Cooking Class: Sausage and Parmesan Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers at Bakn
Cooking Class visits the kitchens of area restaurants, whose chefs share their popular recipes.
Bacon hogs the spotlight at Bakn in Carnegie.
The East Main Street eatery features half a dozen flavors of cured pork — from applewood to Cajun — in just about everything, from cocktails to desserts and stuffed pancakes to stuffed peppers.
Folks who want to really pig out can order the one-pound BLT, which, according to chef Randy Tozzie, is a runaway best-seller.
“I probably sell 26 of those a day,” says Tozzie, who owns Bakn with his partner, Susan McMahon. “People can't always finish them, but they're one of our most popular items.”
The passion for pork that caught fire in recent years continues to sizzle because bacon is so flavorful and versatile, Tozzie says. And it fits with his mission of offering elevated comfort food, morning, noon and night.
There's one menu for all meals, so folks can order French toast and other breakfast fare for dinner or the half-pound Bakn bleu burger for breakfast. “We like giving people options,” Tozzie says.
There's an array of sandwiches, including grilled cheese and pork-belly tacos; serious eats such as slow-braised short ribs and salmon couscous; and meatless selections, such as marinated, grilled veggies on a bun, quinoa, kale and goji berry salad and panzanella.
Tozzie opened Bakn nine months ago. He'd left a job in beverage sales at age 40 to enroll at the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute. He landed his first chef's job at the Duquesne Club, eventually leaving there for a management position with Giant Eagle Market District.
But he missed hands-on food preparation, so he and McMahon, a cosmetic dentist, began looking for a space where he could operate his own restaurant, he says.
When they found their current location — a former monument showroom with an expired real-estate listing — McMahon took charge of renovations and decor, which include her whimsical paintings of pigs.
Tables were custom-built by Iron Eden with wood reclaimed from a Bloomfield church and salvaged bridge piers. The same wood was used to create shelves for the bar, where folks can order Tozzie's bacon-infused vodka in a Bloody Mary or in The Elvis, which includes Frangelico, banana liquor and half-and-half. Seasonal craft beers and wines are offered.
On Beer Belly Thursdays, craft drafts and pork-belly features cost $5 each. Wine & Swine Wednesdays offer specially priced drinks by the bottle or glass and tasting plates. Saturday and Sunday brunches are so popular, folks often have an hour wait, Tozzie says. “I'm humbled by the response of the community.”
Deborah Weisberg is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.
Sausage and Parmesan Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers
Chef Randy Tozzie uses Cubanelle peppers for this dish at Bakn because they are warm, not hot. He leaves the stems on the peppers for a rustic touch at presentation. The sausage meat should be equal parts sweet and hot. Tozzie's mother makes his marinara sauce and claims pork neck bones give it extra flavor.
1⁄4 pound Italian sausage
1⁄4 pound hot sausage
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1⁄2 cup shredded or shaved parmesan cheese
6 Cubanelle peppers, stem on, seeds and pith removed
1 cup pasta sauce in your go-to flavor
1⁄2 cup mozzarella, shredded
1⁄2 cup provolone, shredded
2 extra-large eggs
Creamy Parmesan Polenta (see recipe)
6 pieces applewood bacon, cooked, crumbled
1⁄2 cup fresh tomato, diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced on bias
Heat an oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, combine the Italian sausage, hot sausage, parsley, minced garlic and parmesan cheese. Using your hands, mix to combine all ingredients. Divide the sausage mixture into 6 portions. Fill each pepper with sausage mixture. Arrange on an oven-safe dish.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove from oven and ladle 2 ounces of pasta sauce on each pepper. Cover with the mozzarella and provolone, and return to the oven to melt the cheeses.
Prepare the eggs sunny-side-up or over-easy on stovetop.
In 2 serving bowls, add a 4-ounce ladle of the polenta, then 3 sausage-stuffed peppers, then the fried egg. Garnish with the crumbled bacon, diced tomato and green onion.
Makes 2 servings.
Creamy Parmesan Polenta
4 cups chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
Place the chicken stock in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and cook over medium-high heat until the stock comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and very slowly whisk in the cornmeal, whisking constantly to make sure there are no lumps.
Switch to a wooden spoon. Add the salt and pepper and simmer, stirring almost constantly, for about 10 minutes, until thick. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan thoroughly while stirring. Turn off the heat, and stir in the parmesan and butter. Taste and adjust for seasonings as needed.
