Gallery food that looks as good as the art around it

by Marisa McClellan, Posted Oct 22nd 2007 @ 1:45PM

whole wheat pita chips with parmesan cheese

Sunday afternoon, I found myself in a building full of art. It was the first of two weekends in which artists' studios all over Philadelphia are open to the public for viewing and opportunities to meet the artists. It's a program called Philadelphia Open Studio Tour (POST). I went to check out my friend Wendy Wolf's studio. Her work is amazing, looking like organic textiles that have been translated onto paper. When I got there, we chatted for a few minutes about her work and life in general, but quickly the conversation turned to food.

She pointed me in the direction of the snacks she had made for her visitors and I was transfixed by the goodness of it all (it didn't hurt that I had also skipped lunch). The standout was the whole wheat pita with parmesan cheese chips that she had created. They were delicious and once I started to gush over them, she willingly confessed that they were something she had found in Gourmet four or five years ago and are very easy to make. So, if you need an easy gallery snack or something crunchy for a cocktail party, give these little crackers a try. The recipe is after the jump.

Whole Wheat Pita Chips with melted Parmesan Cheese

4 pitas
1 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese
olive oil
kosher or sea salt
cracked pepper

Cut the pitas in half so that you transform the initial four pitas into eight rounds. Cut them into wedges. Spray them lightly with olive oil (Wendy uses the olive oil that comes in a spray can from Trader Joe's). Spread them out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle them with the cheese, salt and pepper and bake at 375 degrees until they are crisp and the cheese has melted. They don't need to be served warm and keep a day or two as long as you store them in an air tight container.

Tags: artists' studios, gallery food, parmesan cheese, pita chips, PitaChips, Wendy Wolf, whole wheat

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

10-23-2007 @12:59AM Wendy said... Thanks for the lovely blog and the link, Marisa!

When I make the pita crisps for a party I always make 2 bags of pitas and use one bag of Trader Joe's grated parmesan cheese (if you carefully arrange the cheese you may be able to stretch the cheese further). When I am in a rush I cover the baking sheet with tinfoil to make it easy to clean, and bake them at 425 so they take less time (make sure to watch them so they don't burn).

I did have a few people say they wanted them to be framed alongside my artwork and an older gentleman declare he wanted a chair so he could have his lunch right there!

The chips are great on their own or serve with a tomato bruschetta
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