Pizza? Again? Yes, A Grandma Pie this time! (Plus can you ever really get too much of pizza?)

Saturday was a fun surf day. The waves were pretty mellow, and I did pretty good paddling into them. I am starting to time my paddling better, and slowly but surely I am making progress. I had been accused of selecting waves I know I can't catch, but I'm trying to change that, and that's slowly working too. Also, I am starting to think about adding a new surf spot into my rotation since I've been doing mostly Santa Monica and Zuma. What about Venice? Or El Porto, birthplace of Osoporto? (side note: Osoporto's Jon Berry also puts out a cool little paper called the OsoDaily. Here's a link so check it out: http://paper.li/itsOsoPorto/1396689451). Anyway, it may be time to change things up a bit -- just like it was nice to mix things up and have a patty melt instead of a cheeseburger. And while we're at it, what about mixing things up a bit when it comes to pizza?

That same issue of Bon Appetit that had the Patty Melt recipe? Well, it also had the recipe for this pizza you see below, which we had the other night.

It's called a Grandma Pie. I'm usually partial to thin crust NY style pizza slices. But when I was growing up back east all pizza joints also had Sicilian pies on hand, and this Grandma Pie is closer to that. Sicilian Pizza has a thicker, almost focaccia-like crust. If done right, it should be a little crisp on the bottom and at the edges, but softer in the middle. It was, and it was really, really good. The master recipe calls for just mozzarella, and tomato sauce, but I had some fennel-garlic sausage in the freezer from McCalls Meat and Fish (www.mccallsmeatandfish.com) and so ours had sausage on top too. Plus some of the anchovies leftover from mixing up the sauce were added. If you like thick crust, Sicilian style pizza, try this recipe (just keep in mind this is another dough that requires an overnight rise, so plan ahead!).

Grandma Pizza (or Sicilian-Style)
(recipe courtesy Bon Appetit - for 1 pie, serving about 6)

Dough

1 envelope active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp)
1 1/2 cups warm water (105-110 degrees)
2 tbsp. plus 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
2 tsp. kosher salt
4 cups all purpose flour

1. Combine yeast and warm water in a large bowl.  Let stand until yeast starts to foam, about ten minutes.
2. Mix in 2 tbsp. olive oil, (reserve the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil until later, see below) then 2 cups all purpose flour and 2 tsp. salt.  Add another 2 cups flour, a cup at a time, mixing until incorporated and a shaggy dough forms.
3. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft, smooth and elastic, 10-12 minutes. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill 24 hours.

Sauce

1 28 oz. can peeled tomatoes

2 anchovies

2 garlic cloves

6 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup basil leaves

Salt and fresh ground pepper

1. Drain tomatoes and in blender or food processor pulse with anchovies, garlic, olive oil and basil. Process until mostly smooth. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Toppings

12 oz. grated Mozzarella (or do like me…mix Mozzarella with fontina)

1-2 sweet or spicy Italian sausage, removed from casings and browned in skillet

Anchovies, if you like

Putting it all together

1. Preheat oven to 525, or as high as it will go. Place rack in lower third of oven.
2. Once dough has risen 24 hours, coat a 18x13" baking rimmed baking sheet with the reserved 1/2 cup olive oil. Place dough on baking sheet and gently press and stretch dough until it reaches edges. If dough springs back or is stiff to work with, let it rest ten minutes before continuing.  You may have to do this a couple of times (although I didn't find that).
3. Cover dough on baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place until it is puffed and full of bubbles, 30-40 minutes.
4. Once dough has risen on baking sheet, top with the mozzarella. Dot pie with 1 1/2 cups sauce.  Scatter over cooked sausage and lay on anchovies if using.
5. Bake pie until golden brown and crisp on bottom and sides, about 20-30 minutes.

So here are some pictures of the process, starting with the dough, after its overnight rise.

Here's the sauce coming together. It doesn't need to be cooked, so super easy, right? I even used my stick blender, which means no clean up of the food processor or blender.

Now the sausage browning in the skillet. McCalls makes their sausage in house. There are many different varieties. Get some!

Now here's the dough in the pan, all stretched to the edge and after having risen:

And here's the pizza just out of the oven before it was cut into slices.

Like any pizza, you can pretty much customize this any way you want. You could do Pepperoni.  You could do a veggie pizza with chard or kale. Whatever you like. So if you like to make pizza at home, change it up: make a Grandma Pie. And of course leftovers make great eats at the beach. Who doesn't like cold pizza, huh?

Yes, a cheeseburger hits the spot. But what about its cousin, the Patty Melt? (And Now Joined By His Cousin, The Tuna Melt!

New development on the melt front! Last week, to go along with Friday Night Martinis, we had Tuna Melts. We did this because we had eaten meat a couple of times, and we were looking for something different. I was thinking Clam Chowder, but I ran out of time to make it and went with Tuna Melts. Here's what they looked like:

Since this post is about the Patty Melt, new information has been added on how the tuna version came together. So scroll down past the Patty Melt for the info.

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We have discussed cheeseburgers. We've written a love letter to In-n-Out. But what about the cheeseburger's cousin, the often overlooked, patty melt?  These are delicious too. Have you ever made a patty melt at home? I haven't. Until now.

But first some surf stuff. Saturday was predicted to be pretty mellow in Santa Monica. So I headed out early. Sure enough it was nice conditions -- for tiny-wave aficionados like me. It was mid-tide, and maybe occasionally there was a bit of a bigger set (and by bigger I mean maybe 3 feet?) but mostly the waves were small and on the gentle side. So I had fun. Then came something that would have earned me a featured spot in the Instagram, @Kook_of_the_day, which any surfer should check out because it's pretty freaking hilarious. What happened was this: I'm on the hunt for a new wetsuit because the old one is coming apart at the seams. ZJ Boarding House in Santa Monica (www.zjboardinghouse.com) had wet suits on sale, so I figured I'd swing by after my session. ZJ has parking behind the building, which is nice because it's free. There was one tight little space left so I started to pull into it…and I totally shredded the side of my car on this big nasty concrete pillar! F'd up my right side mirror too. Kook! I should have taken a picture with the surfboard on the car and the damage and sent it to Kook of the Day. I bet I would have won. Luckily, nobody saw me so I wasn't too embarrassed. Anyway, the suits at ZJ, even on sale, were on the pricey side so I'm still looking.

Now back to that patty melt. I'm talking this guy here:

I've mentioned that if we're home on Friday nights, it's usually cheeseburgers and Martinis. But every once in a while you gotta mix things up, right? Recently Sam pointed out a recipe for a patty melt in Bon Appetit, and while I'm more partial to the tuna melt, I decided to give it a go. As usual, get the best quality meat that you can. I actually used the same burger blend from McCalls Meat and Fish in Los Feliz (www.mccallsmeatandfish.com) that I'd use for burgers. But the second most important part, I think, is caramelizing the onions properly. This takes a bit of time, and there's no way around that, but the results are worth it. So be patient.

Here's the recipe, courtesy of the Oct. 2014 issue of Bon Appetit Magazine. For 4 Patty Melts:

2 thinly sliced onions
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1/4 small onion, finely diced
1 pound ground chuck (20% fat)
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
8 slices seeded rye bread
4 oz. thinly sliced swiss cheese
4 oz. thinly sliced aged cheddar cheese
4 teaspoons mayonnaise

1. Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onions. Cook, stirring often, adding a little water as needed to prevent burning, until onions are deep golden brown and very soft, about 20-25 minutes.
2. Mix together diced onion, beef, ketchup, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Divide into four portions and press each between wax or parchment paper until about 1/4 inch thick. You'll want the patties to be about the same size as your bread. (Ahead of time note: patties can be formed several hours ahead and kept, covered with plastic, in the refrigerator).
3. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron. Cook patties, in batches if necessary, until browned but a little pink inside, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.
4. Assemble and cook the melts: place cast iron skillet over medium heat. Top 4 bread slices with cheddar cheese. Place patties on top, then spoon on the onions. Top onions with swiss cheese and then the second slice of bread. Spread 1 tsp. mayonnaise on each piece of bread.
5. Place sandwiches, mayonnaise side down, in skillet. Top with piece of foil, then weigh down with second skillet to gently press sandwiches. Cook until undersides are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Spread 1 tsp mayonnaise on top sides. Flip sandwiches, press with skillet again, and cook until second side is golden brown. Slice in half and serve, with pickles and cole slaw if you like.

Here are some shots of the process, first the onions after slicing. As you can see I used red and white because I had red onions on hand.

Here the onions are just starting to cook.

Onions caramelized!  See how much they reduce?

They get really sweet too.  Now here's the burger mixture:

And then the formed patties:

Oh, that little one?  That's for the beagles!  Okay, now on to cooking. Into the skillet they go:

Then we flip:

Now here are the formed sandwiches cooking in the pan.

And the finished product is up top. So thank you Bon Appetit! Patty Melts are delicious, and highly recommended.  

If you're after a Tuna Melt, here you go:

Tuna Melts

(makes 4)

2 cans white or dark meat tuna, preferably Dolphin-safe, packed in oil

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped

1 small dill pickle, finely chopped

salt and fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup mayonnaise (or more if you like), plus more for grilling

8 slices rye bread

About 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

1 tbsp. canola oil

1. Drain tuna, and then, in a small bowl, flake it with a fork. Toss in chopped celery, chopped pickle and chopped onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then mix in mayonnaise.
2. Lay four slices of rye bread down on a work surface. Top each slice with enough grated Cheddar to cover. Top the grated cheese with tuna salad. Lay more grated cheese down over tuna, and top with second slice of bread to make sandwiches. Spread 1 teaspoon mayonnaise on top of each. 
3. Heat the canola oil in a skillet (preferably cast iron) until medium hot, then wipe out most of the oil, leaving just a very thin layer. Transfer the sandwiches to the skillet, mayonnaise side down (you may need to do this in two batches). Cover with a sheet of foil, and weigh the sandwiches down with another skillet or pot. Cook until golden, about three minutes. Remove the weight and foil. Spread another teaspoon mayonnaise on uncooked side. Then flip the sandwiches and cook the second side, another 3 minutes or so, until golden and cheese is melted. Serve with Lays Potato Chips!

An homage to a master of Stoner/Surf Dude Food -- Here's to Roy Choi (and, hey, while we're at it, somebody give this guy a Beard Award already)

This post does, and doesn't, have something to do with surfing. It is, however, about food. In fact, it's about the somewhat twisty road that led to this most delicious sandwich you see here, the Spam Banh Mi from the new lunch menu at Roy Choi's restaurant Pot in the Line Hotel--

But more on the sandwich in a bit. This is also about how it's always cool to help make a person's day, even if it's just a small thing that may not seem like a big deal.

So a while back, I stumbled on a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for Osoporto, a company run by Jon Berry that makes really sweet surf-related prints, stickers and shirts that pay tribute to El Porto, a super nice beach in the South Bay. Apparently El Porto was once its own little town, but now it's part of Manhattan Beach. I never knew that. But if you like unique and interesting surfy and beachy stuff, here's the website: www.beachbear.squarespace.com. You should check it out if, like me, you're into this kind of stuff.  So I kicked in a little bit of dough and I got a bunch of Osoporto stickers.  Look here they are!

One I immediately slapped on the back bumper of my car, and I was trying to figure out what to do with some of the others when it hit me that Kogi trucks are just covered in really cool stickers. What a perfect place for one, no? But I didn't know what was the protocol for getting a sticker on one. So I tweeted both Kogi and Chef Roy Choi with that very question, and I got a response that I thought was so perfect -- they said as long as the sticker "came from the soul and didn't offend" that nobody would stop me from doing it. Well, it does come from the soul, and it doesn't offend. So off I set out on this mission, and the mission was a success! See, look, here's Osoporto on the back of Verde:

I sent the pic to Osoporto and they were stoked! I got a tweet back saying they'd always wanted to be on a Kogi truck, and now they were, so that was nice. Of course, while I was at the truck, I had to have lunch, which you see below, my go-to Kogi order of the three taco combo, with two tofu, and one short rib.

While I was chowing down, I started thing about the guy who started it all, Chef Roy Choi, who has to be the most successful stoner in the freaking universe. I mean, just look at the past year. Not only did Choi release a successful biography/cookbook, L.A. SON, (one that doesn't even cover the Kogi and after part of his life -- so something to look forward to, eh?) but he also opened Pot, Pot Cafe and Commissary in Koreatown's Line Hotel, helped launch Three Worlds Cafe in south LA, announced he's taking on the fast food world with Loco'l, which aims to be a healthy fast food joint, and shot a series of shows for CNN. Oh, and also he consulted on Jon Favreau's CHEF. Just one of these accomplishments would be huge. Taken together it's just amazing, and the total opposite of slackerdom (and by the way, we're not even including in this post Choi's other restaurants, A-Frame and Sunny Spot, although Chego yes…see below).

Man, this guy's busy, right? So how is Kogi these days? Well, quite simply, it rocks. Those tacos up above, for example, were as delicious as the first time I tried them way back in about 2009, when many of us joined this new thing called Twitter so we could figure out where to find the truck. There's something addictive about these flavors and quite frequently I get a craving. Clearly I am not alone. While there were four or five other trucks at the spot where I slapped the sticker on Verde, only Kogi had a line. Take a look:

But it's not just Kogi. I also have a thing for the salty, spicy Kimchi Spam bowl at Chego, Choi's place down in Chinatown. So, of course, when I heard Choi was opening up a bunch of restaurants in the Line Hotel, I was excited. After a surf session one day not long after Pot Cafe got up and running, I stopped in because I saw on the website they had French Bread Pizzas. Okay, here's a confession -- we used to get stoned in high school, and just guess what was the munchie of choice? It was Stouffer's French Bread Pizza. I can't tell you how many times I burned my tongue because we were so freaking hungry we couldn't wait to let the pizzas cool down after they came out of the oven.  So I had to try Pot Cafe's version. Have a look:

These were the veggie version because sometimes I like to go vegetarian. Again, more deliciousness, and not just that -- like Proust, these pizzas brought me back -- okay, not to some Parisian patisserie and its Madeleines, but to the smoky paneled basements in the suburbs of my youth. But wait, there's more!  I recently read a tweet from Choi that coming to the Line Hotel was lunch at the restaurant, Comissary, and it included not just a Banh Mi (and we know I love Banh Mis) but a Spam Banh Mi.

Whaaaaat?

Now this I had to try. Side note: Spam is also one of those foods that transports me to another place. When I was a kid, I was sent to summer camp. I generally disliked camp. But I did like when we used to go on these hikes up mountains in the Adirondacks. We carried food in to camp sites in backpacks, and somehow I always ended up on kitchen patrol. Always included were cans of Spam. How was it used? As I recall, it was usually at breakfast, popped from the can, sliced, then fried in a skillet over an open fire and served next to a mess of scrambled eggs. Maybe it was the cooking and eating it outdoors, but I loved those crisp, salty, porky slices. So onto Pot's Spam Banh Mi. After a so-so session in somewhat choppy water Wednesday, I stopped in for lunch. You just walk right into the lobby at the Line, and you can eat there, or even outside on the patio. And it was awesome.  I loved this Banh Mi. It was salty, a little sweet, spicy, and the fries that came with it were perfectly crisp. What a fun lunch. (And by the way, I wish more people would check out Koreatown because it's such a cool area, and it's just filled with really good places to eat).

Choi isn't just a really good businessman, though. His food is an inspiration. I think ever since I started eating Kogi I started to experiment more with flavors and combinations I wouldn't have thought of. I'm not sure I'd even had Sriracha before Kogi and now I'm an addict, dousing it on just about everything. I mentioned the book, L.A. Son. Well, here it is in my kitchen library, right now chilling out between Suzanne Goin's awesome Sunday Suppers at Lucques and classic Julia Child. See?

Sometimes for lunch I'll make Kimchi Fried Rice, and sometimes I'll make a Kimchi quesadilla, with lots of melted cheese, topped with sour cream and Sriracha and cilantro. I mentioned in a previous post my thing about Ramen -- not the fancy kind either, but the Sapparo Ichiban's packaged version. When I make it and top it with a fried egg, or two, and more cilantro and sriracha I somehow think Chef Choi, who has a Ramen recipe in the book, would approve. Here's mine--

I'm not sure I would have made lunches like this at home in the pre-Kogi era, so I credit Choi with helping me to think outside of the box. Recently I cooked from the book the Kalbi plate. We dug everything about it except I made one mistake. My usual go-to source for meat and fish, McCalls in Los Feliz, was closed for a week of vacation. I had been at our local Farmer's Market, where I saw a guy selling grass-fed beef, and he had the thin cross-cut ribs I'd need to make the Kalbi so I picked some up. Well, we're not big fans of grass-fed beef because it can be gamey, and, frankly, tough. And though Choi's marinade was delicious, we'll try it again with short ribs that aren't grass fed.

So, amazing chef, amazing businessman, but also really an inspiration, a teacher. If all that's not enough for the Beard Foundation, how about also pretty much creating the food truck craze in the first place? Huh? So how about it? I think somebody should start a campaign. Anyway, here are links to all things Choi. Now go eat something good.

Kogi: www.kogibbq.com
Chego: www.eatchego.com
The Line Hotel (for Pot Cafe, Commissary and Pot):  www.thelinehotel.com
Three Worlds Cafe:www.3WorldsCafe.com
L.A. Son: www.harpercollins.com/roychoi
Chef: www.universalstudiosentertainment.com/chef