Chicago style deep dish pizza

I am a fan of thin, crackly crusted pizza, and make them often, but every once and a while I like a deep dish pizza, done the Chicago way, which is more like a lasagna, with a crust instead of noodles.  It made a satisfying dinner last night after a day spent in the garden.

I like the Cook's Illustrated recipe for duplicating the chi town crust, but any pizza dough you like will do, including dough from the grocery store.  http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=21349 will take you to the CI dough recipe, but I most definitely part company with them on the sauce, which they make with crushed tomatoes.  The best chi pies I have had always had nice chunks of tomato in the sauce.

 the ingredients for a simple sauce that lets the tomato shine

I am going to shamelessly plug an ingredient here, but believe me, I have no motive other than my personal satisfaction at sharing a great ingredient with you.  Muir Glen makes an organic, fire roasted diced tomato, with no added salt.  I am lucky that my local grocery carries them in their "health food" section.  The tomatoes are very flavorful, and in a tomato broth that is not too thick and not too watery.  And the "no salt" version allows you to control the salt in your dish.  If you can find them, buy them.  If you cannot find the "no salt" version, buy the one with salt.  Amazon has them.  http://www.amazon.com/Muir-Glen-Organic-Tomatoes-14-5-Ounce/dp/B000LKZ9IC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1269169527&sr=8-1

I open the can, and mix my sauce right in the can.  I add a couple of minced cloves of garlic, some fresh or dried oregano, depending on what I have, kosher salt, and pepper.  I sometimes add some crushed red pepper, if I want a little kick.  I want the tomato taste to take center stage.

The pizza is made in a 9 inch heavy pie plate, or a cast iron skillet.  This is not a terribly dough-heavy dish.  The dough should be rolled out into a quarter inch thick disk.  

The dough is rolled to a  1/4 inch thick disk

Liberally oil the pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, and line it with the crust, being sure the crust goes an inch up the side of the pan.  If you have too much crust in some spots, and not enough in others, don't be afraid to tear and patch.  This is a forgiving crust.

Here's where the pizza parts company with most pizzas:  your mozzarella cheese goes in first, directly on the crust.  Use about a pound, either shredded or sliced.  Then your toppings.  Last night I used sausage, shallots, and mushrooms.  Cook the sausage through.  If you are using veggies that have a lot of moisture, like mushrooms and onions or shallots, you may want to saute them for a few minutes as well, to remove some of the excess moisture.  (Pepperoni hint: if you sweat the slices over low heat for a few minutes, then drain them on paper towels, you will have all the pepperoni flavor, with much less of the fat.)

On top of  the fillings, add the tomatoes.    I use the entire 14.5 ounce can.  It is now ready for the oven.  I do like a little brown cheese on top, so I add a bit of grated parm, or as was the case last night, gruyere.  I preheat a pizza stone in a 400 degree oven, just to crisp the bottom crust a bit more, but that is optional.  You can just slide your pie into a 400 degree oven.

the pie, ready for the oven

It takes about an hour to bake, so be patient.  Once it is nice and brown and bubbly, remove it from the oven, and let it rest for 5 minutes.  It is easier to cut it on a pizza paddle or a cutting board, so using a thin spatula, loosen the crust around the edges of the pie pan, and gently slide it out onto a board.  A slice with a nice green salad makes a hearty and delicious meal.

last night's pie, ready to slice

New Yorker's would be horrified  that this is called "pizza", but whatever you call it, it is delicious!