Posted on Saturday, 8/16/2008 - 8:39 a.m. PDT — by Paul Burgarino
On the fireworks topic, someone just asked about the recipe for Pittsburgers. I had to make this its own thread. I actually tried to explain what they were to my fellow reporters at the office weeks back. I tried to describe it as like a sloppy joe patty and i remember it being biscuit-like bread. And at Foothill it was served with chocolate milk, fruit cocktail and i think tater tots on the pale green trays. Ah, fun times...
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My daughters (who also went to Foothill) have been trying to describe the Pittsburger to me as well. So far it sounds to me like a biswuick sort of crust with something like a sloppy joe seasoning on the bottom then cheese and burger on top. Somebody out there must know the secret!
Oh....by the way...the girls say the fruit cocktail they served was the bomb. They also loved the Taco Boat and the stop sign shaped Pizza.
Gray
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Gray, that's hilarious...just curious when did they go there? It's funny...after writing this I remembered the cafeteria lady's name was Rosie, the Principal's Award and the stop sign shaped pizza.
-Paul
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The girls graduated from Foothill in 99'...they remember Rosie the cafeteria lady as well. Jeez......I'm tempted to send an e-mail off to the school to see if I can feret out the recipe. It does sound similar to the Impossible Cheeseburger Pie on the Bisquick box but the girls don't think it had eggs in it. My grandma used to make the Bisquick recipe and I hated it.....there was just something about eggs being mixed in with hamburger that I couldn't deal with.....I still don't think I could hang with it.
I seriously need to get that recipe now though....just talking about it today has started a whole new wave of cravings in the girls.
Gray
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Hmm, I wonder if it's just the "Impossible Cheeseburger Pie" recipe listed on the box of Bisquick . . .
_____
"I happen to feel that the degree of a person's intelligence is directly reflected by the number of conflicting attitudes she can bring to bear on the same topic."
— Lisa Alther
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I just made this the other night. It is very similar to the bisquick recipe. This is how I make a Pittsburger. Get the Bridgeford frozen bead dough at your grocery store. It comes in either 3 large loaves or several small ones. I get the 3 big loaves. Brown about 2lbs of hamburger with one small onion and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Remove from heat and drain. Add a bottle of ketsup, about 20 to 24 oz. Your meat should be very moist. Roll out 1 thawed loaf of bread dough and put it in a pyrex lasagna dish. Add the meat mixture and put about a pound of shredded cheddar cheese on to then cover that with another rolled out bread dough. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Enjoy with a nice salad. It's killer.
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I actually thought that was what they were talking about the first time they mentioned it...it even crossed my mind again today but the girls said no eggs so that definitely rules out the Bisquick recipe.
I've asked so many people if they know the recipe that I've lost track. Hmmmmm.....wonder if Rosie the Cafeteria lady might be willing to take a bribe.......
Gray
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made these all the time. I'll ask her tomorrow!
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My recollection of the crust was more like focaccia than biscuit.
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Had to bring this one back.....my girls keep asking me if the recipe was ever posted....now they're just driving me batty.
There has got to be someone out there that knows the secret:)
Gray
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Gray,
Try the recipe I posted. My husband went to Hillview when he was a kid and had it all the time. He got this recipe for me from someone and I made it and he said it's the one as far as he can remember. Try it and let me know. I never had it as a kid cuz we didn't have it on the Antioch menu's but I have to say, it's pretty good.
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I'm going to give it a shot tomorrow night and see what happens. I don't think I'll tell the girls before I serve it though......I want to see what their reaction is
Gray
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Good Luck
!!!!
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Okay, I'm dyin' of curiosity here . . . Gray, didja make this for your daughters last night? What did they think?
<—Didn't grow up in the area, and has never tried a Pittsburger . . . but that recipe sounds delish. I'll have to try it . . . mebbe toss in a small can of sliced olives as well (olive fiend
).
_____
"I happen to feel that the degree of a person's intelligence is directly reflected by the number of conflicting attitudes she can bring to bear on the same topic."
— Lisa Alther
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I saw this thread and just had to respond. The previous poster has the recipe correct. I attended Hillview Jr. High School from 1994-1996 and most of the time served in the lunch line. Mostly to get out of 3rd period 15-minutes early. A couple years ago I called Hillview and was directed to their food services department. They said that they also sell the Pittsburger to Antioch because it was so popular. The recipe that she gave me is the same one posted (only I was about 19 when I tried it and totally messed it up) she gave me how they made it, which serves about 50 and it barely fit in my oven. Over the years I missplaced the exact recipe and have been tempted to call them back. Thank you for posting it! I am going to have to try it again.
My husband is from Concord and never got the pleasure of trying it. The only way I could describe it was like a hamberger lasagna! LOL.
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If some enterprising soul would set up a Pittsburger stand at the downtown Farmers Market, I would be there every Saturday... maybe for the first 2 months :)
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that would be a great idea...
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WhooHoo, I'm so glad it's the one you remember!! I have no point of reference since I didn't grow up with it. My kids love it and it's easy to make so we have it often. It's nice comfort food.
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As I remember, the Pittsburger was a stuffed sandwich .... sort of a poor man's Pierogy. The dough was a cross between a dumpling dough and a biscuit dough; and the filling was similar to the ground meat topping for a sloppy joe.
I know a woman who works at Highlands Elementary cafeteria, and I believe the Pittsburger is still served to the kids.
OK, now I'm hungry!!
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Okay.....so the first night I made it ato the according to the recipe posted. The girls said it was similar but not quite there. They said the crust was thinner and that the flavoring was a little off as far as the catsup and that it had a little less sauce in it. Skip to night three (had homemade chinese food the 2nd night) where I played around with the recipe. I made my own bread dough (cause I'm cheap and it was a little less elastic than the store bought) and instead of catsup I used a large can of Manwich sauce. I only used half a loaf of dough on the bottom crust and half on the top. Success.....the girls said it was the Pittsburger they remember. For the record it was great......served it up with a green salad and some home canned pears from last summer. This will definitely be on the menu often! Thanks again to everyone for their help in getting the recipe..................
Gray
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I made Pittsburgers according to the recipe above on Sat. I wasn't sure if I would still like them...you know when you're a kid some things that you used to think were awesome can't even be stomached anymore?? So I followed the recipe above only cut it in 1/2. I used (1) of the (3) frozen bread loaves, 1/2 for the bottom and 1/2 for the top and rolled it out really thin. 1lb of ground beef, 1/2 onion, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I used a little less than 1/2 a bottle of Ketsup, I should have used a little more, I forgot that the oven dries it out a bit. (you don't want it to be too wet though - just enough to make it stick together so that it's not soupy when you cut it. I also used a whole bag of cheese. I remember the food service department telling me to poke holes in the top since you are really supposed to tuck in the top layer of bread dough. The I baked it at a slightly lower temp than the bread dough directions for about 20 minutes. I didn't even have to taste it to know it was right - Just the smell brought back memories. To my surprise my husband and my friend - both of them never had it as kids LOVED it.
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I'm so glad to have pitched in my version of the Pittsburger. The best thing about these kind of recipes is what you do to them to make them your own. Happy Eating!!!
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I've been thinking, it may be an interesting story to write about because they are uniquely Pittsburg and students who have come through the district still remember them. Do you think people who find it an interesting read?
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Paul, I think an article about Pittsburgers would be great. Many of us who went to Pittsburg schools have memories of these tasty treats. Among those who attended Pittsburg schools who might remember are: Supervisor Federal Glover; Pete Garcia, President of LMC; Tim Galli, Pittsburg Unified School District; Paul Flores, Director of Parks & Recreation at City of Pittsburg; And I'm sure those individuals can network you to many others who enjoyed the Pittsburger.
In fact, the Pittsburg Senior High Class of 1970 is planning to hold a milti-year reunion in downtown Pittsburg this summer. Perhaps your article might inspire them to prepare Pittsburgers for those attending.
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I think an article on Pittsburgers is a great idea too. Like I mentioned before, when I got the recipe from the food service department they said that they sold the Pittsburgers to the Antioch school district also - it would be interesting to find out what they called them (I am sure it wasn't Pittsburgers!)
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My mother is "Rosie the Cafeteria Lady" from Foothill Elementary in Pittsburg, CA. Here is the recipe.
The Pittsburger: 6 pounds ground beef, 1-1/2 c chopped onion, 1 t. salt, 1 t. pepper, 1-1/2 c catsup, 3 pounds processed cheese. You will also need a yeast dinner roll recipe that will yield about 6 pounds of dough and two 12x15x2 baking pans.
Brown ground beef and onions, add salt, pepper and catsup. Roll dough about 1/2 inch thick and cover bottom and sides of baking pan. Let rise while rolling out top. Fill with meat mixture and cover with cheese slices or shredded cheese. Roll out another piece of dough, the same thickness and place on top of mixture. Cut to fit pan and tuck in sides. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Cut in squares and serve hot.
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FINALLY!!
I think that sets a record for the longest time span between question and answer on the forums.
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hey, better late then never...as an aside, i am working on that Pittsburger story. I got the recipe from some other long-time Pittsburg district cooks and will include it. Hopefully it will be a fun read.
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I've enjoyed Pittsburgers at the following schools;
Highlands, Marina Primary, Hillview and PHS.
Funkateer
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I see you Funkateer & I know who you are
But onto the Pittsburger, that was the only day I did not buy my lunch from the cafeteria, Pittsburger day. I attended Heights Elementary (1959-1966) & Hillview (1966-1969). We had little red platic squares with a cent sign melted in them if we borrowed the quarter we needed for lunch. Anyway, I HATE the smell of Pittsbugers, I hate the taste of them. EUCH! They are back and all the rage-not at my house baby. I had to move to Florida to escape the smell. Ours were always served with green beans on the pale green trays in the green cafeteria by the lunch room lady wearing her pink smock & hair net.
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I miss those trays too and the noise they made when being stacked.
I even miss the Spaghetti and always asked for the section with the most cheese on top!.
Funkateer
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going on at my FB page this very minute! Who knew!
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I went to Parkside Elementry and Central Junior High and Loved the Pittsburger, I would even trade something like my Taters or chocolate milk for someone elses Pittsburger,
It's IMPOSSIBLE to describe to someone who's never had one but they are THE BOMB, has anyone tried this recipe yet?
The Pittsburger: 6 pounds ground beef, 1-1/2 c chopped onion, 1 t. salt, 1 t. pepper, 1-1/2 c catsup, 3 pounds processed cheese. You will also need a yeast dinner roll recipe that will yield about 6 pounds of dough and two 12x15x2 baking pans.
Brown ground beef and onions, add salt, pepper and catsup. Roll dough about 1/2 inch thick and cover bottom and sides of baking pan. Let rise while rolling out top. Fill with meat mixture and cover with cheese slices or shredded cheese. Roll out another piece of dough, the same thickness and place on top of mixture. Cut to fit pan and tuck in sides. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Cut in squares and serve hot.