Chicago.com
Pizza from the heart
Chicago.com’s Cousin Vinnie is looking for the best Chicago pizzeria to be in their new video “pizza in Chicago”. If you want to leave a comment and tell me who you think has the best Chicago pie please do so. Also if you know someone that owns a Chicago pizza joint and wants some exposure tell them to contact me at Vinnie@chicago.com or tell them to leave a comment.
Since the first hungry Italian put cheese and tomatoes on dough, there’s been a debate heard round the country on who’s got the best pizza: New York City or Sweet Home Chicago.
Now I am not here to bash New York’s pies, but I sure as hell am going to defend my hometown.
My Dad, the Original Cousin Vinnie, has been in the pizzeria business all of his life. At the ripe young age of 8yrs old he used to sit on top of the cheese grinder at Connie’s pizzeria in the south side of Chicago and grind cheese for the pies. He has owned places in Chicago like D’Anardo’s Pizza as well as Cousin Vinnie’s in Arizona. Believe you me, we know pizzas. Pizza sauce runs through my family’s veins. Here you can get deep dish or thin crust, hand tossed or rolled. And lucky for us, Chicago specializes in deep-dish (also known as stuffed) pizza. It’s more than a meal, it’s an event. Layers of thick, gooey mozzarella, mild Italian sausage, herbs, and my poppa’s homemade sauce are what I crave when I’m looking to satisfy my picky Chicagoan palate. Deep-dish pizza is as much Chicago as the cheese steak is to Philly, chowder is to Boston, and the California roll is to well, California. Here is one of my papa’s recipes for a “Chicago style pizza” for those of you that do not live here and for those of you that do.
That’s that! Now enjoy the pizza recipe and let me know how it turns out.
| Chicago Deep dish dough:
2 cups warm water 1/2 cup vegetable oil 4 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup cornmeal 5 1/2 cups flour 2 packages of rapid rise yeast 1/4 stick of melted butter |
Use a mixer bowl and dissolve rapid rise yeast in warm water. Then add olive oil and vegetable oil, butter, corn meal and1/2 the flour. Mix all contents with a dough hook (you can do it by hand, but it is very difficult) and mix in the rest of the flour. Remove dough and place on a clean countertop. Cover with a damp towel in a large bowl and allow to rise until double in bulk. Knuckle it down and allow to rise again.
It is very important to oil your deep-dish pizza pan or else your pie will stick to the pan. Place some dough in the pan and push it out to the edges using your fingers. Put in enough dough so that you can run the crust up the side of the pan. Make it about 1/8-inch thick throughout the pan.
Every great “Chicago style pizza” starts out with a great filling:
2 cups of peeled tomatoes, and make sure you drain em
1/3 lb of sliced Mozzarella
11 basil leaves
2 1/2tbl spoons of extra virgin olive oil (first cold press makes all the difference)
1 big handful of Parmesan Reggiano
3 good size cloves of garlic (minced)
Place mozzarella in layers on the bottom of the pie. If you want to add other ingredients, add other ingredients such as bulk Italian sausage, pepperoni or fungi (mushrooms). Place them directly on the cheese and under the tomatoes. Then layer the basil, garlic, oregano and salt. Next put in the tomatoes. The parmesan cheese will be used for the top of the pizza. Drizzle olive oil all over the top of the pizza.
Bake the pie in a 475°F oven until the crust is light golden brown and the top is bubbly, in about 35 to 45 minutes.
Tags: Chicago, Chicago Style Pizza, Deep Dish Pizza, Pizza, Recipe
Stephanie says:
Best pizza in Chicago is by far Pequods on Webster and Clyborn!
Kevin says:
My personal favorite is Nonno’s in Berwyn. 6969 Ogden Ave. The thin crust is good, but the stuffed what you should go there for. =)
Melanie says:
Art of Pizza on Ashland, between Diversey & Belmont
Arlene says:
The Best pizza in Chicago is Cipriani’s on 63rd Street. The deep dish rocks.
Jackie says:
Best pizza ever was Connie\’s but then I\’ve been gone from Chicago southside for yrs.. actually used to hang around with your Dad and even knew your Grand Dad! Your Dad read my tea leaves once! I\’d kill for a good pizza – I am gong to try your recipe!
Marilyn says:
I like Obbie’s pizza on Archer Ave in Chicago by my friend Arlene’s house.
Jackie says:
I had a cousin tell about this website and now I have to say; Arlene.. Marilyn… are you from Bridgeport?? If so.. it’s me Jackie!!! If it is you OMG NO WAY!!!
sharon says:
the best deep dish is ricobenes. whose jackie
Jacob says:
Do us all a favor and skip the usual big joints – Malnatis, Ginos, Uno, Connies and show us some of the many smaller but killer pizza joints in Chicago.
Jackie says:
I don’t know why but I am wanting to say; Sharon Hickey? I was one of the girls;, lived on 30th & Wells, worked at the Glass Dome Hickory Pit, the one that be-friened Vince’s Dad after his Mom passed away.
When you find the greatest pizza joint please send them to Las Vegas because Domino’s and Pizza Hut are not REAL pizza!!! The people out here wouldn’t know what a real pizza was if it hit them in the face! LOL
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It’s wodenfrul to have you on our side, haha!
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sandra says:
i agree on peqouds-though i usually go most often to the morton grove location.
lou malnati’s and pizzeria uno are pretty tasty, too.
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Created the gretaset articles, you have.
Valinda says:
Woot, I will ceirtanly put this to good use!
Kelly says:
Falco’s on Route 83, just south of I-55. Used to be in Berwyn/Cicero area. My all-time favorite!
Also, just had pizza from La Madia on Grand, just east of Clark. Not typical “Chicago-style” but fabulous nonetheless!
Marni says:
I suppose that sounds and smlels just about right.
Becca N says:
This is indeed a tough one, being born and raised on the South Side I have had many….
As a kid we loved
Obbies
D’anardo’s
Palermos
Falcos
Connies
Then I did some moving in the burbs and loved Grassanos, Fasanos.
Suggest something for me in Aurora, cause there ain’t nothing I’ve found to be good so far
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