Traveling Cupcake: North Carolina

I spent last weekend in North Carolina visiting my Aunt. What's the first thing we did after leaving the airport? Eat! My Aunt found this great place called, Mamma Mia! in Apex, North Carolina. When we walked in the lovely man that greeted us said buona sera in a real Italian accent, I knew we were in for a wonderful dinner. We started with a glass of wine each and then ordered a 16 inch Bianca pizza ("New York style thin crust with fresh garlic, ricotta and mozzarella cheese") and added eggplant and meat balls for our toppings. Soo good and soo much pizza that when I left last Tuesday afternoon there were still slices in my Aunt's refrigerator to eat! What I also loved was as we left the restaurant in this strip mall were the kids sitting outside telling us to have a good night and to come back soon for food made by their Dad and Grandma. Love it.

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Bacon and eggs

Who says bacon and eggs are only for breakfast? How about a little cast iron skillet pizza with the easiest pizza dough ever, topped with tomato sauce, chopped bacon from the farmer's market and a dusting of parmigiano? When it's cooked, crack an egg on top. I stuck mine back in the oven for a bit, but don't let that yoke get hard! You want it to ooze out when you slice up the pizza so you can soak up all that sunny yellow goodness.

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The Publican

Two days of awesome food, capped off with a visit to The Publican. You have to love a restaurant with paintings of pigs on the walls.


Cheap and delicious


The Sunday price fix menu, and three pedicures.


Heirloom tomato salad


Squid and sausage pizza!!! The best pizza I've ever had, hands down!


Yes, that's two fried eggs on french fries... I think it's called "Awesome Fries" on the menu


I was on the verge of exploding, and then the next course arrived.


Dessert

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Pizza al Prosciutto

Many thanks to Broccoli and Fusilli for helping us to satisfy a hankerin' for recreating an Italian pizza experience. They were kind enough to advise me that Vincenzo's in town has pre-made dough and great sauce, thereby saving us hours of toil in the kitchen, hours that could be much better used enjoying a few glasses of wine on the deck...

The first attempt was a little sketchy cause I couldn't move the pizza from the cutting board to the hot pizza stone in the oven without mangling the ingredients or tearing the dough. Turns out the second attempt wasn't any better. Tonight however I learned that a 'simple' snap of the wrist is the trick.

The end result: The closest experience we can get to great Italian pizza without hopping on a flight to Rome...

Next Steps: Get one of these on the BBQ.

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Saturday night craving

It's midnight on Saturday and I'm hungry! I've been trying to adhere to a no-eating past 9pm policy and it helps if I just go to bed and conk out. Some people say to drink water but as if! My late night cravings are almost always salty and starchy, unless there happens to be some leftover popcorn cake lurking in the kitchen. So if I could have one thing right now, it would be this homemade pizza. Maybe I'll have a dream about it tonight instead.

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I Like Pizza!

A great start to the long weekend – whole wheat pizza with fontina, prosciutto, spinach and olive tapenade. On the side, a m
âche salad.

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Pizzalittas

Technically speaking, pizza is crust + toppings. I think that qualifies my tortallita + onions, carrots, pork, cilantro and avocado to be called a pizza... or pizzalitta.

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pizza and eggplant, mussels and frites

We're too tired tonight to go into detail about what was for dinner, so here are the pics. I made mussels in white wine sauce and crispy fingerling potatoes, but then my sidekick's mother sent over two trays of homemade Italian delicacies: white pizza with tomato & zucchini *and* my favourite, stuffed eggplant! Guess what I'm having for lunch tomorrow, Broccoli?

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Pizzazzeria Libretto

Note to self: Avoid restaurants that have just been written up. Now / BlogTO / Globe & Mail. Especially when they don't take reservations, and are located on trendy Ossington Ave. It's not easy for a meal to live up to expectations after an hour and a half wait, even if you pass it comfortably drinking at a nearby bar.

Antipasti & Bruschette
While not everyone agreed (extended wait bitterness), I think the food was excellent. Even in the chaos of a full house and a never ending line-up, the food came out at a reasonable pace – and it was good. I hardly remember the appetizers, but looking at the pictures again, I'm going to say the Brushette with spicy sausage, pesto and goat chesse was my favorite. The other two shown are Calmari and Burrata on heirloom tomatoes.

Pizza
I was excited when everyone selected a different pizza, but I was only able to sample Fusilli's Quattro Stagione. I didn't really feel like sharing either, and only gave up half a slice. Next time when hunger isn't clawing at me, I'd consider sharing a full slice.... but only one!

When the pizzas arrived, the camera was passed around and Prosecco got the best shot. Featured pizza – Sardines (Tomato, Citrus Olives, Herbs, Chili Oil). From the left: Margherita (Tomato, Basil, Ingersoll Fiore Di Latte Mozzarella), Duck Confit (Pesto, Tomato), Quattro Stagione (Tomato, Ingersoll Fiore Di Latte Mozzarella, Cacciatore, Bella Olives, Mushroom & Artichoke) & House-Made Sausage (Caramelized Onion, Mozzarella, Chili Oil).

I had the Duck Confit, which may sound odd on pizza, but if you grew up on Rosa's sexy duck, it's the obvious choice. Meaty, rich and delicious.

Dolci
Before dinner I always tell myself that I'm not going to have dessert. I'll blame the wine, which was excellent, for convincing me that you can't pass up a Panna Cotta. Luckily, by the time dessert arrived, the spirit of sharing had returned and we all tried a bite of each. My second favorite was the Pistachio Gelato followed by the Cannoli.

For more info, see the full menu.

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Grilled Pizza

Day 3 – Dinner: In case you haven't tried it, grilled pizza is awesome. It's also perfect when you have great left-overs, like queso fresco, flank steak, grilled chicken and veggies.

Fusilli made some fresh dough, and I warmed up the bbq. I'm totally digging the charcoal routine. 1. Start the bbq. 2. Float in the pool 3. Spread the coals around. 4. Cook dinner.

Grilled pizza also has a few simple steps:
1. Grill one side of the rolled out dough
2. Place the ingredients on the cooked side
3. Place back on the grill to finish

Note: Ingredients should be cooked. You just want to grill the dough and heat the toppings.

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Como se dice Spanish Spinach Tomato Pizza

So my Tapas book is still opened on the counter from last night's almond-orgy and the next flip takes me to Spanish Spinach & Tomato Pizzas. They look very tasty in the picture but they also require baking my own little circles of bread which I can accomplish instantly by pulling out a few whole wheat pitas from the fridge. I gave the pitas a little bake in the oven to get them slightly crispy after brushing them with oil, then dropped on the mixture of tomatoes, onion, garlic and spinach. The mixture = one onion finely chopped fried in a little bit of oil for 5 minutes until soft but not browned, then one garlic clove for 30 seconds, then drop in a bunch of chopped tomatoes (i just strained a can of Edens organic canned tomatoes which are good because of low sodium content since they preserve in seaweed instead of salt) and let cook for about 5 ish minutes until most of the juice has bubbled away, then throw in a lot of baby spinach and stir it in until its all wilted into the mixture then salt and pepper it to taste). After you put the mixture on top of the pitas, top with pine nuts and drizzle a little olive oil and brush the sides of the pitas too. Push that into the oven for 15 minutes around 375. Kind of healthy, pizzaish but only because you eat it that way, no cheese, tasty, and you can taste the spinach. .

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