Pita Pizza

So I have this mini obsession with Mellow Mushroom pizza. It's a chain of restaurants and we had one in Auburn which my friends and I frequented during college. However, my obsession did not begin until I moved to NYC and realized it is only a Southern thing! I guess there are a million amazing pizza places here, but I still hold a special place in my heart for Mellow. I rekindled my love for their Kosmic Karma pie on a recent trip home to Huntsville, Alabama. It's my favorite variety, and I was determined to recreate it in Brooklyn.

I'm not quite ready to make my own pizza dough or even use the pre-made stuff I've seen at Trader Joe's. I went with the equivalent of dipping my big toe in this culinary pool. Making pita pizzas seemed like the perfect opportunity to test out the toppings before getting into all that dough mess. Quick. Easy. Painless. My kind of cooking.

The result it pretty good. Definitely not up to Mellow standards but a good first attempt. I think there is a lot to be said for using good pesto. I would also go for a more crumbly feta next time. Mellow Mushroom definitely has a good dough recipe (I think they incorporate wheat flour in there too). The middle of the pizza is pretty thin while the crust is thick and fluffy. My pita got nice and crispy in the oven but it's just not the same. I look forward to trying again!

Kosmic Karma Pita Pizza

8" pita bread

Pizza sauce (I used a jar from TJ's, but I'm sure you could make your own. Good luck!)

Pesto sauce (ditto)

Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Feta cheese crumbles (feta in a block is a bit too dense)

Sun-dried tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes, sliced

Heat your oven to 425° F. Put pita on an ungreased cookie sheet, fluffy side up. Spread a spoonful of pizza sauce on top and do the same with the pesto. Sprinkle with an ample amount of mozzarella cheese and arrange the other toppings to your liking. Bake in the oven about 10-12 minutes until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Experimenting with Eggplant

Since moving out of my parents house, my real meal (all food groups accounted for) intake has decreased.  Mostly because I was a stressed out architecture student with no time or money and a bowl of pasta with a bit of salt is fast and cheap.  I was a bit better about making (having) complete meals and mixing it up when I had someone making them for me.  I was being kinda lazy about it again once I moved to New York, especially with all the take out so close by.  I moved a bit farther south and my favorite take out spots are no longer call-when-you-get-off-the-subway-and-pick-up-on-the-way-to-the-apartment, therefore forcing some needed diversity in my cooking again.  That said, I still like my quick, one pan meals.

from http://notahippie.wordpress.com/

This one skillet meal was appealing because it was fast, easy, and it had eggplant. This was my first cooking experience with eggplant.  Since moving to New York I have had eggplant in pastas and on pizzas and enjoyed it.  I started collecting recipes with it, but have been too scared to try cooking with one.  Not sure why, but I was, it's an intimidating vegetable.  I found this recipe for Tortellini with Eggplant and Peppers  and finally decided to give it a try.

I am normally a follow-the-recipe type of girl, but I could only find 10 or 14 oz bags of tortellini and had used a bit of my peppers earlier in the week, and my bullion cubes make 2 cups each. So I added a bit of vidalia onion, extra cup of vegetable broth, and 24 oz of tortellini.  Since I like my spices I also added a tiny bit of my brother dried chili mix. It turned out really well. I was afraid I would have a issue with the vegetable cause they would be soft, but it's still really great. The only problem was that the broth didn't soak in as well as I think I should have, which was a bit of a surprise since I added more pasta that broth proportionally.  I thought the broth would be soaked up quicker.

From Real Simple (my picture didn't look as yummy)

The decision to make it again will all hinge on how it does as a leftover for lunch tomorrow. I am afraid the texture of the veggies is gonna gross me out, but I am going to try not to think about it.