Pizza as we know and love it had its genesis not in a trattoria in Rome, but right here in Chicago. Until several years ago, it was practically impossible to travel beyond the city limits and find a pizza as good as the wondrous creations served right here.
Pizza has made a giant leap forward, both in terms of availability and respectabilty. What began as bread dough with crushed tomatoes and cheese has evolved. There`s no longer an all-encompassing description. It`s thin, it`s thick, it`s stuffed, it has sauce, it doesn`t, there`s pepperoni or sausage, but just as likely there`s not. Instead find duck sausage or shrimp, spinach and even anchovies. Pizza means almost anything you want it to.
Making pizza is not difficult. One of the chief advantages of homemade is that you`re the creator. Whatever your heart desires can go on top, in any amount you want.
— — —
BASIC PIZZA CRUST
FOR 2 THIN-CRUST PIZZAS OR 1 DEEP-DISH PIZZA PREPARATION TIME: 20 MINUTES
RISING TIME: 1 1/2 HOURS
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water, 105 degrees to 115 degrees
2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1. Stir yeast into water and let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. To make in a food processor, put both flours, salt and oil in a processor with the metal blade and turn on machine. Pour yeast mixture through feed tube and process until dough cleans sides of work bowl. If it is too sticky, add more flour, by the tablespoon, letting each addition work in before adding more. If it is dry and crumbly, add more water, by the teaspoon, letting each addition work in before adding more. Once the texture is right, process dough until it is uniformly supple and elastic, about 40 seconds.
3. To make by hand, stir yeast mixture into both flours until a stiff dough is formed. Add salt and oil. Turn onto a floured board and knead dough until it is supple and elastic, about 10 minutes.
4. Transfer dough to a plastic bag. Squeeze out the air and seal at the top with a twist tie. Let rise in a warm spot until dough has doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Proceed with pizza recipe of your choice.
— — —
If deep dish pizza wasn`t actually born in Chicago, it certainly was catapulted to celebrity status right here. This is one of the most popular renditions of Chicago-style pizza, loaded with rich, gooey cheese, spicy sausage and pungent green peppers, topped with tomato sauce.
If you`d rather have onions than green pepper, olives instead of mushrooms, go for it. Pizza recipes are meant to be improvised.
DEEP DISH SAUSAGE, MUSHROOM AND GREEN PEPPER PIZZA
ONE 14-INCH PIZZA PREPARATION TIME: 40 MINUTES
BAKING TIME: 22 MINUTES
1 pound mild or hot Italian sausage
1 large green pepper
10 ounces herkimer or white cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon each: fennel seed, dried oregano, red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large mushrooms
2 cups pizza sauce
Basic pizza crust, prepared through first rising
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for oiling pan
1. Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Line oven rack with unglazed quarry tiles or a pizza stone (optional). Oil a 14-inch deep-dish pizza pan, preferably black steel, and sprinkle the inside with cornmeal.
2. Remove casing from sausage and crumble meat in an 8-inch skillet. Cook until browned. Drain off fat and transfer sausage to a large mixing bowl.
3. Cut green pepper into 1/3-inch strips. Shred cheese, either with the shredding disc of a food processor or with a grater. Add cheese and peppers to sausage along with flour and seasonings and mix well.
4. Cut mushrooms into thin slices either with the thin slicing disc (2mm) of a processor or by hand. Fold into pizza sauce. Set aside.
5. On a floured board, roll pizza dough to a 20-inch circle. Fold dough into quarters and transfer to prepared pan. Unfold and adjust to fit pan. Press into bottom and sides of pan, then gently ease dough so it extends 1/2 inch above rim of pan. Trim excess. Brush bottom and sides of dough with oil. 6. Add filling in an even layer. Spread tomato sauce over top. Fold the dough down over the edge of filling and press to form a rim.
7. Bake until bottom of crust is well browned, about 22 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
— — —
Though pizza has a built in Italian association, it needn`t be limited to ingredients that fit that description. Here I`ve taken a route that is vaguely suggestive of our own Southwestern cuisine. The ever-so-slightly hot Annaheim peppers accent the natural sweetness of red bell peppers. Both are accentuated by a mix of cheese that marries mellow jack with a tangier Italian cheese.
PIZZA WITH SWEET AND SPICY PEPPERS
ONE 14-INCH THIN-CRUST PIZZA
PREPARATION TIME: 30 MINUTES BAKING TIME: 14 MINUTES
2 medium red onions (10 ounces)
2 large red bell peppers
2 Annaheim peppers, see note
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for oiling pan
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
5 ounces each: Monterey Jack, fontinella cheese
1/2 recipe basic pizza crust, prepared through first rising
1/2 cup pizza sauce or tomato puree (do not use tomato paste)
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves
1. Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Line oven rack with unglazed quarry tiles or a pizza stone (optional). Oil a 14-inch-round flat pizza pan, preferably black steel.
2. Cut onions in half and lay them on their cut side. Slice into 1/3-inch strips. Cut red peppers and Annaheim peppers into 2-by- 1/2-inch strips. 3. Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet. Add garlic and onion and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add peppers, salt and red pepper flakes and continue to cook until all the vegetables are soft, about 7 minutes longer.
4. Shred both cheeses, either with the shredding disc of a food processor or a grater. Toss to mix.
5. On a floured board, roll dough to a 14-inch circle. Transfer to prepared pan and press into place.
6. Spread pizza sauce over crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Spread vegetable mixture in an even layer, then sprinkle with cheeses.
7. Bake until bottom of crust is light brown, about 14 minutes. Slide from pan onto a wire rack and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately.
Note: If Annaheim peppers are not available, substitute one small green pepper and one seeded serrano or jalapeno pepper.
— — —
Despite what we all may have been led to believe, pizza doesn`t have to be round. This is a rather large pizza, shaped in a jelly roll pan. It starts with a thick, chewy crust that is painted with a vibrantly flavored sauce of pureed sun-dried tomatoes. Thin slices of red onion, grilled eggplant and a mix of cheeses lend a distinctly and deliciously Mediterranean character to the pizza.
EGGPLANT AND RED ONION PIZZA WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO SAUCE ONE 11 1/2-BY-15 1/2-INCH PIZZA
PREPARATION TIME: 30 MINUTES
BAKING TIME: 16 MINUTES
Basic pizza crust, prepared through first rising
1 medium eggplant (1 pound)
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for oiling pans
Salt
1 large garlic clove
5 sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 small red onion (3 ounces)
8 ounces whole milk mozzarella cheese
4 ounces provolone cheese, preferably imported
Freshly ground pepper
1. Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Line oven rack with unglazed quarry tiles or a pizza stone (optional). Oil an 11 1/2-by- 15 1/2-inch jelly roll pan and a large baking sheet.
2. On a floured board, roll dough into a rectangle to fit the jelly roll pan. Transfer to pan and press into place. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Dimple surface of dough with your fingertips, cover and let sit 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare topping.
3. Cut eggplant into 3/8-inch-thick rounds. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheet. Brush with 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake until tender, about 12 minutes, and set aside. Increase oven to 450 degrees.
4. To make sun-dried tomato sauce, mince garlic in a food processor with the metal blade or in a blender. Add dried tomatoes and mince. Add remaining 4 tablespoons oil and red pepper flakes and mix to a smooth paste.
5. Thinly slice onion, either with the thin slicing disc (2mm) of a processor or by hand and set them aside. Shred both cheeses, either with the shredding disc of a processor or a grater.
6. Dimple dough again and spread with sun-dried tomato sauce. Separate onion into rings and distribute over sauce. Toss cheeses together and sprinkle half over onions. Arrange eggplant over, covering entire surface. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
7. Bake until bottom of crust is light brown, about 16 minutes. Slide from pan onto a cooling rack and let rest 5 minutes before serving.
