Pizza has to been one of America's favorite foods.
It's so versatile that every region has their own version, both with the crust and the toppings! Some examples are NY Style, Chicago Deep Dish, Detroit Sicilian Square and California Style.
Experimenting with different crusts and toppings is a lot of fun to do. I remember visiting New York and there were two things I had to eat. Junior's Cheesecake, and NY Style pizza. We accomplished both! The cheesecake was outstanding, but the pizza....AWESOME. Something I will never forget. The ambiance of the pizza place, and the flavor of the pizza itself. Memories that are burned in my brain.
The result turned out really good. The crust isn't exactly like that of NY, but will never be without their water which lends a flavor we can't get here. But, it is a great variation!
New York Style Sausage and Mushroom Pizza
makes 1 12" pizza
Pizza dough (my Favorite Pizza Dough)
Pizza Sauce (your favorite or here's mine)
1/4 lb. cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 lb. sweet or hot Italian pork sausages, casings removed
All-purpose flour and cornmeal for dusting
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
Place a large pizza stone on the oven rack, and preheat an oven to 450°F, allowing at least 20 minutes for the oven to preheat fully.
In a large frying pan, heat 1 Tbs. oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they give off their juices and are browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the sausages to the pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking them up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms. Set aside.
Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a ball. Reserve one ball for another use. Roll, pat and stretch the dough into a round about 12 inches in diameter. Dust a pizza peel or the back of a baking sheet generously with cornmeal. Transfer the dough to the peel. Spread with the sauce, leaving a 3/4-inch border uncovered. Top with half of the mozzarella, and the mushroom mixture.
Slide the pizza off the peel onto the hot stone. Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 12 minutes. Using a wide spatula or a rimless baking sheet, remove the baked pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Cut and serve.
Pizza and sausages are my favorite food, so I couldn't resist it when these two are combined. I wanna congratulate you for doing great in re-creating this recipe. While I was reading this, I thought of my friend's way of putting sausage in her pizza. She puts it around the outer part of the dough. When you bite it, the flavor of the sausage explodes in your mouth. It's a great treat for sausage lovers like me. You could try doing that too. It's so good!
ReplyDeleteDione Nye