Category Archives: Cooking At Home

Lamb and Cherry Tomatoes

Rock’n Pizza Night this week! We previwed two new pies. Pictured is Spiced Lamb with Leeks, Red Onion, Cherry Tomatoes and Trugole Cheese. John at the Antonelli’s Cheese Shop pointed me to the cheese. He was right, it paired well with the lamb. The other freshmen in attendance: Garlic Confit, Arugula and Ricotta.
After the test pies, I fell back to the usual suspects: Polka Dot, Truffled Daisey and the Godfather. We cranked out 12 pies to 30+ in attendance. Crazy good time.

Coming On Hot and Heavy

Not too long ago, I was relaxing in a wheat field with Governor Rick Perry. He turned to me and said, “Christian, how can we get people to eat more tomatoes?” I said, “Ricky, that’s easy, give them a taste of the luscious fruit being grown at Springdale Farm.” With the early Summer light dancing across my face, he had to believe me.

If you were fortunate enough to snag a BLT from Jesse, Tamara and the Dai Due crew at last week’s SFC Farmers’ Market at Republic Square, you know what I am taking about. Redder than red with the right amount of acidity. Just like Texas politics.

The Original ‘Eat Local’ Meat

For your visual dining pleasure: Thunderheart Bison Tenderloin, Roasted Beets + Carrots with a Sauteed Mushroom Sauce. In general, I’m not a big fan of beef tenderloin. I prefer a little more flavorful cut. This bison though, it another animal altogether (BAM!). Still very soft, but with a more complex texture and flavor. My top two proteins are still Tuna and Lamb, but Bison is number three (with a bullet).

Thunderheart Bison available at SFC Farmers Market and at Wheatsville Food Co-op

Building New Pies

Some might say letting people pick their own pizza topping combinations is like handing a loaded gun to a to a kitten. A kitten that doesn’t have many friends and has deep seated frustrations with imaginary dogs. As tough as it may be for me to admit it, these people might be right. Building a pie should be more than haphazard whimsy. Just like a meal on a plate, harmony and balance needs to be applied. Pictured above is my most recent attempt: Ricotta (sweet), garlic confit (creamy) and arugula (bitter). I don’t know if it is all the way there yet, but it’s a solid start.