The Rec Pizza & Detroit Eats Offers Detroit Style Pizzas, other eats, canned adult drinks, and more now. This restaurant has gone threw a lot of changes in the past few years with recipes and ownership. The new owners are from Michigan and lets see what they are offering now.
They got rid of the outdoor tables. Inside still has Detroit memorabilia but it does look different and they have some large screen TVS playing sports and have added a few arcade games.
Order and pay here
Some of the appetizers that they offer are tempura pickles, fried dough balls stuffed with mozzarella cheese, wings, and chili. They also offer something like slider burgers called slim shadys. They offer Coney dogs, salads, and of course PIZZAS.
Slim Shaddys……Pickles are very good but the burgers are kinda dried out today
Besides offering a variety of sizes pizzas …..personal, medium, and large….in cheese or meat and cheese varieties.
They also offer cauliflower crust and vegan options.
I went for the plain personal sized pizza.
It really is a nice personal size. I didn’t have a ruler on me but it might be less than a 6 across and long. It has nice crispy cheese edges. A rich tomato oregano laced sauce, and a good quality melty cheese.
But it’s a soft fluffy dough.
Here’s the same pizza but with pepperoni and sausage.
That was a little taste of The Rec Pizza and Detroit Eats in Peoria AZ.
This recipe is a TWEAKED version of Cook’s Illustrated Magazine Recipe for Laugenbrezeln (German Lye Pretzels) I decided that I wanted to make the pretzel recipe but a few things I had to change. I didn’t want to use lye because lye can be dangerous to use. (they do give an alternative baking soda suggestion). I changed the water temperature because room temperature water never comes out as well as making bread doughs with warmer water. The biggest change I made was to add malt flour to the dough and to add malt flour to the water dip simmer. Malt flour is the secret ingredient to Philly Pretzels and most bagels in Pennsylvania so I thought malt flour was an essential ingredient. Malt flour adds a special flavor, some color, and a little chewy sweetness to the dough….I bought malt flour from my local Asiana Market but I’m certain that it is easy to buy on-line. Serving size is difficult to judge. The original recipe made 6 pretzels. I made this recipe into 12 small buns. One might not be enough for you???? My husband and me shared one as soon as they got cool enough to eat…He said that they were really good (several times) he went back to eat a whole one. That means you will want one or two a person. I’ll say 12 servings because I meant them to be small buns.
Ingredients for around 12 servings
12+3/4 oz bread flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 Tablespoon unsalted butter – room temperature
1 Tablespoon malt flour
1 cup 100 degree F water
8 cups water
1/3 cup baking soda
2 Tablespoons malt flour
12 pinches course sea salt
non stick canola spray
Directions
Ad the bread flour, 1 teaspoon salt, yeast, butter,1 Tablespoon malt flour, 1 cup water to your bowl from your stand mixer. Mix it up by hand so the ingredients don’t fly all over. Then on medium low speed keep it mixing for around 6 minutes. Make sure you stop around three minutes to scrap down the bowl to make sure the dough gets mixed all the way threw. This mixture gets shaped into a ball and goes in a greased bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and wait till it doubles in size. Around an hour or so.
Divide the dough in 6 pieces. Do not add flour.
Roll each piece into a long log. You will have 6 long longs and make two braids.
Each braid gets cut in thirds.
Each third gets cut in half.
Then you put your hands kinda “C” shaped with your pinky fingers against the board with your dough and rock your hands around each dough ball to shape the dough round.
Then you spray plastic wrap and be sure to use the sprayed side against the dough so it doesn’t stick.
Leave this rest around an hour.
Set your oven to 475F and spray a couple baking sheets with canola non stick spray. Set the pans to the side.
In a big pot (you might have bubble over problems)…..add the 8 cups of water, baking soda, 2 Tablespoons malt flour and mix well. Bring this to boil and then lower it to simmer. Drop about 4 dough balls at a time. For around 30 seconds and then turn them over and do 30 seconds again. Then use a slotted spoon to get them out and shake off all the water that you can before you place them spread out on sprayed baking sheets.
As you get them on baking sheets don’t forget to add a pinch of course sea salt onto each one.
They go on the middle & bottom rack of your preheated 475 degree oven for around 10 minutes and get turned over for another 2 or 3 minutes.
Pretzel Buns
I have to say that these pretzel buns came out CRAZY FORKING AMAZING!
My husband said I should sell them to a certain restaurant in metro Phoenix that offers baked pretzels that aren’t nearly as good.
Fluffy, soft, chewy, slightly moist inside with good tasting salt and a little crunch on the exterior.
Pretzel Buns
A Special THANKS!!!! To Cook’s Illustrated Magazine for their GREAT Recipe so I could come up with what you see here.
There is always something new, weird, different, limited, or special edition in the wonderful world of food. We just never know WTFork we will come across when we shop for food.
Up above is
DIFFERENT and kind of WEIRD – General Mills Jurassic Park Trix Trax Cereal with marshmallows…….I haven’t eaten this cereal in many decades but it sure looks like they added marshmallows……I have no idea why…..I just don’t know why so many breakfast cereals contain marshmallows……I also noticed that this cereal looks far more saturated with food coloring…..You know what that means….If you eat this you are going to POOP a rainbow.
LIMITED EDITION – Cap’n Crunch’s Red White & Blue Crunch Cereal that is star shaped….I think that this cereal must be a leftover from the 4th of July….It is also pretty darn colorful….Might make you fart fireworks.
NEW – Kellogg’s Naturally & Artificially flavored Frosted Flakes of Corn that are suppose to be cinnamon French toast flavored. As a kid I wanted my Frosted Flakes to taste like Frosted Flakes…..This is strange…….I would eat French Toast if I wanted French Toast. Maybe this cereal can do harm to children’s minds and they become cereal criminals?
DIFFERENT and maybe NEW and Scary – Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats in Little Bites…..The box reads half the size all the flavor. That mini wheat little bite on the box looks like it might eat children……
DIFFERENT and maybe NEW …also SCARY – Kellogg’s High Fiber Blueberry Muffin Frosted Mini Wheats that are naturally and artificially flavored. That mini wheat on the box looks more like a killer Brillo Pad.
NEW – General Mills with natural and OTHER natural flavors (Now WTFORK does that mean?….something like natural vanilla and something like natural dog poo?) Honey Vanilla Cheerios whole grain oat cereal. …..
DIFFERENT – General Mills Caramel and OTHER Natural flavors Dulce de Leche toast crunch. Lower right crunch cartoon guy looks like he is throwing up….Not a good look for this box.
NEW – General Mills Natural and Artificially Flavored Cinnamon toast crunch rolls. Sounds very fattening. Might give you rolls of fat if they really taste like cinnamon rolls?
NEW – General Mills CinnaGram Toast Crunch. ????? Sounds funny …..like you are sending something awful to someone………..like Sin-OH-Gram.
DIFFERENT – Cap’n Crunch’s ARTIFICIALLY FLAVORED Chocolate Caramel Crunch…Jeepers how good can that be?
LIMITED EDITION – Kellogg’s Special K Pumpkin Spice that is naturally flavored with OTHER natural flavors….The natural flavors sound ok but the OTHER natural flavors do frighten me…What could they be?????? Cat vomit? Elephant farts? Anteater boogers?
LIMITED EDITION – Nonni’s Biscotti in dark chocolate pumpkin and pumpkin spice. They sound tasty but I don’t know if they are.
NEW – PoP-Farts – My Bad I mean Pop-Tarts. These are Snickerdoodle ARTIFICIALLY flavored and proudly baked in the USA toaster pastries. (gag!)
Different and maybe NEW – Haagan – Dazs Dulce De Leche Churro Ice Cream Bars and Haagen – Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel ice cream bars. Ummmmm They both sound good…I might have to break down someday and try some…?
I saw a few different snack foods for dogs that I never saw before
DIFFERENT – Dentley’s chicken feet….I was thinking that my dogs would really love to eat chicken feet….but they were from over seas and I wasn’t sure if ok……
DIFFERENT – Dentley’s Thai Chews with coconut and fish skin…….Who knew that you could buy Thai food for your dog? Also from over seas. I try to buy only dog treats made in the USA.
SPECIAL EDITION – Pringles Glow in the dark Cheddar-rrrrrrrrr and Sour Scream and Onion. Why would you want to eat glow in the dark food? It probably makes you glow in the dark poop.
LIMITED EDITION – Crafty Cooking Kits – Spider Web pretzel kit.I found them at Big Lots but I bet you can find them on the web.
So there is usually something Oreo.
DIFFERENT – Nabisco Dark Chocolate Oreo Cream Cookies.
Different – Nabisco Peanut Butter Flavor Cream Oreo Cookies
Well that was the NEW, WEIRD, DIFFERENT, Limited and Special Edition Foods for October 2022. Who knows WTFork we’ll come across next month.
Dining out with dogs is just a “Fluff” story about taking my dogs out to eat. It all sort of started with my dog Louie. He was elderly and was diagnosed with aggressive cancer. He couldn’t do a lot but he always enjoyed going out to eat so I took him out to eat as much as possible. Instead of his 3-6 month diagnosis he made it another 17 months.
Today I take my current dogs out to eat when the weather is 90 degrees (with shade) and lower temps. I also know that not all outdoor restaurant patios are dog friendly. I either look for a “dog friendly” sign posted or I call and ask the restaurant if it’s ok to bring dogs. I am also aware that most of the food and drink that I consume can be harmful or even toxic to dogs. (It’s always best to get a list of safe foods and foods to avoid from your veterinarian.) I also know to keep my dogs close to me when dining out and not to let them eat off of restaurant plates.
It’s starting to cool off in Phoenix and I’m being to take the dogs out again. The temperature was just under 90 degrees and Phila-Deli in North Glendale opens early and they have a shaded patio so I can take the dogs there.
I got a tuna hoagie there.
tuna hoagie
My husband got a cheesesteak with extra cheese.
cheesesteak with extra cheese
We also shared some bulgogi fries.
bulgogi fries
The dogs were both very happy to eat some cheese steak with the onions carefully removed. (Onions are very harmful to dogs).
I love Phila-DeliOh come to my mouth cheese steak
Phila-Deli changed ownership a few months back and added some new items to the menu. I noticed a new sign on the door that said “service dogs only.” So we inquired about that. It turns out that the original owner loved dogs so much that she used to let them dine inside with people. She also used to run bowls of water and offer lunch meat to her dog customers. The new owners said that dogs are still allowed on the patio. They only allow service dogs inside.
Phila-Deli
20219 N 59TH Ave Glendale AZ
623-376-9333
Our next dining adventure was food from Angry Chickz (a Nashville Style Chicken Tender Fast Food Chain). They don’t have patio dining but we have a nice little park nearby to enjoy the food at.
We got way more food than we needed-
Combo #3, Combo #4 side order medium tender, side order hot tender, side order country tender, and we got some free fries instead of the macaroni and cheese we asked for
but we also got an unseasoned tender just for the dogs.
side order chicken tender in “Country” no heat
Both dogs enjoyed the country tender very much……It was very juicy and very tender with a crispy exterior.
The medium and hot chicken tenders had a wet exterior. The medium was very HOTT! We both thought that the hot was not edible…It was painfully nuclear HOTTTTTTTT! I can’t even imagine how hot the x hot and angry hot can be………..I will add that the Cole slaw was unusually good. It was fresh and crisp, didn’t drip and really was flavored just so.
My bigger dog enjoyed the chicken tender that she kept slapping me for her next bite.
The smaller dog just had this happy look on his face all the way home.
Angry Chickz
5130 W Bell Rd Glendale AZ
800 – 498 – 9836
www.AngryChickz.com
We also made it to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix. They are a Pho-Free Vietnamese Eatery that specializes in Banh Mi Baguette sandwiches. They also offer most of your Vietnamese favorites like rice plates and noodle bowls.
Today I went with the lotus root salad and chicken pot stickers.
I don’t eat shellfish so my dogs get all the shrimp.
lotus root salad
This salad is light and very refreshing.
My dogs both think the chicken potstickers smell very appetizing.
BTW- These potstickers are especially good. They are WAY BETTER than others I’ve tried in the area. More flavors, more filling and they aren’t deep fried like what I get at most places. I give the dogs ends of the potstickers. They enjoy that too!
But they leave me in a hurry for some grilled pork.
grilled pork rice plate
The rice plates are very large and are two meals for some people. The meats are always fresh and prepared carefully. The beef is unusually good for this kind of place and is always very tender. I know it’s really ribeye but is as tender as filet mignon.
dogs come back for shrimp and some little ends of the potstickers.
Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery is always a great choice!
2340 W Bell Rd PHX AZ
602-843-3637
www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com
We also made it to The Craftsman Cocktails & Kitchen in North Scottsdale. They have a really nice patio with garage doors that opens up into the restaurant. I think it might be my bigger dog’s favorite restaurant because she feels like we brought her into a restaurant. She always gets extra excited when we come here.
They offer a slightly upscale menu that seems mostly new American. The menu changed a little since our last visit but then again the menu always changes a little now and then. The servers are very nice and brought each dog their own bowl of water.
Today I ordered the shipwright ahi salad.
It is different today…….I think someone confused smoked paprika with togarashi seasoning.. The fish and salad are different too……..Someone new might be in the kitchen today?…..I’ll come back but I don’t think I’ll ever order this salad again. This salad isn’t very dog friendly but I do cut out some fish centers without seasoning for the dogs.
The dogs are much more interested in my husband’s distiller’s burger.
Look at that smile!
The burger is very good. 1/2 pound angus beef with tomato bacon jam, fontina cheese, dijon aioli, and a brioche bun.
Both dogs are very happy getting some cheeseburger.
The Craftsman Cocktails & Kitchen Scottsdale AZ
20469 N Hayden Rd Scottsdale AZ
480-401-1102
wwwTheCraftsmanAZ.com
That was dining out with DOGS for October 2022.
We hope to see you next month!
The Forking TruthIn Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017
Angry Chickz is a Nashville Style Chicken fast food chain from California that just opened their first Arizonian location in North Glendale Arizona also known as the upper west side of Metro Phoenix.
They use chicken tenders and they come in SIX different varieties of heat from – no heat up to – sign a waver.
Then after you decide what heat…. Then you might go for one of the combos.
Combo #1 – 2 sliders, slaw, pickles, fries
Combo #2 – 2 tenders on white bread, pickles, fries
Combo #3 – 1 slider, one tender on white bread, pickles, fries
Combo #4 – 2 tenders, buttery rice, slaw, pickles
They also offer separate sides and three bowls…
One bowl is called Angry French Fry Bowl, another is Angry Mac Bowl, and the last one was called Hangry Bowl.
You can dine in or go threw the drive thru.
inside
We did take out and dined at a local park nearby with the dogs.
We tried a variety of things and different heats. We ordered way more than we needed. The portions and size of the tenders were bigger than I guessed that they would be.
We ordered (top left) one side order tender in “country” no heat …(bought for the dogs)
(top right) was two side order tenders. One in medium heat and one in hot (not marked but easy to figure out that the redder one was “hot.”)
Our order came out slightly different from what we ordered….(slight opening hiccup)
We were suppose to get a side order of macaroni and cheese but that didn’t come and got an extra order of fries for free instead. (cashier read back macaroni and cheese but didn’t ring it up)
Bottom left is the Combo #4 two medium heat tenders with lots of buttery rice and slaw.
Bottom right is Combo #3 one slider, one tender on bread, fries, pickles.
We’ll start with the tender in country (no spice or heat) It came on a slice of white bread that is lightly toasted.
side order in country
This one has the BEST texture of all the tenders. This one is the only tender with a crunchy exterior.
“Dogs somehow WIN all the time!”
The chicken inside is very moist and very tender. I took a tiny taste…It really is pretty good. It doesn’t taste boring. I fed the rest to the dogs.
We tried the medium slider
Combo #3
It’s pretty tasty………But when I taste the chicken alone I am very surprised on how very hot it really is……Medium is PRETTY DARN HOTTTTT!………Again the chicken is very moist and very tender…The exterior of this chicken looks crunchy but is moist and kind of soggy……..I like the flavors but I don’t like how this feels powdery in my mouth….The fries are crisp, well seasoned, and have fluffy interiors.
We also tried one tender in hot……
two side tenders and it was suppose to be macaroni and cheese but we got free fries
The tender on the right is the hot…………….I take a bite and it is too FORKING HOTTTTTT! for me………..It’s FORKING PAINFUL….. Same for my husband and we LOVE hot food. But if hot is too hot for us then I think hot is too hot for most people….We had to throw it out. So glad I read reviews warning that medium is to hot for some people…Otherwise I would have ordered mostly hot and would have been very upset.
I can’t believe that they make two levels hotter than hot…
After hot they offer X hot – call 911
and Angry – sign a waver
The “Hot” is so painfully hot……… I think that it is a danger to offer the “X Hot” and the “Angry.” Even the “Hot” is a danger and the “Medium” runs very hot and would be too hot for a lot of people.
We also tried the Combo #4 in medium.
Combo #4
The buttery rice is fresh and perfect. The slaw is also fresh and seasoned very well and isn’t drippy. Again the chicken is very moist, tender and the flavors are good but I don’t like the outer texture. It’s moist and powdery at the same time. Only the tender with no heat (“country”) was the only tender that had a crunchy coating. Maybe the soggy texture on the medium and hot was a packaging issue???????
Not bad for fast food. The chicken seems to be equal quality compared to what supermarkets sell.
I think my favorite was the slider in medium. With the bun, slaw, and pickle the flavors did taste the best and I didn’t really notice the exterior textures that I didn’t like…..But a close second was the no head country tender. It just tasted like a good tender that anyone would like.
I also note that I did Take Out and might have tasted different results than dining in.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND any chicken ordered in HOT, XHOT, or ANGRY.
I got lucky and tried some FORKING AMAZING food this week. FORKING AMAZING is not just very good…….It’s FORKING AMAZING! So here they are.
Alzohour Market is a HIDDEN GEM with SEVERAL FORKING amazing dishes. You can taste some of the very best Moroccan and Middle Eastern food in the Valley. This is not a fancy place and the service and the cooking is usually done by one woman so it is slow but it’s worth waiting for. The Moroccan tea is the best that you can taste anywhere. Tea doesn’t sound so special but here it is something different that you probably have never tried before…..GET IT…..It is really special!!!! ………Grape leaves usually aren’t anything special….But here at Alzohour Market they are by far the best that you’ve ever tasted anywhere. These stuffed grape leaves are like FIFTY TIMES BETTER than any other grape leaf that I’ve ever tried anywhere………..They are extra special. I didn’t have this today but I have had the b’stilla (house made sweet pastry with chicken) and it should be mentioned because it is extra special and is painstakingly made. The house made baklava is also the very best that I have ever tasted.
baklava
It’s not too sweet or too gooey. It’s delicious! When I have more room I usually get the house made spaghetti type cheese stuffed pastry…OMG it for certain is one of the best baked goods in Phoenix. Alzohour Market is worth driving across town for. I usually but not always get the fish tagine that is very good.
Alzohour Market 7814 N27TH AVE PHX AZ
602-433-5191
www.Alzohour-Market.Business.site
From Food Truck Friday West in Glendale I hit a few ok food trucks and we shared the FORKING AMAZING Brisket Sandwich from the Bro Bro’s BBQ Food Truck.
BBQ Brisket Sandwich with added corn and fire roasted poblano pepper from Bro Bro’s BBQ Food Truck
OMG it’s overflowing with goodness. You can’t pick it up and you have to eat it with a knife and fork. I wish you could smell it………..It smells like the most delicious BBQ that you can imagine…I wasn’t planning on eating here because I’m not a beef or pork person……but it smelled so amazing I had to make a stop here. This sandwich is on an extra flavorful tasty roll that is embellished with cheddar cheese and jalapeños. Inside is GOLD……..Really tender flavorful smoky brisket chunks and pulled….ad it’s a really perfect mix of lean and fatty….(but not TOO fatty). We added the corn option that is another tasty treat and another perfect accent is that fire roasted poblano pepper that adds another special layer of delicious! This sandwich was FORKING AMAZING!
Bro Bro’s BBQ Food Truck
www.BroBrosBBQ.com
Tia Carmen is a high quality contemporary (mostly South-West) type of restaurant. It’s located in North Phoenix in the JW Desert Ridge Marriott. The kitchen is led by Michelin Star Chef, Restauranteur, Bravo Top Chef, and Cookbook Author Angelo Sosa. I already written about Tia Carmen’s FANTABULOUS Dish (the Tuna Crudo) and I’ve also written about several of their stunning dishes. Tia Carmen has recently opened for lunch Monday-Friday. They offer several of the lighter dishes from their dinner menu and a few tortas and some additional desserts.
It’s hard to imagine a salad as a FORKING Amazing dish but this one truly stands out.
baby greens salad from Tia Carmen
The baby greens salad is a bit spicy and so full of so many flavors. Who knew a salad could be so complex? This salad contains fennel, Persian cucumber, epazote, pickled onions corn puree, serrano chile, and green olive dressing. It sure doesn’t compare to most salads out there and you can add chicken, crispy white fish, or grilled shrimp to turn it into a meal.
We also shared two of the tortas…….The fish torta stood out flavor wise as a FORKING AMAZING FANTABULOUS Dish. It EXPLODES like fireworks in your mouth. THIS IS SOOOOOO FORKING GREAT!!!!!
fish torta with hay fries from Tia Carmen
WOW! One of the great sandwiches in Metro Phoenix. This is a great surprise and also unexpected from this restaurant because it taste like the best Cha Cha La Vong (National Dish of Hanoi) that I’ve ever had. This sandwich is a crispy sea bass with sweet onion jam, spicy mayo, fresh dill, fresh cilantro, turmeric, and other FRESH HERBS that make it POP! It’s the combination and all the FRESH HERBS that make it taste so special. It also comes with fries that they call hay fries…..that are like a cross between fries and crispy potato sticks.
Tia Carmen at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Phoenix AZ
5350 E Marriott Dr PHX AZ
480-293-3636
www.JWDesertRidge.com
*****Honorable Mention****
I didn’t eat the Shish Kafta but my husband said that the shish kofta from Alzohour Market is the very best that he has ever tried anywhere because it was juicy and full of delicious flavors.
Mixed Grill Plate from Alzohour Market
The Mixed Grill Plate from Alzohour Market contains a chicken kabob, shish kafta, gyro, with rice and whatever she feels like putting on the plate. Even the green pepper salad is AMAZING!
Alzohour Market 7814 N 27TH Ave Phoenix AZ
602-433-5191
www.Alzohour-Market.Business.site
Got lucky this week and really tried some of the very best plates that Metro Phoenix offers. These were a collection of the FORKING AMAZING Foods that I tried this week. I also got to eat out more than I normally do.
This is a really FORKING amazing recipe. A few headlines that I read about the recipe were, “Ottolenghi reinvents Mac ‘N’ Cheese.” It is truly different and is far more complex than your even good macaroni and cheese. For this macaroni and cheese you don’t make the white sauce……. Instead you boil the pasta in milk and the pasta starch thickens the sauce……Then when you add the Middle Eastern spices, and the cilantro lemon pesto spiced with za’atar, and the crispy onions this pasta rocks and rolls………In case you don’t know Yotam Ottolenghi is a genius. He is one of the most talented chefs out there. He also is a multi award wining Cook Book Author, chef, and restauranteur.
I almost followed the recipe exactly….As I was researching the recipe I did find some slight differences from different websites but nothing that I would consider a major change. I did the recipe posted on Food52 because they have Yotam Ottolenghi and Noor Murad in a video making this recipe. I did only two changes….not because I wanted to change the recipe but due to what I had at home. I used spaghetti instead of the cavatappi or fusilli dry pasta because all I had at home was spaghetti…..I do recommend to NOT to use spaghetti like I did because I think spaghetti has more surface than the short curly pastas recommended. I think that the spaghetti gave off more starch and my sauce might have thickened more than it would with the recommended pasta. The only other change I made was that I used non fat milk instead of full fat milk but I don’t think that changed things up too much. It’s not really a part of the recipe to make the onions BUT IT IS ESSENTIAL TO TOP WITH CRISP ONIONS. In the beginning read before the recipe they say to slice very thinly a couple of onions and toss two tablespoons of cornstarch and fry in vegetable oil in about three batches till golden and season with salt…….or you can use already crisp fried onions from your local supermarket. I fried my own onions. I used slightly more cornstarch than recommended…(maybe my onions were bigger?)…. and they took me around 20 minutes and made far more than I needed but they are so tasty and great on salads, burgers, and other things. This recipe was written as 4-6 portions. I got more but then again I eat pasta as small side servings…..But each serving was FORKING AWSOME!
Ingredients for 4 servings
10 1/2 oz dried cavatappi or fusilli pasta
2 1/2 cups whole milk (add another 1/2 cup if needed)
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter (cut in small cubes)
3 garlic cloves – ground to paste
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds – toasted- crushed (or you can use ground cumin but it won’t taste as good)
1/2 cup crispy onions or shallots – either home made or store bought
1 large lemon (za’atar pesto)
3 Tablespoons za’atar (za’atar pesto)
1 cup cilantro – leaves and tender stems, chopped (za’atar pesto)
1 garlic clove – chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts – lightly toasted (za’atar pesto)
6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (za’atar pesto)
Directions
Put the pasta, 2 1/2 cups milk, 1 1/2 cup water, butter, garlic, turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt, a good amount of fresh ground black pepperoni a large sauce pan on medium high heat. Bring to simmer and turn down to medium and cook stirring occasionally for around 10-14 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.You might need an extra 1/2 cup milk if your sauce got very thick. Turn heat down to low and add the cumin, cream, and cheeses until nicely melted.
While the pasta is cooking make the pesto. Grate the lemon. Slice off the skin of the lemon. Supreme the lemon and chop the supremes. The zest and chopped supremes go to the side. You should have some lemon left from the supremes and you can squeeze the juice in a bowl or food processor. to the bowl or food processor add za’atar, cilantro, pine nuts, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, a good grind of pepper, and half of the oil. Process or use a stick blender…..and if you don’t have either you can use a mortar or hand chop. Then add the lemon to the side and the rest of the oil.
Serve the macaroni right away. It is suggested to drizzle the pesto all over and then to top with a 1/2 cup of crispy onions.
Middle Eastern Mac & Cheese with Za’atar Pesto & Crisp Onions
This is FOKING Delicious!
A Special THANKS!!!! to The Ottolenghi Test Kitchen and Food52 for this FORKING AMAZING Recipe!
I came across this container of Van Leeuwen Honey Cornbread with Strawberry Jam French Ice Cream today at my local Walmart Grocery and felt compelled to try it. Van Leeuwen is a high quality (usually all natural) really full fattening ice cream. It’s French style so that means that it is made with egg yolks. Their pistachio flavor is awesome and only contains Sicilian pistachios, cream, milk, egg yolks, cane sugar, and salt. I also really liked their hazelnut chocolate mini ice cream bars. But they do some WEIRD flavors….I haven’t tried (as of yet) their Kraft macaroni and cheese flavor or their Grey Poupon mustard and pretzels flavor. But I have tried their pizza flavor. It wasn’t awful……It did taste good but I thought that it was a far cry from tasting like pizza.
Back to the Honey Cornbread with Strawberry Jam French Ice Cream.
I open it up.
Peel it open.
It looks different from what I was expecting. There is hardly any strawberry.
I taste some…….
WOW it’s completely not at all what I expected…….
This one seems light ……….or lighter……but it isn’t…….
It doesn’t have that rich creamy texture like the others did. I would have guessed it to be ice milk………Did it melt in Walmart???????……. or was it mishandled…???????????? Or is this the way it’s suppose to be?????????
It’s milky with what seems like cooked grains of cornbread……..It’s like you spilled cornbread mix that is cooked into vanilla ice milk…..You get very little strawberry. It’s predominantly a cornbread taste. The little bit of strawberry jam taste caramelized…. It’s also not as sweet as it sounds. It’s almost not sweet.
It’s interesting….not sure if I’d buy again but it’s not a throwaway.
Those were my FORKING Thoughts on Van Leeuwen Honey Cornbread with Strawberry Jam French Ice Cream. I do note that YOUR FORKING thoughts may indeed differ.
I was reading about a Southern Italian condiment that is also a Dressing and Marinade called Salmoriglio. It turns out that Salmoriglio is mainly olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, water, and salt. Salmoriglio varies slightly in different areas. Some places add parsley. Some add tomatoes and some add anchovies. It’s usually served on swordfish, other seafood, grilled meats, and vegetables. Today I thought those flavors might be good on roasted carrots. I added some toasted walnuts, and put the carrots over leftover rice. Besides rice…..noodles, polenta, potatoes, or beans would go well under the carrots…You can even serve them with some toasted bread. Serving size is difficult to judge….I’d say it make around 4 smaller side portions or two medium to large servings. I’ll round it to three servings.
Ingredients for around three servings
1 lemon – just the fresh squeezed juice – dressing
3 garlic cloves – ground to paste – dressing
1 teaspoon sea salt – dressing
1 small dried Calabrian Chili – crushed (or use red pepper flakes to taste…but they don’t taste as good and are hotter with less flavor) – dressing
1 lb carrots – skin removed if not organic. I cut mine in half long ways.
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt – to taste
Fresh ground pepper – to taste
2 cups water
2 Tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1+!/2 teaspoons dressing
1/3 cup walnuts – slightly Broken and slightly salted and toasted
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves torn or chopped
2 Tablespoons scallions sliced thin
Directions
Make the dressing
Mix together the lemon juice, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, dried chili, oregano, 1/4 cup olive oil, and parsley. Set to the side.
Set oven to 450 degrees F.
In a pan or large baking dish add the water, honey, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons dressing and mix around. Add the carrots. Cover tight with foil. Place in middle rack of preheated 450F oven for 30 minutes or until carrots are fork tender.
After carrots are fork tender….Drain the liquid…Spray carrots with extra virgin olive oil (about 2 Tablespoons) Season them lightly with a small amount of sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Put them back in the oven to roast up a little (around 20 minutes).
Serve them on top of either rice, beans, pasta, potatoes, or whatever you like. Top the carrots with dressing, walnuts, basil, and scallions.
Their are two Biryani Pot Restaurants in Metro Phoenix. One is located in Chandler and the one we visited is the one in the Paradise Valley area of Phoenix Arizona. Biryani Pot (PHX) offers almost a dozen Hyderabadi dum biryani dishes, they offer North and South Indian dishes, vegetarian and non-vegetarian appetizers, entrees, tandoor, Indo-Chinese, breads, soups, desserts and more.
You might be wondering what is Hyderabadi cuisine? It’s usually spicy and is rich and aromatic. The dishes usually contain lots of exotic spices, ghee, nuts, and sometimes dried fruit. These dishes are influenced by Muslims who have lived in Andhra for centuries.
It’s very casual inside.
inside
It’s not a fancy place but it seems clean. (there’s a game on today and everyone we saw that came in did take out)
We ordered a variety of plates.
We tried the chilly fish appetizer.
chilly fish
It’s battered stir fried tilapia with bell pepper, onions, and green chilies with a red sauce. This one is tasty and not too spicy.
We also tried the mirchi bajji.
mirchi bajji
Today the green chilies were nuclear with heat…….I don’t think even most heat lovers could eat them………..and they are battered with a tasty chick pea coating. They are described as being stuffed with onion masala?
mirchi bajji cut open
Stuffed with onion masala? ************Don’t know but….Maybe they received the wrong peppers and couldn’t stuff them? I noticed just this week that TWO different supermarkets had different peppers marked incorrectly. This happened to me twice in one week.
But the chicken 65 biryani is amazing and is one of the very best biryani dishes that I have ever tried.
chicken 65 biryani
This is Hyderabadi Dum Biryani rice layered with onions, flavorful sauce, and tender flavorful, spicy delicious chunks of chicken. This might be the most flavorful aromatic biryani that I have ever tried.
We also shared the House Special fish curry.
fish curry house special
Boneless white fish cooked in traditional Andhra tangy style curry. The fish curry here runs more spiced than any of the others that I have tried. It seems mostly onion based with some tomato, ginger, curry leaves, star anise, and probably a bunch of other things.
