Pizza Time

Aaaah...the power of advertising!

I saw an add for something having to do with Philly Cheesesteak on the TV. I can't remember if it was a pizza ad from Panago or a Subway ad or what, but all it did was induce a craving for Philly Cheesesteak. In that regard the ad was successful; unfortunatly, I was more compelled to make my own version than go out and purchase whatever was being advertised.

I knew we had a spare striploin kicking around, as well as onions and peppers. I went out and bought a second steak, cheese, and pizza sauce. I made my own crust. This was a very hearty pizza that fed four of us. And it was superb. Please take the time to caramelize the onions - it's worth the extra effort, trust me!

For the crust:

2 1/4 - 2 1/2 cups bread flour (or all purpose, if that's all you have on hand)
1 package quick yeast (or 2 1/2 tsp)
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup very warm water
2 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
cornmeal

In a large bowl, combine the flour yeast and salt. Add the water and oil, and stir to form a soft dough. Develop until smooth and elastic. Cover and let it rise until double in size - about 1 - 2 hours depending on room temperature.

Meanwhile, start the caramelization of the onions.

4 large onions, thinly sliced (I used a food processor)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar

Put the onions in large frying pan and sprinkle on the sugar and salt. Cover and turn the stove on to medium high. You want to sweat out the liquid from the onions, and the salt aids in that. Once there is a lot of liquid in the pan and the onions look like they're about to drown, take off the cover and reduce the heat to medium. You now are waiting for the water to evaporate, and this will take several mintues. After the water has evaporated, stir the onions frequently, not letting them sit too long in one place. Eventually, they'll turn a lovely caramel colour which should be uniform. This entire process took about half an hour, and I used a non-stick saute pan which worked wonderfully.

Meanwhile, slice very thinly one green pepper, and once the onions are done and removed to cool, start sauteing the pepper in the same pan.

As the peppers saute, you'll need to prep the steak. I used two steaks, one striploin and one sirloin tip that weighed approximately 600g. Slice thinly and put in a bowl with 2 tsp vegetable oil and Montreal Steak Seasoning and garlic powder to taste (I used a couple of tsp of Montreal Steak Spice and 1/2 tsp garlic powder). Or you can marinate your steak any way you want to, but at the very least make sure it's seasoned well with salt and pepper.

Saute the steak to medium in the same pan you did the onions and peppers in, once you've removed the peppers to let them cool. Don't overcook the steak since it's going in the oven soon.

Back to the dough now. Punch it down and roll out to a rectangle approximately 9x13" (alternately, the Fleischmann's recipe book from whence this recipe came says you will get two 12" rounds from this recipe). Place it onto a large sheetpan (12x18" is best and what I used) that has been lined with parchment paper and sprinkled with cornmeal. Spread with pizza sauce and top with the onions, peppers, steak, and a mixture of grated mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, or a blend of your choice equalling about 3 cups.

Bake in a hot oven - 450F or so - for 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden on top and the crust is browned underneath (use a spatula to gently lift the pizza to check its underside for doneness).



Enjoy!