Photos provided by Cathy Katavich |
8 oz . sweet Italian sausage , casings removed
1/3 to ½ cup marinara sauce , homemade or your favorite store bought
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ small fennel bulb , very thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves , very thinly slice
Fresh basil Crushed red pepper flakes Salt to taste
First , place oven rack in top third of oven and heat to 500˚ . Place dough on a work surface and drizzle with 1 tbsp . oil , turning to coat . Stretch out to a 10 ” round and cover loosely with plastic wrap . Set a 10 ” cast-iron skillet over a burner set to medium heat . Coat pan with 1 tbsp . olive oil , then cook sausages , breaking up into small pieces with a wooden spoon , until slightly browned and cooked through . Transfer to a small bowl .
Remove pan from heat , ( watch your hands — and don ' t grab the handle ). Lower burner to medium low . Brush pan with 1 tbsp . olive and carefully lay the dough snugly in the pan . Use a spoon to help push dough all the way to the edges . Put pan back on heat , sprinkle with salt , spread marinara over entire surface then top with cheese , fennel , garlic , and cooked sausage . Drizzle with another 2 tbsp . olive oil . Once the dough starts to bubble , peek underneath crust and cook just until golden brown .
Slide pizza into the oven and let it bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted , bubbling , and golden . Let it rest a few minutes , top with1 more tbsp . olive oil , fresh basil , and crushed red pepper . Serves 2-4 .
Origins of Pizza
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It quickly gained popularity throughout Naples . But before these tasty treats would resemble today ’ s pizzas , two ingredients had to come into play : tomatoes and cheese .
Spaniards brought tomatoes to Italy in the 16th century , but they were considered poisonous , and only grown for decoration . The Italians overcame these fears by the late 18th century when tomatoes became important to Italian cuisine and mozzarella cheese arrived shortly thereafter . This heralded the birth of pizza as we know it today . The first true pizzeria started in 1830 , “ Antica Pizzeria Port ’ Alba ” in Naples and is still in business today .
Eventually pizza made its way to the U . S ., mainly to cities with Italian immigrants , most notably New York and Chicago . In 1905 , Gennaro Lombardi is thought to have opened “ Lombardi ’ s ,” the first U . S . pizzeria in New York . But Pizza really came into its own after World War II when returning American soldiers , having been exposed to pizza while serving on the Italian front , drove its popularity . Leading early pizza chains were Shakey ’ s Pizza , founded in 1954 in Sacramento , California , and Pizza Hut , founded in 1958 in Wichita , Kansas .
Cast Iron Paella
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This simplified version of the popular Spanish rice and seafood dish will leave you scraping your bowl clean . Ideally , paella is cooked in a paella pan . But cast iron ’ s high heat retention will help create the delicious crusty layer of rice on the bottom , called soccarat .
Ingredients : 3 cups seafood stock 1 pinch saffron thread ½ lb . large , raw shrimp , peeled and deveined 1 lb . littleneck or steamer clams , scrubbed ½ lb . mussels , scrubbed 2 teaspoons kosher salt , divided ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tbsp olive oil 4 ounces Spanish chorizo , thinly sliced 1 small yellow onion , finely chopped 3 cloves garlic , minced 1 to 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 1 ½ cups bomba , paella or arborio rice ( medium grain ) 14 ½ oz can diced fire roasted tomato ½ cup frozen peas , thawed 1 to 2 tbsp . fresh lemon juice ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves , finely chopped Lemon wedges for garnish / serving
Heat seafood stock until hot but not boiling . Stir in the saffron
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The history of pizza begins in antiquity when the Greeks and Phoenicians made flatbreads seasoned with oil and herbs . These breads made their way to Italy and were renamed pizzas . Initially considered a dish for poor people , pizza was cheap to make , tasty , and filling . |