Jersey Style Pizza Sauce.

Rich, delicious, and best of all... easy.

Growing up in South Jersey near the shore, pizza was something we always took for granted. Go to the mall, grab a slice, and hang out. Or walking along the boardwalk with one of those massive slices from the three foot wide pizzas on display. It never occurred to me that what I enjoyed was unique to the Tri-State area.

I found out soon enough. Most of the towns in other states only had chain pizza places, if they had pizza at all. In Germany, I was introduced to the crispy thin crust of the pizzeria outside our base. They were great- and even threw chopped garlic on it before baking - but it wasn't home.

I began looking for ways to duplicate the taste of home. I managed to get the crust right, but I needed the sauce as well. Something with a rich flavor, earthy sweetness, and just a little bite. After much digging and trial and error, I finally created my own version. Some of the techniques are borrowed, but the result is unique. You can use it for pizza, calzones, (or as they call them here, panzerottis,) strombolis, basically anything that has a bread base and is covered with toppings. Try it. You will definitely love it.

You'll need:
Either - 1 28 oz can of crush tomatoes, or 1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes and 4-6 fresh tomatoes, puréed
1 large or 2 medium onions,cut in half
3 cloves of crushed garlic
2-3 sprigs of fresh basil
Kosher salt
1 tsp. oregano
1-2 tsp sugar
1 tsp. butter
2 tbsp or so olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes



In a medium sauce pan, warm oil and butter over medium heat. Once heated, add garlic stir for about three seconds, and add tomatoes, oregano, a dash of salt, the sugar, and red pepper flakes. Stir until seasonings are blended in, then add the onion halves and basil, as pictured below:

Just the beginning of something great. (Yeah I posed the basil a bit.) 

Reduce heat and simmer, checking and stirring, ensuring the sauce doesn't stick and the onions don't caramelize ( it changes the color and flavor of the sauce... and not too favorably.) Taste along the way - adjust a little if need be, and if you find it too thick, thin it a little with broth (your choice) or tomato juice. Don't think there's enough basil? Add a little dried. It works in a pinch.

Almost ready...

After about an hour and a half the sauce will slowly render down and thicken to the perfect pizza sauce. At that point, remove the sprigs and onions and discard them. Turn off the heat, stir, and let cool a little before putting it onto your fresh dough. Enjoy!

Home made stromboli, using both my dough and sauce.

Tri - State Pizza Dough.

Perfect crust that's hand tossed and folds well, because that's how you eat a slice.

 Pizza dough. The main building block of most Italian style fast foods: pizza, calzones, or strombolis, to name a few. Everyone has their favorite style, but if you ask anyone from New York, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania and lives somewhere else what they miss most about home - pizza. There's nothing else like it.

Just your average cheese pizza at the Sawmill, Seaside Heights, NJ.

What I found out after I left my home state was that if I ordered pizza, I either ended up with something on a prefab (read cardboard) dough or a flavorless white bread style dough. I couldn't take it anymore. So now I know the way to make what I call Tri - State dough, based mostly on the New York style method. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

A few simple ingredients...

You'll need:
for the starter:
packet of yeast (pizza yeast, if available)
1/2 cup flour (bread flour is best)
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 tsp. sugar

dough:
2 cups flour (also, bread flour is best, but all purpose works)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 to 1 tsp. garlic powder

also; extra flour for kneading, and approximately a tbsp. or so of olive oil

In a small bowl, mix starter ingredients and whisk with a fork until thoroughly mixed, set aside for approximately 20 minutes or until foam builds up.
Meanwhile, mix dough ingredients in a large bowl. Once starter is ready, add it to bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough forms. If you are blessed enough to own a mixer with a dough hook, run it at medium low for about 5 minutes once all ingredients are in the bowl.

Lightly flour the mixing surface and knead the dough for about 7-10 minutes, regardless of the original mixing method. Coat the inside of the bowl with a little olive oil. Take the kneaded dough, add a light coat of olive oil to it, and place in the bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise till doubled, about two hours.

Fresh ball of dough.

Two hours later... 

Punch the dough down, knead for a few more minutes, then put in a resealable freezer bag and store in your refrigerator. The cold gives a slow rise to the yeast. giving it that characteristic texture and flavor that makes our pizzas so great.

Recommended cold proof: 24- 72 hours.  The longer, the better. Bring it to room temperature and create your own favorite pizza!

Fresh out of our own oven - one of two loaded pizzas... tasted just like home.

(Note: while it is not recommended to use a rolling pin to get your dough to the desired shape, if you must, it's a good idea to use one made of marble. Gives and even roll.)

Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts.

Final product, cozied up with a pan seared N.Y. Strip and garlic mashed potatoes.

Okay, so I'm always looking for new ways (for me, at least) to do things with vegetables as sides. Recently I saw someone searing them in butter on TV and thought it was one nice approach... but... not everyone is as accommodating to butter as the chefs on TV or myself. So... I opted with olive oil. For extra flavor you can also add a melted 1/2 tsp. of garlic butter. The tarragon adds a nice sweetness to it, and the roasting removes the pungency you have with steamed sprouts.

2 lbs. brussel sprouts
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp.  Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper, or to taste (it really does make a difference)
1 1/2 tsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Trim off the bottoms of the sprouts and cut them in half lengthwise, except for the small ones.
Place them in an oven proof container, then add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Mixed and ready to go. Corningware is excellent for one stop mixing and cooking.

 Put sprouts in the oven  and bake for 30 - 40 minutes. Serve with your favorite meats, fish, or vegetarian entrée. 

Enjoy!
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Home Made Ketchup Made Easy.

Fresh out of the pot and delicious.

Hey, it's summer right now, and it's time to grill and barbecue (yes, there is a difference) all over. Ketchup is one of the main condiments of summer, whether on a burger or hot dog or in your secret home made BBQ sauce.

Thing is,  I'm not a big fan of using commercial ketchup in something I use on my BBQ.... so I came up with something that is easy, uses ingredients that are inexpensive and for the most part already in your home. It keeps well in the fridge and makes an even better base for any tomato based sauce you can dream up. Give it a go!

You'll need:
1 796ml (26oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp Kosher salt (makes a difference, trust me)
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tbsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. celery seed, crushed to powder in a mortar or celery salt
1 tsp. mustard powder
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Keep on hand: 1 box (liter) vegetable stock

Heat a small pot at medium low and add crushed tomatoes, wine, and vinegars. As they heat, add the remaining ingredients. Simmer until thickened, adjusting consistency with vegetable stock if needed.

Once desired consistency is achieved, take it off the heat and let it cool. Use right away or store in airtight container in fridge for up to two weeks. Can also be frozen (useful to have a vacuum sealer at this point.)

Creole Seasoning.

Fresh made, right in my kitchen.

Creole seasoning is the sweet sister to Cajun seasoning. They both have their roots in Louisiana's best recipes, but unlike the raw spiciness of Cajun seasoning, Creole also adds a multitude of herbs that give it a multidimensional flavor. I love to use it in my dirty rice and jambalaya. It also keeps  for several months in an airtight container.

(Now, while this recipe works, I replaced most of the cayenne with chipotle and Old Bay. Some in my home can't do all the heat.)

You'll need:
10 tbsp. paprika
  4 tbsp. onion powder
  4 tbsp. garlic powder
  4 tbsp. dried basil
  4 tbsp. dried oregano
  4 tbsp. sea salt
  1 tbsp. dried thyme
  1 tbsp. dried crushed rosemary ( I use a mortar and pestle)
  2 tsp.   black pepper
  2 tsp.   white pepper
  1 tsp.   cayenne pepper
          -- OR --
  1 tsp.   chipotle powder
  1 tsp.   Old Bay Seasoning
1 dash   cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)

Put all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk  until completely mixed. Use right away or store until that ol' Creole hunger comes a'knockin'!

General Tsao Chicken with Vegetables.

One of my favorite dishes. Most Chinese restaurants here are Cantonese or Szechuan. 

General Tsao's Chicken has almost as many variants as there are spellings of his name. His real name was Zuo Zongtang and he lived in the Hunan province of China during the Qing Dynasty. And no, there's no record of him ever enjoying this dish. Shame. But... you will.

You'll need:

8 chicken thighs or 4 breasts, boneless, skinless, and cut into bite sized pieces
small bunch of broccoli florets, blanched
1/2 red and 1/2 green pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
1 medium red onion, chopped

For the dredge:
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup flour
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. paprika
dash pepper
dash salt

For the sauce:
1/2 cup chicken  stock
4 cloves pressed* garlic
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
3 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. soy sauce ( I prefer Red Star Dark, but any will do)
2 tbsp. white wine
1/2 tsp crushed pepper flakes (I use Saambal Oelek, an Indonesian chili paste)
1 tbsp. corn starch

1 cup uncooked rice (we use Basmati)
vegetable oil
sesame oil

Cook the rice according to instructions.

Thoroughly mix all the dredge ingredients in a wide bowl. Heat the wok and add oil (about 1/4 cup plus a tbsp. sesame oil) and when it starts to smoke slightly, dredge the chicken and cook in small batches.

Is it pretty? Nah... but we're not shooting for presentation. Yet.

While you're cooking the chicken, go ahead and mix all the sauce ingredients together. Bet you can smell the fresh ginger and garlic, huh?

Set your oven to warm and take a cookie sheet out, laying a layer of paper towel in it. Place each drained batch of cooked chicken on the pan so it'll keep warm.

Fresh and colorful... and tasty!

Once you're done cooking the chicken, drain any residual oil and wipe out the wok. There will be a lot of cornstarch residue from the chicken, and you want to keep that to a minimum. Add another splash of oil and sesame oil, get it hot, and stir fry the onions, peppers, and garlic until crisp - tender.

With all the goodies - amazing!

Add the chicken and sauce. Heat the sauce until it begins to reduce and add the broccoli. Simmer till sauce thickens and remove from heat.

Serve on a bed of warm rice.

(Eat well, live better.)

Ed's Lazy Philly Sliders.

Actual Lazy Sliders made the other day in my kitchen. Nom.

This Recipe is a simple sandwich that can also double as an appetizer, if you so desire. I'll keep it as a sandwich, though... very easy to make, and delicious to eat!

You'll need:

1 pkg split top dinner rolls
1 lb shaved deli roast beef (garlic roast beef is best)
2 medium onions, finely sliced lengthwise
1/2 each red and green peppers, thinly sliced
horseradish mayonnaise or home made Horseradish Aoli
1 pkg. Provolone cheese

I was in the store the other day, hankering for a little something from home. Then I saw these:

Not the same brand , but identical rolls.

I got an idea. Phillies. Not in the normal sense - I didn't have time for all that. But this tasted damn good once I made it. You will agree, I guarantee it.

First, heat a pan and add oil - olive preferably - and saute until tender. Add beef and heat it, chopping with a spatula as you go, about two to three minutes. remove from heat.

Just before the oven - Kim's, on the left, mine on the right.
 She prefers Swiss to Provolone. The heretic.

Preheat oven to 350°, Take a cookie sheet, place a layer of parchment paper on it, and slice open the dinner rolls. Add some mayo or aoli to the inside, stuff each roll with the meat/peppers/onions combo, and add a 1/2 slice of provolone to each sandwich. Heat in the oven until the cheese melts into the filling, about 5-10 minutes.

Fresh, hot, and melted! Sooo good...

Take the pan out, let it sit a minute, then enjoy!

My White Wine Sauce.

Looks a lot like it. But... I don't have a gas stove. Yet.

This sauce is in some of my upcoming recipes and is a versatile sauce. It's an excellent base sauce - you can add things like mushrooms, bacon, or both to it for something unique, and it stands quite well on it's own. I use it mostly for my herb stuffed chicken, but I also like to add a bit of cream to it for use in Chicken Cordon Bleu. Enjoy!

You'll need:
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup of chicken stock (keep another cup or so aside to replace while reducing.)
1/4 cup of white wine - doesn't matter what kind.
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. lime juice
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 tsp. chives, chopped
1 tsp. sugar
dash of salt and pepper

Melt butter in a pan. Add garlic, onion, and sugar and sauté until translucent (the sugar helps add caramelization to the onions.) Add all the remaining ingredients except the chives and and let simmer for awhile. As the moisture reduces, add a little more stock to bring it back to the desired amount. This will intensify the flavor.

Just before the sauce is ready to serve, turn up the heat to medium, and when it begins to bubble, add a mixture of one part cornstarch to three parts water, a little at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Add the chives, remove from heat and let sit for a moment before serving.

Appetizer... Smoky Deviled Eggs.

Smoky Deviled Eggs. They never last...

These ain't your momma's deviled eggs... they have the tartness, but an underlying smoky flavor that people love. I've never had them last long, and they won't for you, either!

You'll need:
(Mind you, most of the measured amounts are starting points - texture is key.)
An immersion blender is helpful, too.


13 boiled eggs (the 13th is so you can make a "taste test" pair of eggs)
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup brown mustard
1 tbsp. yellow mustard
2 tbsp. dill pickle juice (I prefer kosher garlic)
1 tsp liquid hickory smoke
1 tsp smoked paprika - keep the jar aside, though.

Shell eggs and cut in half lengthwise, dropping yolks into a large bowl. Mix in the remaining ingredients until they form a smooth paste (you may need a little more may and mustard, and this is where the immersion blender comes in handy. Makes it real smooth, real fast.)

Here's my trick for making this easy:

Place the egg halves laid out on a pan or tray. Get a freezer bag and fill it with the egg mixture, forcing it to one corner like a piping bag and let the air out. Seal the bag, roll the free plastic tight, and cut the corner off the bag. You now have a way to pipe the filling into the eggs.

Once all the eggs are filled, sprinkle them with a little additional paprika and finely chopped chives for color. For additional smoky flavor, add a touch of finely chopped cooked bacon to the top of the eggs. Enjoy!

Makes 24 eggs... or so.

My smoky mesquite enchilada sauce.

Slow simmer in the pot...  cooking right now.

I've recently discovered enchiladas. Not eating them, making them. But... this being Canada, it's not always easy to get Mexican components pre-made. Besides, I like making my own stuff up.

This recipe has the bare bones components of virtually every recipe I've come across. Feel free to adjust it as you see fit. Even though I give measured amounts, I play it on the fly. They're just starting points.

You'll need:

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup flour

can crushed tomatoes

1/2 can of beer

1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

1 tbsp. lime juice

1 tbsp. liquid mesquite smoke

3 tbsp. chili powder

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp. onion powder

2 tsp. oregano

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tbsp sea salt 

1/2 tsp chipotle pepper powder (if available)

pepper to taste

approx 1 tsp. hot sauce or taquera sauce, depending on taste

box of chicken stock on hand. ( To thin sauce when needed. Never use water.)

Heat oil in a pot and add flour. Whisk into a light roux. Add tomatoes and all the other spices and let simmer on low for an hour (the longer the better - allows seasonings to meld better.) If the sauce starts to get too thick, add some stock. It adds flavor and gives a usable consistency. 

Salad... Ed's Eastern Carolina Cole Slaw.

Cole slaw - an excellent side or as a topping on pulled pork.
(borrowed image.)

Summer is coming and that means barbecue. Okay, maybe I'm jumping the gun a bit, because the snow isn't even all gone yet in my town. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy summer flavors now. As you will see, I will be posting my recipe for Eastern Carolina pulled pork (indoor and smoker,) among other things. So enjoy the refreshing coolness of this dish alongside your favorite mains!

medium head of white cabbage (shredded)
1/2 small head red cabbage (shredded)
1 large or 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
(or - bagged cole slaw mix, 2 bags 14 oz)
1/3 cup minced onion
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
8 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp. pepper
2 tbsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. celery seed

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Place in a fridge for at least three hours so the flavors meld. Stir and serve. 

Keeps in an airtight container for up to a week.

Rub: Gonna need this in the future.

This is a rub I concocted through trial and error from other rubs. It can be adjusted to your taste. I will add that using freshly grated nutmeg does add a special flavor that sets it apart from other rubs. Use it on any meat and it's great for smoking foods! Enjoy!

Ed's Rub:

1/2 cup white sugar 
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tbsp. sea salt
3 tbsp. garlic powder 
2 tbsp. onion powder
2 tbsp. smoked paprika
2 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. chipotle pepper 
2 tbsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)
2 tbsp. dried thyme
1 tbsp. dried rosemary
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tbsp. fresh grated nutmeg
1 tbsp. allspice

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl - best done with a whisk. Can store up to 6 months in an airtight container.

Potato and leek soup

Potato and Leek Soup with Bacon and Mushrooms

I like potato and leek soup, but I decided to kick it up a bit, give it some texture and that good smoky flavor that comes with bacon. I made this last night, and it was really good. For this recipe I used dried spices though. Hope you like it as well!

2 lbs. of small red potatoes
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
3 quarts of chicken stock (I use the boxed liquid stock)
2 cups vegetable stock
3 leeks
1 pound of hickory smoked bacon
1/2 cup half and half
1/3 cup white wine
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 tbsp. parsley
2 tbsp. fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano (the real cheese, it makes a difference)
dash marjoram
dash sage
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp. coarse sea salt
1 tbsp. coarse black pepper

Cut potatoes into roughly 1" chunks and boil in lightly salted water. Cook the bacon to reasonable crispness, then set aside to cool. Cut up the leeks (white and light green part only) and wash them. (Separate the rings of the leeks in a colander and run them under water.)

Once boiled, drain the potatoes and place them back in the pot. Add two quarts of chicken stock and place pot on medium heat. Using an immersion blender, puree the potatoes (if you don't have an immersion blender, put them in a standard blender and do it that way. You may have to do it in several loads.) Add mushrooms,wine, and remaining stocks to the puree. Add Parmigiano, bay leaf and other spices. Cook on medium-low for about twenty minutes.

Sautee the leeks in the same pan the bacon was cooked in, till just softened. Chop bacon and add it to the soup. Add leeks and half and half, stirring it in slowly. lower heat and simmer for about fifteen minutes. Serve.

Cook time: approximately an hour and a half

Serves 6...well.