Perfect Pizza
I don't know about you, but by this time in the holiday season, I'm craving something spicy or something ethnic—something to jolt my taste buds out of their beef tenderloin, turkey, mashed potato, Christmas cookie lethargy. Something Indian or Thai works well for me, but not so much for my family. So, Italian it is. Or what plays for Italian in Chicago—deep-dish pizza. Tomato sauce doesn't usually appear in most holiday dishes (at least not in my Mom's pork roast), so it's a welcome flavor just now. So, skip the Olive Garden (and their coma-inducing breadsticks) and whip up some pizza at home. This easy recipe uses prepackaged pizza dough, so most of the cooking lies in the tomato sauce. Once you add the splash of red wine, have a glass yourself—it is still the holidays after all.—Jill Melton, Relish Editor
Uno's Cheese and Tomato Deep Dish Pizza
printer friendly version
Although traditional Chicago pizza has all the cheese on the bottom, we divided it between the top and the bottom. Use your favorite pizza crust recipe or purchase dough from a local pizzeria. You'll have some sauce left over.
Chunky Tomato Sauce
| 1 | (28-ounce) can crushed or diced tomatoes (the chunkier the better) |
| 2 | tablespoons tomato paste |
| 2 | tablespoons red wine |
| 2 | teaspoons Italian seasoning or 2 tablespoons fresh, chopped Italian herbs |
| 1 1/2 | teaspoons dried onion |
| 3 | cloves garlic, minced |
| 1/2 | teaspoon salt |
| Fresh ground pepper to taste |
Pizza
| 3 | tablespoons vegetable oil |
| 16 | ounces of pizza dough (at room temperature) |
| 4 | cups shredded part-skim mozzarella, divided |
| 3/4 | cup chunky tomato sauce |
| 2 | tablespoons freshly grated Romano cheese |
| 1 | tablespoon dried oregano |
Instructions
| 1. | To prepare sauce, combine all ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Let cool. For the deep-dish recipe, you will have sauce leftover. |
| 2. | To prepare pizza, preheat oven to 400F. Pour oil in a 10-inch round, deep-dish pan or springform pan. Place dough in the center of pan and work dough from the center outward, pressing to cover bottom of pan and halfway up sides. Prick with a fork. |
| 3. | Bake crust in oven for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. |
| 4. | Spread 2 cups cheese on crust, top with 3/4 cup tomato sauce. Sprinkle remaining 2 cups cheese, Romano cheese and oregano on top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pizza every 15 minutes. The crust should be golden brown, and the cheese should be bubbling. Remove from oven, cool for 3 minutes. Remove pizza from the pan using a spatula, cut and serve. Serves 6 to 8. |
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 460 calories, 24g fat, 25g prot., 38g carbs., 2g fiber, 940mg sodium.
Other Recipe Suggestions
If you liked this newsletter, give our website a try at http://www.relishmag.com.
If you would like to not receive future mailings of our newsletter, you can be removed from our list by using this link.
|
|
