No, seriously. Sister Erin cashed in on an almost unheard of deal in the deli department over the weekend. A 1 kg / 2.2 lb. pack of classic 2 in. / 5 cm-diameter Pizza Pepperoni came home for just $9.99! But how to use it? Freezing some would be just too easy…
Ask yourself, “WWED?” (What Would Ethan Do?) (Above: Tom Cruise as
Ethan Hunt, leader of the IMF team in the 1990s movie franchise.)
Remember the opening of Mission Impossible? “Your mission, should you decide to accept it…”
Well, here’s yours: Imagine you have a huge bag of beautiful thin-sliced Pizza Pepperoni on your counter. That’s not a problem, for sure. But now imagine that you can’t (for reasons only the script writers know for sure) freeze any of it for use down the road. The sausage was put on special just a week before its Best Before date. And, though we know ‘Best Before’ is not a drop-dead toss-it date, with meat you can’t take chances. (You would get some leeway since the stuff is a cured product, which is preserved by the liberal inclusion of acid and salt. However, we assume the manufacturer took that into account when calculating the BB date.)
The mission
The ‘mission’ is to come up with enough different ways to use the stuff so you can use it up within a week. That can include the obvious, but you’ll get extra points for originality.
My Take
Let’s start with the obvious, which is fairly fertile ground to plow, in our quest to use Pepperoni:
- Pizza (of course)
- Italian Sub
- Muffaletta Sandwich – or add to any of a dozen other Italian sandwich classics…
Now, let’s get our imaginations going:
- Pepperoni Chips – Just arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake ’em at 375 F for 15-20 minutes. They’ll still be flexible when they come out, but they’ll be crispy chips when cooled to room temp.
- Pepperoni Mac & Cheese – Add Pep and sliced slices to your fave Mac & Cheese recipe, and top with grated Parmesan plus more Pep.
- Pepperoni Burgers – Add finely diced Pep to your regular burger meat mix (recommend 3-to-1 ratio of meat to Pep). Top with Melted Mozz and a drizzle of Marinara.
- Slow Cooker Chicken – With a thick, rich Tomato and Pep sauce!
- Pepperoni ‘Nachoni’ – A great snack based on the Nacho design, but with Pep and Mozz, olives and onions, and small-diced Green Pepper. And Marinara, in place of Red Sauce or Salsa, on top.
- Pepperzoni – A Calzone featuring Pep and Mozz, with whatever other ingredients you want. Serve Marinara on the side for dipping.
- Pepperlupa – A Tex-Mex Chalupa version of the Pepperzoni, using a large Flour Tortilla or Naan bread rather than a slab of Pizza crust.
- Pepperosas – Indian Samosas stuffed simply with Chopped Pep, Mozz, and Tapanade.
- Pepperoni Cheese Dip – A thick, creamy, spicy baked dip for all occasions. Be sure to use thick, sturdy chips for dipping.
- Maiali Nelle Coperte – Italian style Pigs in blankets, with Pep and Mozz, rather than sausages.
- Pizza Omelet – A thick, American-Style Omelet, folded over a filling of Pep, Mozz and Marinara.
That ought to do it!
And if not, you tell me what you’d use leftover Pepperoni in! I’ll feature feedback recipes here in a future post…
~ Maggie J.