Meatsa!

I just made, and ate, my first Meatsa pie. THis is the Paleo answer to pizza: ground meat mixed with seasonings, spread thin and baked, then topped with pizza sauce and toppings, then baked again. I got the recipe from Melissa Joulwan's Well Fed cookbook.

I have to say, I'm liking her book more and more as I continue to use it. She has some great ideas. More importantly, every recipe turns out the way I expect it to. I can't say that about many cookbooks. Her descriptions match the result, the methods and measurements all work out. 

I guess it's her background in the restaurant business. She knows how to cook, she's a fanatic for measuring (I'm not!) which is essential if you want to keep duplicating your results. And she loves good food, especially ethnic styles. 

What I also love are the suggestions for changing a recipe, You Know What You Could Do With That? That's how I like to cook, start with the recipe, get the basics down, then improvise.

I already have ingredients in my fridge for a salad in her book, that I'm hoping will be like one I had at a potluck in university (art historians cook and eat wonderful food! Our grad school potlucks were the stuff of legend). Two of us washed the dishes, then sat in the kitchen eating the last of this amazing fennel and orange salad out of the salad bowl with our fingers. If Melissa Joulwan's salad can match that, I will be a happy cook!

She also has a great blog, The Clothes Make The Girl.