Pizza . . . a Friday night tradition that should be a staple in every household. Growing up, I remember my mother making pizza dough and baking it into a tasty pizza almost every Friday night. Once she mastered her pizza dough recipe, she handed it down to me so I could continue to enjoy the Friday night pizza tradition. Over the years, I have become passionate about knowing where my food comes from and enjoying wild game in traditional recipes. Then I had the idea of combining the Friday night tradition and wild game. After multiple pizzas and plenty of trips to Chicago, I decided that a deep-dish pizza would be better suited for wild boar or venison, so I started working on my very own dough recipe. After some research, plenty of taste testing at Chicago’s various deep dish joints, and some trial and error I have developed my very own deep dish dough recipe to be enjoyed with the wonderful flavor of wild game.
Difficulty: 3 of 5
Yield: 4 people
Inactive Time:1 to 2 hours
Cooking Time: 30 to 40 minutes
Total Time: 1.5 to 2.5 hours
Dough:
2 cups – All-Purpose Flour 1.5 tbsp – Yellow cornmeal
½ tsp – Salt 1 tbsp – Instant yeast 1 tbsp – Honey 1 tbsp – Olive oil 2 tbsp – Butter, melted 1/2 cup – Water, lukewarm
Fillings:
8 ozs – Sliced Mozzarella
½ lb – Seasoned Ground Venison or Wild Hog (1/2 tbsp paprika, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp dried oregano, and a dash of cayenne pepper)
6-8 – Mushrooms, sliced
½ – Bell Pepper, sliced
½ – Jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced
1 tbsp – Olive oil
Sauce:
(2) 15 oz cans – Tomato Sauce
6 oz can – Garlic and Basil Tomato Paste
¼ cup – Basil Pesto
2 tbsp – Sugar
Instructions:
1. In a stand mixer affixed with a dough hook, combine the flour, cornmeal, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water then add the honey and olive oil. Let the yeast bloom for 5 minutes.
3. Once the yeast has bloomed, add the yeast mixture and melted butter to the stand mixer and combine on low to medium speed for 5-7 minutes.
a. Add an additional tablespoon or two of water if dough is too dry or add a tablespoon or two of flour if dough is too sticky
4. Allow dough to rise for 1 to 1.5 hours covered with a damp cloth
5. Preheat oven to 425°F
6. While dough is rising, combine all ingredients for the sauce and let rest in the refrigerator.
7. Toss the sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, and jalapenos in olive oil. Roast in the oven for 5 to 8 minutes.
a. This removes moisture from the vegetables to prevent the pizza from becoming soup.
8. Sautee the seasoned ground venison or wild hog and spice mixture until cooked through. Let cool.
9. Spray your baking dish 10.5” X 2” cast iron skillet or similar pan with nonstick spray, then add 1 to 2 tbsp olive oil, tilting the pan to cover the bottom and sides.
10. Stretch the dough to make a large circle.
a. Place the dough in the pan and stretch it towards the edges. If the dough is shrinking back too much, let rest for 15 minutes.
b. Gently push the dough up the sides of the pan and let rest for an additional 15 minutes.
c. Pierce the bottom of the dough with a fork.
d. Bake the crust for 5 minutes until the dough is set, then remove.
11. Cover the bottom of the dough with the slices of mozzarella.
12. Next layer the sautéed venison or wild hog, mushrooms, bell peppers, and jalapeno.
13. Top the pizza with enough marinara sauce to fill the pizza and cover all the toppings. Brush the edges/top of the crust with pesto.
14. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
Allow pizza to cool for 15 to 25 before cutting and serving.
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