour for Gluten-Free recipe or all-purpose flour

 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper

 1/2 tsp of ground mustard

 1/2 tablespoon of Creole Seasoning (see below) or Cajun seasoning

 1-2 dashes of Tabasco pepper sauce

 1/8 cup canola oil for frying, or as needed

Creole Seasoning Mix:

1 tbsp. paprika

1 tbsp. salt

1 tbsp. garlic powder

½ tbsp. black pepper

½ tbsp. cayenne pepper

½ tbsp. dried leaf oregano

½ tbsp. dried thyme

Sauce:

1 can of tomato sauce

2 tbsp. of Creole seasoning

1 tsp. of onion powder

1 tsp. of cumin

Salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup of cheddar cheese
1 pizza crust (Saved money on 1 pizza) - Gluten Free 

Sauce:

The sauce was very easy.  Open can of tomato sauce and add seasonings.  Heat until sauce is warm.  Turn off and set to the side.

Gluten-Free Shrimp Batter

Gluten-Free Catfish Batter

Meat:

First, soak the fish and shrimp separately in milk or cream for at least 30 minutes.  You can do this by placing the meat and milk in a Ziploc freezer bag.  You can add back into the fridge for 15 minutes or so.  Next, in a small bowl, whisk the egg and Tabasco sauce together until mixed thoroughly.  In another a medium bowl or pie pan, mix the flour and spices together.  Dip the fish pieces into the dry mixture, then into the egg, and then back into the dry mixture again.  I repeated the process one more time to get a double coat. Do the same process with the shrimp.  By doing this process to the meat, the batter will stay intact and will fry beautifully.  

Heat enough oil in the pan to cover the bottom and cook over medium heat.  Fry each piece of meat on its side for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.  Sprinkle additional creole seasoning on the top to add additional flavor for the fish and shrimp.  Place cooked pieces of meat unto a plate with paper towels to absorb excess oil.  Once meat is cooled down, cut fish into small bite sized pieces and set aside.  

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and cook crust for 5-7 minutes or until slightly browned.  Next, add a nice coat of sauce to the crust of the pizza.  Place pieces of fish and shrimp along the pizza crust.  Make sure that the meat ingredients are spread out evenly along the pizza.  Next, add a small layer of cheddar cheese across the top of the pizza.  Remember, the cheese is designed to enhance the flavor of the pizza, but not over power it.  If you put on too much cheese, you will lose the taste of the fish and shrimp.  

Place into oven for 5-7 minutes or just enough to melt the cheese down.  Pull out of oven and set aside.  Wait till pizza is cool before eating. 

Pairing:

So when making the pizza, I wasn't able to find a Mississippi beer.  I know a store that sells them, but I didn't have time to drive all the way across the town for 1 beer.  Yes, of course it is a great excuse to find one beer, but maybe next time.  When it comes to pairing a beer with a pizza, I would go with Lazy Magnolia's IPA or Timber Beast, which is a rye pale ale.  The pizza will give a spicy tomato or acidic edge, so a beer with a lot of hops will pair well.  If you are unable to find Lazy Magnolia, just try an IPA or Pale Ale.  For wine, I would go with a dry white wine like a chardonnay.  

Learning Moments:

After cooking the pizza, I got too excited about eating it, I forgot to take a photo of the whole pizza.  You figure after 23 weeks of making pizzas, I would have gotten this down to a science.  Either way, this challenge expanded my horizons in cooking. This was the first time I ever fried shrimp without Old Bay seasoning and the first time I ever cooked catfish before.  Being that I am from Maryland, it is almost sacrilegious to not use old bay on seafood.  This challenge has taken my cooking to newer depths and has challenged me to try new recipes in a shorter time frame.  I didn't know if I was going to like catfish, because I am not a big fish eater.  After cooking this dish, I may have to do it again soon!  I would highly recommend making this pizza, as it was very delicious!! 

Week #22: Minnesota - Tator Tot Hot Dish Pizza

State:  Minnesota

Before starting the pizza, I researched the state of Minnesota and found out that one dish dinners are the common meal.  Pronounced by locals as "hoddish", hot dish meals are great comfort food for cold winters and are very popular.  I can totally see myself eating this hot dish meal, so I decided on making this a pizza.  The ingredients were a little different than what I am used to, but it turned out pretty good.  I chose this hot dish recipe for the pizza, because I hear this one is popular.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lb of hot Italian turkey or some type of lean meat
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1/2 a bag of frozen peas and carrots
1/2 a bag of frozen corn
1/2 a cup of cream of mushroom soup (see below for recipe if doing scratch)
1 pound of cooked tator tots (see instructions for bag)
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Soup:
4 ounces fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons onions, chopped
1 tbsp of minced garlic
1 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons rice or tapioca flour - to make gluten free
1 small carton of organic chicken stock
1/2 cup of light cream or whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste
1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg

Sauce:

First, chop up the mushrooms into petite sized portions.  Melt butter in a large frying pan and add in the onions, garlic, and mushrooms.  Cook until onions are translucent and soft.  Next, stir in 2 tbsp. of flour and create a roux until slightly brown. 

Add in the chicken broth and heat until slightly thickened.  Add in 1 tbsp. of flour and stir until dissolved.  Then add in cream and heat to sauce becomes thicker.  Stir frequently.  Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Once sauce thickens, remove from the heat and set aside. 

Meat:

For the meat, I wanted something with some heat and wanted to stay lean, as this pizza is going to pack in some fatty calories.  In a medium pan, heat up 1 tsp of canola oil and add turkey to the pan.  Ensure to break up into small pieces and cook turkey until gray or until pink is gone from the meat. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 400 or 450 degrees for a pizza crust from scratch.  Add a thin layer of olive oil to your pizza crust.  Put crust into the oven and allow to bake for 5-10 minutes or until slighly browned.  Do not overcook the crust.  The time will depend on what type of crust you are using.  Take pizza out of oven.

Next add the turkey and veggies to the base of the pizza.  Spread out thoroughly to ensure all areas are covered equally.  Next, add a layer of the sauce over top of the meat and veggies, covering the whole pizza.  Take cheddar cheese and spread over top of the pizza.  Finally, add the cooked tator tots along the pizza.  Cook for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted over the casserole.  Remove from oven, turn off oven, and allow to cool before eating.  Sauce can be VERY hot. 

Pairing:

Trying to find a beer from Minnesota can be a challenge living in Tampa, FL.  There are some great breweries in Minnesota from what I hear, but I am not familiar with them.  The type of beer I would serve with this pizza, is something that would be a dark rum or bourbon aged porter or imperial stout.  When I think of eating this pizza in MN, I think of Winter time and you need something to warm you up.  When it comes to a wine, a Merlot would be a good selection for the pizza. 

Learning Moments:

Doing this pizza, I wasn't really sure where it was going to go or if it would taste good.  I thought about making the casserole first and then placing it on top of the pizza, but decided not to.  The pizza turned out very good, but I would consider making a different casserole dish.  After I made the pizza, I realized that a green bean casserole and smoked ham pizza would be killer.  I may end up doing this state over again just for that combination.  It sounds really good.  Either way, this pizza turned out pretty good and was very tasty.  How can you go wrong with tator tots??  Enjoy!  

Week #21: Michigan - Detroit Style Squared Pizza

Michigan:  Detroit Style Square Pizza

When I think of the state of Michigan, I think of Detroit, Wolverines, Eminem, Chrysler & Dodge, and Motown music.  I never once thought of Little Caesar’s Pizza.  That’s right, the home town of Little Caesar’s Pizza is in Garden City, Michigan.  The founder Mike Ilitch played farm baseball for the Detroit Tigers founded the national franchise back in 1959 (Courtesy of Little Caesar’s website).   When I was in high school, we used to eat Little Caesar’s pizza like it was going out of style. 

Going into this challenge, I wanted to tackle the Little Caesar’s Detroit Style Squared-pizza.  Any time there is a pizza known for the city, I have to take up the challenge and I am glad I did.  The pizza was outstanding and I definitely would make this pizza again.  So for all my readers who come from Michigan, I hope I made your pizza with authenticity!! 

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F)

1 package fast-acting yeast

1.5 cups all-purpose flour - plus more for dusting

1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of onion powder

Oil, for greasing bowl

Sauce:
1 large can of crushed tomatoes + 1/2 can of water
1 can of tomato paste
1/3 cup of chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup of dried Italian herb mix
1 tbsp of minced garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/4 cup of olive oil

1 cup of Wisconsin Brick Cheese or 1/2 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup of white cheddar
1 cup of cooked Hot Italian turkey sausage
1/2 cup of sliced green onion

Crust: 

This is the first time I made squared pizza dough, but what I have learned is that it is the same recipe.  The only difference to making this pizza is how you form the crust.  When making the dough, pour 1/2 cup warm water and add the yeast.  Stir with a fork to dissolve. Let sit until foaming for 5 to 10 minutes. 

Add the remaining water. Add the flour, onion powder and salt all at once and mix together with your fingers.  I usually have a little extra water in case it doesn't get the right consistency. The dough should be very sticky. Add the oil and form into a ball.  Set aside and allow dough to rest for 15-20 minutes or so.  

Cooking the Crust:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Grease a square baking pan with canola oil.  Take the dough and form into a square to meet all the corners.  Ensure that the dough is evenly distributed in a square, because it will rise and you want to ensure it rises evenly.  Add a thin layer of olive oil onto the crust to enhance the flavors of the dough.  Cook for 10-12 minutes or until slightly brown.  All areas of the crust should be cooked and almost flakey.  Set aside.  Turn oven down to 400 degrees.

Sauce:

For the sauce, I made it the way that I would make a traditional sauce.  However, use your creativity and make it your own.  First, I added a can of the tomato paste and crushed tomatoes into a medium sauce pan.  Then, add the water and turn the stove on a medium temperature.  Cover and cook until sauce is all mixed well.  Add spices, oil, and basil.  Allow to cook for another 10 minutes or so and remove from heat. 

Meat:

The meat is completely optional and I would recommend doing your own thing.  I kept it simple, so I could focus more on the dough and taste of the pizza.  In a medium or large pan, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil and add in the ground hot turkey sausage.  You can change the type of sausage to pork, chicken, or even a mild sausage.  The hot Italian brought in some good flavor with the meat, so I would recommend it.  Cook until pink is gone from the meat and remove from the heat.  Set aside.

Pizza:

Time to put all the ingredients to work.  First, put a layer of the brick cheese or variations all over the pizza.  Then, add the sausage and spread out thoroughly onto the crust.  Remember, the pizza is going to be in square slices, so you want to make sure each square has balanced ingredients.  Next, add the green onions onto the pizza.  Place back into the oven for 5-7 minutes or just until the cheese is melted.  Remove from heat and add a line of sauce on each side. If sauce is cold, warm up sauce on the stove first.  Wait until pizza cools down and eat. 

Pairing:

A few months ago, I discovered Founders Brewing Company who makes amazing craft beer.  They have some great and robust flavors, which make all the beers, taste really good.  I decided to go with the Founder’s Porter to edge off the sauce of the pizza.  You can also pair the pizza with their All Day IPA, Centennial IPA, Dirty Scotch Ale, or Red Rye IPA if it is in season.  For a wine, go with a white wine to balance out the sauce.  I would recommend something like a Pinot Grigio to balance out the acidity of the sauce.  It’s up to you!  

Learning Moments:

There is always a learning moment when cooking and making pizza.  Luckily, the learning moment was not a bad one, but great one!  This pizza took me back to the old days of eating those $5 pizzas and when I ate the crust, I literally could taste the brand of Little Caesar’s Pizza.  I never had a tomato based pizza where the sauce was on top.  It was very good and was used more of a dipping sauce, which is what Little Caesar’s is known for.  I will definitely make this pizza again and I would highly recommend it to anyone to try making their own version.  Enjoy!!