Tasty Tuesday: Za’s is more than great pizza

Tyler Ryan learns that the menu at Za's goes well beyond pizza on a Tasty Tuesday

COLUMBIA SC (WOLO)–ZA’s on Devine has been making pizzas for over two decades, but there is a lot more to the culinary chops to this local favorite, as Executive Chef David Grillo shares with Tyler Ryan on Good Morning Columba’s Tasty Tuesday.

Here are Chef Grillo’s recipes and preparation hacks:

Charred Okra Recipe

• 7-8 Pieces Okra / split lengthwise
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 1/8 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 HOT seasoned cast iron skillet, or non-stick sauté pan.

Get pan very hot.

Place okra cut side down in pan and begin to char for approximately 4 minutes.

Do not move okra around in the pan, leave it be.

Once done, the okra should appear still raw and green on the outside and very caramelized on the cut side. Quickly remove the okra from hot pan to serving plate.

Garnish with sea salt, extra virgin olive oil, and red pepper and serve.

Hacks and Tips:

Be sure to pick okra that is no more than three to four inches to avoid stringy and tough texture, brightly colored, and not bruised.

Fresh okra helps avoid stickiness.

Do not use frozen okra for this recipe only fresh.

Zucchini Pasta (Serves 4) 

• 4-5 Medium Zucchini, spiral cut
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 pound ground Italian sausage
• 1 thinly sliced red onion
• 24 ounces of marinara
• 8 ounces crumbled Feta
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp. fresh finely chopped parsley

Zucchini: Using a table top spiralizer, curl cut each zucchini to make fettuccini style pasta.

Using a large sauté pan, add butter, zucchini, salt, and pepper over a high heat for 3-5 minutes until zucchini is tender on the outside and still firm on the inside. Stir constantly. Do not overcook.

Sauce: Place sausage and red onion in a sauce pan and scramble until it is fully cooked and beginning to caramelize. Add marinara and simmer on a medium heat for 7-8 minutes.

To plate: Split all ingredients in to four equal portions and build like so: Place zucchini pasta in a bowl, top with sauce, Feta, chopped parsley, and red pepper flakes.

Hacks and Tips:

Shop online for deals and coupons on spiralizers.

If you don’t have a spiralizer you can cut the zucchini in to large dice pieces, or check your local grocery store, a lot of places are selling spiral cut veggies.

Source your produce as fresh as possible, local makes a difference.