Paradise Pizza Tomatoes

Alfred Joseph Paradise was born 89 years ago today, March 11th, in Hannibal, MO; he died on March 19th, 2004, eight days after his 81st birthday.

Al Paradise was many things, mostly good, as his talents were numerous and his foibles few. An engineer, a mathematician, a mechanical innovator, an artist, a calligrapher, a carpenter, a plumber and a smart ass and wiseacre of epic proportions; most of these were good things at which he made money or which he donated his talents for the benefit of others. But Al’s greatest skill was no more than a hobby, at which he excelled supremely and made not a raw nickel – damn, but the man could cook.

He was the ultimate example of an empirical cook, and a ‘foodie’ long before the term was ever coined. Cookbooks, recipes and measuring cups and spoons were for amateurs; flying by the seat of his pants was pretty much how old AJ rolled in the kitchen. His only formal training in the culinary arts occurred at a flat-top hash house in Ames, Iowa, a 4x8 slab of heated steel where eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, hamburgers, onions and anything else edible that can be fried on a hot griddle. This training had my dad making us hamburgers like no other any suburban Johnson County, KS kid was eating in the 1960’s.

Another skill that he picked up from the griddle in Ames was his unrivaled mastery of hash-browned potatoes. No matter how many times I watched him or how many times he told me his secrets – “boil the potatoes under a full strong boil for eleven and a half minutes” – I could never duplicate the perfectly golden, cracker crisp outside and the fluffy white inside; mine are always overdone on the outside and underdone on the inside.

As I grew in my ability to cook on but a whisker of a gourmet level, I’d have my parents over for dinner and always be on edge as to the quiet, subtle and occasionally constructive criticisms that would sometimes come from the old man. Once I attempted fried polenta with a red sauce as a side dish – “Fried Polenta with porcini ragout” I announced with a flourish. Unimpressed, he offered “I don’t know what you just called it, but it looks like fried corn meal mush to me. I used to make that for you when you were kids…..remember?” Hmmmph.

One of AJP’s most famous concoctions, and one which we would occasionally serve at The Riverside, was unofficially referred to as Paradise Pizza Tomatoes. The downside to serving it as our vegetable side dish in the restaurant was its appearance – spooned onto a plate it looked like one of those casseroles that you wouldn’t even think about trying as you’d peruse the various offerings at a church pot luck dinner. But the adventurous diner was tastefully rewarded with the first bite, as steaming hot out of the oven Paradise Pizza Tomatoes more than make up for in taste what they lack in aesthetics.

Serves 6 – 8 – best prepared in a round 9” baking dish
2 – 28 oz. cans of tomatoes, drained
½ stick unsalted butter
3 – Tbsp olive oil
1 – large yellow onion, small dice
4 – large cloves of garlic, chopped very fine
2 – Tbsp dried basil
2 – Tsp dried thyme
2 – Tsp fennel seeds ground in a mortar and pestle (this is key – don’t omit!)
8 – or so grinds of fresh pepper and a pinch or two of salt
½ - sleeve of saltine crackers (approx 25)
2 – cups shredded mozzarella cheese

- Thoroughly drain the tomatoes, place them in the baking dish and chop roughly. There will be juice in the dish after you chop – don’t drain that.
- Melt the butter in a sauté pan; add the olive oil and heat.
- Add the onions and sauté for about 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add the garlic, basil, thyme, fennel seed, pepper and salt and sauté for a few minutes, and then add this mixture to the tomatoes. Stir in well.
- Take ½ of the saltines and rough crush with your hands and ½ of the shredded mozzarella and add to tomatoes, stirring in well.
- Evenly distribute the other half of the cheese over the top of the mixture, then crush the remaining crackers and distribute them over the layer of cheese.
- Bake uncovered at 350F for about 45 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbly and the cheese and crackers are nicely browned.