STOVETOP PHEASANT PIZZA
The Super Bowl is a day away, and everyone in the Chicagoland area knows that means extra-long wait times for pizza delivery. So, you can either plan ahead, or take matters into your own hands Sunday.
I’ll be the first to admit: I initially thought stovetop pizza was a gimmick. It’s actually not, and the method serves a purpose.
When cooking the pizza dough atop a skillet or flat top at approximately 400 degrees
Fahrenheit, the crust becomes crisp while the inside remains pillowy and soft, a texture very similar to Neapolitan pizzas, which are cooked for less than two minutes inside a 900-degree wood-fire oven.
Plus, it’s more fun to watch the magic happen before your eyes versus having it occur behind closed doors. I make my stovetop pizzas on a flat top made by Steelmade, which allows me to cook all my vegetables and proteins at once on one side and the pizza dough on the other. You also can easily make this recipe in a cast iron skillet. As mentioned above, 400 degrees seems to be the sweet spot for cooking the dough, in my experience. Certainly no higher than 450.
Below is a tasty homemade pizza sauce, but you are welcome to use a store-bought sauce, if you prefer. I did cheat and buy my dough from Trader Joe’s for this recipe. Obviously, you are welcome to switch up your toppings.
Sauce ingredients:
• 3 on-the-vine tomatoes, roasted and skinned
• 2 cups crushed tomatoes
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil
• 1-1/2 tablespoons white sugar Pizza ingredients:
• 8 ounces pheasant, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 4 ounces baby portabella
mushrooms, halved
• Italian cheese blend
• Cheddar cheese
• Olive oil
To prepare:
1. If making pizza sauce, preheat oven to 400 degrees and remove tomatoes from the vine. Roast tomatoes until soft, then remove from oven and take skin off tomatoes (be careful not to burn yourself ).
2. Add all sauce ingredients to food processor and blend thoroughly. After blending, add to a pot and place on stove to simmer on low for one hour. Stir often and never allow to reach above a simmer. Set aside when done.
3. For pizza, heat flat top or cast iron skillet to 400 degrees.
4. Cook vegetables until seared and slightly soft, add diced pheasant, lightly salt and pepper, and cook thoroughly.
5. Once pheasant is cooked, add mushrooms and cook. After all toppings are cooked, set aside.
6. Roll pizza dough out to 1/2 inch and add thin layer of olive oil to skillet or flat top. Place dough in skillet or on flat top.
7. Add a thin layer of olive oil to top side of pizza and flip once underside reaches desired crispness.
8. Once flipped, add sauce, followed by toppings and cheese. You may wish to cover with an aluminum basting dome. Pizza is done when the other side has reached desired crispness.
9. Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting.
Any questions, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram: @WildGameJack.