Monday Night Tailgate: Week 5

Lots of traveling on the schedule this week, so to help relieve some of the time in the kitchen, I've decided to go with pizzas. I mean, seriously, is there anything more fun in the kitchen than topping a pizza?

Now, some people are good with baking, and their pizza gets its reputation from its dough. I'm not one of those people. Anything with exact measurements is a lost cause for me. So, I am going to suggest you use your favorite dough recipe--whether it be homemade, refrigerated, or those ready-to-eat pizza crusts you can buy in the Italian section of the supermarket. Where I earn my tailgating rep is with the crazy combinations I put on a pie. Seriously, I'm the mad scientist of the pizza stone. I started here with 18 pizza combinations, took a few votes, and narrowed it down to four pies. Some of these are pretty crazy, but rest assured, they are all excellent if you're willing to be a bit adventurous.

Basically, the recipes this week are simple. Lay out your dough. Top with ingredients in the order shown (as much or as little as you'd like--with pizza it's always best to eyeball it). Bake in a 425-degree oven (preferably on a pizza stone) for 12-15 minutes (or, for those using refrigerated dough, follow the directions on the package).

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Pizza #1: The Carnivore

A friend of mine just got back from a wedding where one of the feature foods were vegan cupcakes. (Note: Vegan cupcakes?!) They tasted about as good as they sound, and so this pizza was a special request. A kind of reverse detox, if you will. I call it the carnivore because it has basically every meat in my fridge on it.

• Dough of choice (I'm using premade dough to save time, and making small 4-slice pies)
• Extra Virgin Olive oil, for brushing
• 1/2 tsp. Garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. Spices of choice (for this pie, I am using a blend of garlic salt, onion powder, dried bell pepper, and dried tomato)
• Red sauce (As with last week, I am using a local favorite, Oliverio's Thick Italian Style Pizza Sauce from Clarksburg, WV)
• Cheese, shredded (I use a blend of part-skim mozzarella, smoked provolone, parmesan, and romano)
• Roasted chicken, cubed
• Genoa salami, diced
• Crispy bacon, chopped
• Pepperoni (I use the mini size because I think it crisps up better in my standard oven)
• Meatballs, halved (recipe below)

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Kap's Homemade Meatballs

Okay, so I'm not doing much "cooking" this week. So to make up for it, I will share my homemade meatball recipe, which I use when making the pie above.

• 1-2 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1 lb. Ground meatloaf mix (that's 1/3 beef, 1/3 pork, 1/3 veal). You can, of course, decide on your own meat mixture.
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped (about ½ c.)
• ½ c. Parmesan Cheese
• ¼ c. Milk
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 TBSP Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp. Tabasco
• ½ tsp. Italian Seasoning
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• ½ c. stale bread, broken into cubes
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 TBSP Tomato Paste
• Cooking Spray

  

In a skillet, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until tender.

In a large bowl, combine egg, milk, onion-garlic mix, bread cubes, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, tomato paste, Tabasco, Dijon, Worcestershire, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil. Crumble meat over mixture. Mix well.

Shape into ice cream scoop-sized balls. In an oiled pan on the stove, cook over medium-high heat and brown on all sides (about 2 min. per side). Transfer meatballs to a sprayed shallow baking dish or baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 15-20 min., turning halfway. Drain.

If eating immediately, transfer to the sauce of your choice. If not eating immediately, let cool. These can be refrigerated or frozen. In addition to being a good pizza topping, they taste good with pasta, on a submarine sandwich, or even just on their own. In fact, they even taste great cold.

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Pizza #2: Fire in the Hole

As I said a few weeks ago, nothing goes better with football than hot wings. I've taken that concept and applied to pizza, adding a few other spicy foods to really kick up the heat. As with most spicy recipes, you can control the level of heat in this depending on what sauce you use. I'm using Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce, which is the equivalent of about medium heat at most chain restaurants.

• Dough of choice
• Extra Virgin Olive oil, for brushing
• 1/2 tsp. Garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. Spices of choice (this time, I'm using a blend of garlic salt, Parmesan cheese, and parsley)
• Ranch "Blush" Sauce (that's 50% hot sauce of your choice, 50% peppercorn ranch dressing)
• Cheese, shredded (this time, I am using part-skim mozzarella and sharp cheddar)

• Roasted or breaded chicken tenders, cut into cubes and tossed in your wing sauce of choice (just like making hot wings)
  
• Cooked Chorizo or hot Italian sausage, remove it from its casing
• Banana Pepper Rings
• Red Onion, chopped and sauted

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Pizza #3: Crouching Kimchi, Hidden Chicken (reconstruction)

So, I can't take credit for coming up with this one. As many of you know, I earned my Master's degree down in Athens, OH, and while there, I spent a lot of time eating at renowned regional pie shop Avalanche Pizza. Avalanche Pizza is known for having some crazy signature pies, and this Asian-inspired concoction might just take top prize. It may sound crazy, but I think it's delicious! So much so, that I've tried to recreate the pie here at home.

• Dough of choice (you've figured this out by now)
• Extra Virgin Olive oil, for brushing
• 1/2 tsp. Garlic, chopped
• Teriyaki sauce (use your favorite brand, but make sure you pick a thick "basting" sauce, and not a thin dipping sauce)
• Cheese, shredded (I'm using part-skim mozzarella. You don't want anything too strong or sharp for this pie.)
• Roasted chicken, cut into cubes
• Kimchi (This is a spicy Korean side dish made from fermented cabbage. You can find this in the jar near the organic vegetables in most supermarkets or pickle your own)
• Whole-roasted cashews
• Small Mandarin orange segments
• Scallions, chopped

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Pizza #4: Apple Streusel Dessert Pizza

Well, with all this unique and spicy pizza in the house, we might as well wrap up with something sweet. Sure, I could have bought an over-sized chocolate chip cookie and tossed some whipped cream on it, but this is almost just as easy, and it tastes much better.

• Dough of choice
• 1 can of Apple Pie Filling
• 1/2 c. Packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 c. All-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. Ground cinnamon
• 4 TBSP butter, melted
• White Confectioner's Glaze, you can find this in the baking aisle of most supermarkets

For this pie, mix the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter in a bowl and spread onto the dough like a paste. Top with the pie filling. Cook the pie, and when it comes out of the oven, drizzle the glaze over top while it's still warm.

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Drink Recommendation

Beer: Spaten Lager


Everyone knows that nothing goes better with pizza than beer. This week, I' m going with my very favorite beer of all: Spaten. This one always takes me back to my one-time favorite restaurant in Bellefonte, PA, Schnitzel's Tavern. Located in the historic Bush House Hotel and dating back to 1868, I spent many afternoons sitting on the patio alongside the river, eating Hunter's sausage and drinking Spaten. Sadly, Schnitzel's burned down in 2006, but I'll always have fond memories of that place. This beer takes me back.

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EAGLES PREDICTION: Win! -- Since I'm doing this on Monday, you'll just have to take my word for it that I got this one right. The Eagles aren't looking that great this season (at least not consistently), but they still look a lot better than the Giants, who may be the worst team in the league right now. This was an easy call. After all, if the birds can't win this one, they just can't win. Period.


MY RECORD: 4-1

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All recipes listed above come from my own imagination unless otherwise indicated. If you try one of these recipes in your own kitchen, leave a comment below and tell me how it goes. And, of course, share your modifications, enhancements, improvements, etc.