Favorite Technique of 2010: Bronco Billying

(Yes, it has been a long time since I blogged ... instead, I have been catching up on all five previous seasons of Lost, trying to live with a laptop that has a busted keyboard except for the "f" and the "9", pleading with GoatSpawn who is sick with bad head cold to please please pretty please eat something, and then being sick myself.)

bronco billy

Definition:

A verb, To broil oils or fats to tasty heaven.  

As in, "Foodgoat declared, 'it's time to bronco billy this thing!" as he shoved the pizza into the hot broiler."

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Origin:
The last time we were in California visiting my family, Foodgoat picked up a pizza at a nearby neighborhood pizza place at the recommendation of my brother.  Walking in, Foodgoat knew right away that he liked it.  It wasn't a bland chain, it wasn't a run of the mill, ordinary pizza restaurant.  Bronco Billy's Pizza Parlor had character.

What really got Foodgoat's attention, however, was the pizza.  We found that the pizza was slightly burnt on the top - it was crisp and a little blackened, enough to curl the edge of the pepperoni and to give the cheese a bit of crustiness.  And it was ... soooo delicious. 

Since then, Foodgoat has been employing this technique of finishing off a dish with a few minutes in the hot broiler to give it a bit of burn on top with huge success.  It's particularly wonderful with dishes with cheese - pizza, both deep dish and pan pizza, have been especially good, as was the cauliflower gratin.  The extra high heat makes the cheese caramelize, and bits of burned cheese is bits of yumminess, let me tell you.

Deep Dish Pizza

One of our favorite dinners recently is homemade pizza. We roll out some pizza dough, we pile on the goodness, we bake, and deliciousness ensues.

And then one day I had a brainstorm, an honest-to-goodness lightbulb moment.

Could we make ... deep dish pizza?

Could we possibly use ... the cast iron skillet?

Foodgoat tried it immediately, and the results have been so good, so tasty, we have put away the flimsy pizza pan.

How is our deep dish pizza made differently from our not so deep version? The ingredients are the same, but instead of heating the oven to a toasty 425 degrees, we lower it to 350. The cast iron skillet goes into the oven as we preheat, so by the time the oven is ready, the skillet is also hot. You lay down the dough, pile on the same ingredients, and put it in the oven for a longer period of time, at least 30 minutes compared to the 20 minutes for the flatter version.

The dough comes out more bread than crust like, the pizza is denser, and the whole thing is surprisingly much easier and neater to eat because the crust is thicker and stronger and more able to support the huge mounds of cheese I insist are integral to Delicious Pizza. And it tasted wonderful.

New Toy

One day, our oven died. It just didn't work anymore.

For five months, we couldn't bake anything. No brownies, no roasted Brussels sprouts.

And then one day Foodgoat couldn't take it anymore. He had to make a pizza.

So we bought a new stove.

And we couldn't be happier. This GE is much nicer than the old Maytag that the house came with - a central oval burner! A griddle! Continuous grates! Power boil! A broiler at the top of the oven instead of underneath it!

Even Sabbath mode, which I'm pretty sure we will never ever use!

Most importantly, we have already made pizza twice.

What a difference a good appliance makes.

Best and Worst of 2006: Hungry Howie's Pizza

It was a rise and fall for the ages.

Pizza joints are a dime a dozen, and we don't usually go around trying each and every one that pops up. We have Guiseppe's square Sicilian pizza with bacon, onions, green peppers and when we're feeling especially naughty, Papa John's Hawaiian pizza with garlic butter sauce, and those usually suffice. However, during the hectic, pre-holiday, scramble, there was one especially night where we couldn't even manage those 10-15 minute drives. So we picked up a pizza at the brand new, bright yellow and brightly lit Hungry Howie's pizza place around the corner.

It was delicious - hot, tasty, a flavored crust. And the garlic Howie Bread? Yummers, absolutely yummers. We exulted - tasty pizza a stone's throw away.

So when Foodgoat's had extended family over one holiday night, we served up three Hungry Howie's pizzas, and it was quite the hit. All was well and good.

Little did we know that Hungry Howie's triggered something - something dark and frightening - in Foodgoat's brother. The mild-mannered Bostonian accountant was transformed into Crazy Obsessed Pizza Fiend.

We had Hungry Howie's pizza five times in a week and a half, racking up a pile of empty pizza boxes in the kitchen that made Foodgoat hang his head in shame whenever his mother came over. The very idea of pizza makes me slightly nauseous. We will not be visiting Hungry Howie's again - at least, not until President's Day.

I've been in a funk since my airline experience. All that stale plane air must have stifled my brain.

Fortunately, yesterday I encountered three things that cheered me up.

The first was the Britney Spears noodle bra on eBay.


The second was the odd looking plant in my backyard that has turned out to be a broccoli. Woo hoo!

And the third was watching MacHomer at the Hanna Theater, a one-man vocal spectacular features impressions of over 50 voices from TV`s The Simpsons in a performance of Shakespeare`s Macbeth. The performer, Rick Miller, was a weird, funny nut - his Marge (as Lady MacHomer) was spot on, and the puppets were great. I felt bad that there were only about 20 people there, so if you're in the Cleveland area, check out the show (it's playing until Sunday) - any Shakespeare fan especially would enjoy the irreverent rendition.

We thought about having doughnuts and beer in honor of Homer prior to the performance, but instead settled on a quick meal, surrounded by college kids, at the Rascal House.

The pizza was unremarkable but the fries were surprisingly good - extra crispy, not too salty, hot, and most importantly, contained in a snazzy french fry cup.

Alas, I hadn't been fully cheered up for half an hour before we found that the computer REFUSES TO TURN ON. What!? No connection to the Internet, to the outside world? Wait ... NO WARCRAFT??!!

Noooooooooooooo!

The best pizza

... I ever made was last night, a whole wheat pizza crust with olive oil, a layer of Greek feta cheese, a handful of spinach, two sliced tomatoes, a sprinkle of shredded mozzeralla, and more feta cheese.

Some things I learned: 1) You don't really need the rolling pin for the dough, I just stretched it out and let gravity do all the work. I think it turned out better that way, and 2) The key to the crust is not to overcook. The pizza was in for 16 minutes, and it came out perfect.