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This sponsored post is brought to you by Peppadew®.
I just want to say Peppadew® Pepper Pizza all day long. (Try it!) We picked a peck of them for this recipe, that’s for sure. (Actually, they come in a jar—there was no picking involved.) This pizza has all of my favorite bites: sweet sausage, caramelized onions (which, by the way, I would eat on ice cream if the world would let me) fresh basil, ooey-gooey mozzarella and, of course, the star of the show: Peppadew® Whole Sweet Piquante Peppers.
If you’re a seasoned home pizza maker, please feel free to follow your own doughy path. I find store-bought dough to be just fine. And if you’re looking to grill said pizza, you might want to try this dough recipe, with bonus tips.
You may notice a lack of sauce in this recipe. Frankly, I didn’t feel the need for it. The sausage, onions and Peppadew® peppers make for the perfect combination, and I didn’t want to add any distractions. Now, if you are not a fan of the spicy you can opt for Peppadew® mild variety. The company’s Goldew™ peppers will also add a nice sweetness to this dish.
Sausage, Caramelized Onions and Peppadew® Pepper Pizza
Ingredients:
1 lb. package of fresh, store-bought pizza dough (If you’re making the dough from scratch and need a recipe, try this.)
½ lb. ground sweet Italian sausage (I like the bulk ground sausage)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon coarse corn meal
3 cups sweet onions, sliced (about 3 medium)
1 cup Peppadew® hot whole sweet piquante peppers, chopped
1 teaspoon grated Parmesan or your favorite grated Italian cheese blend
4 oz mozzarella cheese, 1 cup grated
¼ cup fresh basil, packed
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Drizzle the inside of a mixing bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Remove pizza dough from package and add to the bowl. Turn the dough ball to coat in the oil on both sides. Cover the top of the bowl with a dishtowel and allow the dough to come to room temp while preparing the toppings.
- Place pizza stone, if using, in oven to preheat.
- Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to a sauté pan and melt butter. Add onions and stir to coat. Reduce heat to low and stir occasionally for 30 to 40 minutes. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. (Caramelized onions take time, but they are worth the wait.)
- While the onions are cooking, in a second nonstick skillet brown the sausage over medium high heat, breaking it up with a spatula into small pieces. Once fully browned and there is no pink inside (10 to 12 minutes), place sausage in a bowl and set aside.
- While the onions finish cooking, place one cup Peppadew®peppers in food processor and pulse 4 or 5 times. You can also quarter the peppers by hand if you don’t have a processor or don’t want one more thing to wash.
- Lightly flour cutting board or marble counter. Form a fist with one hand. Lift the pizza dough out of the bowl and drape over your hand. Bring your second hand together with the first and gently pull your hands outward to stretch the dough. Rotate the dough a quarter turn and repeat. Allow gravity to help stretch the dough in a circular motion until it is about 12 inches in diameter. (If you get a tear, don’t worry! You can patch it after you lay it down.) Place it flat on the floured surface and rotate it to ensure the dough is not sticky on the bottom.
- Get your cookie sheet or pizza pan ready for transfer. Sprinkle corn meal evenly on the pan. (This is a critical step, and necessary in order to get your pizza to release after cooking.)
- Using two hands, lift the dough and transfer from cutting board to pan. Reshape as needed, gently pulling the dough to meet the edge of the pan if necessary. Now we’re ready for the toppings.
- Sprinkle sausage evenly over pizza followed by the caramelized onions and Peppadew®peppers. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of Parmesan cheese and finish with the mozzarella cheese. Place pizza in oven and cook for 20 minutes for a soft crust or an additional 5 to 10 minutes for a crispy crust.
- Stack individual basil leaves and roll together. Slice roll into ¼ inch slices (chiffonade).
- Remove from oven and top with basil. Allow the pizza to sit for 10 minutes before you dive in. Enjoy!
Where to find Peppadew®!
- BJ’s
- Dean and Deluca
- Dearborn Farms
- Delicious Orchards
- Di Bruno Brothers
- Fairway Market
- Gourmet Garage
- Kings Food Markets
- Shoprite
- Sickles Market
- Stew Leonard’s
- Wegmans
- Zabar’s
