Fried Cardoons

What the heck is a cardoon, you ask? It's a big celery-looking vegetable related to the artichoke, that tastes a little of both. Oh, just go to Wikipedia.

How do you cook them? They're very fibrous, so they need to be boiled first. After boiling, you could cook them in a gratin topped with breadcrumbs. Or you could bread and fry them like I did.

Fried Cardoons
1. Trim any brown spots, and peel any accessible strings from the cardoons.
2. Cut into 2-3" pieces.
3. Boil for 20-30 minutes or until soft. Drain and pat dry.
4. Dip each piece in beaten egg, then in seasoned bread crumbs, pressing on the crumbs so they stick.
5. Fry in canola or vegetable oil until browned.

I served them with Caesar dressing. Marinara sauce would be equally delicious. Sriracha mayonnaise would probably be good, too.

Best Gnocchi Ever

On my way back from the airport, I stopped at Filippi's on India Street and picked up a package of Emma Gnocchetti (among other things).





















Seriously? Best gnocchi I've ever had. Pillowy clouds of happiness.

















Heat your favorite tomato sauce. Bring a pot of water to boil, then add salt and the gnocchi. Cook until all the gnocchi float. Drain. Heat some olive oil, and dump in the gnocchi and however much minced garlic you like. Cook at medium-high-ish heat, enough to toast the gnocchi, but not enough to burn the garlic. Don't stir constantly, just every now and then, or you won't get the yummy crispy bits. Top gnocchi with sauce, red pepper flakes, and parmesan cheese.

















I will definitely make this again.

Homemade Margherita Pizza

After having the best margherita pizza of my life at Uncle Tony's, I decided to try my own (knowing that I'd fall far short of their masterpiece).

I used the basic no-knead bread recipe, adding a little sugar and some olive oil, per Chef John's recommendations.

Let me tell you something - this dough is a pain in the ass for making pizza. It's so sticky, and barely wants to hold itself together, that there's no way you'll ever be able to toss this. I could barely roll it over the backs of my hands to stretch it without ripping it.

After fighting to get it stretched to my semi-satisfaction, I spread the dough with some garlic-olive-oil, just a couple of cloves of minced garlic barely warmed for about 5 minutes in oil, to infuse the oil with garlicky goodness. Then I laid on the sliced tomatoes (seeded and dried on paper towels) and sliced fresh mozzarella. I baked this at 450 until the crust started browning (which took a lot longer than I thought it would), then sprinkled with basil, and gave it a good dusting of salt and pepper.















The first try was ok, but not great. The fresh mozz practically disappeared because it baked for so long, the tomatoes started getting a little dried out, and the dough was more bready than pizza-y.

For the 2nd pizza, I prebaked the crust alone for about 5 minutes, then topped with tomatoes and mozz, and baked until golden. When it came out of the oven, I sprinkled it with basil, and brushed the whole thing with the same garlic-olive-oil mix as in the first pizza. Then, salt and pepper.















The 2nd one was better, because the tomatoes and cheese weren't baked as long, and the garlic didn't get bitter from being baked. But the cheese still mostly disappeared. And with both versions, I wasn't happy with the crust - this dough is wonderful, but better for a loaf of bread than for a pizza, in my opinion.

I'll definitely be trying my own pizza again, next time with a different dough recipe, and baking the crust almost all the way before adding the tomatoes and cheese - I love the barely warmed pieces of mozzarella on a well-made margherita.

In the meantime, I'll just head down to Uncle Tony's for my fix.

Uncle Tony's Italian Cuisine

If you're looking for good Italian food and a great atmosphere, look no farther than Uncle Tony's Italian Cuisine in Vista CA.

Meet Tony. Doesn't he look like a fun guy?




















First off, there's pizza. I'm not talking Round Table, Papa John's, etc. This is everything pizza should be, and nothing it shouldn't - thin crust, not too heavy on the toppings, baked perfectly. Our favorite is the margherita, but we've also had the Uncle Tony's Specialty (spinach with garlic, olive oil, ricotta and mozzarella), the Meat Lovers (pepperoni, sausage, cappicola, salami and meatballs) and the Greek Pizza (feta cheese, olive oil, garlic and basil), with no complaints (just full bellies!).















Moving on to appetizers, these guys have the best fried calamari I've ever had anywhere. You know how sometimes you get calamari and it's like chewing on rubber bands? Complete opposite here - these practically melt in your mouth. Nice light breading, and marinara sauce to dip them in - I could have these for dinner. The garlic bread, cheesy breadsticks, and jalapeño poppers are tasty too.















For sandwiches, they have all the usual suspects: Chicken Parmigiana, Meatball with Cheese, Pastrami, etc. They also have choices like Gourmet Cajun Chicken, Pizza Sub, and Chicken Cheese Steak. My favorite? The Eggplant Parmigiana - garlicky, toasty, cheesy, happy.

Of course they have pastas - all shapes and sizes, every variety of meat and sauce. Everything I've seen coming out of the kitchen looks delicious. Get a gander at the veal parmigiana on spaghetti -















To wash it down, they have 10 beers on tap, and a good wine list, along with the non-alcoholic beverages.


































And don't forget dessert - order a cannoli.
















Uncle Tony's Italian Cuisine
770 Sycamore Ave., #H
Vista, CA 92083
760-598-6669