Deep-dish pizza (Chicago-Style Pizza)

Deep-dish pizza was invented in Chicago around 1943, when Ike Sewell opened Pizzeria Uno on Ohio Street. He created a more gourmet pizza, baked in a deep dish with toppings that reached all the way to the rim.

Ike Sewell presented his "deep dish" pizza as a separate menu item at a time when Americans thought of pizza as a simple snack eaten between meals. And it was a huge success. Today, the Pizza Uno brand is sold in more than 150 franchised restaurants in the United States and around the world, as well as in leading American supermarkets in both fresh and frozen formats.

The main feature of the deep-dish is that it is baked in a deep-dish pan. The filling is so generous that the dough must be baked for 4-5 minutes before it can be assembled.

The filling consists of various types of cheese and cold cuts. A special feature of deep-dish is that the mozzarella slices are placed directly on top of the pre-cooked dough base. Next come the diced tomatoes (a ready-made tomato sauce can be used, but the original recipe does not call for cooked tomatoes). Grated Parmesan cheese is sprinkled on top, and the various meats are added, Italian-American specialties such as Italian sausage, a pork sausage that's usually spicy, and pepperoni, a beef and pork specialty that resembles spicy salami. Finally, onions, peppers and mushrooms.

Bake in a very hot oven (480°F/250°C) for a good 30 minutes. The pizza is ready when the dough is browned and the cheese is melted. And since the overflowing toppings can make it difficult to remove from the pan, don't hesitate to serve it directly in the pan, just like at Pizzeria Uno. Your guests will appreciate the originality of what they may have thought was a "plain pizza".

While there are thousands of pizzerias in Chicago, the vast majority of which offer deep-dish pizza or variations on it, only one invented it. Pizzeria Uno and the newer Pizzeria Due, a block north, are venerable institutions, and you'll have to be patient to get a seat: there are no reservations, it's first-come, first-served. Expect to wait half an hour, a little longer on weekends, or head to Pizzeria Due.

Historic pizza at Pizzeria Uno

Here, in the early 1940s, Ike Sewell is said to have invented the deep-dish pizza, with its insanely generous toppings that spill out of the pizza pan in which it's served.

• 29 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611
• unos.com

Presidential Pizza at Italian Fiesta

President Barack Obama, a former Chicagoan, is a fan of the "pizza-pie" served at this establishment, which has been in the same family for 80 years.

• 1919 E 71st St, Chicago, IL 60649
• italianfiestapizzeria.com

Coal-fired pizza at Coalfire

This restaurant serves its specialty, coal-fired pizza, cooked at very high temperatures in an original coal-fired oven.

• 1321 W. Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL 60642
• coalfirechicago.com

Pizza Dough
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup warm water
1 packet active dry yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Toppings
1 1/3 pounds diced tomatoes (or tomato sauce)
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons oregano
2 2/3 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 ounces crumbled Italian sausage (or any other pork sausage, make sure to remove the casing)
6 ounces pepperoni (or chorizo, or salami)
1-2 onions
1 green bell pepper
3 1/2 ounces mushrooms

Put the flour, salt, sugar and oil in a bowl.
Add the yeast.
Begin to knead and gradually add the water. The dough should be elastic but not sticky.
Form a ball and leave to rise for 1 hour.

Crush the dough ball with your fist. Ventilate.
Generously oil the pan, especially the sides (this will give the dough a crispy, fried appearance).
Form the dough into a ball and place in the pan.
Let rest for 10 minutes.

Using your fingers, flatten the dough in the pan until it reaches the top of the rim.
Let rise for 20 minutes to thicken.
Preheat the oven to 430°F/220°C.

Mark the edges (or tops) with the prongs of a fork.
Bake pastry without filling for 5 minutes (430°F/220°C).

Remove from oven.
Brush the dough with olive oil.

Garnish the pizza:
Note: In this recipe, the sliced mozzarella is placed directly on the precooked dough base.
Mix the tomatoes (or tomato sauce), crushed garlic cloves, and oregano and season with salt (cooked tomato sauce is not usually used).
Pour this mixture over the mozzarella.
Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Top with Italian sausage crumbles (or slices) and thinly sliced pepperoni.
Sprinkle with thickly sliced onion (or rings), green bell pepper (for color), and mushrooms.

The filling should almost reach the top of the edges of the mold.

Bake at 430°F/220°C for 30 to 35 minutes.

No need to remove the pan. At Pizzeria Uno, which invented the recipe, it's simply served in the springform pan with a large pie server.
Cutlery is essential. This pizza is so generous that it's impossible to eat it with your hands.