Chicago Deep Dish Pizza
15 inch deep dish pizza dough
Sauce (recipe below)
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese
1/2 lb pepperoni
1 lb Jimmy Dean Italian sausage (cooked with 1 tsp anise seeds and crumbled)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp Olive oil
Top Layer: Sauce (makes 3 cups)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Garlic, minced (jar garlic ok)
1 Tablespoon Dried Basil, crushed
1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano, crushed
1/2 teaspoon Anise Seeds or Fennel Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Table Salt, (or to taste)
1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper, freshly ground
1/8 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes, (or to taste)
1 (28 oz) can Italian-style whole peeled tomatoes or diced tomatoes, lightly squished
1/2 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 teaspoon White Granulated Sugar
In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the herbs, seeds, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and sugar, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely before using.
Add sliced mozzarella cheese and pepperoni to uncooked deed dish pizza crust.
Sprinkle crumbled cooked sausage over pizza.
Ladle the sauce over sliced mozzarella cheese and toppings as the top layer on the deep-dish pizza.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over sauce and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake the deep-dish pizza in a 475-degrees F oven until the top is golden and gooey and the crust is a light golden brown, about 25 to 35 minutes.