BLTs with Basil Aioli and Five-Minute Grilled Flatbread

BLT sandwich on quick grilled flatbread

I love the Vogue food writer Jeffrey Steingarten, and one of my all-time favorite pieces from his book “It Must Have Been Something I Ate” is the one about his search for perfect pizza, which, in true Steingartian fashion sends him on a mission to reproduce the flavor and taste of a true Neapolitan-style pizza crust at home.

Steingarten estimates that in order to achieve blistered, dense and delicious crusts a person needs to simulate the heat of a true wood-fired oven that can achieve extremely hot temperatures, somewhere in the range between 650 and 950 degrees, which proves to be just about impossible to accomplish unless you happen to have a heavy-duty commercial oven. His most successful attempt turns out to be firing up a Weber charcoal grill and placing a pizza stone directly on the rack; when the charcoal is arranged properly (more toward the sides of the stone than piled right under it) your everyday barbecue grill is transformed into a little pizza oven. I tried this method and it seems to work pretty well.



After browsing through a new cookbook called Grilled Pizzas and Piadinas yesterday and getting hungry, I made a simple unleavened dough and lit the grill. I actually wanted to make hot BLT sandwiches for dinner, and thought the bread would be an interesting twist. And since it was so spur of the moment, the dough recipe was a good choice since it doesn’t require yeast or rising time. It doesn’t have the fermented flavor that a good yeasted pizza or flatbread has, but for a quick, interesting meal it was satisfying and fun to make.

This method of cooking on the grill would work with any dough you have, even prepared pizza dough from the bakery or grocery store. I’ve also used this very easy recipe for 5-minute pizza dough from Sara Moulton with excellent results.

BLT’s with Basil Aioli on Grilled Flatbread

Prepared pizza dough or Piadina dough (recipe follows)
Basil Aioli (recipe follows)
Fresh arugula or other greens
Cooked bacon
Sliced ripe tomatoes

Light your charcoal or gas grill to medium-high, arranging coals around edges of the grill once they are hot and glowing. (use long tongs and a heavy-duty oven mitts for this). Place a pizza stone on the rack and heat until a drop of water sizzles and evaporates on contact.

Cut the dough into 3-inch pieces and roll them out on a floured surface into roughly 6-inch diameter rounds.

Place the dough on the stone and cook until both sides are browned and blistered, about 2 minutes per side.

Remove from the stone and spread each with some Basil Aioli. Top with greens, bacon and tomatoes. Fold over loosely and eat like a sandwich.

Basil Aioli
1/2 cup mayonnaise, regular or reduced fat ( I prefer Hellmann’s)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for up to one day.

Piadina Dough (Instant Unleavened Pizza Dough)
Adapted from Grilled Pizzas and Piadinas by Craig W. Priebe

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a food processor fitted with the dough blade. Process just until the dough comes together, about 15 pulses. Dump the dough on to a floured surface and knead until soft and springy. Cover with plastic wrap to rest for about 15 minutes.

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Copyright (c) 2008 FamilyStyle Food

Pinnacle of Pasta

Our house special

What kind of family-style food chronicle would this be if I didn’t tell you all about our relationship with Pasta Carbonara, our favorite family supper?

Well, Carbonara, as we affectionately refer to it, is probably the one and only meal I prepare that provokes J to shout for joy, that is, other than bacon. But Carbonara has lots of bacon in it, along with eggs and cheese, so there you go.

You see, every night, as the sun makes its swift departure behind the neighbor's roof, J drops his light saber and comes nosing around me as I get pans moving around in the kitchen.

"What's for dinner?"

If, as happens 6 out of every 7 days, I answer (in my best Mrs. Cleaver voice):
"Why, all your favorites, Dear; chicken with kung-fu sauce, scrambled eggs with pickles on top, and a great big pile of French fries".

"Oh, boy, Mom, thanks!" (gives me a big bear hug, and skips off to wash his hands).

HA! No, sillies, that's not what happens.

Basically if the menu consists of anything other than Carbonara, he falls on the floor in a raging, apoplectic fit. Kind of like Jake La Motta during the steak scene in Raging Bull, except he doesn't actually throw any food at my head. (and that would merit a time-out, for sure).

I have to admit, that Carbonara is also one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. My husband holds the title of Official Maker of the Carbonara, but lately, I've tinkered with the tried-and-true recipe (because that's what I do), and now have made it even more comfortable and delicious.

Pasta Carbonara alla FamilyStyle

For 4 generous servings

4 ounces applewood smoked peppered bacon * (see note)
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1 pound of your favorite dried uncooked pasta, but make an effort to use the imported Italian stuff
1/2 bag frozen baby peas (optional, but makes this seem more like a "one dish" meal)
1 small onion, diced very fine (about 1/2 cup)**
4 eggs, lightly beaten in a small bowl
1/4 cup each freshly grated Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano (plus more if you're like me - a cheese piggy)
Chopped Italian parsley


Fill your biggest pot with water, throw in a good handful of salt - pasta cooking water should be as salty as the sea - and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, slice the bacon and prosciutto into roughly 1-inch pieces. Put the bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat, stirring every few minutes, until it starts to render its fat. Keep cooking until it begins to crisp and turn brown on the edges. Toss in the prosciutto, and cook for a few minutes to crisp, too. Remove the whole lot from the pan with a slotted spoon, and place on a paper-towel lined plate.

Your water should be boiling about now; put the pasta in to cook. Halfway through, add the frozen peas.

Cook the onion in the hot bacon fat until it softens, about 5 minutes. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of the boiling pasta water and whisk into the eggs - this will help prevent scrambling the eggs when you toss it all together.

Drain the pasta and peas and add to the skillet with the onion. Pour on the eggs, tossing to coat. Add the reserved bacon and prosciutto. Serve hot topped with the cheese and some parsley.

* I like to use very, very good bacon, like Nueske's. Another brand I like is Wellshire Farms.
** The onion could potentially be a big "ick" factor. My kids don't even know it's in there, because it's finely chopped, and it melts into the sauce. I think it adds a nice layer of flavor.

Copyright (c) 2006 FamilyStyle

It's All About the Meat

My son J was sitting at the kitchen table with the pieces of his latest Lego spaceship spread all around, when he suddenly shouted out "Hey, where's the meat? Are we having MEAT for dinner!?

I had just returned from firing up the grill with some fine Kingsford mesquite charcoal, and a smoky halo had apparently clung to me like good karma on the Dalai Lama. I suppose the scent was enought to tickle his nostrils and trigger what I think is his almost primal, instinctive need for animal flesh.

I wish I could phrase it more delicately, because it really does surprise me a little. Ever since my children were able to use their pincer grip on small pieces of food, they've been wild about eating meat. They pretty much start growling when I casually mention that I might be cooking up some bacon in the near future. When my first-born was a mere babbling infant, she reached across the table to grab a bloody-red squab leg that I had prepared for her dad's birthday. She had to advance to the age of two before she could ask for a pile of bacon for her lunch whenever we took her out to a restaurant.

It's not that we discourage that sort of behavior or anything, but my personal desire for meat products tends to be more moderate. I've been known to create entire meals around a block of semi-firm tofu and a can of chickpeas. But, inevitably, there are days when nothing but a side of cow or pig will satisfy.

Today, for instance. I saw the cover of the June Food and Wine magazine and knew I had to taste that glistening pile of ribs. I made a special trip to my local international food store to find the canned guava paste, but, man was it worth it. This recipe is outrageously good. The guava barbecue sauce is tangy-sweet, and forms a very appealing crackly crust on the ribs, which are falling-apart succulent. "Juicy and a little saucy" is how my son described them.
And my daughter is already planning her next birthday dinner with these ribs as the highlight.
We had these for dinner with a big bowl of cole slaw.