Just 'n time for your New Year's Party (next year)

Olde Cape Cod Whale Stew

Preparation time: 4 to 5 weeks depending on size.
Cooking time: 12 to 15 days, depending on size.
Serves: Population of Truro (1,500).

Ingredients:

• One whale, large.
• One-ton truckload of potatoes, chopped.
• Small pick-up truckload carrots, diced.
• Six wheelbarrow loads of onions, thinly sliced.

Peel skin from whale, and cut into one-inch pieces. This should take less than a month. Place all ingredients in a 700 gallon pot. Simmer for two weeks or until potatoes are done. Add Sea Salt and Pepper, garnish with Seaweed. Drain whale blubber and serve hot at the beach.

Note: A microwave oven may be used if one large enough is available. Cooking time may be reduced to two weeks if cooked at high.

-- Recipe discovered in an ancient book of New England Humor
by Chef May Bangs Twite, Oak Bluffs, MA

Treat the kids and stay on your diet

It's Smoothie Sailing at Mandy's Cape Creamery

By Cape Catman

For those who like ice cream, Mandy's offers a sumptuous banana split.

Are the kids pestering you for ice cream? Does dad want a fried fisherman's platter? Are you watching your weight? Mandy's Cape Creamery has a few ideas on how diet conscious parents can treat the kids and still watch mom and dad's weight.

For the second year in a row, Mandy's offers ten flavors of all natural fruit smoothies. From strawberry, to apple, to banana, to pomegranate, to interesting blends, these frozen treats are made from 100% natural crushed fruit. That's all fruit and nothing but the fruit!

A typical 16 ounce smoothie includes up to four servings of fruit. Rich in Vitamin A, C and E, fruit smoothies also provide a healthy dose of antioxidants. They also taste very good!

This reporter tried the strawberry smoothie. Not only did it taste wonderful, the aroma of fresh strawberries emanating from the drink added to the vivid flavor.

As Americans have become more nutrition conscious, many of Cape Cod's independent dairy bars and restaurants have made it a point to carry nutritious alternatives. For example, Mandy's now offers a wide variety of salads, fat free soft serve, frozen yogurt and sugar free treats.

So it's summer on Cape Cod, the kids are hungry and you can still eat sensibly.

For those less diet-conscious (and for those of us who cheat on occasion), Mandy's makes a sumptuous banana split and a lobster roll that's to die for.

Mandy Cape Creamery is in its fifth year of operation at the former Friendly's location on Canal Road in Orleans, next to Cape Tradewinds. See the video below of them two years ago.

Gluten-free dining comes to TGIF Fridays at the mall

3 million Americans are celiac - 1 in 133
More restaurants are cashing by responding to this desease

Celiac disease, or gluten intolerance, now affects at least 3 million Americans. Almost 1% of American are gluten intolerant, and the percentage is increasing scientist believe due to the fact we are a too clean society.

Gluten intolerance is not the same thing as wheat allergy or gluten sensitivity, neither of which is an autoimmune disorder. There is currently no diagnostic test for gluten sensitivity, though researchers are working to develop one.

The odds of you having the desease is 1 in 133 or .75%. It's dramatically worse for people with a parent, who is celiac, or 1 in 22, and for those with an aunt, uncle or cousin who are celiac the odds are 1 in 39.

Are we a "too clean" society?

The best guess for the increase in the number of American who are affected is the "hygiene theory" meaning that as a society we're just too clean, and as a result, the immune system, largely controlled by the gut, receives inadequate stimulation.

Where else on Cape Cod?
Outback Steakhouse , 99 Restaurant , Not Your Average Joe's, Panera Bread, Olive Garden, and Uno Chigao Grill all of which have printed gluten free menus. Roadhouse and Columbo's have gluten free items, but you must ask your server as do BZ's Pizza and Mexican and Chatham Fish & Lobster Co.

But help is on the way here on Cape Cod where increasingly restaurants offer gluten-free choices for customers.

And now one of the nation's most popular restaurant chains, TGIF Fridays, has made it really easier and more convenient than ever for guests with food allergies, or those who have gluten sensitivities.

T.G.I. Friday's at the Cape Cod Mall now has a new Allergen supplement menu with easy-to-read icons to break down what food groups/categories may be found in each menu item, including eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, shellfish and more.

There is a Cape Cod website written by a celiac named Susan who is the best local source for more information and she adds new restaurants which offer help as she finds them. See Underground Cape Cod here.

In Eastham, the best "Whore's Pasta" this side of Naples

Messina is a bit of Sicily right here on Cape Cod
Probably the best "Whore's Pasta" this side of Naples

By Walter Brooks

We shared an Insalata Forentina for $7.95.

I always order the Cod alla Capri for $15.95 and

my wife usually gets the Shrimp Scampi $15.95.

We also had a half order of Puttanesca for $6.50.

I dote on Puttanesca which literally mean Whore's Pasta in Italian. At Messina's in Eastham this spicy and hot roma tomato sauce with anchovies, capers and olives, is only $10.95, or you can order a 1/2 order for $6.95.

Every dish we sampled here was mouthwatering, the cod, shrimp, salad and dessert, but this is a love song about Puttanesca.

To understand how this sauce came to get its name, one must consider the 1950s when brothels in Italy were state-owned. They were known as case chiuse or 'closed houses' because the shutters had to be kept permanently closed to avoid offending the sensibilities of neighbors or innocent passersby.

Conscientious Italian housewives usually shop at the local market every day to buy fresh food, but these "civil servants" were only allowed one day per week for shopping, and their time was valuable. Their specialty became a sauce made quickly from odds and ends in the larder, and prepared in the few minutes they had between "tricks".

Historians have suggested the Bay of Naples is the birthplace of this dish. Also, various accounts exist as to when and how it originated, but it likely dates to the mid-twentieth century. The earliest known mention of it is in a 1961 Italian novel which mentions spaghetti alla puttanesca come li fanno a Siracusa (spaghetti alla puttanesca as they make it in Syracuse , and we mean the one in Sicily).

According to the Professional Union of Italian Pasta Makers the sauce became popular in the 1960s, and the 1971 edition of the Cucchiaio d'argento has no recipe with this name, but two which are similar. The Neapolitan Spaghetti alla partenopea, is made with anchovies and generous quantities of oregano, while spaghetti alla siciliana is distinguished by the addition of green peppers.

 I make this dish often at home, had it often in restaurants all over the U.S. and in Italy, but never better than at Messina's in Eastham. Chef/owner Jim Russo is Sicilian to the nth degree, and especially his recipes.

Jim serves dinner nightly from 4p.m. with 50% OFF 2nd Entree - every day.

Great ambiance, modest service, food sucks

Ember in Harwich Port is overdone and shockingly bad
A new "Not-very-Cheap Eats" stuns palate and pocketbook

I grew up in the restaurant business, ate every meal of my life in one until college, and after a half dozen successful start-ups, we learned two things;

1. The owner never knows what or how their customers are served, and
2. The greatest gift a customer can give a restaurateur is a warning about an imperfection.

The stupidest thing an owner can do is not heed such warnings before their business fails.

I love it when I walk into a new restaurant and the staff acts like they just received Michelin 3-Stars.

The Ember on Route 28 in Harwich Port is such a place, or as they say in Texas, "All hat and no cattle." That unearned swagger will turn off the hungriest diner. Their website and ads promote their "coal fired pizzas and wings."

That explains the taste of coal in my mouth for hours after leaving.

They received a glowing review by some press panderer recently, and they must believe their press clippings, because they weren't interested in hearing anything from the people in our party this week. They obviously already know everything.

In fact, the manager made us feel stupid by telling him, and when we mentioned the tasteless, canned olives to our waitress, she rolled her eyes and fled.

The chef was no better, taking umbrage and telling us that the customers asked for canned olives instead of fresh Kalamatas.

Yeah, all in the few weeks they've been open.

The Ember is the third or fourth restaurant at this same spot in recent years.

The others failed, and we assume the Embers is trying to carry on that tradition.

Here are three examples of what we mean: the Puttanesca Pizza uses canned, water-packed olives instead of the proper and more expensive Kalamata olives, the thin crust was soggy, not cooked in the middle and the Hot Wings were enough for a nursing home.

If you're in the 'hood and looking for good pizza, drive another block west to George's Pizza where the food is good, the prices lower, and the ambiance nonexistent.

Well, it's actually old-time Cape Cod Pizza decor, and George's has won every culinary prize a pizza parlor can win.

Here are just a few of the online reviews by Ember customers:

• We were burnt too
  "Seriously, burnt, the crust the bottom, just as black and burnt as possible and very cold. I could not eat it. The irony was I ordered the White Pizza. At $15 bucks I also got burned. I called; the hostess said 'sorry'".
• Stay Away
  "We tried Ember the other night and had the worst time. The food was burnt, and the waitress was rude and unfriendly. Spend your money elsewhere."
• Disappointing
  "The restaurant is beautiful but even the high ceilings do nothing to absorb the noise - extremely noisy. I could only see the lips moving as our friends talked - couldn't hear a word they were saying... Upscale decor - mediocre food. You can cook pizza in a wood burning oven, or a coal fired over, or a regular pizza oven - but if the kitchen doesn't know how to make a good pizza - who cares? The pizza was dry, the ingredients ordinary and the combinations of ingredients - uneventful. Note to management: hire someone who knows how to create good food! And then you'll be all set to match the decor."

Cheapest yet one of best on Cape Cod

Putachard Thai Food in West Yarmouth is outstanding

Three reasons Putachard is a superb restaurant are the sisters Thawin, Pat and Poo. Poo's daughter painted the delightful murals on this friendly place's walls.

Four entreés for $6.95, most of the rest at $7.95 and the highest two at $9.95

By Walter and Patricia Brooks

You don't know "spicy" until you've had Putachard's six marinated Spicy Wings, $4.95 and segued into

Cupid Wings, one of the most exciting Asian dishes.

We shared Tom Yung Koong, a hot and sour shrimp soup with lemon grass, mushrooms, onion and cilantro.

First entree was Crazy Noodles of stir-fried chicken and

we finished up with Beef Volanco of sauteed sirloin.

Cape Codders must love Thai food because there are a dozen restaurants serving this exotic cuisine here where once there was a single Chinese restaurant forty years ago.

And they are all good, and we should know having been to Thailand three times ourselves.

I can't recall ever having a "bad" Thai dish, and the restaurants here are consistently good, but...

The Putachard, in a small strip mall on Route 28 in West Yarmouth, is almost beyond belief.

Thai home cookin'

Maybe it's because the three sisters who own and run this modest little bistro are the cooks there and are preparing food as they did in their own homes The difference is quite remarkable.

Thawin, Pat and Poo are their names. We asked their favorites, and followed Pat's suggestions - happily.

A few of the menu items are typical of every other Cape Cod Thai restaurant, but the vast majority of Putachard's offerings are different.

We plan to go back and eat our way through the entire bill of fare.

Since there were just the two of us Sunday night - it was my wife's Valentine's Day gift to me - we shared two appetizers, one soup and two entreés.

What we ate

First, we ordered the hottest (my wife said the best) Chicken Wings we ever had anywhere.

These half dozen fiery devils are marinated in a hot sauce and came with celery sticks and carrot slices to cool the palate, and the price was a lowly $4.95.

Cowards may request a less spicy treatment.

Then came a surprise.

Sister Pat suggested "Cupid Wings" which are boneless chicken wings deep fried and stuffed with ground chicken, shrimp, crab, glass noodles, carrot, cabbage and herbs and served with a sweet  chili sauce, $5.95.

This was one of the most delightful Asian dishes I've eaten.

We then shared hot and sour shrimp soup called Tom Yum Koong. It had lemon grass, galangal, lime leaf, lime juice, mushrooms, Spring onion and cilantro, $3.95.

In Thailand, tom yum is usually made with prawns (tom yum goong), chicken (tom yum gai), fish (tom yum pla), or mixed seafood (tom yum talay or tom yum po taek) and mushrooms - usually straw or oyster mushrooms. The soup is often topped with generous sprinkling of fresh chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves.

And the entreés were...

My wife is that rare combination of Irish and Yankee, with a notorious gift for thrift, so the entreé prices which ran the gamut from $6.95 to $9,95 were pleasing, I'm sure.

But it was Valentine's Day after all, and she chose two $7.95 dishes which were both wonderful.

The "Crazy Noodles" was similar to many other Thai dishes like Pad See Eyw (or Yu) and Pad See Mao, but at Putachard it came with a two-red-pepper symbol.  It was stir-fried chopped chicken with string beans, several different peppers in a hot and spicy sauce served over flat noodles, $7.95.

Lastly, bellies practically bursting, we shared what they called "Beef Volcano." Need I say more?

It was way up there among the gastronomic Pantheon of dishes made of sauteed, sliced sirloin with mushrooms, string beans, pineapple, two kinds of peppers, snow peas and shredded ginger in a delectable spicy sauce, also $7.95.

All the Patchard dishes can be ordered in a milder version, and we had a big enough doggie bag to enjoy the two main dishes again the next day.

Address: 594 Main St., (Route 28) West Yarmouth, (508) 790-1957.
Hours: Open daily 11:15am-9:25pm, Sun. 4:25pm-9:25pm. Closed Monday in winter.

Homemade Soups

Cheap, healthy and delicious homemade soup

by Jonathan Mayo       

There are few things quite as enticing as homemade soup on a cold winter's day. The house fills with the smell of simmering stock. The ingredients are fresh. Soup warms the spirit and nourishes in a way that sandwiches can't.

I'd like to share some basic principles of soup-making and easy recipes for homemade soups.

Stocks and Mother Sauces

    Simple stocks are the basis for all non-cream soups. "Mother Sauces" such as Bechamel are the foundation for all cream based soups and chowders. If you learn the basic sauces you can make a huge variety of soups.

Vegetable stock- When making vegetable soup it is better to make a stock before adding the final ingredients.

Start by cutting up the vegetables you will use in your soup. Save all the carrot ends, celery leaves and celery base and add them to a large pot. Fill with water and simmer for 1/2 hour.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the base vegetables and discard.

From here you can make a vegetable soup with any number of ingredients, including celery, carrot, onion, squash, asparagus.

Meat & Seafood Stocks

Many soups can be based on simple stocks, like chicken, beef, fish, shrimp, lobster, clam. These are ordinarily made just like the vegetable stocks above, using unwanted bits and then straining them out.

If you cook a whole chicken, you can use the remainder to make a nice chicken stock.

Fish stock can be made with what remains after filleting. Shrimp stock can be made with the shells. Ham bone makes an excellent stock as well.

Refrigerated Bases (Chicken, Beef, Seafood, Vegetable)

When it's impractical to make stock, but one still desires homemade soup, one can get excellent results with refrigerated bases. These are in paste form and make excellent stocks by just adding water. They are also handy in making quick sauces. One small container will last several weeks. I purchase these at US Foods in Hyannis.

Cream Sauce or Bechamel

The basic cream sauce, or bechamel  as known by the French, is a classic "Mother Sauce" because it serves as a base for many sauces and soups. All cream-based soups and chowders start with Bechamel.

Ingredients:

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg, and set aside until ready to use.

Cream Soups and Chowders    

You can use Bechamel as the base for:

Cream of Mushroom - Cream of Asparagus - Cream of Broccoli - Clam Chowder- Fish Chowder-Corn Chowder

Forget following recipes like a robot, use your imagination! Start with Bechamel, maybe a double batch if you want a big pot of soup. Then add whatever ingredients you wish. Just be sure to strain away excess water and pre-cook items like broccoli, asparagus or celery, as they are too tough to properly cook withour burning the soup. You should  use gentle heat with cream soups and chowders, as they burn easily.

A Few Basic Recipes.

French Onion Soup- Fill a  gallon pot with sliced onions. Cover with water and add 2-3 tablespoons of refrigerated beef base. Simmer  for 1 hour.Top with croutons and swiss cheese.

Ham Barley Soup- The day after a ham meal, drop the ham bone in a large pot. Cut some ham squares and set aside. Add a small bag of barley. Simmer for 1 hour and remove ham bone. Add chopped ham, carrot, celery, onion. Simmer for a half hour and serve.

Cheesy Cream of Broccoli- Start with bechamel, a double batch. Precook chopped broccoli slightly. Strain and add to soup. Add 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Simmer over low heat for 1/2 hour. You can substitute bacon, asparagus, mushroom, etc. to make a completely different creation.

Classic Chicken Noodle- Start by making a stock, either from chicken parts or using a refrigerated base. Cut up some vegetables and don't hesisite to add carrot tops or celery bits to the simmering stock. It will only add flavor. If making stock from scratch strain the chicken parts and vegetable bits. Add chopped meat and vegetables. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add egg noodles, maybe 1/2 bag for a 1 gallon soup.

Fish Chowder- Start with bechamel and add concentrated fish stock and lightly cooked fish.If making a gallon of chowder, add only 1/2 cup of fish stock. You can cook the stock down so that the flavor is  more concentrated. If using refrigerated base, add less water. Simmer the bechamel, fish and stock for 1/2 hour.

Use your Imagination- The possibilities are myriad once we learn the basic stocks. You may find yourself thinking of soup ideas without even planning. It is a great way use up leftovers and stretch your food budget.

Feel free to share soup ideas in the comments section.

Bon Appetit!

Fly to Chatham for Christmas morning breakfast

The Flying Ace is not only a bargain, it's good and it's open today

Today's Specials were on a white blackboard over a pile of jigsaw puzzles and every seat looks out on the Chatham Municipal Airport  Ryder Road off Route 28 at the Ocean State Job Lot corner in West Chatham.

You missed today but its open New Year's Day too

By Walter Brooks

My wife had today's special which was a double eggs Benedict with homemade roast beef hash, $9.25

I had the double eggs Benedict with a really good homemade roast beef hash, $9.25.

Christmas morning seemed like a neat time to go out for breakfast. The problem was finding some place which was open and good.

My wife ferreted out a great spot, the Flying Ace at the Chatham Airport on George Ryder Road.

Not only were they open, but the food was excellent and inexpensive to boot.

New Owner Sheila Benoit hails from Orleans and has owned this cozy restaurant above the airport offices for a year and a half.

Maybe you will recognize Sheila from her 15 years working various Dunkin' Donuts shops on the Lower Cape.

The white blackboard

One of the items on her white blackboard today was double Eggs Benedict atop English muffins with a really good homemade Roast Beef Hash, $9.25.

Her regulars exclaim over Sheila's "Skeggs" which are two baked potato skins filled with scrambled eggs, lots of bacon, tomato and cheese grilled on top with toast, $9.25.

I had to bring half of it home for another day.

My wife also had a side of perhaps the best homefries this side of NYC. They were crisp and sauteed with onions and bits of green peppers.

Both the breakfast and lunch menus are huge, especially considering what a small cozy room at this restaurant. The place mats are laminated jigsaw puzzles, and completed puzzles are on display around the room.

If you can't find something you want, you just weren't hungry.

 The Flying Ace is open Tues through Saturday for both breakfast and lunch from 7am until 1pm, and Sundays from 7am until 12 noon. The telephone number is (508) 945-2910.

Ans yes, they're open New Year's Day too from 7am until 1pm.

Sink your teeth into something Savory

Year-round sandwiches, pizza and paninis that won't break the bank

By Maggie Kulbokas

Woe is the hungry Cape Codder looking for something to eat in the off-season--especially on the Outer Cape when many of your favorite spots seal up their kitchens until spring.

If you find yourself a bit peckish on your way to or from Provincetown, pull into Savory Pizza Grill on Route 6 in Truro for a truly tasty bite.

Savory is a casual and cool eatery serving up stone-fired pizzas, burgers, wraps and some of the best paninis you'll sink your choppers into.

The gooey, tasty pizza was still delicious after a 40 minute ride in the car.

The self-described "flame kissed" pizzas are delicious. Hand tossed dough, a secret sauce and fresh toppings make these pies almost impossible to resist. I recently sampled a plain pizza that heartily withstood a 40 minute ride and a dip in the home oven.  Still, the crust was thin and crisp, the cheese was gooey and the chunks of tomato in the sauce gave the pizza a freshness one usually doesn't find in local pizza shops.  I am told that a slice while eaten at one of Savory's tables or only a short drive away is sheer heaven.

While pizza is a big draw, the hot paninis also deserve their due.  The rolls are fresh (your choice of classic, garlic & herb or rosemary) and the ingredients compliment each other nicely. Savory takes your standard luncheon meats and transforms them into something special like roast beef, cheddar, roasted red peppers and horseradish sauce better known as "The Pistol". Tasty and zingy!

The Angus bacon cheddar burger was grilled to perfection and their hand-cut French fries were out of this world.  Hold off on grabbing the salt shaker--the fries were perfectly seasoned.

Vegetarians will also leave happy and full.  Savory's menu includes six different salads, veggie panini choices and create your own and signature pizzas such as the Mista (red sauce, cheese, roasted eggplant, roasted red peppers, carmelized onions and roasted garlic).

If it's a little too early for pizza, check out their breakfast sandwiches and pastries, muffins and bagels baked daily in house.

Prefer a cup of Joe or something sinfully sweet? You're still in the right place! Savory's alter ego, Sweet Escape, is a full coffee bar and ice cream shop serving locally roasted coffees and espressos and homemade ice cream.  One of a kind flavors like Ryder Beach Rubble, Wicked Mud Flats and Cranberry Bog are made on premises so selections may differ from visit to visit.

Sandwiches range from $6.75 to $8.95, salads run around $7.50 and pizzas come in small (12") starting at $9.95 or large (16") starting at $13.95.

Check out the Savory Pizza Grill menu online here and give them a call at 508-487-2225 to place a take out order.  Savory is located at 316 Route 6 in Truro across from the Truro Elementary School.

Homemade Pizza - YUM!

Making pan pizza at home- Inexpensive, yet excellent - $1.08 per pizza

By Jonathan Mayo

I began making pizzas at the age of 17, circa 1989, working as full-time pizza cook at Paul's Pizza in Falmouth Heights. In those days I was an emancipated minor, homeless,  living in a VW Bus and working full-time.

It was there that I came to appreciate good pan pizza. On many a night I would arrive at my spot in the woods with a pizza as my late dinner, Those pan pizzas stood up to toppings well, slices often staying firm and straight, even the morning after.

My pizza-making career continued in 1998 when I worked as chief cook/bottle washer at The Trading Post Lounge in Bourne.( R.I.P. Jim Burgess) There I made conventional pies and a plethora of lunch and dinner fare.

When I left the restaurant business I began to experiment with homemade pizza.

I desired pizza that equaled the quality of Paul's,  remembered fondly from my youth.

I searched E-Bay and purchased Genuine Pizza Hut pans, the ones used for the personal pan pizzas, but any 12 inch round pizza pan will do.

I found that prepared dough was a great way to make the process less complicated.

Here's the secret

Here's the secret, though. Pizza dough costs about 15 cents per portion (pound)  and Stop and Shop charges $1.99. A bit greedy, I'd say. Trader Joe's by comparison, is $.99 a p0und. They have regular dough as well as an herb dough that is stellar. They don't charge extra for the fancy dough either.

The following recipe will allow you to make 6 12" pizzas.

Mise en Place  

Obtain a large butcher block  and sprinkle it with flour. 

Secondhand spice jars are perfect for the job. Simply fill and shake.

Lay down three pounds of dough atop floured surface 

Sprinkle dough liberally with flour and  use a knife  to divide each pound into 2 pieces . Press the pieces into little balls and roll in flour.

Below we see 4 herb doughs and two regular doughs.

Obtain six pans and add olive oil to each, roughly 2 tablespoons.

Turn oven on- set at 250 degrees (lower temperature allows dough to rise.)

Place pans atop stove and add dough to each pan.

Allow dough to rise for 15 minutes.

Pressing the dough into the pan.

After the dough has risen we can press it into the pan. The technique that works best is to work from the center and press outward while spinning the pan, sort of drumming with your fingers as the dough spreads out towards the edge.

Don't worry if the dough starts to pull back right away. It may take two or three tries until it stays put. The weight of the toppings often completes the job.

Grab a Ladle

I find the best way to sauce a pizza is with a ladle. Working from the center, one can uniformly coat the dough. If using sauce from a jar, I usually pour directly from the jar. Use roughly 1/2 cup of sauce per pizza.

Say Cheese

The best deal around on pizza cheese come from BJ's, 2 lb. for $3.99.

Usually 1 lb. is enough for 6 12" pizzas.
Spread each pizza with cheese as desired.

Raise oven temperature to 475 degrees.

Top to your heart's desire

Anything goes, really....

Garlic, Onion, Pepper, Pepperoni, Pepperoncini, Liguica, Chourico, Shall0ts, Green Onion, Artichoke, Anchovies, Sardines, grilled chicken, pineapple, ham...

"How about a little fire, scarecrow?"

Bake at 475 for 25-30 minutes.

If using a conventional oven with two racks, put three pizzas on each rack and rotate pizzas from top to bottom mid-way through the baking time. (after 13 minutes) This assures uniformity.

Ready To Serve

Use a metal spatula to free pizzas from pans and place on a butcher block.

Use  a cleaver or pizza wheel to cut slices as desired.

The Bottom Line

      With a little practice and some love in the kitchen you may find yourself making pizzas of a caliber you simply cannot buy down the street. It will further amaze you how cheap it is.

Food Costs- 6 12" pizzas

Dough-       $.99 x 3------$2.97

Cheese          1 lb-BJ's-----$1.99

Sauce             from jar-----$1

Oil                                             $.50

_________________________

TOTAL--------------------$6.46 or $1.08 per pizza

Toppings add very little additional  cost

6 12 inch pizzas with cheese, onion and pepperoni---   $7.36 or $1.23 per pizza.

Prices are based on dough from Trader Joes, olive oil from Job Lot, and all other ingredients from BJ's.

Have fun in the kitchen!