Not One But Two Deep Dish Pizzas!

Today is Deep Dish Pizza Day. Once upon a time, when we lived an hour north of here, we talked about going out for a deep dish pizza at an incredible Italian restaurant. Unfortunately, we never did get that deep dish pizza.

It wasn’t because we never got around to eating there – we did. They had so many wonderful things on the menu, including personal thin-crust pizzas. Their deep dish pizza takes 45 minutes to prepare. That’s a long time to wait. You could order ahead, but we tend to be spur of the moment people unless it’s a special occasion like a birthday or anniversary. That’s fine, we enjoyed everything else on the menu.

Deep Dish Pizza has been around since the late 19th century, when Neapolitan immigrants first began to flock to Chicago for factory jobs. These Italian immigrants loved their pizza. Along came Sewell and Ric Riccardo, two Italian descendants who came up with a different style pizza born of Italian and American cooking traditions. And so it was that the Chicago-style pizza was born. In 1943 they flung open the doors to Pizzeria Uno on the North Side. To this day Pizzeria Uno remains a hotspot for the Chicago tourists seeking to taste the original. To make the real deal, it takes a special Chicago Style pan.

However, if you happen to own a couple of 10-inch round cake pans or better yet cast iron skillets, you can get about as close as possible without traveling to Chicago. Hubby is a fan of sausage-mushroom pizza, be it thin curst or hand-tossed. Kiddo and I like it all from Lamb to Pepperoni and everything in between. Toss in red onion and Feta Cheese, we’re happy.

For Deep Dish Pizza Day I thought it might be fun to take a run at a Chicago-Inspired skillet pizza. And not just one, but two. The beauty of this recipe is that you’ll create two deep-dish cheese pizzas, how they are finished is totally up to you.

Double Deep Dish Pizza
Pizza Dough for 2
3-1/2 cups Flour
1/4 cup Cornmeal
1 (.25 oz) packet Quick-Rise Yeast
1-1/2 teaspoons Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup warm Water
1/3 cup Olive Oil

In a large bowl combined 1-1/2 cups flour, the cornmeal, yeast, sugar and salt. Set aside.

In a saucepan heat water and oil together to 120-degrees. Once warmed pour into the dry ingredients. Beat just until moistened. Add remaining 2 cups of flour to form a stiff dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top of the dough. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until the dough has doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

While the dough rises, grease two 10-inch cast iron skillet.

Punch dough down, divide in half. Roll each portion into an 11-inch circle. Press dough into the bottom and up the sides of the skillets. Set aside.

Pizza Toppings for 2 Pizzas
6 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1 (28 oz) can Diced Tomatoes, well drained
1 (8 oz) can Tomato Sauce
1 (6 oz) can Tomato Paste
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon crumbled oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried Basil
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

Scatter 2 cups Mozzarella cheese over each pizza dough in the two skillet. Set skillets aside.

Drain diced tomatoes well. In a mixing bowl combine the drained tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato past and all the seasonings. Spoon 1-1//2 cups of sauce over each pizza.

Pizza 1: Sausage and Mushroom Pizza
4 Italian Sausage Links, mild or hot
4 oz White Mushrooms

Heat oven to 450-degrees.

Slice links into thin rounds (similar to Pepperoni). Cover the top of the pizza with sausage. Clean and slice the mushrooms, scatter sliced mushrooms over the sausage.

Top pizza with a cup of Mozzarella Cheese then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese. Set aside.

Pizza 2: Pork Lovers Goat Cheese Pizza
6 slices Bacon
1 Shallot
5 oz Chorizo Slices
1/2 cup Goat Cheese

Note: This Chorizo is not the bulk sausage found in Mexican Markets. It’s found in the Deli-Meat section of your grocery store. It looks just like sliced Pepperoni, but with the kick of Chorizo. Yum!

Stack bacon, dice into small pieces. In the skillet used for the sausage, fry bacon crisp over medium-high heat. Drain bacon on paper towels. While the bacon fries, peel and thinly slice the shallot.

Arrange Chorizo slices over the top of the pizza. Scatter Mozzarella Cheese over the chorizo , then shallot slivers, crumbled bacon and Goat Cheese. Finish with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese on top.

Cover pizzas with foil to get the correct shape. Remove foil, spray inside with cooking spray to prevent the melted cheese from sticking, then recover the pans. Bake in the heated oven for 35 minutes, rotating at the half-way point. Uncover, continue to bake until cheese is bubbling and the crust is lightly browned, about 5 minutes longer.

Serve straight from the skillets and enjoy. Now this pizza is wine worthy indeed.

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Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance.