Game Day Eats

 

We learned, very last moment, that one of The Guys was in town.

That means at least one night of gaming, upstairs in the Lounge.  For which, naturally, there must be food.

 

 

Camera photo by Matt

There was the usual cheese, salamis and crackers.  A really nice pistachio hummus with veggies and pita chips. 

And Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies with Salted Peanuts.

A really dense brownie (no leaveners) with both a peanut butter and a chocolate layer.  

It all happened so fast, I didn't have a chance to taste them before sending a plate upstairs, but I'm told they went over well.

Mission accomplished.

Mortadella Pizza Sandwich

 

I confess: I'm a sucker for a sexy food photo.

So when I saw the thumbnail for King Arthur's Mortadella Pizza Sandwich, I was both seduced and confused. 

Pizza? Sandwich? What?

Watching the video cleared the confusion, thankfully, and after sharing it with Matt, it went on the menu.

I've never had mortadella. I went vegetarian...oh, god.   Nearly 28 1/2 years ago!?
Wow.

I'm not convinced grocery stores in my little home town even carried the stuff back then.

In any case, I didn't encounter it until well after I'd stopped eating 'food with a face'. 
But again, now that Earth Fare is carrying plant-based deli style meats, I'm able to find something vaguely suitable for the recipe.

Matt, of course, had actual mortadella.

It's half pizza, half hot sub.  A gorgeous, long-rise dough gets stretched, lightly bathed in olive oil, folded in half, and baked in a blisteringly hot oven for a few minutes.

One last blast of heat from the broiler gives you a solid outer crust, while the interior comes out done, but softer.

Gently pry the ...bread? Crust? open, and distribute burrata over the bottom half. 

Next, add your mortadella, lemon zest and juice, roughly chopped salted pistachios, a sprinkling of red pepper flakes and flaky sea salt to the sandwich.

Close, brush the top with some olive oil, and toss on a few more pistachios.  

 

It's stupidly good.  And stupidly easy. The dough's hands-off for the most part, with a little bit of shaping right before baking. The ingredients aren't numerous or complicated. 

And yeah, it's damn sexy.

 Edited to add: I forgot to mention the grated Asiago!!!

Play it Again

 

I know I've mentioned it before, but I rarely repeat a recipe. I'm always looking for something new, trying different things.

BUT.

We have our favorites.  A collection of maybe...twenty, twenty-five dishes we love so much, they show up on the menu again.

One is Persian Rice with PIstachio & Dill, which I've been making for over twenty years. 

When I first saw it in the just-delivered issue of Gourmet, I knew I had to give it a try. 

And we've been in love with it ever since.

 

With just four ingredients (not including water & salt), it's ridiculously easy.  And oh, my god.  So delicious. 

The washing, parboiling, and chopping are worth it for the tahdig!

 

How good is it?  If Matt's out shopping, and lets me know "hey, dill here looks incredible", I will rearrange the menu to work it in.  

That. Good.

Still Here. Honest.

 

Happy September!

The suffocating heat and humidity appear to be on the way out, Halloween decorations are going up, and it's almost my birthday.

I baked these Smoked Pistachio Shortbreads for Matt last night, which he loves. 

Hope you're all doing as well as you can manage.  Can't really ask for more, can we?