Cast iron skillet pizza with Italian sausage, peperoncini & basil
My last meal will be pizza. Hard stop. Any kind. Thin crust, thick crust, Detroit-style, deep dish, Sicilian, pizza bagel. I love it all. The end.
Bomb topping combos:
pepperoni, mushroom and black olive
artichoke hearts, pesto and smoked mozzarella
andouille sausage, red bell pepper & red onion
zucchini, burrata and prosciutto
spinach, kalamata olive & fetta
butternut squash, leeks & goat cheese
Happy pizza’ing
XO, km
THE DISH:
cast iron skillet pizza with Italian sausage, peperoncini & basil | serves 3-4
THE STUFF:
1 lb pizza dough at room temperature
EVOO
3/4 cup pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/3 pound sweet or spicy Italian sausage, casing removed
1/4 cup sliced peperoncini
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Crushed red pepper, optional
PIZZA SAUCE:
I hate store-bought pizza sauce. I said what I said.
MY PIZZA SAUCE:
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained + 1 tsp Kosher salt + 1/2 tsp dried oregano + 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper. I put it all in my food processor and puree. That’s it! Let tomatoes taste like tomatoes, people!
THE HOW-TO:
Brush the inside of a 10-inch cast iron skillet with EVOO. Place the pizza dough in the pan and, using your fingers, push the dough to fill the pan. Let sit while you preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 500°F.
If any air bubbles have formed in the dough, pop them. Lift one side of the dough to let any air escape from under the dough. Brush the top of the dough with EVOO.
Cover the dough with 1/2 of the cheese, going all the way to edges (this is how you get those crunchy edges). Top with sauce, top with the rest of the cheese.
Break the sausage into pieces and scatter over the cheese, along with the peperoncini. Transfer to the oven and bake for 18 minutes.
Top with basil and crushed red pepper, if using. Run a knife around the edges so it doesn’t stick. Don’t cut the pizza into slices in your skillet - it will damage the bottom of your pan. Either lift up the edges and use kitchen sheers or transfer to a cutting board and slice.