Thursday, November 3, 2011

The Pizza Cone Goes Indian


   Up until a few days ago I was minding my own business, making some laddu for dessert and trying to get this script out of my hair, when this came across my Twitter feed from my friend @WorkmanPub 


  It was close to lunch, I was hungry and it was just plain cruel. What made it a little less cruel was that she was looking for one of these too. If it had actually been in her hand and she was tweeting it to hungry people well... I couldn't have handled it. This thing I quickly learned, was a Pizza Cone. Until then I'd never heard of pizza cones, but evidently they landed in NYC about a year ago courtesy of someplace called K! Pizzacones. When I tweeted back that the picture was making me hungry, she suggested that I make one for myself. An Indian pizza cone! So that's what I did.  It was pretty simple actually.


Indian Pizza Cone




This is what I did:
   I started a Mughlai Eggplant recipe which I had always thought would be amazing as a pizza or flat bread topping. Since Indian food does not have that lovely, stringy, gooey cheese, I decided that what would be great mixed with the eggplant might be some paneer cheese. Of course there is the little matter of paneer cheese not being gooey or stringy or not even melting for that matter. But hey, this is an Indian Pizza Cone after all.

   Since I've been working hard this last week finishing this script I didn't have time to make any paneer cheese, so I went with a really really fine substitute, ricotta salata. Ricotta salata is a dry, white, firm ricotta cheese which subs perfectly for paneer and is easily found at most markets. And while I was at it, enough with that pizza part. This was an Indian dish.So I made a chapatti.

   I took that chapatti and I filled it with a mixture of Mughlai Eggplant, some crumbled ricotta salata and a bit of chopped fresh cilantro. Bingo! The Indian Chapatti Cone.


   It's easy to carry. Wrap it in a napkin or waxed paper and carry it around. Patsy was lurking in the background waiting for something to drop out of the bottom, but this wasn't like an ice cream cone, nothing leaked. Sorry Patsy.

   I handed the cone to Alan to taste. He took a bite, then a bigger bite. I reached for the cone and he did that shoulder move that  guys and dogs do when they have something good in their mouths they don't want to let go. He finished it over the sink saying "I don't want to get fat."  But hey, It's low fat, organic and vegetarian... and if I'd left out the cheese, it would have been vegan, the trifecta of angelic food, right?

   So thanks, Workman Publishing for making me hungry and challenging me to come up with something I never would have thought of otherwise.

Update:
I should have mentioned: If you want to bake your chapatti from scratch  here's how to do it. Of course you could always use a plain flour tortilla, or I'm sure someone out there sells chapattis ready made. Personally I think if you have a skillet and a mix of whole wheat and white flour, making them is pretty easy and fun too.

  Coming up next, I go all Pumpkin Palooza and show what can be done if you were too lazy assed to carve that pumpkin you brought home for Halloween. It's good for a whole lot more than scaring the neighbor kids. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

21 comments :

  1. That pizza cone looks ridiculous! What a fun idea!

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  2. Ha! I totally know that shoulder thing you're talking about. It's like a universal "This is yummy, and I'm not sharing it with anyone" signal. :)
    This sounds like it would be an absolutely amazing portable lunch... and so much better, health-wise, than that ooey-gooey cheese-laden pizza cone. Nom.

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  3. Great idea! It is close to lunch now, also, and that really made me hungry!! mmm, pizza :P

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  4. Wow what a brilliant idea, this looks so delicious! :)

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  5. Now you mavde me want one you booger!

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  6. I have never heard of pizza cones, but both that photo and your variation on it look delish!

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  7. :-D! I believe some Indian chains have pizza, shaped like cones! wonderful idea to experiment with.

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  8. What a great idea! I've never heard of a pizza cone but am definitely a fan, especially of your version :)

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  9. @Belinda @zomppa,
    Yes it's really pretty easy and I can't wait to try this with other fillings

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  10. @Michelle,
    Yes, superfunand great idea for a party ... Just get one of those ice cream cone holders

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  11. @Isabelle,
    Yes I've noticed it's a sort of universal move.. It's easier to get stuffout of the dogs' mouth when she's got something

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  12. @Ruth@spring of a curiouseed,
    I guess I'm just passing the hunger forward... I so wanted that pizza cobe when I saw it.

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  13. @Kelly/ Eat yourself skinny,
    It's good Kelly..and easy to do

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  14. @Shri,
    Really!? It's such a great idea and I'd never heard of it before

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  15. @Lawyer Does Lunch,
    Thanks so much!

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  16. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  17. It is called Conizza and here is their link which has the TV advt too! :-D
    http://www.conizza.com/
    I forgot to sample it during my trip; reviews are mixed.

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  18. Clever one! It was just this week that I learned about Ricotta Salata when I was researching cannoli. Now I know I can use it other ways.

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