Since the big move, I’ve been looking forward to getting back in the kitchen, and I felt no better way to kick things off, then with a pizza that I used to make for my family. Growing up, I thought (think.) cooking with manchego and caramelizing onions in red wine, made me so mature and cool (it did/does… right?). But aside from the personal gain, making this pizza really is a crowd pleaser (just ask my picky husband who even said how much he loved it!).
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 large red onions halved, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup dry red wine (I used Zinfandel)
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3/4 lb sweet italian sausage casings removed (I use the TJ's chicken ones)
- fresh pizza dough
- 2 cups Manchego cheese coarsely shredded
- Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and add onions, sautéing for 10 minutes until soft and golden brown.
- Add wine, vinegar and sugar to onions, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat medium skillet over medium-high heat and brown sausage, crumbling with a spatula/spoon/fork.
- Remove from heat.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and pre-cook pizza dough for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
- Once pizza dough is pre-cooked, remove and top with 3/4 of the cheese, sausage and onions and place back in the oven.
- Broil for a couple minutes to create a crispy crust.
- Top with remaining manchego and enjoy!
* Check the bottom of the crust before removing pizza... you may need to cook it for a few additional minutes on convection to get the air circulating and the bottom of the crust adequately cooked.
