Today I'll talk about the various levels of quality of meats that you find out there.
Pepperoni: This is by far the #1 topping of choice in North America and there are various grades of quality out there. At Diana’s, we use a premium dry cured pepperoni, comprising of a mixture of 50% beef and 50% pork, our cost is over $4.50/pound. There are pepperonis out there that are less than $0.50/pound, and I don’t want to gross you out, but suffice to say we all know what cheap hot dogs are made of, it’s not much different. I wouldn’t feed these pepperonis to my cats, much less my dogs whom I’ve even seen eat some pretty gross stuff.
Chicken: There’s 100% white meat, and there's dark meat, then there’s mixtures of each. Then there is ‘whole muscle chicken’ which is exactly what it sounds like: whole muscle as opposed to chicken meat that has been ground up and reformed to look like pieces of whole muscle chicken. At Diana’s, we only use the top quality 100%, whole muscle chicken breast, which has gone through an extensive scanning process to ensure all the bones have been removed and we hand slice it before it’s ready to go on your pizza.
Beef: Here’s a scary fact for you. Years ago, we were shocked to find that the leading ‘beef topping’ used at many pizza places does not contain any beef. Way, way down on the ingredients list, past the yellow dye #68, past the fillers and by-products, you’ll find ‘beef flavouring’. At Diana’s, we start with 100% lean ground beef, then we cook it and drain the fat off, then it’s ready to use. From there we add a special blend of taco spices to create our ‘Taco Beef’ and that becomes the base for our ‘Hot & Spicy Beef’ which we add Frank’s Hot Sauce and let it marinate for at least 24 hours before it’s ready to use. All of our beef is 100% real beef, there are no ‘beef toppings’ or ‘beef flavouring’ allowed at Diana’s.
In the summer season we source as many fresh vegetables as possible from a local farmer including, green peppers, red onions, Roma tomatoes, zuchinni, spinach and Basil.
A few months ago we purchased an Aerogarden hydroponic garden and we set that up in the dining room to grow fresh Basil for our Marguerita pizzas. It grows Basil very well, which is great because the shelf life of fresh Basil is very limited, usually only lasts 3-4 days after it’s been cut.
Perhaps one of the things that make us most unique is that we’re always adding and looking for top quality unique toppings to expand the palette and create interesting yet tasty pizzas for you, our customer. Even though neither Pierre nor I compete in baking competitions anymore—it’s a huge honour to be on the judges’ side:), we are always open to your suggestions and on the lookout for something spectacular to share with you.
Showing posts with label Healthy Pizza Chef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Healthy Pizza Chef. Show all posts
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
All Pizzas are Not Created Equal Part II
Tomato bases
We start our award winning marinara recipe with grade ‘A’ premium quality crushed tomatoes that are bright red in the can, naturally sweet and full of lycopene which studies have shown prevents prostate cancer. We use fresh packed tomatoes, not from concentrate. There are grade ‘B’ through ‘D’ quality tomatoes available, which many pizza places use as a base for their sauce. Lower quality tomatoes are orange & sometimes even brown in the can. The increased acid makes them bitter to the taste, especially compared to the premium grade ‘A’ tomatoes. Many of these lower grades of canned tomatoes have plastic liners inside the tin cans because the acid from the tomatoes is so strong it will eat the tin and leach tin flavor into the tomatoes. Pizza places that use low quality tomatoes try to overcome the bitterness and orange colour by loading the sauce with sugar and red dyes to mimic a better quality tomato. I’ve tasted some pretty bad sauces, some that seem more like cheap ketchup than a pizza sauce.
Real cheese vs. fake cheese
A lot of places that sell pizza mix their real cheese with fake cheese. Non dairy products called ‘pizza mozza’ and ‘pizzarella’ are being used at many chains and low quality independents. Some of these fake cheeses are made from soy, others from oils. While I don’t have any issues with soy cheeses, in fact I’ve tried to source good quality ones for a segment of my customers, I do take issue with pizza places using these ingredients but not disclosing it to the public in an effort to keep their prices unrealistically low. Since the 1980’s two large pizzas with two toppings are often advertised for $19.99 (or less) and come with a free 2L? Everything and I do mean everything; minimum wages, dairy prices, wheat prices, fresh vegetables, top quality meats, real estate, and especially gas prices has gone up since then. But the math for mainstream pizza has stayed the same. More and more savvy consumers are questioning how that’s possible. Some people have found that they have allergic like reactions to these kinds of food like substances. Again, know what you're eating, know what it's made of.
I often hear from people in their 50's that they don't like pizza, to which my next question is, "Is it real-deal pizza, made with the best ingredients that you don't like, or cheap pizza made with stuff you normally don't eat or enjoy in the first place?". Taste the difference from an award winning, gourmet pizzeria.
Full fat cheese vs. low fat cheese
A lot of pizza places will use a full fat mozzarella, sometimes mixing it with low-fat or soy cheese. They do this because the full fat mozzarella adds a lot of flavour, (fat=flavour) and many people find it palatable, but then don’t feel well afterwards. Typically, pizza places that use full fat are trying to add flavor to a cardboard tasting crust and low quality meats and vegetables. Personally, I can’t eat pizza made this way. Rather, I can eat it, but my body doesn’t digest it well unless I chase it down with a big bottle of the pink stuff. And that’s no way to eat, much less a way to live.
Next post I'll talk about different flours used in making pizza.
We start our award winning marinara recipe with grade ‘A’ premium quality crushed tomatoes that are bright red in the can, naturally sweet and full of lycopene which studies have shown prevents prostate cancer. We use fresh packed tomatoes, not from concentrate. There are grade ‘B’ through ‘D’ quality tomatoes available, which many pizza places use as a base for their sauce. Lower quality tomatoes are orange & sometimes even brown in the can. The increased acid makes them bitter to the taste, especially compared to the premium grade ‘A’ tomatoes. Many of these lower grades of canned tomatoes have plastic liners inside the tin cans because the acid from the tomatoes is so strong it will eat the tin and leach tin flavor into the tomatoes. Pizza places that use low quality tomatoes try to overcome the bitterness and orange colour by loading the sauce with sugar and red dyes to mimic a better quality tomato. I’ve tasted some pretty bad sauces, some that seem more like cheap ketchup than a pizza sauce.
Real cheese vs. fake cheese
A lot of places that sell pizza mix their real cheese with fake cheese. Non dairy products called ‘pizza mozza’ and ‘pizzarella’ are being used at many chains and low quality independents. Some of these fake cheeses are made from soy, others from oils. While I don’t have any issues with soy cheeses, in fact I’ve tried to source good quality ones for a segment of my customers, I do take issue with pizza places using these ingredients but not disclosing it to the public in an effort to keep their prices unrealistically low. Since the 1980’s two large pizzas with two toppings are often advertised for $19.99 (or less) and come with a free 2L? Everything and I do mean everything; minimum wages, dairy prices, wheat prices, fresh vegetables, top quality meats, real estate, and especially gas prices has gone up since then. But the math for mainstream pizza has stayed the same. More and more savvy consumers are questioning how that’s possible. Some people have found that they have allergic like reactions to these kinds of food like substances. Again, know what you're eating, know what it's made of.
I often hear from people in their 50's that they don't like pizza, to which my next question is, "Is it real-deal pizza, made with the best ingredients that you don't like, or cheap pizza made with stuff you normally don't eat or enjoy in the first place?". Taste the difference from an award winning, gourmet pizzeria.
Full fat cheese vs. low fat cheese
A lot of pizza places will use a full fat mozzarella, sometimes mixing it with low-fat or soy cheese. They do this because the full fat mozzarella adds a lot of flavour, (fat=flavour) and many people find it palatable, but then don’t feel well afterwards. Typically, pizza places that use full fat are trying to add flavor to a cardboard tasting crust and low quality meats and vegetables. Personally, I can’t eat pizza made this way. Rather, I can eat it, but my body doesn’t digest it well unless I chase it down with a big bottle of the pink stuff. And that’s no way to eat, much less a way to live.
Next post I'll talk about different flours used in making pizza.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Healthy Pizza is in Demand
Pierre and I started watching Village On A Diet on CBC Monday nights and I have to say that I'm not surprised about the pizzeria owner. I was surprised that the chef created a pizza dough with flax seed because flax often cuts the gluten in the dough and creates tears when you slap it out, but I would've like to work with it and taste it. I'm a little disappointed that CBC didn't call me because I'd love the opportunity to showcase & share healthy pizza making recipes and tips. And although I've been told many times that I don't look like a award winning pizza chef, I think I'm a pretty healthy one. It may surprise you to know that Winnipeg doctors have been referring diabetic patients to us for over ten years. Our 100% whole wheat crust and low fat mozzarella is diet friendly and diabetic diet friendly.
Pizza can be delicious & nutritious, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Although not all pizzas are created equal and not all pizzas are made to be healthy.
On the show the pizzeria owner said they use a full fat mozzarella, which are usually around 35% m.f. whereas our mozzarella is a nice low fat one at 15% m.f.
For those of us who love real dairy cheeses, I always recommend a cheese blend; mix our low fat mozzarella with our medium sharp cheddar (30% m.f.), or with the garlic n chive havarti for something different. That way you get the additional flavour of the specialty, higher fat cheese without all of the added calories & fat which quickly turns into grease in the hot ovens.
Pile on the fresh veggies and you've got a great tasting and good for you meal.
The pizzeria owner on the show was resistant and seem to believe that if she adopted the healthy chef's suggestions she would be out of business shortly. She talked about her 'Northern style pizza' being in demand and while it may still be she is shortsighted in that her community is crying out for change, otherwise they would not be participating in this ambitious and important lifestyle change challenge.
I would offer an entire new line of healthy pizzas and invite the village to sample 'California style pizzas'. I'd make our whole wheat thin crust and our award winning marinara, low fat cheese and add some spinach with sundried tomatoes and a few fresh veggies from their garden - Yummeh! A couple of slices are perfect to snack on and great portion control too. Maybe throw some grilled pesto chicken breast on there or chick peas for added protein. I bet even the biggest guy in the village could get used to that kind of meal! You may also be surprised to know that we have many body builders who visit us regularly without spoiling their diets. Maybe one them would be willing to offer the villagers some helpful advice too.
That was the inspiration behind our 30 day pizza diet challenge. Not only do we believe that someone could lose weight by eating only our healthy pizzas for 30 days, but we also believe that because of the variety of sauces, cheeses & toppings we carry, they wouldn't get tired of it. This is a diet that anyone can stick to, which is one of the most difficult parts of dieting. As a side note I must say that not every pizza we make is healthy, for some of our clients it's not the primary reason they order a pizza from us. And I personally don't only eat our whole wheat pizzas with low fat mozzarella, there are days where I crave our deep dish Moosehead beer crust with double pepperoni and triple cheese and I satisfy that craving. BUT it's about balance.
We put our pizza diet challenge on hold because by the time we got things in place it was already October and the holidays were right around the corner so we thought we should postpone our challenge until the new year.
And here we are, January 2011. Seems that it's the perfect time to showcase how healthy pizza can be part of a healthy lifestyle. We will choose our candidates and launch our pizza diet challenge shortly. It'll be interesting to see the progress and the ongoing results, so stay tuned!
BTW if someone from CBC's Village on a Diet is reading this I'd be happy to offer my services (gratis) to the pizzeria owner of Taylor BC. I realize that filming is over, but the residents may or may not have reached their goals and good health is too important to give up on. Ever.
Pizza can be delicious & nutritious, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Although not all pizzas are created equal and not all pizzas are made to be healthy.
On the show the pizzeria owner said they use a full fat mozzarella, which are usually around 35% m.f. whereas our mozzarella is a nice low fat one at 15% m.f.
For those of us who love real dairy cheeses, I always recommend a cheese blend; mix our low fat mozzarella with our medium sharp cheddar (30% m.f.), or with the garlic n chive havarti for something different. That way you get the additional flavour of the specialty, higher fat cheese without all of the added calories & fat which quickly turns into grease in the hot ovens.
Pile on the fresh veggies and you've got a great tasting and good for you meal.
The pizzeria owner on the show was resistant and seem to believe that if she adopted the healthy chef's suggestions she would be out of business shortly. She talked about her 'Northern style pizza' being in demand and while it may still be she is shortsighted in that her community is crying out for change, otherwise they would not be participating in this ambitious and important lifestyle change challenge.
I would offer an entire new line of healthy pizzas and invite the village to sample 'California style pizzas'. I'd make our whole wheat thin crust and our award winning marinara, low fat cheese and add some spinach with sundried tomatoes and a few fresh veggies from their garden - Yummeh! A couple of slices are perfect to snack on and great portion control too. Maybe throw some grilled pesto chicken breast on there or chick peas for added protein. I bet even the biggest guy in the village could get used to that kind of meal! You may also be surprised to know that we have many body builders who visit us regularly without spoiling their diets. Maybe one them would be willing to offer the villagers some helpful advice too.
That was the inspiration behind our 30 day pizza diet challenge. Not only do we believe that someone could lose weight by eating only our healthy pizzas for 30 days, but we also believe that because of the variety of sauces, cheeses & toppings we carry, they wouldn't get tired of it. This is a diet that anyone can stick to, which is one of the most difficult parts of dieting. As a side note I must say that not every pizza we make is healthy, for some of our clients it's not the primary reason they order a pizza from us. And I personally don't only eat our whole wheat pizzas with low fat mozzarella, there are days where I crave our deep dish Moosehead beer crust with double pepperoni and triple cheese and I satisfy that craving. BUT it's about balance.
We put our pizza diet challenge on hold because by the time we got things in place it was already October and the holidays were right around the corner so we thought we should postpone our challenge until the new year.
And here we are, January 2011. Seems that it's the perfect time to showcase how healthy pizza can be part of a healthy lifestyle. We will choose our candidates and launch our pizza diet challenge shortly. It'll be interesting to see the progress and the ongoing results, so stay tuned!
BTW if someone from CBC's Village on a Diet is reading this I'd be happy to offer my services (gratis) to the pizzeria owner of Taylor BC. I realize that filming is over, but the residents may or may not have reached their goals and good health is too important to give up on. Ever.
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