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Archives for June 2018

Our national comfort food: pizza

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Fifty years ago, pizza was still considered to be an exotic, “foreign” food by most Americans. These days, it’s as American as apple pie—and maybe more so. According to Technomic’s Pizza Consumer Trend Report, 41 percent of us eat pizza weekly, and 68 percent order pizza to go at least once a month.

A Harris Poll reports that pizza is Americans’ No. 1 favorite comfort food, earning twice as many votes as any other dish. The North American pizza industry earns upwards of $45 billion each year, and the trend is still scaling up. So, what’s on the horizon for this all-American specialty?

Square it up

One new trend is Detroit-Style Pizza, a square-shaped pie that puts traditional toppings on the bottom layer, followed by the cheese and sauce on top. It’s moved beyond the borders of the Motor City and is increasingly popular across the United States. Read this On Your Plate post about two native Detroit brothers who have made an impact on the Austin dining scene with their square pies.

Heat and health

Spicy flavors are making an appearance in the category, with options that include such favorites as Pieology Pizzeria’s Spicy Southwest (red enchilada sauce, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, roasted red peppers, jalapeños, cilantro and chicken) and Chicken Chile Verde (green enchilada sauce, mozzarella, roasted red peppers, diced mild green chilies, cilantro and chicken).

While no one would mistake pizza for a health food, it’s beginning to gain a bit of a halo, thanks to new options for gluten-free and vegan diners. Crusts made from cauliflower instead of dough are a popular substitution, and toppings have expanded to include vegan sausage, cashew ricotta and jackfruit meatballs. Another trend that’s rapidly gaining in popularity is topping a hot-from-the-oven pizza with cold shredded lettuce salads or other crispy vegetables. Dessert pizzas, topped with fruit and/or chocolate, are also popular choices.

What’s next?

Savvy chefs and operators are searching the globe for the next irresistible pizza trend. Perhaps it will be the Australian toppings of kangaroo, emu or crocodile meat. It could be the South Korean black rice crust pizza, topped with sweet potato and bulgogi. Or perhaps the next trend will take a cue from modern Mexican interpretations of the Italian classic, with dough from blue corn instead of white flour.

T. Marzetti™ tips

Try Marzetti Sweet & Bold BBQ sauce to replace the traditional tomato sauce on your next pizza special.

To appeal to diners who love to dunk their slices, offer the perfect creamy dipping sauce. Choose from Marzetti Avocado Ranch, Blue Cheese, Buttermilk Ranch, Creamy Caesar, Chipotle Ranch, Garden Harvest Ranch, Parmesan Peppercorn Ranch and Roasted Garlic Parmesan.

Read more

The 2018 Pizza Power Report: A State-of-the-Industry Analysis

Recipes

Parmesan Crust Caesar Pizza
BBQ Pork Pizza
California Flatbread
Mascarpone Berry Flatbread

Making the most of the street food trend

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Street food is not a new phenomenon. Ancient Greek vendors sold small fried fish on the street. Thirteenth-century Aztec marketplaces had vendors who sold tamales, guacamole and fried insects. In recent years, the world of street food has grown in scope and popularity, from Asian night markets, to urban food trucks, to neighborhood farmers’ markets stalls. Small spaces, flexible menus and a quick inventory turn helps street food vendors adapt and adjust their offerings to meet changing customers’ preferences.

Besides serving as breeding grounds for the hottest trends, street foods also offer an easy, relaxed dining vibe that’s increasingly in demand. While consumers are certainly willing to spend quite a bit on dining experiences, they’re no longer interested in returning to the fine-dining tradition of stuffy, French-accented maître d’s, giant-sized menus and an endless array of glassware and cutlery. These days, they’re just as happy to wait in long lines at a food truck round-up, and they’re equally willing to sit on a picnic bench—or a curb—to enjoy their moveable feast.

From curbside to tableside

If you’d like to bring the vibe of street food to your operation, here are some tips to keep in mind:

Authenticity. In a recent article in The Independent, food writer Lizzie Rivera says that calling your cuisine “Indian,” for example, won’t be enough for globally conscious diners who are accustomed to specificity in their street food. “People want to know that their seafood dish is inspired by the ports of Kerala or that their vegetarian curry is from the streets of Gujarat,” she says.

Small bites, big flavors. Globally inspired finger foods and shareable plates can add a market-stall sensibility to your menu. Consumers want to try lots of options and share them with each other. It’s part of the desire to “have it all” as they work their way through a menu, combined with an unwillingness to commit to one large entrée. Popular bite-sized Asian options include dim sum favorites like char siu bao and dumplings.

Indulge me. Street food offers consumers a less guilt-inducing way to try more indulgent offerings, especially ones that are more meat-intensive, fried and/or more heavily sauced than they might choose in a traditional entrée format. Consider small plate offerings like tempura, chaat, kabobs, sabih, samosas and pupusas, which can offer you a creative platform on which to build your own unique creations.

Read more

Why 2018 will be the year street food gets more sophisticated

Global taste, locally sourced: Lamb on the menu

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Well-traveled diners are increasingly interested in trying lamb as a featured ingredient in authentic world cuisines. As a leading source of protein around the globe, lamb gains hometown credibility for chefs who purchase American lamb. “It’s available year-round across the country, and it’s up to 10,000 miles fresher than imported lamb,” says Megan Wortman, Executive Director at the American Lamb Board, an industry-funded research and promotions commodity board.

“We’re focused on promoting the freshness, flavor, nutritional benefit and culinary versatility of American lamb,” Wortman says. “Today’s consumers care where their food comes from, and they want to support local farmers and ranchers. There are more than 80,000 sheep producers in this country, most of which are family-owned and operated.”

Adventurous and flavorful

American lamb has a positive nutrition profile, especially compared to other red meat. A three-ounce serving has just 175 calories and meets the FDA’s definition of lean.

Wortman has noticed a rise in adventurous menus that experiment with cuts of lamb that are great for braised applications, such as shank and shoulder. “We are seeing growth in lamb’s use in more approachable menu items, from tacos to burgers to meatballs,” Wortman says.

“Chefs are serving lamb in small plates and non-traditional center of the plate items, from flatbreads to sandwiches,” she says. Other new twists on traditional lamb preparations include braised lamb shoulder pasta dishes, lamb kabobs and lamb burgers. “Ground lamb is the fastest growing cut being sold in retail,” Wortman says. “It’s being used in meatballs, meatloaf and in Greek-inspired nachos.”

Hold the mint jelly

“Many chefs are buying whole lambs from local lamb marketers and menuing all of the cuts,” Wortman says. While racks of lamb remain the most popular cut in fine dining, other cuts are growing in popularity on more casual menus. She notes the increasing popularity of less common cuts such as lamb spareribs (Denver ribs), lamb loin chops (lamb T-bones), lamb belly and lamb bacon.

“It’s not your grandma’s overcooked lamb with mint jelly,” Wortman says. “Lamb is an adventurous and flavorful protein.”

Read more

Tasting Table article, Lamb is for Lovers

Recipes

Dijon Glazed Lamb Kabobs
Shish Kebab Dressing

Tamarind: tart & sweet & tasty all over

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For many people, tamarind is the “home” flavor of the foods they love most. The tamarind tree grows all over the tropics and subtropics, and its fruit is used in everything from chutneys and curries, to chili-dusted tamarind candy, to the Tamarindo soft drink.

Most people have already enjoyed tamarind without even realizing it. It’s an ingredient in Worcestershire sauce, the fermented condiment first bottled by Lea & Perrins in 1837. Even with that rich history, the fruit is being newly rediscovered by diners eager to follow global food trends with the flavor-forward, sweet-sour punch of tamarind.

Raisin-ish, but more tart

“It tastes a little bit like a tarter version of a raisin,” explains Yia Vang, chef and owner of Twin Cities’ based Union Kitchen. Vang, who was born in a refugee camp in Thailand, creates cuisine that highlights the ingredients and preparation methods of his family’s Hmong-American traditions. Vang says the Hmong word for “sour” or “tart” is “qaub,” and that many of his dishes have a high “qaub” factor.

“It’s hard to source fresh tamarind here in the Midwest, so we usually use the paste in our kitchen,” Vang says. “It’s the ‘secret ingredient’ in our papaya salad. Because my recipe includes crab or shrimp paste and fish sauce, it can taste a little funky, so it needs something tart and sweet to break through all that. Tamarind gives me the depth I’m looking for.”

Dorking out on tamarind

“I really want to introduce tamarind to the majority culture, so one way I do that is by using it in barbeque sauce,” Vang says. “Everyone understands barbeque sauce. What I’ve found by dorking out on tamarind in the kitchen is that because it’s high in sugar, it caramelizes well. I tried the sauce as an experiment with baby back ribs, and then I realized it actually works very well. A lot of the people who order our ribs don’t know what that flavor is, but they know they like it.”

For those willing to experiment with tamarind and other ingredients from the South Asian culinary canon, Vang has these words of encouragement: “Good food knows no boundaries,” he says.

Resources

Union Kitchen MN

Read more

London chef Yotam Ottolenghi shares his tamarind stew recipe in The Guardian

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