My first time trying Chicago-style pizza was actually not all that long ago. I was in Chicago (duh) less than two years ago to take a portion of my medical boards. I made it through the eight-hour day of testing and really needed some relaxation, but since we had three-month old Andrew with us at the time, a nice dinner out in the city just wasn’t in the cards. We walked to pick up a pizza from Pizzeria Uno, went back to our hotel room, and pretty much devoured it. It was a wonderful way to calm down after a very stressful day.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect of the pizza other than that it would be deep-dish, so I was surprised to see the sauce on top of the cheese. Now I know that’s part of what makes it Chicago-style. But it was good – and so was this homemade version. The thick, tall crust serves as sort of a bowl for all the yummy toppings and sauce. I tried a different deep dish recipe a while back that was just “eh”, but this version is definitely a winner. The crust was fabulous – soft, flaky and buttery, but sturdy enough to stand up to all the cheese and sauce on top of it. The original recipe yields two 9-inch pizzas but I made just one for the three of us. Next time I might make both and try freezing one, since it would be a nice thing to have around when for a last minute meal.