There’s a “Pizza Place” on just about every block or two in the city. Across the street from Grandma and Grandpa’s little yellow house on Robie St., there was a Pizza Place.
When the Pizza Place across the street was closed for several summer weeks, Grandma’s older sons persuaded her to make pizza for them – and of course she did an excellent job of it.
On the Near North Side in the city, built into an old house, was a Pizza Place named Uno’s (and there is their Due’s about a block away) which we occasionally enjoyed – and they published their recipe. After I was married, and made dinner after “work”, I made their pizza from scratch, including the dough. I made two portions of dough and actually froze one in the little ice cube holder to save it for another day – our apartment had only a small refrigerator – the dough survived very well.
Uno’s is where pizza, as we’ve come to know it, is supposed to have begun, and was brought to America by a former G.I. after World War II. In Italy, pizza was actually a focaccia, which was made with tomato and cheese on top – and it could also be further embellished with other ingredients. Uno’s made their deep-dish pizza in a deep, round, cast-iron pan. Salt, pepper and hot red pepper seeds were in shakers on the table.
There is now an Uno’s Pizza Place in our area, so when we occasionally “take out” their pizza – we also have their Caesar salad with their really good dressing on the side – yum!
However, Hannah really does prefer to make my very easy Homemade Pizza. When we moved to our new house we no longer had a good, inexpensive “Pizza Place” in the area, and since we also had to save money, I decided to make a 9×13 pizza. Last year, Food Network showed an older Italian woman making a large rectangular focaccia, so apparently they do not just make them round in Italy.
As a base for pizza or focaccia, the pizza dough can be bought from a local Pizza Place, and is also available at the supermarket in a variety such as the ready-made Pillsbury and boxed ready-to-make pizza crusts. And, of course, pizza dough can be made from scratch at home. When we lived in Omaha a number of years ago, June Lindee, a Dietician, gave me the recipe for an easy to make focaccia “hors d’oeuvre” bread which she had made for a get together. The “easy” part was that it was made from frozen Rhodes Bread Dough, which was available at the supermarket. It simply had oil, garlic powder, salt and black pepper on top and was cut into strips. It managed to be very good bread indeed.
Rhodes Bread Dough comes in a bag of three loaves of frozen bread (or more – at stores like Valli) which have not been thawed and raised. It needs simply to be left in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. I first oiled the frozen bread dough and put it into a large plastic bag. The next day when it’s time to make the pizza, it is then put into an oiled 9×13 pan, covered with foil, and let to rise in a warm, draught free area. When the dough is soft and warm, it can then be spread out to fit the pan – with a 1/2” rim around the sides.
On top of the tomato sauce, Hannah liked to have small slices of pepperoni, and I preferred it with just tomato sauce and cheese. Now after she puts the tomato sauce on the pizza dough, she likes fresh mushrooms (unless she forgets the mushrooms and has to put them on top as this time, which also works.) We both like fresh spinach and meat topping like Uno’s sausage topping. The tomato sauce can be covered with any choice of ingredients – but not thickly. We then lay the cheese over all.
Following is my tried and true recipe of many years.
My 9×13 Homemade Pizza:
1 loaf of Rhodes Bread Dough, oiled, bagged and thawed overnight in the refrigerator. Lightly oil the 9×13 pan, roll the bread dough in it, and slightly flatten the dough. Cover with foil and place in a warm, draught free place. Add oil only if needed. After it becomes warm and puffy, lightly add oil to the bottom of the pan, if needed. Spread the dough out evenly with a 1/2” rim around the sides.
Into a mixing bowl, put: 1 can (14-15 oz) of diced tomatoes mixed with a 6 ounce can of tomato paste. Stir in: 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 teaspoon dry oregano 1 teaspoon ground fennel seed 1 medium clove of garlic, well minced Topping: 1 pound of thinly sliced Muenster cheese – thin enough to place over the tomato sauce on dough base.
Add whatever is desired, (not thickly), onto the tomato sauce before finishing the pizza with the sliced cheese.
Bake at 400° for 25 to 30+ minutes, till the cheese on top – and crust around sides, is as browned as desired. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a rack. Let the pizza briefly cool on the rack for 5-10 minutes to slightly solidify it before cutting it into desired portions. Cut two pieces before removing the first piece.
Do not over-bake. Check the portable thermometer you place in your oven to get a true reading of the temperature. We get Primo Taglio Muenster cheese sliced to order at the local supermarket delicatessen. We use Hunt’s Tomato Sauce w/ diced tomatoes, or Del Monte diced tomatoes, and Contadina Tomato Paste – all now come low-sodium if desired.
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