In general I am not happy with pizza in the D.C. area. There are a couple places that one can grab a good slice, but in general I've been impressed. As such I have been playing around with lots of pizza recipes in order to be able to occasionally have a slice of pizza in a style that is just not available. The Chicago style is one such pie.
As my wife grew up in New Jersey, we have had many conversations concerning the merits of different styles of pizza. And yes we have had the old "New York style vs. Chicago style" pizza debate. After our chats we realized that comparing the two styles really doesn't make sense. Yes they are combinations of crust, cheese, and sauce, but really they are two different foods. Like comparing a pop-tart to a strawberry pie; kinda the same ingredients, but a craving for one doesn't mean a craving for he other.
So this recipe can be a little bit intense, I mean you get to laminate dough which is a kinda cool thing but is definitely not just popping a frozen pizza in the oven. This recipe also uses what is basically my quick tomato sauce for pasta, though when making it as a pizza sauce you let it simmer for an extra 5-7 minutes to make it nice and thick.
A couple notes about some of the ingredients for this. After trying several brands of canned crushed tomatoes, I find that Tuttorosso Brand crushed tomatoes have the best tomato flavor and they are generally easy to find in supermarkets. And yes, the brand of tomatoes you use do make quite a difference in the sauce. As you are reducing the sauce, all the flavors, good or bad, get amplified so use some crushed tomatoes that you like.
Secondly I can hear some of you out there saying "Shred my own cheese when i can just by shredded cheese? are you insane man"? And yes I would highly recommend shredding your own cheese for this recipe. Pre-shreaded cheeses have stabilizers added to them which keep them from melting well. If you get your own block of cheese and shred it yourself you end us saving a bit of money and getting a better melting in your final dish.
So while all my readers in Chicago can just go down the road and get a nice pie, the recipe is for all those out there who have a craving for a pie but live where there is none to be had. I am also including a variant recipe which turns this recipe into a Chicago Style Stuffed pizza as well. Slight differance in procedure, but so yum!
Chicago Style Pizza Ingredients
Dough
3 1/4 cups (16 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 3/4 ounces) yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/4 cups water (10 ounces), room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted, plus 4 tablespoons, softened
1 teaspoon plus 4 tablespoons olive oil
Sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup grated onion , from 1 medium onion
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Table salt
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper
Toppings
1 pound mozzarella cheese , shredded (about 4 cups)
1/2 ounce grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)
Music: The Drovers - Kill Mice Elf
Procedure for Chicago Style Pizza
1. FOR THE DOUGH: Mix flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and yeast in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add water and melted butter and mix on low speed until fully combined, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping sides and bottom of bowl occasionally. Increase speed to medium and knead until dough is glossy and smooth and pulls away from sides of bowl, 4 to 5 minutes. (Dough will only pull away from sides while mixer is on. When mixer is off, dough will fall back to sides.)
2. Using fingers, coat large bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil, rubbing excess oil from fingers onto blade of rubber spatula. Using oiled spatula, transfer dough to bowl, turning once to oil top; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in volume, 45 to 60 minutes.
3. FOR THE SAUCE: While dough rises, heat butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add onion, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar, increase heat to high, and bring to simmer. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to 2 1/2 cups, 25 to 30 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and oil, then season with salt and pepper. (If I was making a quick red sauce for pasta, I would stop simmering after 18-20 minutes).
4. TO LAMINATE THE DOUGH: Adjust oven rack to lower position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Using rubber spatula, turn dough out onto dry work surface and roll into 15- by 12-inch rec-tangle. Using offset spatula, spread softened butter over surface of dough, leaving 1/2-inch border along edges. Starting at short end, roll dough into tight cylinder. With seam side down, flatten cylinder into 18- by 4-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle in half crosswise. Working with 1 half, fold into thirds like business letter; pinch seams together to form ball. Repeat with remaining half. Return balls to oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise in refrigerator until nearly doubled in volume, 40 to 50 minutes.
5. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with 2 tablespoons olive oil each. Transfer 1 dough ball to dry work surface and roll out into 15-16 inch disk about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer dough to pan by rolling dough loosely around rolling pin and unrolling into pan. Lightly press dough into pan, working into corners and 1 inch up sides. If dough resists stretching, let it relax 5 minutes before trying again. Repeat with remaining dough ball.
6. Sprinkle all the mozzarella evenly over surface of dough. Roll the smaller dough portion into a 12 inch disk. Transfer dough to pan by rolling dough loosely around rolling pin and unrolling into pan. Spread 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce over cheese and sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan over sauce. Bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Procedure for Chicago Style Stuffed Pizza
For a stuffed pizza follow the above instructions till you have made the flattened cylinder in step 4. Instead of cutting it in half cut the dough in two pieces at the 2/3rds point and roll out. The larger piece becomes the bottom crust while the smaller will be the top crust.
5. Coat one 12-inch round cake pans with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Transfer dough to pan by rolling dough loosely around rolling pin and unrolling into pan. Lightly press dough into pan, working into corners and 1 inch up sides. If dough resists stretching, let it relax 5 minutes before trying again.
6. For each pizza, sprinkle 2 cups mozzarella evenly over surface of dough. Spread 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce over cheese and sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan over sauce. Bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
For either of these versions you can add "toppings". The toppings are mixed in with the mozzarella cheese and are under the sauce. If you are making peperoni pizzas I recommend placing the peperoni on a paper towel lined plate and microwave it for about 20 seconds before adding it to the pizza. This will remove some of the grease and make for a less oily end product.
Music-The Drovers
I used to go to their show every time they made it to Eastern Illinois University. they would often play at a small club called "The Dungeon". They were a great live show alternating between driving rhythms and dreamlike soundscapes. The would sometimes perform a great cover of "Sympathy for the Devil" which I have unfortunately not been able to track down.
"Kill Mice Elf" is an EP with only 4 tracks on it, but they are all great tracks, showing the range of the band, though all their albums are good in my opinion. With "Kill Mice Elf" you get the love balled with "Thanks for the Ring" and then move on to the very rhythmic, dark, and "trippy" "Kill Mice Elf".
If you like what you hear I recommend listening to their other albums "World of Monsters" and "Little High Sky Show". Especially tracks such as "The Boys and the Babies", "When Fortune Turns Her Wheel", "Singlewing", and "If You Cry Elizabeta". Good stuff, and if you listen to it while eating your pizza it will be like you are in Chicago in the late 1990s.
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