Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Nifty Pizza #17 - Kentucky!

Oh the sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home...


It's been quite the gastronomical journey through America, and we are finally on our home state, Kentucky - the land of horse farms and bluegrass, where college basketball dictates the rhythms of existence.  A magical place where a big blue building watches over the people with pride, students flock to the North, East, and West to receive an education, and the Hot Brown sandwich was born. We decided quickly that in order to capture the essence of the great Commonwealth we call home, we should do what we do best...put it on a pizza!

The Hot Brown sandwich was created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, KY in 1926.  It is an open faced sandwich, comprised of turkey, bacon, and covered in a cheesy sauce. The sandwiches also often include additions such as tomatoes, pimentos, or mushrooms.  We decided to take it up a notch by adding another Kentucky creation to the pizza sauce - Maker's Mark Bourbon Whiskey!  It is a culinary creation that Kentuckians everywhere would be proud of.

Nifty Pizza #17 - Kentucky!

Dough for 1 Pizza Crust
Vegan Cheeze Sauce (recipe below)
Whiskey Barbeque Sauce (recipe below)
Tempeh Bacon, browned slightly
Tofurkey Slices
1-2 Plum Tomatoes, sliced
Vegan Mozzarella Shreds

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Prepare the Vegan Cheeze Sauce (from Vegan Diner):
- 2 and 1/2 cups of water
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 6 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 and 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 and 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 2 Tbsp margarine
Process the cashews and water in a blender until the cashews are finely ground and well incorporated.  Add the rest of the ingredients except the margarine and blend well. Pour into a medium sized pan and heat over medium heat until simmering. Whisk and simmer for 2-3 minutes (until the sauce has thickened).  Remove from heat and whisk in the margarine.

3. Prepare the Whiskey BBQ Sauce:
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 2 Tbsp smokey barbeque sauce
- 2 Tbsp bourbon whiskey (Maker's Mark)
Mix ingredients together in a small pan and heat to simmer over medium heat. Gently simmer for a few minutes to thicken the sauce.


4. Assemble the Pizza starting with the sauce, followed by sliced tofurkey and tomatoes. Swirl on the cheeze sauce, and finish off with an extra sprinkling of mozzarella and the browned tempeh bacon.



5. Bake the pie for 10 minutes on the middle rack, and 10 minutes on the bottom rack (our secret to a perfect slice!).  If you're feeling crazy, broil the pizza for about 2 minutes, just to get the cheeze sauce nice and bubbly...just like a traditional Hot Brown!

6. Slice, plate, and continue GETTIN' LUCKY IN KENTUCKY!!

(True, we could have easily done a Kentucky Fried Chicken pizza...but that would have just been way too easy.)

Three Kentucky siblings in Kentucky...where education pays!

Peace, Love, and Wildcats
Pam and KT