Guest Post: Pizza McAdam

I am absolutely thrilled to have already received a few entries to my “You Are What You Cook” Challenge. I hope you haven’t forgotten about it…because the deadline is March 7th…So get your creative culinary brains churning! Meanwhile, let me give you yet another example of an awesome challenge post.

Ingredients

• 2 McDonalds Chicken McNuggets (must be Micky D’s, mind you):

My inner child and the kid in me. I am, and will always be, both nostalgic and in love with the simpler days of my youth. Not just of Saturday afternoon’s in which my father would take me to get a Happy Meal, but the 30 minutes of Recess each day at school and impromptu kickball games in the neighborhood. Health be damned, we ate what we wanted and ran off the rest. The McNuggets are more than a memory, they also represent the afternoons I spend wandering the toy section at Walmart or the early mornings spent watching cartoons in my dorm.

• 1 Whole Wheat Pita

Versatility and Good Health. I care about my health, and what is healthier than whole wheat? The pita is the perfect vehicle for a pizza. Versatile and underrated (like me), it shines when given the proper context, creating a crispy thin crust.

• 1.5 Oz Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, loosely torn (spend the money, use the real stuff)

The traditional cheese of pizza represents the traditionalist in me – both in terms of my unashamed conservative political and religious beliefs, and my commitment to following a ‘model’ for living. Yet it must be fresh, never processed. Only then can it be true and full of flavor, just as I am true to myself and my beliefs, and strive to exemplify the essence of them. Plus, is there anything that tastes better than fresh, creamy mozzarella? Uh, no…

• ½ T Parmesan Cheese, grated

Salty and powerful, yet compact and sometimes hidden. I might be a short dude with a Napoleon complex at times — and I do have a bit of an attitude – but I can just as easily play the role of the ‘sidekick’ and be content. Parmesan’s reluctance to melt like a soft cheese symbolizes my often hardheaded nature.

• 2-3 T BBQ Sauce

New School. While traditional in the sense of the cheeses featured, my pizza features a sauce that wouldn’t be applied on a traditional Neopolitan style pizza. It is, in a sense, the American and southerner in me. It’s a melding of two worlds – one, my Italian American heritage; the other, my country-music loving, let’s-go-fire-up-the-smoker American culinary leanings.

• 1 t Minced Garlic

Like Sophia says, can you really cook anything without garlic? The answer: no. But garlic also represents my sometimes harsh and repulsive nature that I display exteriorly. But give me time and you’ll find out that with faith, hope, and trust, I’m really quite a “swell guy”  underneath.

• 1/4th red onion, sliced

Coarse before cooking, red onions are the sweetest thing after grilling. Not only do they accentuate the BBQ sweetness of the pizza, but they represent my tender, thoughtful interior (and my sometimes very real need to have a good old fashioned cry, don’t you know.)

• ½ t dried Basil and Oregano

Traditional “pizza” herbs; they accentuate the flavor of the creamy, rich mozzarella. Also, they are just what I happened to find the kitchen of the Newman Center I made this pizza in, representing my thriftiness.

• 1 t Balsamic Vinegar

Sweet, tangy, and complex. I fancy myself as the kind of thoughtful person who has a sweet side, even though it might not always come through with my abrasive, highly individualistic persona. I guess that’s what makes it complex.

• Several sprigs Cilantro

Some people love me. Some people hate me. In the right context though, I prefer to think that everyone at least secretly likes me a little. Kinda like Cilantro.

• Crushed Red and Black Pepper, to taste

Because ya just gotta.

Directions:

1. Assemble ingredients. Preheat oven to 500 degrees, and while it is heating, toast one side of the pita for 2-3 minutes, or until bottom because firm.
   
2. Grill the onions on panini grill. I got mine for $20 at a Black Friday sale at JCP Penny’s. Who says foodies can’t be thrify? I am in college, after all.
   
3. When the Pita is toasted and the oven be hot (yes, ‘be hot’) spread BBQ sauce over pita and sprinkle with minced onion, dried spices, and the roughly chopped McNuggets.
   
4. Spread Mozzarella (remember, use the fresh, whole-milk stuff if possible) and grilled onions over the pita. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, more basil, and pepper, to taste.
   
5. Put on an oiled baking sheet in the oven and bake for 4-5 minutes (this was an old crappy oven) or until cheese is melted to desired liking and crust becomes crispy.
   
6. Be sure to take time to admire how good it smells at least once in process.
   
7. Remove, let cool 2-3 minutes, and sprinkle with cilantro leaves. Serve it up on an ordinary plate in an ordinary dorm room, but savor the extraordinary flavors.
   

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Didn’t I tell you this guy is freaking cool? Love, love, love the combination of a “trashy” ingredient (McNugget) and a “snotty” ingredient (the fresh mozzarella). Damn you Adam, now I’m going to have to go out of my way to get my 20-piece McNuggets after all. Until then, I’ll  just check up on Adam’s review on McNuggets at GrubGrade.

Now, be cool, everyone. Come up with your own “You Are What You Cook” Challenge posts. Don’t be intimidated by Adam’s stellar post…I’m sure you’ll come up with something uniquely original and brilliant of your own! Oh! And to be even cooler, join Adam and I for Fried Food Thursdays!

Question of the day: What is your favorite fried food? Or “grub”?

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1. Guest Post: Ameena
2. You Say Dog Food, I Say Woof!
3. God, Are You There? It’s Me, Your Dice.
4. It’s Worth the Grill
5. Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Korean Fusion Street Food BYOB