We understand the appeal of flat New York-style pizza, but we grew up calling it “New Haven-style” because of a longstanding regional conflict. Now, when grabbing a pizza, my sister and I go for the more substantial square, pan-baked pizzas we call “Sicilian-style.” Some people call them “Detroit-style,” but they are mainly partisans from Michigan. These homey pies aren’t quite deep enough to be considered “Chicago-style” or, locally, “mountain pies.”
While New York-style, Sicilian pan-style, and gluten-free pizzas are served at Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage, 2675 13th St., we gravitated toward the pizzeria’s unique sesame-seeded “Patty-style” crust baked in a square pan.
We ordered the Spicy Pig combo and asked that the pie stay in oven a few extra minutes. The 30-minute wait was more than worth it. Slow fermentation, olive oil, cheese, and high heat made the four corners worth fighting over, but each sesame-seeded slice was a great new taste revelation that any fan of sesame-topped artisan breads or bagels would understand.
On top of all that crust were pepperoni cups, hot sausage chunks, roasted jalapeños, and fresh garlic nestled between the crushed tomato sauce and mozzarella. This pizza needed no red chile flakes for added oomph.
The Pizza Garage is tucked away behind the shopping center that includes Breadworks, the Boulder Wine Merchant, and Moe’s Bagels, the latter operated for decades by the parents of Boulder-born pizzeria owner, Audrey Kelly.
The Pizza Garage dishes takeout pies and slices in various styles from two large windows with some patio seating. The eatery also produces an acclaimed toasted meatball grinder in a house-baked bun. Other pizza topping combinations include the Grateful Veg with pumpkin seed pesto, spinach, mushroom, onions, sweet peppers, and mozzarella, and the self-descriptive Pretty Fly for a White Pie.
What to do with too many red onions
The image in the photo above depicts neither an alien life form nor some form of seafood. This is what happens when you put a whole, fresh unpeeled red onion in a 375-degree oven for over an hour. Whenever I turn on the oven to bake something, I’ll also put a potato, sweet potato, Asian eggplant, or an onion on an old pie pan. It saves energy and I end up with ready-to-use ingredients.
Normally, onions roast and steam inside their skins and vent steam and juice—this was the first time an onion exploded quite so dramatically in my oven. I still ended up with mildly roasted onions I used in sweet potato hash browns and a quick chicken skillet dish. This non-technique also works well with white and sweet yellow onions.
Culinary calendar
Ya Ya Farm & Orchard between Longmont and Lyons is open Tuesday through Sunday in October offering diverse apple varieties, apple cider doughnuts, apple pies and farm attractions for families. yayafarmandorchard.com . . . Now is the time to clear those pantry shelves of all the food items (especially proteins) you stockpiled in the past year. Drop off non-perishable items on October 23 at Lafayette’s Sister Carmen food bank, Centaurus High School, or Superior Town Hall. sistercarmen.org.
Send information about local food events, classes, festivals and tastings at least two weeks in advance to: nibbles@boulderweekly.com
