Softened capsicums and Italian sausages with blistered skins served on sandwich rolls are an Italian-American staple. We took this favourite and made it into a pizza, swapping crusty Italian rolls for supple pizza dough and adding slightly-caramelised onions, tomatoes and classic mozzarella and Pecorino Romano.
You’ll find the combo of sausage and peppers dotting food cart menus throughout New York City, on Superbowl party tables and tailgate spreads, and at almost every Italian festival in the US. Whether they’re served with bread or just a knife and fork, you can count on a few staples: garlic, red chilli flakes and oregano alongside sausage that’s sweet or hot but always highlights Italian spices.
Our recipe’s no different. We take everything great about the original sandwich – hand-held and approachable with a balance of spicy and sweet – and put it on a pizza. Our capsicums get mixed with olive oil and sliced onions and are cooked until soft and just barely blackened (the flames of the Ooni oven help with the roasting, but this can also be done on a stovetop).
We make our sausage at home, incorporating spices, cheese and minced onion with pork mince for a mixture that’s juicy and lightly spiced. Instead of cooking before topping, we put the raw sausage directly on the pizza in small pieces and let it get juicy and crispy in the hot heat of an Ooni.