Deep Dish Cornmeal Pizza topped with Smoked Mozzarella, Chicken Sausage, Corn and Balsamic Caramelized Onions

This weekend I set out to recreate our all time favorite pizza – the Corn Pizza from Dove Vivi in Portland. It might not sound special, but this is no ordinary pizza. It's a deep dish cornmeal pizza piled high with an unusual variety of homemade toppings: smoked mozzarella  sausage, corn, and balsamic caramelized onions. There's no tomato sauce on this pizza, but there's so much going on in every bite that you honestly don't miss it.

So anyway, I was attempting to recreate the goodness that is this pizza. I prepped the dough and set it aside to rise. And because I had a few minutes to spare, I flipped on the TV. I was excited to stumble upon The Cooking Channel; we normally don't have access to it. Can you guess what was on? A special about pizza. And the show hosts were in Portland. And what restaurant did they highlight? Dove Vivi! 

But wait – it gets even stranger. Guess what pizza they showcased? THE CORN PIZZA! Oh man, sometimes life is funny like that.

It must have been a good sign, because this pizza turned out really good. Like, between Sam and I a friend who was over for dinner, we ate the entire pie. And less than 24 hours later, Sam was asking me to make it again. 

Success.

Deep Dish Cornmeal Pizza with Smoked Mozzarella, Chicken Sausage, Corn and Balsamic Caramelized Onions

Makes 1 large pizza pie

2 cups flour
1 heaping cup cornmeal
2 1/4 tsp (1 package) yeast
1/4 cup shortening
2 T olive oil
1 cup warm water
1 tsp of honey
1/4 tsp salt
1 pound sweet italian chicken sausage (links or ground)
1 T olive oil
1 cup corn kernels (if frozen, let defrost)
8 oz smoked mozzarella, sliced
1 red onion
1 T olive oil
1/2 T butter
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper

Dissolve yeast in to water in mixing bowl. When it gets foamy, in about 5 minutes, add the honey, salt, oil, shortening, and mix together. Add flour and cornmeal, and knead by hand or by machine until dough feels well put together, and rebounds a bit when pushed, about 3 min in a machine, and 5 min by hand. Set dough aside in a covered bowl to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

While dough is rising, prep toppings. To make the caramelized balsamic onions, cut one large onion into thin strips. Heat olive oil and butter over medium in a large pan and add onions. Let cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar and sugar and lower heat slightly. Mix and let cook for another 15 minutes until onions are caramelized and sticky. Transfer onions to a bowl and set aside. Wipe down pan with a paper towel to prep for cooking sausage.

I purchased chicken sausage because I prefer the taste, but feel free to modify the recipe with traditional sausage if you prefer. Add 1 T olive oil to the pan, and heat to medium high. If you purchased ground sausage, add it to the pan, breaking up until cooked through. If using links, slice through the casing with a sharp knife and flip sausage into pan, breaking up into pieces.

When dough is ready, preheat oven to 425ºF. Lightly grease cast iron skillet, and add ball of dough. With your hands, push down the dough evenly, covering the bottom and sides of the skillet. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Re-stretch dough to cover skillet if it shrinks back down during this time. Stick skillet in the oven for 8-10 minutes to slightly pre-cook crust.

Then, add toppings by layering smoked mozzarella, sausage, balsamic onion and corn. Finish with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Let cook for 20 minutes, and then rotate pan. Cook for another 20-25 minutes until cheese is bubbling. Let pizza cool for a few minutes before cutting.