Try it Tuesday, Celebrating a Year of Pizza with Chicago Style Today.

Today is Try it Tuesday, the day each week when I try a new recipe....just to keep life interesting.  I also decided in January that I would make a pizza each month for a full year.  Since I have not made many homemade pizza's this has also turned into one of my Try it Tuesday meals each month.

Today's pizza was inspired by a recipe I found on my friend, Amy's, blog, Amy's Cooking  Adventures.  I made the dough just as she had written and that was pretty much where the similarities end.  Amy's filling version called for spinach, canned mushrooms, garlic and shredded mozzarella.  I didn't have any spinach so I used chard, no canned mushrooms so I used fresh, no shredded mozzarella but I still had some fresh from last nights dinner so I used that.  I also sauteed onion up with the mushrooms because we are onion lovers in this house.  Amy's sauce calls for crushed tomatoes...nope but I had a can of Red Gold Diced Tomatoes seasoned with olive oil and garlic that I had won  so I used that, and deleted the garlic called for in the original recipe.  The original recipe also called for basil, marjoram and oregano....but I had some pesto left from last night's dinner so I just added that and I also added a T. of tomato paste because the sauce seemed loose to me.

Saute the onions, garlic and mushrooms in olive oil in a cast iron skillet.

This will be the same skillet in which you will assemble the pizza.

Cook until the onions and garlic are fragrant and the mushrooms begin to shrink.

Add the chard and continue to saute until tender and wilted.

Place into a colander to drain.

Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator.

Cut off 1/3 and set aside.

Roll the remaining 2/3 of the dough into a large round of about 15".

Lay the round into the cast iron skillet and up the sides.

Place a layer of the cheese.

And then a layer of the chard mixture.

Do this twice.

Then top it all with another layer of cheese.

Roll the remaining dough into about a 10" round.

Lay on top of  filling and crimp to the edges of the bottom and side dough.

Bake in a 425* oven until golden brown.

Remove from oven, cover with the sauce leaving a 1/2" border on the sides.

Return to oven for another 10 min.

Remove from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

There are a lot of steps to this pizza.

All I have to say is "It is Worth it!!"

With each bite I was imagining what ingredients I was going to include in my next Chicago Style Pizza!!

Thanks Amy, for the wonderful inspiration for tonight's dinner!!!

Chicago Style Pizza
adapted from Amy's Cooking Adventures

Pizza Dough

1 2/3 c. all purpose flour (I use unbleached)
1/4 c. cornmeal
3/4 t. salt
1 1/8 t. instant yeast
2/3 c. lukewarm water
1 1/2 T. unsalted butter, melted
2 T. unsalted butter, softened

Combine all dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.  Mix on low speed until combined, about 1 minute.

Add the water and melted butter and continue mixing on low speed until fully incorporated, scraping sides as needed.  Knead the dough with the hook at med speed for 4-5 minutes until dough is glossy and pulls away from the side.

Remove dough and smooth into a ball.  Spray bowl with olive oil, return ball of dough and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hr.  Once risen, turn the dough out onto a dry surface and roll into a large square.  Place the softened butter onto the dough and spread with a spatula or pastry brush leaving a 1/2" border on the sides.

Roll the dough into a cylinder and then with seam side down, roll with a rolling pin into a long rectangle.  Fold the sides into the center and then pinch seams turning the dough into a ball again. Return the ball to the greased bowl, cover again with plastic wrap and put into refrigerator until ready to use or at least 45 minutes.  Dough should double in size again.

Filling

1 t. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
6 oz. chard, rinsed, stemmed and sliced into ribbons
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Heat olive oil in cast iron skillet.  Add the onions, garlic and mushrooms.  Saute until onions are fragrant and translucent and the mushrooms start to shrink.  Add chard and continue to cook until the chard is tender and wilted and the mushrooms are cooked completely.  Remove mixture to a colander set over the sink or a bowl and allow to drain and cool.  Wipe out cast iron skillet but do not clean.

Sauce

1 (14 oz.) can Red Gold Tomatoes seasoned with Garlic and Olive Oil
1/4 c. pesto
1 T. tomato paste

Combine all ingredients into a small bowl.  Set aside.

Assembly

Remove dough from the refrigerator and cut 1/3 of the dough off and set aside.  Roll the remaining 2/3 dough into an approximate 15" round.  Fold in half and place into the cast iron skillet covering bottom and sides.
Place a layer of the sliced cheese onto the dough, followed by the chard mixture.  Repeat once more and then place another layer of cheese onto the top.  Roll out remaining dough to an approximate 10" round. Place on top of the filling and pinch to the dough on the sides, much like pinching together a pie crust.  Use a fork to seal the pinched areas and pierce the top with the fork several times to allow steam to escape.

Bake in a preheated 425* oven for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Remove from oven and spread sauce over the top of the pie, leaving a 1/2" border on the edges, sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired. Reduce oven heat to 350*, return pie to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting.  Print Recipe

I am sharing this seriously yummy pizza over at Wednesday Whatsits  and Thrive at Home Thursday.  Stop by and see what others are sharing today.