Merry Christmas! You Got a Pizza (Kit)!

Chicago Pizza Recipe!

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza is the only good way to do pizza! It’s so thick, it’s more like a pie!

Do you know the secret to Chicago pizza? You build it in reverse! The “toppings” actually go on the bottom, then the cheese in the middle, and the tomato sauce goes on top!

Your Pizza Style

I made you a Starter kit for one of my favorite kinds of Chicago Pizza:

Pepperoni and Giardiniera!

What is Giardiniera?? It’s a special condiment that only comes from Chicago! It has olives and peppers and more in it. And how do you even pronounce it? You’ll have to read more about it!

ps —no need to do this on Christmas. You may want to save this until all the family leaves so you can have it for yourself! :)

Starter Kit

I made a starter kit for you! But couldn’t send all the groceries you’ll need! So:

Included:

  • Authentic Lou Malnati’s pizza box (Lou Malnati’s is my favorite Chicago pizza place)

  • Pepperoni

  • Giardiniera pizza topping

  • Dry Yeast

  • Italian seasoning grinder

  • Cornmeal (part of what makes Chicago pizza crust taste like that! a little goes in the crust, and a little gets sprinkled on the pan before the crust goes down!).

Your grocery list:

Take a look at the recipe below and mark the items you need to buy from the store!

ReciPe

Lou Malnati’s doesn’t put their secret recipe online! But I’ve got a knock-off recipe that should work pretty close!

It’s right here:

FOR THE CRUST:

  • 1 1/4 teaspoon instant dry yeast

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) lukewarm water

  • 2 cup (240 g) all-purpose flour

  • 1 1/2 tablespoon yellow corn meal

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

  • 2 tablespoon (30 g) butter, melted and slightly cold

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (for greasing the bowl only)

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE:

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 small onion, grated or minced

  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano

  • 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 can (28 oz/793g) crushed tomatoes with basil

  • 2 teaspoon tomato paste

FOR THE FILLING:

  • 6 oz (170 g) mozzarella cheese, slices (full layer of cheese!)

  • 2–3 Tablespoons (30-45 g) parmesan cheese

  • Pepperoni (enough to make a full layer)

  • Giardiniera (eyeball it)

CRUST Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, combine the active dry yeast, sugar, and lukewarm water together and let sit for one minute. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, and salt. Add the yeast mixture, melted butter and canola oil into the dry ingredients and stir until dough forms.

  2. Bring the dough to a floured surface and knead until it forms a smooth ball.

  3. Move the dough to large bowl drizzled with olive oil. Coat the dough in oil and cover and let rest for 60-90 minutes.

TOMATO SAUCE Instructions

  1. In the meantime, prepare the tomato sauce: heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan and add the grated onion, salt, oregano, and red pepper flakes.

  2. Once the onion has slightly browned, add the garlic, crushed tomatoes (drained!), and tomato paste. Turn the heat down to low-medium and allow to simmer until it’s hearty, fragrant, and thick- about 30 minutes, or until the amount has reduced. It has to be thick.

  3. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to be used.

ASSEMBLING + Baking THE DEEP DISH PIZZA:

  1. Preheat your oven to 425°F (215°C).

  2. Remove the dough and bring it onto a floured surface. Roll it out into a 12-inch (30 cm) circle. You want to stretch it out as much as you can to make a large circle. (The dough will need to be stretched out enough to cover the bottom and sides of the baking pan.)

  3. Coat pan(s) with a dusting of cornmeal.
    Using a rolling pin as a guide, place dough over a 9×2-inch (23×5 cm) deep dish cake pan or cast-iron skillet. Using your fingers, press the dough into the cake pan. Make sure it is nice and tight fitting inside the pan. Trim any excess of dough off the edges with a small knife. Brush the top edges of the dough with a little olive oil, which gives the crust a beautiful sheen.

  4. Fill the pizza!

    1. first layer of mozzarella cheese slices

    2. a second layer with the slices of pepperoni,

    3. third layer of giardiniera from jar

    4. layer of tomato sauce on top.

    5. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese on top.

  5. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is set. To prevent the edges from burning, cover with foil after 15 minutes baking.

Notes

  • This recipe is for a “large,” which people will make in large cast iron skillet if they don’t have a pizza pan. Or if not that maybe two 9-inch cake pans.

  • The baking time of 20-30 minutes may be too short

  • If you need an alternative recipe, Giordano’s official recipe is online: their crust is thicker and breadier and uses more of the traditional cornmeal (amount of cornmeal in crust is debated!)