When it comes to Detroit-style pizza add-ons, vodka sauce and lots of toppings are a great way to go.
This recipe, named for “Square Pie Guy” author Marc Schechter’s friend Ellen, who taught him how to make vodka sauce, combines sausage, pepperoni, pickled peppers and caramelized onions over a vodka-sauced, cheese-laced crust.
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“It’s the kind of pizza that feels like a three-course meal in itself — and maybe a little like a 10-by-14-inch party, too,” Schechter writes. “Best served hot and with lots of napkins.”
The Ellen Supreme
Yield: One 10-by-14-inch Detroit-style pizza
INGREDIENTS
For the onions:
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For the pizza:
- 3/4 cup Vodka Sauce
- One 10-by-14-inch dough of your choice, in the pan, proofed and ready to use
- 1 3/4 cups shredded medium cheddar
- 2 1/3 cups shredded or diced whole-milk low-moisture mozzarella
- 3/4 cup uncooked Italian sausage (mild or spicy), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 42 slices cup-and-char pepperoni
- 1/4 cup drained and chopped pickled red peppers
For the top:
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
DIRECTIONS
For the onions: Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and onions. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Sprinkle with the salt and stir gently to combine.
Transfer the onions to a bowl and set aside.
For the pizza: Arrange a rack at the bottom of your oven and heat it to 550 degrees (or as hot as your oven allows).
Spoon the vodka sauce across the top of the pie in a smooth, even layer.
Sprinkle the cheddar along the pan edges in a tight 1-inch border around the dough.
Sprinkle the mozzarella over the sauce and cheddar.
Add the cooked onions, sausage, pepperoni and pickled peppers evenly.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden and crispy at the edges. If you want a little more browning, broil for 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove the pizza from the oven and let rest for 2 to 3 minutes on a cooling rack, then transfer to a cutting board and cut into squares.
For the top: Sprinkle with the Grana Padano and parsley and serve.
Courtesy Marc Schechter and Gabi Moskowitz, “Square Pie Guy: Detroit-style Pizza at Home” (Weldon Owen, $35), out Oct. 27.