My pizza experiment had a big night tonite with the consumption of four different pizzas at our weekly game night so that our frends could help us test (and enjoy) the pizzas. They hadn't had Malnati's pizza before, but they were still able to weigh in on the taste and texture of the dough and on the tomatoes and cheese varieties. In my picky fashion, I gave them the whole spiel about the history of Chicago style pizza and Malnati's. Hopefully I didn't annoy them too much. Or, if I did, then hopefully the delicious pizza helped make up for it.
The four pizzas I tested tonite were mostly for the sake of testing the amounts and types of oils/fats in the dough. After testing several crusts and baking multiple pizzas, I have gotten pretty close to the correct recipe. However I hadn't nailed down exaclty what sort of fat is used. It really seems like there should be butter in Malnati's dough, but Marc Malnati always says it's just oil. Most recipes give a combo of olive and vegetable oil, sometmes corn oil. I made some with those oils and some with butter - one with cold butter and one with melted butter. And honestly, the ones with no butter seemed much closer to Malnati's.
I actually think I am done testing now. Maybe next time I make some pizza I'll play with the recipe a tad, but mostly I think I'm not going to get much closer. Tonite's selections were very very close to the real deal. All of us agreed that Pizza A was tastiest and Dan and I definitley thought it was passable for a Malnati's mimic. I'm happy enough with the recipe that I'm going to call it good.
We've had a lot of pizza in the last few days and there is still a ton left over. Luckily I'll never get sick of it!
Happy eating!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
The Malnati's Pizza Experiment, Part II
I am well on my way to discovering a recipe that mimics my beloved Malanti's pizza. I began by making a pizza with a version of my basic quiche crust, without researching online at all. I knew that looking online would present me with a neverending avalanche of forum posts and recipe-site trolls and it would just be confusing. So I did some cooking and tweaking before I even started to do any research online. That way I could put all the nonsense into perspective.
I'm so glad I waited. When I finally dove into the online arguements today, I did indeed find what I was afraid of. Luckily I was armed with the experience of cooking my own pizzas to help me sort it all out. There is a lot of conflicting advice out there regarding how to reach an actual authentic Malnati's style pizza crust.
The advice that seemed to ring the most true came down to the use of yeast. Most people who seem to actually know what Malnati's pizza is supposed to taste like seemed to agree that the yeast in their recipe is just for taste and not for leavening (or rising), the way most breads use yeast (including pizza dough). I wrote last time that I supsected they didn't even use yeast. This is because I know that the crust doesn't end up with the texture of something that is leavened with yeast. However, I hadn't considered that they might just use the yeast as a flavor. You can put the yeast in without letting it rise and without developing much of the gluten in the dough.
Essentially, what that would be is a standard savory pastry dough (like my quiche crust), but with yeast added for flavor. That's what I'm working on now. And by "working on now," I mean, there's a pizza in my oven as I type. I'm not sure if it's the right crust yet, but it sure smells right!
One thing that I'm still unclear on is the type of fat used to make the pizza-pastry crust. I'm still using mostly butter and a little olive oil, but many suggestions out there in the interwebs say to use a combo of olive oil and some type of neutral veggetable oil, like corn oil. Perhaps this is indeed what Malnati's uses, instead of butter, I don't know, but it sure tastes like butter in their crust to me, so I'm still clinging to that ingredient for the moment. I hope this pizza pie gets a little closer to my goal.
The experiment rolls on...
I'm so glad I waited. When I finally dove into the online arguements today, I did indeed find what I was afraid of. Luckily I was armed with the experience of cooking my own pizzas to help me sort it all out. There is a lot of conflicting advice out there regarding how to reach an actual authentic Malnati's style pizza crust.
The advice that seemed to ring the most true came down to the use of yeast. Most people who seem to actually know what Malnati's pizza is supposed to taste like seemed to agree that the yeast in their recipe is just for taste and not for leavening (or rising), the way most breads use yeast (including pizza dough). I wrote last time that I supsected they didn't even use yeast. This is because I know that the crust doesn't end up with the texture of something that is leavened with yeast. However, I hadn't considered that they might just use the yeast as a flavor. You can put the yeast in without letting it rise and without developing much of the gluten in the dough.
Essentially, what that would be is a standard savory pastry dough (like my quiche crust), but with yeast added for flavor. That's what I'm working on now. And by "working on now," I mean, there's a pizza in my oven as I type. I'm not sure if it's the right crust yet, but it sure smells right!
One thing that I'm still unclear on is the type of fat used to make the pizza-pastry crust. I'm still using mostly butter and a little olive oil, but many suggestions out there in the interwebs say to use a combo of olive oil and some type of neutral veggetable oil, like corn oil. Perhaps this is indeed what Malnati's uses, instead of butter, I don't know, but it sure tastes like butter in their crust to me, so I'm still clinging to that ingredient for the moment. I hope this pizza pie gets a little closer to my goal.
The experiment rolls on...
Thursday, January 26, 2012
The Malnati's Pizza Experiment
I'm attempting to make my own Malnati's pizza at home, in a multiple-day experiment to attempt to figure out how to capture mysteries of the Chicago-style pizza.
I feel it's very important for the world to know the truth about Chicago-style deep dish pizza. It is a subject very near and dear to my heart. I grew up eating it, and there's nothing like it in the world. Many people have heard of Chicago-style pizza, and I've seen it put up against New York pizza in taste tests on various television shows. Such comparisons are pointless. When people hear the word pizza they think of a particular thing. Chicago-style pizza isn't really the same thing at all. I wish it had a name besides pizza, actually. It's like comparing Texas-style chili to New England clam chowder. They both go in a bowl, but there's no comparison. That's the problem with Chicago-style pizza being put in the category of pizza. It is its own thing.
People's misunderstanding of what Chicago-style pizza is, is exacerbated by the fact that there is a type of regular pizza called 'pan pizza' which many people are familiar with, so when they hear that Chicago-style is deep dish, they think it just means that. Add to that the fact that there are numerous places claiming to serve "Chicago-style" pizza that simply aren't, and you have a very confusing topic. There's a pizza place here in Denver whose sign reads "the original Chicago style pizza" and I fume every time I drive by. They ARE NOT the original Chicago-style pizza! Their pizza is just pan pizza. They're not even making it right.
Here is the truth: Uno's first served the original Chicago-style deep dish pizza many decades ago. However, Lou Malnati's father, who cooked for Uno's at the time, was credited with the actual invention of the pizza. In 1971, Lou Malnati opened his own restaurant. Uno's and Malnati's still fight over who actually gets credit for inventing the pizza. I side with Malnati's. But either way, if you aren't eating pizza at Uno's or Malnati's, you aren't eating the original Chicago-style pizza. Many places even in Chicago don't make it like they do. And if you've never had Malnat's (or Uno's), you don't know what you are missing. It is something very special, and there's nothing in the world that tastes like it.
There are a few very important things that make Malnati's pizza what it is. First of all, the crust is totally different. This is very important: It's NOT regular pizza crust in a deeper pan. I've seen restaurants all over take a standard yeast pizza dough and put it in a deep dish pan and call it Chicago style. But actually, Malnati's dough is more like a pie crust. It is buttery and flaky and I'm pretty sure they don't even use yeast at all. Second, they put layers of sliced (not shredded) cheese on the bottom. Third, they don't use tomato sauce - they use crushed canned whole tomatoes with no cooking or seasoning, layered on top of the cheese. Really the whole thing is more like a pie or a casserole than it is like what you think of as pizza.
I have finally decided to figure out a way to cook a Malnati's style pizza at home. The main problem is going to be the crust, since theirs is a secret recipe. I have determined to turn my kitchen into a test kitchen until I figure out how to make a pizza that is close enough to my beloved Chicago style. I created my first one tonite.
I started with my basic savory pie crust dough, the one I use for quiches and the like. That is just flour, salt, baking powder, and cold butter mixed together, and then water added until it forms a dough. For the pizza, I instead left out some of the butter, which I melted, and mixed with olive oil and water, to add during the water stage. I oiled my cast iron skillet and pressed the dough into it the way Malnati's does. For cheese, I used mostly mozzarella and a little bit of provolone because I couldn't find the type of mozz I wanted to use and I thought that combo would get me a little closer to the right flavor. Then I seeded some whole canned tomatoes and hand crushed them and topped the cheese.
The verdict on my first attempt is, let's say, 6 out of 10. Cheese was almost perfect. Tomatoes were great, but I should have put more on. I used grated parmiggiano reggiano insteaad of pecorino which is what I think they use, and that was fine. The main problem was of course the crust. My crust was a good start, but it didn't taste like Malnati's pizza crust... it tasted like my quiche crust. I'm going to fiddle with the recipe and do some online research and try again in a couple days. I even made sure to stock up on butter so I could make as many crusts as I needed to get it right.
I am determined to figure out how to make Malnati's pizza at home. I will keep you updated as I work it all out. Wish me luck!
Happy eating!
I feel it's very important for the world to know the truth about Chicago-style deep dish pizza. It is a subject very near and dear to my heart. I grew up eating it, and there's nothing like it in the world. Many people have heard of Chicago-style pizza, and I've seen it put up against New York pizza in taste tests on various television shows. Such comparisons are pointless. When people hear the word pizza they think of a particular thing. Chicago-style pizza isn't really the same thing at all. I wish it had a name besides pizza, actually. It's like comparing Texas-style chili to New England clam chowder. They both go in a bowl, but there's no comparison. That's the problem with Chicago-style pizza being put in the category of pizza. It is its own thing.
People's misunderstanding of what Chicago-style pizza is, is exacerbated by the fact that there is a type of regular pizza called 'pan pizza' which many people are familiar with, so when they hear that Chicago-style is deep dish, they think it just means that. Add to that the fact that there are numerous places claiming to serve "Chicago-style" pizza that simply aren't, and you have a very confusing topic. There's a pizza place here in Denver whose sign reads "the original Chicago style pizza" and I fume every time I drive by. They ARE NOT the original Chicago-style pizza! Their pizza is just pan pizza. They're not even making it right.
Here is the truth: Uno's first served the original Chicago-style deep dish pizza many decades ago. However, Lou Malnati's father, who cooked for Uno's at the time, was credited with the actual invention of the pizza. In 1971, Lou Malnati opened his own restaurant. Uno's and Malnati's still fight over who actually gets credit for inventing the pizza. I side with Malnati's. But either way, if you aren't eating pizza at Uno's or Malnati's, you aren't eating the original Chicago-style pizza. Many places even in Chicago don't make it like they do. And if you've never had Malnat's (or Uno's), you don't know what you are missing. It is something very special, and there's nothing in the world that tastes like it.
There are a few very important things that make Malnati's pizza what it is. First of all, the crust is totally different. This is very important: It's NOT regular pizza crust in a deeper pan. I've seen restaurants all over take a standard yeast pizza dough and put it in a deep dish pan and call it Chicago style. But actually, Malnati's dough is more like a pie crust. It is buttery and flaky and I'm pretty sure they don't even use yeast at all. Second, they put layers of sliced (not shredded) cheese on the bottom. Third, they don't use tomato sauce - they use crushed canned whole tomatoes with no cooking or seasoning, layered on top of the cheese. Really the whole thing is more like a pie or a casserole than it is like what you think of as pizza.
I have finally decided to figure out a way to cook a Malnati's style pizza at home. The main problem is going to be the crust, since theirs is a secret recipe. I have determined to turn my kitchen into a test kitchen until I figure out how to make a pizza that is close enough to my beloved Chicago style. I created my first one tonite.
I started with my basic savory pie crust dough, the one I use for quiches and the like. That is just flour, salt, baking powder, and cold butter mixed together, and then water added until it forms a dough. For the pizza, I instead left out some of the butter, which I melted, and mixed with olive oil and water, to add during the water stage. I oiled my cast iron skillet and pressed the dough into it the way Malnati's does. For cheese, I used mostly mozzarella and a little bit of provolone because I couldn't find the type of mozz I wanted to use and I thought that combo would get me a little closer to the right flavor. Then I seeded some whole canned tomatoes and hand crushed them and topped the cheese.
The verdict on my first attempt is, let's say, 6 out of 10. Cheese was almost perfect. Tomatoes were great, but I should have put more on. I used grated parmiggiano reggiano insteaad of pecorino which is what I think they use, and that was fine. The main problem was of course the crust. My crust was a good start, but it didn't taste like Malnati's pizza crust... it tasted like my quiche crust. I'm going to fiddle with the recipe and do some online research and try again in a couple days. I even made sure to stock up on butter so I could make as many crusts as I needed to get it right.
I am determined to figure out how to make Malnati's pizza at home. I will keep you updated as I work it all out. Wish me luck!
Happy eating!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Homemade Veggie Burgers
I like some types of veggie burgers, and I do eat them on a regular basis. My favorite are the Morningstar Farms Grillers Prime - which are a type that is meant to actually taste like an actual burger. There are lots of veggie burgers out there, though, and many don't really try to mimic an actual meat burger taste... some just taste like veggies or beans or what have you, and are delicious in that way rather than in a meaty way. That is the type of veggie burger you tend to find in restaurants or if it's homemade. I've never actually made a homemade veggie burger; I've always stuck with the pre-made frozen ones. The closest thing I've come to making something like that would probably be the bean cakes - such as black bean cakes or bean and rice cakes that I've made. For some reason today I decided to try my hand at making my own real homemade veggie burger patties so I spent all afternoon fiddling around in the kitchen. I thought I would share my results with you.
I made my veggie burgers out of beans and bulgur wheat. I get bulgur wheat at the bulk section of my grocery store and it can be used for all kinds of things. It's a main ingredient in tabbouleh, and that's what I've mostly used it for. I happened to have some in the house, though, and I thought I might be able to use that in the burger. I cooked some beans (after soaking them for a while), and ran them through the food processor until smooth but still a little chunky (like refried beans).
To the beans and bulgur wheat, I also added a little bit of dried bread crumbs, and some minced onion and shredded zucchini (that I pre-cooked). I was going to serve the burgers with feta and tzatziki so I added marjoram and parsley for a Greek themed flavor. I was very worried about the burgers being dense and gummy so I tried to mix the mixture gently and keep some air in it. I had to decide whether to put in egg as a binder and decided against it and figured I would use it as is first. So I formed a couple of patties and sauteed them with oil on a hot skillet.
The verdict on the burgers was great! They got a nice brown crust on the outside and the flavor was good. However, they did start to crumble and fall apart. We ate the burgers like that, but then I went back and added egg to the rest of the mixture. I made six more patties out of the remaining mix and those are in the freezer right now for some future veggie burger meals. Lack of egg notwithsanding, I'm actually pretty proud of my first foray into veggie burgerdom! The bulgur wheat was actually a really good addition. And even though I wasn't really going for meat flavor, they actually were relatively meaty tasting.
I was worried the results would be somewhere between disaster and meh, but I'm relieved that my burgers turned out pretty good. The addition of the feta and tzatziki made them actually quite yummy. Of course it takes a lot to make something with feta not yummy!
Happy eating!
I made my veggie burgers out of beans and bulgur wheat. I get bulgur wheat at the bulk section of my grocery store and it can be used for all kinds of things. It's a main ingredient in tabbouleh, and that's what I've mostly used it for. I happened to have some in the house, though, and I thought I might be able to use that in the burger. I cooked some beans (after soaking them for a while), and ran them through the food processor until smooth but still a little chunky (like refried beans).
To the beans and bulgur wheat, I also added a little bit of dried bread crumbs, and some minced onion and shredded zucchini (that I pre-cooked). I was going to serve the burgers with feta and tzatziki so I added marjoram and parsley for a Greek themed flavor. I was very worried about the burgers being dense and gummy so I tried to mix the mixture gently and keep some air in it. I had to decide whether to put in egg as a binder and decided against it and figured I would use it as is first. So I formed a couple of patties and sauteed them with oil on a hot skillet.
The verdict on the burgers was great! They got a nice brown crust on the outside and the flavor was good. However, they did start to crumble and fall apart. We ate the burgers like that, but then I went back and added egg to the rest of the mixture. I made six more patties out of the remaining mix and those are in the freezer right now for some future veggie burger meals. Lack of egg notwithsanding, I'm actually pretty proud of my first foray into veggie burgerdom! The bulgur wheat was actually a really good addition. And even though I wasn't really going for meat flavor, they actually were relatively meaty tasting.
I was worried the results would be somewhere between disaster and meh, but I'm relieved that my burgers turned out pretty good. The addition of the feta and tzatziki made them actually quite yummy. Of course it takes a lot to make something with feta not yummy!
Happy eating!
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