Copy cat recipes
Copy cat recipes are fun to try, especially if you don’t have the funds or the time to dine out often.
You can create the same great dishes in your own home! “Father” John’s sauce (whose real name is a bit shorter) is my favorite. I make it every week and because it is so tasty, easy, and versatile it in other dishes that call for tomato sauce like adding chili powder and cumin to it for Mexican dishes.
“Father” John’s Pizza and Sauce Recipes
This recipe makes three large pizzas, both dough and sauce, but you can freeze the dough and the sauce to pull out and use on one of those nights you aren’t inspired or save for a game day and a room full of hungry fans.
Pizza Dough
8 cups flour
6 Tbs sugar
6 3/4 tsp fast rising yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups very warm water
(120-130∞ F)
6 Tbs olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 450∞.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt. Gradually add water and oil to mixture. Blend at low speed until moistened, then beat for 2 minutes at medium speed until dough pulls away from sides of the bowl.
3. On a lightly floured surface, knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for 15 minutes.
4. Press out dough onto 3 pizza pans. Poke the dough randomly with a fork. Let rise again in a warm place for 10-15 minutes. Brush crusts lightly with oil and bake them for 5 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and add topping as desired. Bake for 4-5 more minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Pizza Sauce
3 (10.34 oz.) cans or 1 29 oz. can tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
3/4 cups water
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs olive oil
3/4 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp oregano
3/8 tsp basil
3/8 tsp thyme
3/8 tsp garlic powder
Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Blooming Onion
I’ve enjoyed this dish in local restaurants as well as national chains. They all taste pretty good; this is the recipe they use. It’s not diet-friendly, but you can still enjoy it if you practice portion control! About an hour to prepare and six minutes to cook, you can set the battered onion in the refrigerator till just before you’re ready to eat, and pop it in the oil at the last minute. Make the sauce the day before for best flavor. This will serve four hungry munchers.
1 large sweet onion
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbs paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
4 qts soy oil
Deep fryer thermometer
Directions
1. Chop off onion stem, then peel. Place cut side down and cut sixteen symmetrically slices nearly all the way through the onion. Use fingers to gently unfurl the layers of the slices onions so they resemble a flower.
2. Whisk the flour, spices, pepper, and salt in a bowl. Whisk eggs, milk and water in a separate bowl.
3. Set the blossom in a third bowl, and pour the flour mixture over it with a funnel, making sure that every inner crevice is coated with flour.
4. Submerge the floured onion blossom in the egg mix, remove and let drip dry, then pour flour over it again, focusing on the exterior. Refrigerate and cool the onion.
5. Heat soy oil in a deep pot over medium-high heat until temperature reaches 400∫ OR use an electric fryer (see my warning note below). Gently shake off the onion’s excess flour; using a wire skimmer to lower into the oil. Lower oil heat to 350∫. Fry 3 minutes, then flip and cook 3 more minutes. Serve with sauce.
Sauce for Blooming Onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbs prepared horseradish
1 Tbs ketchup
1/3 tsp paprika
1/3 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Cover and put in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight to let flavors meld.
WARNING: Remember to never leave a hot pan of oil unattended. It can easily burst into flame if it gets too hot. A friend of mine was called away from the stove for “just a minute” and burnt her entire kitchen down. I recommend using an electric fryer, which uses a built in thermostat, and I’ve posted several on my blog. Please log on to http://acooksjournalblog.wordpress.com for those products and to print out this week’s and last week’s recipes. It should be updated by the end of the weekend. Happy cooking!
Connie Tucker has been creating in the kitchen and at the typewriter for over 40 years. Her philosophy is “moderation in everything, including moderation.” Connie lives with her husband, Jerry, and their cats, Pinky and Elvis, on Madawaska Lake.
