Chapter 85

When I entered the kitchen, Tommy followed me in and asked,

“So, what dish are you going to teach me? Is it the fried chicken we had yesterday?”

“No. Honestly, that’s not cost-effective to make for sale.”

Honestly, I’m a bit of an oddball for frying food with cooking oil whenever I feel like it, even though I’m not a noble.

“Then what dish are you going to make?”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ve already decided on the dish.”

It’s the sausage the dwarves were eating when I first arrived in this Dwarven Village.

I’ve been thinking about it ever since I saw that sausage.

Not the kind of sausage made from low-quality scraps or offal, salted and preserved for practicality in ordinary human villages. This is a high-quality sausage made from proper cuts like shoulder or ham, seasoned with spices, meant to be a proper beer snack.

Maybe it’s because they’re so serious about their alcohol.

Or perhaps it’s the dwarven culture of pouring their heart into whatever they make.

Either way, seeing that proper sausage made me think of many dishes I wanted to create.

There were many dishes I wanted to make using sausage, but making the sausage itself was too labor-intensive, so it felt daunting.

I placed the prepared ingredients on the table one by one and said,

“The dish I’m making today is Pepperoni Pizza using A-Dragon’s sausage.”

“Pepperoni Pizza? I’ve never heard of it. Is it a traditional Lizardman dish?”

“…Let’s just say it’s something like that. Anyway, I’ll start cooking, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask.”

After briefly explaining the dish to Tommy, I began cooking.

First, I started by kneading the dough, the foundation of the pizza.

To make the dough, I used flour, specifically high-gluten flour for its strong elasticity.

Then, I added yeast to the bowl of flour.

Since beer is a staple in the Dwarven Village, obtaining beer yeast was simple.

I added a small amount of salt and sugar, poured in lukewarm water, and kneaded it.

I kneaded until no more flour clumped together, forming a smooth, cohesive mass.

Once the dough reached that stage, I stopped kneading, added a bit of cooking oil, and continued kneading until it became stretchy and elastic.

After that, all that was left was to wait for time to pass.

I covered the dough with a clean cloth and let it rest at room temperature for about an hour.

In other words, I waited until the dough roughly doubled in size.

Since this process was similar to making bread, Tommy followed along without much question.

Though he said he was learning cooking from me, he’s also a veteran who’s run an inn for a long time and made various dishes.

While waiting for the dough to ferment, I didn’t just sit around.

Next was making the tomato sauce.

In fact, this sauce is the heart of today’s dish.

Tomato sauce is highly versatile, usable not just for pizza but also for pasta and meat dishes. While I’m teaching one recipe, it can be adapted for dozens of dishes.

Dwarves, perhaps due to their cultural love for alcohol or the constant A-Dragon attacks ensuring no shortage of meat, don’t particularly favor vegetarian dishes.

Thus, while they excel at meat-based recipes like sausages, their ingredient selection is somewhat skewed.

Of course, I don’t dislike meat dishes, but sometimes combining meat with vegetables or fruits creates even more delicious meals.

First, to easily peel the tomatoes later, I scored them and boiled them in hot water.

I boiled them until the skins shriveled.

Then, I immediately removed the tomatoes and cooled them in cold water.

This made the skins easier to peel and concentrated the tomatoes’ flavor.

After peeling and removing the stems, I diced the tomatoes.

Next, I took out an onion and diced it similarly.

I then sautéed the diced onions in a pot.

Once the onions turned translucent, I added the prepared tomatoes and simmered them.

I didn’t need to add water since the tomatoes released enough moisture. I simmered until the ingredients softened and lost their shape.

For added flavor, I could include sugar, garlic, olive oil, or spices.

Here, I added minced garlic and some herb leaves for a richer aroma rather than sweetness.

Since sauce recipes vary based on personal experience and taste, I didn’t force Tommy to follow my exact method.

Tommy, seemingly inspired, made his tomato sauce his way.

He’s a quick learner.

By the time the tomato sauce was gently simmering, the pizza dough had risen nicely.

With both the dough and sauce ready, the tedious parts were over.

Next, I took out the fermented dough, sprinkled flour on the cutting board to prevent sticking, and rolled it into a familiar round shape.

I spread the prepared tomato sauce evenly over the dough.

While some pizzas don’t use tomato sauce, I naturally thought of American-style pizza, influenced by my past life in Korea.

Instead of the smaller, 1-2 serving Italian style, I went for a large, salty, thick, and generously sauced American-style pizza.

Honestly, American-style would suit the dwarves’ tastes better than Italian, so no problem there.

Then came the cheese to cover the tomato sauce.

Typically, pizza uses mozzarella cheese, which is less salty and stretches when heated.

Mozzarella is usually made from buffalo milk, but since there are no buffalos nearby, I panicked, thinking I couldn’t get the ingredients.

For a moment, I thought I’d have to rethink the evening’s dish.

Fortunately, I found an eight-legged buffalo monster whose milk made cheese similar to mozzarella.

I shredded this cheese and covered the pizza dough completely.

Next came the toppings.

The key ingredient: A-Dragon sausage.

I sliced the salty, cured sausage and covered the pizza, adding extra toppings to taste.

I made a combination-style Pepperoni Pizza with bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms, while Tommy, true to a meat-loving dwarf, packed minced meat into every gap.

We then placed the topped pizzas in the oven and baked them until done.

After about 20 minutes, Tommy and I opened the oven and took out the finished pizzas.

A burst of hot air and the rich aroma of melted mozzarella hit us.

The salty, greasy, tongue-pleasing scent of junk food at its finest.

This aroma is what pizza is all about.

Tonight’s menu:

Pepperoni Pizza with A-Dragon Sausage

And Tommy’s Dwarf-style A-Dragon Sausage Pepperoni Pizza

Today, it’s a 1+1 deal.

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When Kurt and Tommy brought their dishes to the table, the inn filled with an appetite-stimulating aroma.

Well, to be precise, the delicious smell had been wafting from the kitchen since they started cooking.

But if the earlier scent was like a small, herbivorous A-Dragon, the aroma from the finished dishes was like that of the ecosystem’s top predator.

The smell emanating from the pizzas was downright violent.

Of course, it was.

The carbohydrate-rich aroma from the bread, the greasy scent from the cheese soaked in pepperoni oil, the salty protein aroma from the cured pepperoni, and the tangy, savory tomato sauce elevated each scent to a higher level.

Like a well-balanced RPG party, the scents complemented and enhanced each other.

Like the final boss of a brutally difficult RPG, the aroma was intense and primal.

The two pizzas emitted similar yet distinct scents.

And entranced by the aroma, Mari, Karina, and Serena could only stare blankly as the two brought out the pizzas.

Gulp.

Finally, as the dazed women sat at the table,

Thud.

Thud.

The two placed their pizzas, each reflecting their unique styles, on the table.