Pity-Me-Pita-Chips

While I know pita and hummus are not Jewish foods, I can't explain why I have always associated this particular snack with Judaism.  It's actually much more Middle Eastern than anything else.  Pita is a an Arabic flat bread popular in the Middle East and areas of the Mediterranean.  And lately it has become one of my favorite snacks.  So I thought I'd pick this food for this film, because honestly it seems like my food associations with these films have become tenuous at best.

The following is a simple, easy, and exceedingly yummy way to make homemade pita chips.






Pity-Me-For-Eating-Too-Many-Pita-Chips

You'll Need:
Kosher Sea Salt
Garlic Salt
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Olive Oil Spray
At least two loaves of Pita Bread (I prefer Joseph's Whole Wheat)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice the bread in half and then into small triangles, much as you would a pizza.
3. Line a baking sheet with tine foil and then arrange the triangles of pita across the sheet.
4. Lightly spray the olive oil over the pita bread so that it is evenly coated, and then drizzle the remaining oil over the bread.  Try to make sure each slice has a little oil on it, but not too much is needed.
5. Liberally sprinkle the chips with garlic salt and kosher salt.  Yes, this is a lot a salt.  But that's what makes it great!  The amount is entirely to taste.
6. Bake the chips for about 7-10 minutes, or until golden and slightly brown around the edges.  If the entire chip is browned, it will taste burned.  Feel free to rotate the pan to make sure the chips bake evenly.
7. Take the chips out of the oven and enjoy!

These chips can be eaten alone, but are also great with hummus and other dips.  They're also not horrible for you, if you get the whole wheat bread and are stingy with the oil.  I've yet to try this with cinnamon and sugar or perhaps Parmesan cheese, but I will!  Of course, every time I think about making changes, I end up going for the recipe.  It's hard to mess with perfection.

The Scariest Italian Food You'll Ever Eat

My decision for this week's snack went something like this:  "I want to make something scary for Rebecca."  I knew Rebecca was supposed to be creepy, and I knew it was Hitchcock, so I wanted to make scary, creepy, delicious food.  Obviously it was also important that we would want to eat it. I had many ideas, most of them involving chocolate.  I went on the Hershey website and found recipes for "Chocolate Sloppy Joes" and "Cocoa Currey."  I even found a recipe for "Chocolate Pasta."  But I think it was when I was seriously considering "Chocolate Chicken" that my friend AMS decided to step in.  She said, "That sounds terrifying."  And while that might be what I was going for, this was a friend I had invited over to eat my food.  But before I could snap that if she was so smart, she could should up with something--she did.  She said, "You know what's scary looking but really hard to make? Pasta with squid ink."

Now at first I wasn't amenable to this idea.  I don't want to ink a squid!  I also happen to dislike shellfish.  And when I pitched the idea to my roommate she said, "Absolutely not!  We are not going to have the apartment smelling like squid for days."  (Our apartment has a notorious lack of circulation.)  But as it turns out Squid Ink Pasta is not actually squid pasta.  It's a type of pasta with squid ink added.  So in fact all it does is turn the pasta black and give it a slightly salty taste.  According to AMS, this is an authentic Italian dish.  And upon further research, this recipe only became impossible if I was the one making the pasta.  Where does one find squid ink?  And so I trekked out to the North End in search of my scary looking pasta.

Thank God for Google.  I found a small homemade pasta shop with everyone that I needed (and quite a few things I didn't).  My arms full of yummy Italian produce, I hurried home to prepare.  And I think I turned out my best dish yet.  In any event it looks really, really cool.  Best Halloween pasta ever, despite it being July.

Scary Squid Ink Pasta
(serves 6)

Pancetta

You'll need:
Squid Ink Pasta (I used 3 of the containers above, about 2.5  pounds)
Pancetta (about 1/4 pound)
2 Red Bell Peppers
1/2 stick of butter
1/3 cup white wine
Garlic
Salt and Pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

1. Start boiling the water for the pasta.
2. Dice the pancetta into small cubes, pulling away the fat.
3. Slice the red peppers into small strips and chop the garlic. 
4. Combine half the butter and all of the pancetta into a sauté pan on medium heat, stirring frequently until  the pancetta is browned, not burnt.

5. Add the garlic, then the peppers.  Cook until the peppers are soft, not squishy.  

6. Add the white wine and cook until simmering.
7. Add the pasta to the water when it has reached a roiling boil.  The pasta should only be cooked for a few minutes, this pasta in particular needed about 5 minutes maximum.  Drain the pasta when it is al dente.

8. Add the pasta to the sauté pan. Mix everything together and season with salt, peppers, and cheese.  Serve and enjoy!

The finished product!

Terrifying.  And the credit goes to AMS.  Thanks!  I think this meal went a long way towards fixing an overly long, sometimes dull movie.  And of course my other ill-gotten, expensive North End gains didn't hurt.  Mmmm...buffalo mozzarella.....

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