CiCi’s
During the early stages of my childhood, there was nothing more painful than a belly full of Cici’s pizza. You could get 10 pounds of some of the worst constructed pizza in the world for a fraction of the cost. And who really cared? And who really gave a f**k? Not I. Not my mom. Not the other 40-year old men that would stare at us and only buy a soda. I was a kid getting a meal and playing video games that were older than me! I’m not sure what else a boy could want at the age than continue to devour pizza in dietary bliss until an adult begged me stop. It was such a fun time and moment for my life. We would often frequent after church with other parents and children alike. You could bond over the grossly constructed dish and down a soda bigger than your head to somehow settle your stomach.
In retrospect, Cici’s Pizza has this almost spectacle to it. It’s more than food. It’s a beacon of mindless munching. It’s this destination of gluttony that has created a twinkle in the eyes of young millennials blinded by nostalgia. Maybe you didn’t frequent for the pre-made overcooked pizza or the dry ass brownies or the flatbreads, it could have just been the fort of cheapness that really reels in that nostalgia. Somehow those doors still stand and the mop-water-scented destination of consumption is luminescent—not with games per se but parents trying to not break the bank and a child not trying to break their stomach.
“party” pan pizza (meat lovers + spinach alfredo)
ingredients
dough (from Chef John!)
2 1/2c organic unbleached bread flour (extra where needed)
2 1/2t active dry yeast (one packet)
1t sugar (for yeast)
1t kosher salt
1 1/4c water (for yeast)
2T extra virgin olive oil
meat lovers
basic party pizza red sauce
1 can of san marzano whole peeled OR crushed tomatoes
1T garlic powder
1T onion powder
1T sugar
1T tomato paste
1T dried basil
1T dried thyme
1-2T red chili flakes (I like it spicy)
salt & pepper to taste
the meats
1 pack of pepperoni
1lb. ground sausage
the cheese
16oz./2c mozzarella, shredded
4oz./1/2c mild cheddar, shredded
8oz./1c GOOD parmigiano-reggiano, grated
alfredo spinach
basic party pizza alfredo sauce
4T unsalted butter, room temperature
4T all-purpose flour
2c heavy cream
1/2-1c milk
1c GOOD parmiaginao reggiano, grated
salt & pepper to taste
the veggies
2-3 roma tomatoes, sliced + salted
baby spinach, preferably not frozen
the cheese
16oz./2c mozzarella, shredded
8oz./1c GOOD parmigiano-reggiano, grated
helpful items:
stand mixer
cheese grater
microplane grater
digital kitchen thermometer
plastic wrap
26” X 18” in. baking sheets
olive oil
large bowls
medium size pot
whisk
wooden spoon
immersion blender
strainer
recipe (dough):
Set oven to 500F or highest temperature it can reach. Allow oven to heat up for at least 1 hour.
Slowly heat your water on the stove/microwave until it reaches a temperature of 100F. Once it reaches 100F, pour into a measuring cup and follow by adding yeast. Add sugar. Stir cup with a fork or whisk, cover with plastic wrap and allow yeast to activate for 15-20 minutes in a cool area.
Note: the sugar will expedite the process
In the stand mixer bowl OR a large mixing bowl, add the bread flour and kosher salt. Stir well.
After the yeast has activated and gotten a yeast-y smell, you can add the yeast mixture into the large mixing bowl along with your oil--if necessary, the yeast residue in the measuring cup can be washed with a little warm water and added to the large mixing bowl as well. With a wooden spoon or mixing spoon, you can slowly mix the concoction together. If you’re using a stand mixer, add dough hook and set it 2.The flour and yeast mixture should begin to come together.
Add oil to your hands and pour/scrape out your dough onto an oil covered baking sheet .
Add oil to your hands and begin to gently spread dough with fingers. Press against the edges and try to flatten dough to the edges. Cover dough with plastic wrap or another inverted baking sheet and allow to rise for 60-90 minutes (video below to help with this process). Now you have plenty of time to prepare the rest of the ingredients above!
Note: The dough will not reach them which is fine, but the shape should still be there to hold while it rises.
After the alloted time, you can uncover the dough and further spread it to the pan’s edges.
recipe (the red sauce):
In a medium pot set to medium, add crushed tomatoes or whole peeled tomatoes (blend whole peeled tomatoes with an immersion blender or break up with bare hands).
Add garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, dried thyme, red chili flakes, sugar and tomato paste to pot. Stir. Stir again. Stir again. Set pot to high and allow sauce to reach a rolling boil. Taste. Add salt & pepper until desired flavor is reached.
Note: If you have a extra parmigiano-reggiano cheese rind lingering around, you can add it to the sauce. It’ll take it up a notch and you can dispose of it once sauce is ready.
recipe (the meats):
In a medium pot set to medium, add sausage and break up to desired sizes. Allow sausage to cook to nearly done. Remove and drain in the strain.
Take pepperoni out of fridge to reach room temperature.
assembly
Gently add red sauce over the flattened dough. Top with half of the shredded mozzarella and all the mild cheddar. Top with pepperoni and sausage. Then top with remaining mozzarella and parmigiano-reggiano. Bake for 10-15 minutes OR until desired texture is reached. Enjoy!
recipe (the alfredo sauce):
In a medium pot set to medium, add butter and allow better to melt. Once butter starts to bubble BUT not burn, add flour and cook until flour fragrance is gone while stirring continuously—about 1-2 minutes.
Add heavy cream and milk. Stir until sauce is smooth and slightly thick. Add in cheese and cook until cheese is fully melted and incorporated. Add salt & pepper to taste.
recipe (the veggies):
If spinach is frozen, unthaw and squeeze water from spinach by putting inside a kitchen towel and squeezing over a sink or bowl. If spinach is fresh, you can set in bowl.
Add sliced roma tomatoes to plate or baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Allow tomatoes to sit for 10-15 minutes.
assembly
Gently add alfredo sauce over the flattened dough. Top with half of the shredded mozzarella. Top with spinach and tomatoes. Then top with remaining mozzarella and parmigiano-reggiano. Bake for 10-15 minutes OR until desired texture is reached. Enjoy!
THE HELP!