Teaching Old Dogs.... - Printable Version +- Cuisine at home Forums (https://forums.cuisineathome.com) +-- Thread: Teaching Old Dogs.... (/showthread.php?tid=48187)

Teaching Old Dogs.... - cjs - 01-27-2008 In the new LCBO magazine (Liquor Control Board of Ontario), there is a wonderful section of pizzas. I learned something new and absolutely wonderful about pizza making reading it - and doing it yesterday. This is a quote from the mag - "Cubed soft cheese on pizza is far superior to grated mixtures as cubes produce pillows of melted cheese of varying flavours so each bite is just a little different. Hard cheese such as Parm, Romano and Asiago are best if freshly grated into long thin strips." The magazine referred to this mixture as " 'Za Cheese" So, I now have in my freezer large plastic bags of mixed cubed cheeses - 1 lb. Mozz 1 lb. provolone 1 lb. sharp cheddar and one of 'grated long thin strips' of - 12 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano 12 oz. Asiago I used this combination on a pizza last night and it's a wonerful way to add the cheese. I've been grating/shredding the cheeses all my pizza making days - but, no more! Also, in the article was a pesto sauce to be used on "Big-Red Pizza" - which was the pesto, shrimp, sliced red onions, 'Za cheese, and basil. I made this pizza and it was good, but just too much going on for us. I'll just make it with basil, red onion, the cheeses and the pesto next time. Or maybe a couple slices of tomato. Anyway here is the Pesto Sauce - 1 large or 2 small (I used 2 large) red bell peppers 1 large garlic clove, minced 2 T. olive oil 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar salt & freshly ground black pepper 2/3 cup freshly grated 'Za hard-cheese blend 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or parsley (Used basil) Roast red pepper; clean and seed. Whirl red pepper with garlic in food processor until pureed. Add olive oil, vinegar, salt & pepper. whirl till mixed; add in cheese and basil till just mixed. Sauce can be made ahead; cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. (I made a full batch and I'll freeze what's left. For us, I only used about 1/4 of the batch) The flavor of this pesto is just wonderful. and yes, I took picutures... And I have to admit, cubing the cheese (barely 1/2" cubes) really does make a difference in the flavors - those wonderful little "pillows" of cheese, yum!!! Re: Teaching Old Dogs.... - Mare749 - 01-27-2008 Jean, I can't wait to sit down and read that article! Another delightful surprise to come home to was to find my new copy of LCBO in my mail. Thank you Lorraine! This is great information. Thanks for posting this Jean. I've just added cheeses to my shopping list. Maryann Re: Teaching Old Dogs.... - cjs - 01-27-2008 "I've just added cheeses to my shopping list." Oh, that's going to help getting back to "home" weight, Maryann!! (but oh so worth it!!) Re: Teaching Old Dogs.... - Mare749 - 01-27-2008 That's true, Jean. I've always said that I'm the world's worst dieter! Guess I'll just go buy my leeks....... Re: Teaching Old Dogs.... - luvnit - 01-27-2008 Well thanks for the tip Jean! I will take that and put into my bag of tricks! Can't wait to try it. Makes sense don't it? Re: Teaching Old Dogs.... - Gourmet_Mom - 01-27-2008 I keep scrolling up and down drooling. I'm trying to convince myself that without meat it wouldn't be all THAT bad in calories. YEA, RIGHT and the moon is made outta cheese! Thanks for the tip Jean. Maybe one night all the kids are here I'll try it. Re: Teaching Old Dogs.... - Harborwitch - 01-27-2008 I know what I want to eat - NOW! That looks so good, and ya know it just makes perfect sense. Now - question, how does one get this wonderful magazine??? Re: Teaching Old Dogs.... - cjs - 01-27-2008 Maybe you can subscribe online, Sharon - http://lcbo.com/main/en.shtml It's a great magazine. Re: Teaching Old Dogs.... - labradors - 01-27-2008 Sounds great, especially that sauce. My favourite combination is a crazy bunch of things I decided to throw together, that I call my "gourmet garbage pizza:" In order: the crust, sun-dried-tomato pesto, whole-milk Mozzarella, caramelised onions, sautéed mushrooms (regular, portobello, and shiitake), roasted red bell peppers, diced cooked ham, freshly grated smoked Gouda, crumbled goat cheese. Needless to say, it's not the least-expensive pizza to make - nor the least time consuming - but it IS good! Re: Teaching Old Dogs.... - firechef - 01-28-2008 Jean do you by chance deliver??? Looks great and the cube idea is right on the money.