This pumpkin and sausage pizza captures the essence of Autumn with sage, pecorino cheese, and a touch of heat.
Here's what you're going to do this weekend: Scope out a nearby farmers' market or fall festival, bring home a beautifully dimpled heirloom-variety pumpkin, and make a big batch of pumpkin purée to last until Thanksgiving and, perhaps, beyond. It will take some time and effort, but just like squirreling away Christmas gifts throughout the year or freezing a batch of cookie dough for "emergencies," it's more than worth it.
When the purée has finished draining and is completely cooled, freeze 3 cups of it for your 100%-from-scratch T-day pie, reserve 1 cup for this week's pizza, and pack away the rest in the fridge to make smoothies, pumpkin bread, cookies, or soup. (Also, make sure you roast the seeds for snacking.)
For my purée, I brought home a 10-pound Jarrahdale pumpkin from the farm stand. (In John's words, its scrunchy shape made it look "like a grumpy old man.") If you don't feel like schlepping home a 10-pound pumpkin, just pick up a 5- or 6-pounder or a few smaller pumpkins or winter squashes. One 4-pound pumpkin makes about 3 cups of drained purée; you can do the math from there.
Jarrahdales are known for their dense, smooth flesh and concentrated flavor, which make them especially good for pies . . . and pizza sauce. Riffing off of a recipe by Martha Stewart, I used 1 cup of the pumpkin purée to make a creamy, sage-infused sauce, which I topped with crumbled sweet Italian sausage and pecorino cheese. After the pumpkin and sausage pizza finished baking, I dressed it up with thin ribbons of fresh sage for a homey-yet-sophisticated, earthy and sweet meal.
How to Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and spray 2 baking sheets lightly with cooking spray.
- Hack the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds, and cut the pumpkin into manageable wedges (about 2 to 3-inches thick).
- Place the pumpkin wedges on the prepared baking sheets in a single layer, and roast for 45 to 60 minutes, until the flesh is tender and the skin is easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Remove the pumpkin from the oven.
- When the roasted pumpkin is cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh into a food processor and process until smooth.
- Transfer the purée to a colander or fine-mesh sieve, set a plate directly on top of the purée to weigh it down, and let it drain over a bowl for at least 45 minutes, until the purée is as thick as custard. Reserve the pumpkin juice to use in place of water in other recipes.
Pumpkin and Sausage Pizza
Equipment
- Cutting board and knife
- Skillet
- Medium saucepan
- Rolling pin (optional)
- Large rimmed baking sheet or baking stone/steel
- Pizza peel (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 5 fresh sage leaves, 2 left whole, 3 rolled up and cut into thin ribbons
- 1 cup pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin
- 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1½ teaspoons white wine vinegar
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon dried chile flakes, divided
- Kosher salt
- ½ cup finely shredded pecorino cheese, divided
- ½ pound mild Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as it will go (if using a baking stone/steel; place the stone in the top third or steel in the bottom third of the oven before you start preheating). Let the oven preheat for at least 30 minutes. Then, if you’re using a baking stone or steel, switch the oven to Broil on high.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the 2 whole sage leaves. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sage begins to curl, then use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the sage from the butter. Stir in the pumpkin, garlic, cream, vinegar, ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of the red pepper flakes, a pinch of salt, and ¼ cup of the pecorino. Stir until the sauce is heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool to room temperature.
- Cook the sausage in a small skillet over medium heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the sausage to a paper towel–lined plate to drain.
- Stretch or roll out your dough to a 12- to 14-inch circle, then transfer it to an oiled or parchment-lined baking sheet or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
- Spoon the cooled sauce onto the dough disk and spread it evenly, leaving a ½-inch border of dough. (You will need ½ to ¾ cup of sauce to cover the dough, but you'll have plenty more if you want a saucier pizza.) Scatter the cooked sausage over the sauce, top with the remaining ¼ cup of pecorino cheese and the remaining ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and season with a big pinch of salt.
- Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese has browned in spots—8 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet, 6 to 8 minutes on the baking stone/steel.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and let it cool for at least 5 minutes, then scatter the sliced sage over top; slice and serve.
Leave a Reply