When I go to Goodwill, I find Huxtable sweaters, used crutches and moldy copies of the Encyclopedia Britannica. When Karen Beth goes to Goodwill, she finds immaculate vintage dresses, cool/kitschy artwork and the original documents of the First Continental Congress. She’s got mad thrifting mojo. A few months ago, she found me a copy of Peter Mayle’s “A Year in Provence.”
So, when Mary of The Food Librarian chose “anything literary” as the theme for this month’s You Want Pies With That? challenge, I decided to create “A Year in Provence” Deep-Dish Pizza Pie. A rustic pizza featuring some of the flavors of Provence – olive oil, caramelized onions flavored with herbes de Provence (typically basil, bay leaf, lavender, marjoram, rosemary and thyme), roasted red bell pepper, olives, sausage and goat cheese – baked in a cast-iron skillet for a nice crisp crust.
Now that I’ve seen how easy it is to make and bake pizza in a cast-iron skillet, I think our Friday night pizza deliveries are over. Most of the toppings I used were remnants from other meals, making this one seriously cheap pizza. Thanks for the inspiration, Karen Beth and everyone with You Want Pies With That? A Huxtable sweater to you all.
P.S. Mary is giving extra points to anyone who’s visited the library in the past year. My mom’s a librarian, and I’m cheap, so I’ve spent a lot of time in libraries. In fact, I was conceived on a set of card catalogs. Beat that, ladies.
“A Year in Provence” Deep-Dish Pizza Pie
From Rebecca Crump (EzraPoundCake.com)
- Pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces mozzarella
- 1 roasted red bell pepper, sliced thin
- 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, sliced or smashed
- 4 to 6 ounces hot Italian sausage, sliced or crumbled
- 3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup Parmesan
- Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
- To Caramelize Onions: In a small skillet, heat the oil over low heat. Add the onions, salt, pepper, herbs de Provence and sugar. Stir to combine. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions are caramelized and dark golden brown, about 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.
- While the onions are caramelizing, prep the rest of the pizza toppings, including browning the sausage.
- Lightly grease a deep-dish pizza pan or cast-iron skillet with extra-virgin olive oil. Press the pizza dough into the pan. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Start layering toppings on the dough, first the mozzarella, then caramelized onions, red bell pepper, olives and sausage. Top it with the goat cheese and Parmesan.
- Bake until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden brown, about 25 minutes.
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Oh Dear Lord that looks good. Smart!
LOL! “I was conceived on a set of card catalogs.” Too funny. Excuse me, I have to clean the floor because I just peed my pants! You win the bonus points.
What a great pie! I’ve seen two savory pies so far!! Awesome. Rebecca, thank you so much for playing along this month!!! – mary the food librarian
YUM YUM YUM…. minus the onions (can’t stand them).
Nope, Jen was conceived on the card catalog. I won’t EVEN tell you where you were conceived…was Davis Kidd open 35 years ago???
This sounds absolutely delicious! Except maybe the italian sausage part (I’m not a fan). I think that if I make this, I will replace it with prosciutto.
I bet it’s as delicious as it looks. I can’t stop looking at it. Yummy!!!
Sounds like a wonderful book! And that pizza pie looks amazing!
Oh my, I want that!
Yummy! I’m obsessed with that book and love how you used it for your inspiration. Awesome job!
what a clever interpretation! i admit to being a pushover for pizza, but your photos are literally making my mouth water. i need this for breakfast: that’s how good it looks! my boyfriend is a pizza connoisseur (read: snob), being from NY and all, and i think i could totally impress him with this outrageously awesome looking pizza!
This sounds wonderful and is now on my ‘Must Make Soon’ list. Thanks!
This pizza looks absolutely amazing! I usually make thin crust pizza, I need to try my hand at deep dish.
I love that you made it in a cast iron pan! So very creative!
Your site is so pretty! This looks amazing. I love deep dish anything.
I love this month’s challenge, it’s given me so many new books to read! I can’t wait to read “A Year in Provence”! Your pizza pie looks delicious! I’ve never been able to make a good pizza crust but you did a great job!
Isn’t that unassuming cast iron skillet/vessel just one of the most amazing secret weapons? Love ’em. Your take on the pie is way thoughtful. Its just cool to be different. Way to spill the beans on your “start in life.” he he
AmyRuth
i love your take on the pie challenge- you’re always thinking outside of the box. :)
I have bad thrift store mojo, too while my karmically-blessed brother-in-law finds burr grinders and antique furniture. At first I thought you were going to say you got your skillet at Goodwill and then I’d have to hate you. But a book? Okay, I can handle the book find.
The recipe sounds wonderful and love your photos.
Oh those pesky herbes de Provence! They pack a huge punch, and we love ’em!
This looks divine. I once tried a deep dish pie in my cast iron skillet, but I think I used too much dough or something. The crust basically took over my entire oven, not to mention the toppings. Next time, we’ll try it with a little less dough and a little more of these toppings. Great idea!
OK, now way I can beat that! And you and I both made savory pies!
I havent read that book – I have read Under the Tuscan Sun whcih I found to be tedious, so I might have to try this one. the pie looks fab!
I love that you did a pizza for “pies with that” and not something sweet. Oh and cooking it in a cast iron pan, I am so going to have to try this recipe, I LOVE my cast iron pans.
by the way, I hope you win with this one!
OK, I’ve got to hear more about the “conceived on the card catalog”!!!
I’ve had that book for years and still haven’t been able to finish it for one reason or another!! I think it’s time to buck up and complete what I’ve started. Regardless, your pie looks amazing and the flavors sound so enticing. I’ve never even thought that I’d be able to make a great pie at home, but with this cast iron pan business, just maybe…
This looks fantastic – great photography! I just posted a link to the recipe on my my cast iron skillet blog where I collect the best recipes I can find…
Love it! I want to eat now (er!!)..
Just love it, & love the idea of a cast iron pizza. Found you via cuppie via Donna’s blog. Congrats on winning Jessie’s Cuppie Magnets, & am glad you won. You’ve got a swell place in blogland. Cheers
How did I miss this post!?!? Ha! This pizza looks divine!!!
[…] Jonathan and I both really liked this. Beatrice enjoyed the chicken and cauliflower, but the Brussels sprouts were not her favorite. In her defense, I did make them extra crispy (just how I like them!), which I think was too much for her. I have no idea what’s in herbs de Provence, but it had a great flavor. Oh and if you’re looking for another recipe using herbs de Provence, you should definitely make this pizza! […]