Oodles of Noodles Pizza

I’m pretty sure that the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana would want me arrested for the doughless pie I made last night. The V.P.N.’s mission is to uphold classical standards of pizza-making as practiced in Napoli. The pretender you see pictured above is what’s known as spaghetti pizza, found In a handful of pizzerias in northwestern Illinois and in home kitchens throughout the heartland. Being doughless, it is as much a casserole as it is a pizza. As a devout crust lover, I cannot say it will replace authentic pizza on my list of favorite foods, but it was fun and quite nostalgic, reminiscent of that bygone tea room favorite, baked spaghetti. I have posted a recipe for it in the Roadfood Recipe section here.

Cold Weather Cure-All

So far, I have fended off headache, sniffles, and cough with prophylactic doses of homemade chicken soup: carrots, celery, onion, whatever spices look interesting, and dark-meat chicken. Add noodles if hungry. Highly recommended, says Dr. Mike. (Not the ice cream doctor!)

Delicious Day-After Harold’s Hash

As Bruce and Sue noted above, one of the great things about dining at Harold's New York Deli is all the leftovers you have for the next day(s). I took home a good pound of meat from my brisket sandwich and cooked it up with shredded potatoes, onions, and peppers. The result: luxurious brisket hash … and a house that smells like the most delicious diner.

National Pound Cake Day

According to the Roadfood calendar on my wall, today is National Pound Cake Day. In honor of this fine holiday, here is one heck of a great pound cake recipe. Jane and I found it many years ago while researching our book Elvis World. It came from Janelle McComb, a childhood friend of Elvis down in Tupelo, Mississippi, who used to bring a couple of cakes to Graceland each Christmas -- one for him and one for his entourage, known as the Memphis Mafia.

3 cups sugar
1/2 pound butter, softened
7 eggs, room temperature
3 cups cake flour, sifted twice (DO NOT USE “SELF RISING” FLOUR)
1 cup heavy cream (not whipped)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Thoroughly butter and flour a 10 inch tube pan.

Cream together the sugar and butter.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating extremely well after each addition. Mix in half the flour, then the whipping cream, then the other half of the flour. Beat a five full minutes. Add vanilla.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Set the pan in a cold oven and turn the heat to 350°. Bake 1 hour to 90 minutes, until a sharp knife inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan 5 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool it thoroughly. Wrapped well in aluminum foil, this cake keeps several days.