Team Fremont.com-The Gamer's Gourmet, V4 Review

The Gamer's Gourmet, V4

Chef Scott Hass is a longtime, dear friend of us here at Team Fremont. Not a lot of people are or know gourmet chefs, so we asked Chef Hass if he could periodically whip up some quick, easy, and delicious recipes for our readers. Fortunately, he agreed to occassionally take time out of his hectic schedule to pass on some of his knowledge. These dishes are intended to be easy to prepare, yet give you something special to serve to your gaming friends while you're playing Halo 2 or just hanging out.

If you have any questions for Chef Hass, feel free to send us an email and we'll pass it along.

I am a large man. I am also a man who likes food with which I need no utensils, such as fork, knife, spoon, or tiny wooden sticks, to eat. I am an action eater. I eat when I am driving, and I eat every meal in front of the television.

The finest meal for a man such as myself is Pizza. Pizza is the food that made me the man I am today. I am quite sure that I will be cooking one off tomorrow as well. Pizza can be messy however, especially when playing video games. Pizza sauce on a joystick is unacceptable, and to put it frankly I won’t condone it.

I have devised a plan, to nip the sauce problem right in the bud. The time has come for a hybrid.

Today we shall make Pizzadillas. "What the hell is that?", you ask? A Pizzadilla is a Quesadilla stuffed with the innards of a pizza, with everything except for the sauce of course. That goes better on the side for dipping.

Kapish?

Ingredients Needed:

1 Package of 12’’Flour tortillas
48 oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 Package of Sliced Pepperoni
1 Package of Italian Sausage rendered
1 Yellow Onion diced
1 8oz package of mushrooms sliced
1 Large Green Pepper diced
1 Large Red Pepper diced
1 Jar of favorite Marinara or Alfredo Sauce
2 oz Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 Large sheet pan
1 Large 12’’or bigger sauté pan or electric griddle
1 Large mixing bowl
1 Large Spatula

The first thing that we need to do is make sure that the sausage is fully cooked. If it is not cooked, squeeze it out of the casing into a hot pan. A twelve-inch sauté will work nicely for this. Break up the sausage as it cooks to the size of your liking. When the sausage is fully cooked, turn on the hot water from your faucet and to let it get nice and hot. Pour off the excess grease either into a cup and refrigerate, or if you have a garbage disposal it can be poured right down the drain. Remove the cooked sausage and place it on a dry paper towel. The Water should be hot enough now to run the pan under the faucet without damaging the shape of the pan. (Cold water in a hot pan can warp the pan.)

Add some Dawn (c) to the pan, and with a tong wipe the pan out with a washcloth. It should come clean very easy. Now your pan is ready for action again. You’ll need it later.

The second thing that must be done is to roast the vegetables. Put the onions mushrooms and peppers into a bowl after you’ve cut them to the correct size. Pour one ounce of olive oil over the vegetables. Salt and pepper them well and toss them in the oil. Spread the veggies out on a sheet pan and roast at 350 degrees for about twelve to fifteen minutes. When finished cooking they can cool on the countertop.

Now the Pizzadillas are ready for assembly. If you have an electric griddle hiding somewhere, now is the time to pull it out and get some use out of it. If you’re using a griddle, set the temperature to 375. If you’re using the twelve-inch sauté pan get it nice and hot. Rub some olive oil on the bottom side of a tortilla and place the tortilla in the pan oil side down. Cover the tortilla with a thin blanket of cheese. Place pepperoni slices over the cheese. Put the cooked sausage over the pepperoni, within reason (too much sausage makes a greasy mess and we don’t want that). Remember that were going to be folding the whole thing in half when were done so a few ingredients go a long way. Next, place the roasted vegetables over the sausage.

By the time you’re done adding all of the ingredients to the party, the cheese should be melted enough to fold the tortilla in half. Please do this with a spatula. Don’t even think about being a hero. Blisters on the hands really hurt when glued to a controller for a couple of hours.

Our Pizzadilla is almost complete. While the outside is browning to your liking, pour some of the pizza sauce into a bowl for dipping. Wrap the bowl in a paper towel and nuke it for about a minute and a half. When the outside of the tortilla is a dark gold color on both sides, its time to transfer it to the cutting board. Slice it up like you would a half pizza. Now put it on a plate and eat it.

Aloha!
Chef Scott Hass

Copyright 2006, Scott Hass

Past issues of The Gamer's Gourmet:
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3

Article By: Chef Scott Hass