Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

OK. I have finally gotten a hold on myself and can post about our main course for Election Night Dinner: Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. My first time to ever eat this dish was this past March. And before tonight I had never made one. But I am always game for something new. So I started with Jeff Smith (The Frugal Gourmet)'s recipe and made a few changes.

Italian sausage is an optional ingredient. I found a turkey version at Fresh Market. So I started out by browning the sausage.


Then I added chopped onion, bell pepper and garlic to the skillet.


I had made the dough last night in the breadmaker and put in the fridge till it was time to make the pizza. The dough was really easy to work. Once it was in the pan, fresh mozzarella was layered in the bottom.


The cheese slicer I got at Sur la Table is a great gadget.


Then I added chopped fresh basil on top of the cheese.


On top of the cheese goes the sausage/tomato mixture.


Then the whole thing is topped with Parmesan and drizzled with olive oil.


Baked and cooling.


And a slice ready to eat.

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza The Crust (You'll need an electric mixer or food processor with a dough hook for this) 2 packages dry yeast ("Quick Rise") 2 cups tepid water (90°F) 1/2 cup salad oil 4 Tbsp olive oil 1/2 cup cornmeal 5 1/2 cups flour In the mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the salad oil, the olive oil, the cornmeal and 3 cups of the flour. Beat or process for 10 minutes. Add the dough hook and mix in the rest of the flour. Knead for 10 to 15 minutes. Put the dough onto a plastic countertop or a cutting board and cover it with a very large metal bowl. Allow dough to rise until double in bulk. Punch down and allow to rise again. Punch down again. Oil two large round deep dish pans or cake pans. Divide dough between the pans. Put a little olive oil on your fingers and press and push the dough to the edge and up the sides of each pan. The dough should be 1/8 inch throughout. The Filling 3/4 to 1 lb. sliced mozzarella cheese 1 28-oz. can of plum tomatoes, coarsely crushed 1 tsp basil 1 tsp oregano 2 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed (according to taste) salt grated Parmesan cheese 3 Tbsp olive oil Layer the mozzarella cheese all over the bottom of the pies. Next add the tomatoes, basil, oregano and garlic. Add salt to taste, and then, if you wish, add any or all of the following Optional Additions to The Filling crumbled sweet or hot Italian sausage thin sliced Pepperoni diced yellow onions sliced mushrooms slices of cored green pepper sliced ripe black olives Liberally sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and drizzle the olive oil on top. Bake the pizzas in a preheated 475°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden and gooey and the crust is a light golden brown. Notes: 1, First, I cut the recipe in half. Made the dough in my breadmaker last night and refrigerated it until I was ready to use it this evening. 2. I got turkey Italian sausage and browned it; then added the chopped onion, garlic and bell pepper to the skillet to cook for a bit. Then I added canned diced tomatoes along with the oregano and cooked long enough to reduce the liquid. 3. For the cheese I used fresh mozzarella. The cheese slicer that looks like a giant egg slicer works really well on the balls of fresh mozzarella. We had fresh basil so I layered that over the cheese. Then I put the sausage mixture on top of the cheese. Parmesan, olives and olive oil went on top before baking.