Week #31: New York - Buffalo Wing Pizza

State:  New York

I used to live 4 hours away from NYC and have only visited one time in my life, which happened when I was living in Tampa.  It makes me wonder why I didn't go so much when I lived in Maryland.  I was originally going to do a traditional NY style pizza, but I do that all the time.  NYC pizza is my favorite style, so it would have been easy for me to do this version.  I debated between a Ruben style pizza or the Buffalo Wing Pizza.  I love making a buffalo chicken pizza, but not like this.  My goal was to focus on the wing itself, which is big in Buffalo and then I can pick apart the meat for the pizza.  When making the other version, people use meat from the breast.  I wanted to exclusively focus in on the wing, which is why this pizza was different.  In addition, the blue cheese base for the pizza was amazing.  I hope you try this pizza and make it your own.  Let me know what you think!  

Ingredients:

Buffalo Sauce:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup bottled hot sauce (Louisiana, Crystal or another brand) or more depending on your preference

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon of sugar or you can use 1/4 cup of honey

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Blue Cheese Sauce:

1 cup crumbled blue cheese

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 lbs of Chicken Wings

1 Pizza Crust

1/2 cup of white cheddar cheese

2 stalks of celery - diced into small pieces

salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

Blue Cheese:
Mix all ingredients together and stir together.  Set aside


Buffalo:

In a sauce pan, on medium heat melt the butter.  Next add in the hot sauce and seasonings.  Cook until sauce is mixed thoroughly and alter according to your own taste. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meat:

Preheat oven to 450.  Allow the wings to get near room temperature. In a mixing bowl, add the wings and 2 tablespoons of canola oil.  Salt and pepper wings to your taste.  On a greased pan or baking sheet, cook wings for 45 minutes or until 170 degrees.  I like my wings a little crispy, so I try to sear both sides of the wing.  After cooked, place into a new mixing bowl and add sauce.  Whisk around in the bowl until all wings are covered in the sauce.  Allow to cool.  After chicken has cooled, pull the meat off the bone and set aside. 

Don't be afraid to gobble down a couple of wings while you are doing this! :)

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 400.  If crust is from scratch, cook first at 450 for 7-10 minutes depending on size.  Next, add blue cheese sauce and coat the entire base of the pizza.  Add a layer of remaining sauce across the bottom of the pizza and then spread out the celery accordingly.   Spread out the chicken pieces across the pizza.  Add mozzarella cheese and bake for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Set aside and allow pizza to cool before eating.

Pairing:

When pairing a wing pizza, you have to have a nice pale ale or IPA.  The spicy flavors of the buffalo sauce and a pale ale make it go down very easy.  I decided to go with a double IPA from Brooklyn Brewery called the Blast IPA.  I love hoppy beer, so this made the pizza much more enjoyable.  When drinking wine, you need a nice Pinio or Riesling to balance out the spice.  Enjoy!  

Learning Moments:

This pizza is very similar to a traditional Buffalo chicken pizza.  The difference is the meat is actually from the wing and not the breast and the blue cheese base.  I really enjoyed this pizza and it was very tasty.  I know when people think of New York, they think of traditional pizza.  If you love wings, this is your pizza.  It is very tasty!  I hope you try it and enjoy it.  Let me know!

Week #30 : New Mexico - Carne Adovada Pizza

 State:  New Mexico

 Going into this challenge, I was very excited to use some of the flavors or staple dishes to this pizza.  New  Mexico brings the flavors of Mexico and Native American together in some amazingly great tasting food.  For  this dish, I decided to take on the Carne Adovada, which is basically a pork dish with a red New Mexican chili.   The chili is very mild, but has some really robust flavor.  

 Ingredients:

 1 tablespoons canola oil

 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

 2 tablespoons New Mexico red chili powder (Whole Foods, Walmart, etc)

 1 ¼  cups warm water

 1 tsp of minced garlic

 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano

 ¼ teaspoon ground cumin

 Salt to taste

 1 pound of pork shoulder cut into bite sized pieces

 1 Pizza Crust

 1 can of refried beans or 1 cup of homemade refried beans

 ½ cup of Mexican style cheese blend (Preferably freshly grated unless limited on time)

 Meat:

 Add oil to a medium frying pan and turn on medium heat.  Add pork to pan and brown on both sides or until  cooked.  

 Sauce:

 In a skillet or frying pan, heat oil over medium heat.  Stir in flour and brown until light golden brown. Blend in  the chili powder, then slowly add in the water.  Stir until all lumps are removed and the flour is mixed in.  Add garlic, oregano, cumin and salt, stirring until mixed in.  Add cooked beef to mixture, cover and simmer  on medium heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

 Pizza:

 Preheat oven to 450 for "from scratch" crust.  Coat the pizza crust with a thin layer of olive oil and bake in  the oven for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and lower oven down to 400.  Add a layer of the refried beans  and then add the meat, but ensure to space out along the pizza to ensure all slices will have meat.  Top with  a little bit of Mexican cheese.  Put in the oven for 4-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Remove from heat  and allow to cool.

 Pairing:

 I tried searching for a New Mexican craft beer, which is nearly impossible in Florida or at least Tampa.  For  this pizza, I would go with a pale, IPA, APA, or an amber ale.  I believe, a stout or porter would dilute the  spicy and acidity of the pizza.  For a wine, a Pinio Grigio or Chardonnay would pair well.  Go with a wine from  Chili, South Africa or Argentina for this pizza.  

 Learning Moments:

 Creating this pizza, I discovered a new love for the chili sauces of New Mexico and even in Colorado.  I have  changed the way I make chili and plan on changing the way I make stewed or pulled pork.  This challenge has  really stepped up my game and I hope it inspires you to do throw it down in the kitchen.  Cheers!  

Week #29: New Jersey - Trenton Tomato Pie

State:  New Jersey

I have been to New Jersey a couple of times and they are definitely known for pizza.  In Trenton, the famous pizza is the Tomato Pie.  A tomato pie is slightly different than a regular pizza, but has a significant taste.  I decided to go for it and this was very simple to make.  This pizza is very simple, but amazing!   I hope you enjoy it!

 

Ingredients:

1 can of whole peeled San Marzano Tomatoes

1/2 cup of Mozzarella cheese

1 pizza crust - from scratch or pre-made

olive oil

Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp of garlic

Sauce:

In a processor, puree the tomatoes till they become a sauce.  Remove from the processor and add to a bowl.  Add spices and stir until mixed thoroughly.  Set aside.

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  First, add a thin layer of olive oil to the bottom of the crust.  Next, add the mozzarella cheese all over the pizza.  The final step, take a spoonful of sauce and put in areas in between the cheese (see above).  Make sure there is space in between the sauce and cheese.  Put into oven and cook for 5-7 minutes.  Once crust seems like it has been cooked, turn on the broil function on low and watch carefully.  The key is to get a nice orange or burn on the top like it would in a brick oven.  Be careful not to overcook or burn the cheese. Watch until it gets slightly orange and then remove from heat. 

Pairing:

For this pizza, I went with a Flying Fish IPA from New Jersey.  This was a pretty good beer and I would recommend any pale ale or IPA with this.  For wine, a nice Pinot Noir or red blend would be good with this pizza. 

Learning Moments:

Again, the main and constant theme here to making pizzas is simplicity.  You do not need a lot of ingredients to make a really good pizza.  This pizza barely had any ingredients, but it tastes completely different from a regular style pizza.  I loved it and would definitely eat it again!!  Cheers!

Week #27: Nevada - Vegas Baby Buffet Pizza

State:  Nevada

This is one pizza that you won't want to leave in Vegas!!  Make this your own!  Vegas is known for all you can eat and so my thought was to think of buffet style food to put on this pizza.  I was going to do sushi, fried chicken, shrimp, steak, and mac & Cheese, but I decided that it might not all taste good together.  So my thought was to make it look big and get the traditional ingredients that you would normally see at Golden Corral or one of the other buffet places.  Mac & Cheese is always ready and available in a buffet.  On this pizza, for time purposes, I cheated and used a frozen Amy's Gluten Free M&C.  

So here is my idea of a Vegas pizza.  I may revisit one day when I have sushi leftovers and other strange foods in fridge....LOL. 

Ingredients Needed:

1 serving of Mac & Cheese (I cheated with Amy's Gluten Free Mac & Cheese)
1 thick slice of Roast Beef - diced into small pieces
1/4 lb of asparagus - diced 
1/2 cup or so of mozzerella cheese 
1 pizza crust
1/2 seasoned chicken 
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil to your discretion

Sauce:

For this pizza, there was no sauce.  I basically coated the bottom with olive oil and added mozzarella cheese on the bottom of the pizza.  

Meat:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Coat the half chicken with olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika.  Cook for 35 -45 minutes or until chicken reaches 170 degrees and is cooked through.  Remove from heat and set aside.  When cool, remove chicken breast from pizza and cut into bite size pieces.  

Pizza:

Preheat oven at 450.  Coat crust with a thin layer of olive oil.  Cook crust for 7-10 minutes or until slightly brown.  Remove from oven.  Next, add mozzarella cheese and cover the base of the pizza.  Then add the mac & cheese sparingly across to the pizza to ensure all slices are covered.  Add the diced asparagus, roast beef, and chicken breast onto the pizza.  Cook if necessary for another 3-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and enjoy! 

Pairing:

For pairing this pizza, it is honestly fair game.  This pizza would be good with a nice cab or Merlot.  When pairing with pizza, I chose to go with something hoppy like an IPA.  


  

Learning Moments:

For this pizza, anything goes.  I should have thrown on Fried chicken, clam strips, cocktail shrimp, and even some pudding...lol.  Make it your own and have fun with it.  There is no limits with this pizza.  Cheers and and I hope you enjoy!  

Week #28 - New Hampshire - Corn Chowder Pizza

State:  New Hampshire

The state of New Hampshire is known for chowder soups.  I would imagine that comfort food in the winter is a must have and I do not use corn that often, because my wife is allergic to it.  I decided that this would be the challenge that I would use it and make her a traditional pizza.  The chowder turned out really good and reminds me of a Key West Chowder that Whole Foods sells.  I hope you like it and give it a try!  Let me know if you do!  

Ingredients Needed:

1 pizza crust

1/4 cup of Mozzerella cheese
1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese

Chowder:

2 thick pieces of bacon

½ a small onion, finely chopped

½ red bell pepper, finely chopped

2-3 red potatoes cut into quarters

1 ½ cups corn kernels (I used frozen kernels defrosted)

1 cup chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup whole milk

Chowder:

In a medium sized pot, brown the bacon pieces to release all of the fat.   Next, use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon pieces.  Drain and save them for the pizza topping.  Sauté the onion and red pepper in the bacon fat.   Add in the potatoes and stir them around in the mixture, to ensure they get covered with the bacon fat.

Next, add the corn, broth, salt, and pepper. Please note that the bacon fat has a lot of salt, so be careful when adding it in.  Bring the chowder to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover.  Simmer until the potatoes are soft.  Puree 1/3 of the soup in a blender or food processor to make it more of a thicker consistency, but do not over puree it.  You want some of the vegetables to stay in the chowder.   Stir in the milk adjust the seasonings, returning to a boil.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Meat:
See section above on how to cook the bacon.  

Pizza:

Preheat oven at 450 degrees.  First, cook the crust until it turns a light brown or golden color, or for 7-10 minutes (See Above).  Next, take the chowder and add to the pizza.  Try to strain the chowder a little so the juice isn't flowing off of the sides of the pizza.  You don't want chowder boiling over onto your oven and smoking up your house.  I learned from experience in the past.  Make sure that chunks of potato and corn all over the slices.  Add the cheese and top with bacon pieces, or wait for the end if you over cooked the bacon.  Cook for 5 minutes or so, just enough to melt the cheese.  Pull from oven, set aside and allow to cool.  The chowder will be super hot, so don't burn yourself!  

Pairing:  Smutty Nose

New Hampshire has a good amount of breweries, but Smutty Nose is one of the most popular and you can buy it in Florida.  I went with the Oneofakind IPA, which was really tasty with the pizza.  You can also go with a porter to off balance the creamy taste.  A good wine would be something dry and oaky like a Chardonnay.  

Learning Moments:  

This challenge has me making more chowders than I ever have before and I really enjoy it.  I will save these recipes for those 4 cold nights in the winter.  :)   I learned that simplicity is sometimes the best thing.  I hope you try this one, because it was very tasty and I know you will enjoy it.  Cheers! 

Week #26: Nebraska - Nebraskan Runza Pizza

State:  Nebraska

For the state of Nebraska, I was originally going to use corn in the ingredients until I heard about the Runza.  A Runza is a like a Russian Hot Pocket.  Nebraska has a lot of immigrants from Russia and the Runza is a very popular dish here.  I decided to go the traditional route and instead of making a personalized Runza, I decided for the pizza challenge to do more of a Stromboli style pizza.  I really enjoyed it and I hope you do too!

Ingredients Needed:

1 cups warm water

1 packages quick or active dry yeast

1⁄4 cup sugar

1⁄2 and ¼ teaspoons salt

1 egg

1⁄8 cup butter, melted

3 1⁄4 cups flour

Filling:

1⁄2 lbs hamburger

1⁄4 cup onion, chopped

1.5 cups cabbage, shredded

1⁄4 cup water

½ and ¼ teaspoons salt

1⁄4 teaspoon pepper

Runza Dough:

First, mix water, yeast, sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved.  Then add the egg and melted butter.   Stir in flour and put in the freezer for 15 minutes or refrigerate for 4 hours, depending on how much time you have. 

Filling:

In a medium pan or skillet on medium heat, brown the ground meat.  Add the onion and cook until it becomes translucent.  Next, add the cabbage, seasonings and water, simmering for 15-20 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside until mixture cools. 

 

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 450.  On a pizza stone, thin out the dough like you would when making a pizza.  Add a thin coat of olive oil to the crust.  Next on one half of the crust, add all of the mixture and then a layer of cheddar cheese on top.  Leave at least one inch from the bottom.  Next, gently fold over the dough till it gets to the end of the mixture.  Finally, fold over the last inch and mold across with a fork.  Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is slightly browned.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  The Runza pizza will be very hot, so you need to cool it down before you eat it.  You can also slice it in sections to cool faster.   

Pairing:

This is comfort food and a spicy or hoppy beer would go great with this.  I decided on an IPA and did not find a beer from Nebraska.  I hear that Nebraska Brewing Company is putting out some great beer, so I would try something from them. 

Learning Moments: 

I wish I would have stuffed the Runza with more of the mixture.  I felt that I had more dough than actual meat and veggies.  Also, I also used mozzarella cheese and would prefer a cheddar cheese with this, as it would have made it pop with flavor more.  Overall, this was very good and tasted really good.  It is definitely worth trying!!  Cheers!

Week #25: Montana - Finger Steak & Gravy Pizza

State:  Montana

When I think of Montana, I think of the open range and cattle.  After doing research, I found out that the state is known for a popular dish called Finger Steaks.  Basically, they are chicken tenders but made with cube steak, which is very similar to country fried steak.  Instead of having long strips, I cut into smaller bite size pieces for the pizza.  Montana and everyone else, I hope you enjoy!!

Ingredients Needed:

Meat:

1/2 pounds Tenderized Round Steak or Cube Steak, Cut Into 1-inch Strips

1 cup Flour

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1/4 tsp Cayenne

3 whole Eggs

1 cup Milk

½ cup of Canola Oil or enough to fry in

1 tbsp of Butter for Frying

Gravy

1 cups Milk (additional)

4-5 tbsp of flour or flour mixture from above

¼ cup of cooked grease

Salt And Pepper, to taste

1 Pizza Crust

Gravy:

Remove all the grease from the pan, but save ¼ cup and add back into the pan.  Add 4-5 tablespoons of flour or use the mixture with the spices.  Whisk the flour into the grease to create a roux and cook on medium heat until it turns a golden brown color.  Whisking constantly, pour in the milk and allow gravy to cook until it thickens.  Whisk regularly to keep gravy smooth and add more milk if gravy becomes to thick.  Remove from heat and add salt/pepper to taste. 

Meat:

First, combine flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a dish.  Whisk together the milk and eggs in a separate dish.  Next, dredge the meat into the flour, dip quickly into the egg mixture and then dredge back into the flour.  Continue until all the meat is breaded.

Heat the canola oil with 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat.   Place the steak pieces into the pan, usually 4 or 5 at a time .  The goal is not to crowd the pan.  Turn the steak midway through to ensure there is a good sear on both sides.  When both sides are a golden brown color, remove the strips from the pan and place onto a paper towel-lined plate.   Continue process until all of the strips are cooked. Remove from heat and set aside.  

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook crust until slightly brown or 5-7 minutes.  Next, add sauce onto crust and add a layer of mozzarella cheese.  Add finger steak pieces and then add additional sauce onto top of finger steaks.  Cook for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  

Pairing:  

When pairing a beer for this pizza, I attempted to find a Montana beer and had no such luck.  Montana has great brewing companies like Big Sky Brewing, Flathead Lake, and Bozeman.  A good amber or red ale would be great for this pizza.  For wine, go with a soft red like a Chianti or a Cabernet.  

Learning Moments:

I really enjoyed this pizza and it was very simple to make.  Next time I make it, I will use the cube steak as it is tougher to chew real steak on a pizza.  The finger steaks will be much easier to eat that way.  Overall, I enjoyed it and would make it again.  I hope you like it too!