pizza sausage Archives - Kimbesa's Homemade Pizza

National Sausage Pizza Day – Bake a Homemade Pizza

Posted on October 11, 2010March 26, 2015 by kimbesa

Homemade sausage pizza has become one of our favorites due to discovering the great pizza sausage from our local Hollywood Markets. No surprise to find there’s a National Sausage Pizza Day today to celebrate this good food.

No affiliate relationship, just a tasty sausage that goes wonderfully well with our favorite pizza sauce by Pastorelli (which I keep tabs on which markets carry it… I’ll drive to a different grocery store for it).

I’m very loyal to particular products when I find one that’s outstanding, one that I’d recommend to family, friends and others. The Hollywood sausage and Pastorelli sauce both qualify.

It’s easy to enjoy a hot sausage pizza several times a week. I’ve already written about how to cook your sausage for pizza. Our favorite Hollywood sausage is not too spicy, not too bland, just right.

Tips for easy sausage pizza:

Purchase sausage in bulk, without casings
Precook and crumble the sausage before adding to your pizza
Drain the sausage on paper towels if there is excess grease
Freeze sausage if you won’t use it promptly, in pizza-sized batches
Plan to use your frozen sausage within two or three months
Thaw package of frozen sausage in the refrigerator overnight, the day before you’ll make your pizza
Add cooked sausage to your pizza after the sauce and Parmesan cheese, before the mozzarella

A good pizza sausage adds lots of flavor to your pizza, complements your sauce and other ingredients. It can make your pizza baked at home extra good.

Chicken Sausage on Pizza

Posted on August 31, 2010March 26, 2015 by kimbesa

Regular readers know that I’m obsessed with the pizza sausage from Hollywood Markets, a local chain of grocery stores in Southeast Michigan.

The only down side of this sausage is that they hardly ever have it in the meat case, and I have to special order it.

Since I was in another favorite store, Holiday Market in Royal Oak, I checked out the meat case there to see what they might have. This led me to try the dried tomato-basil sausage, made with chicken and turkey.

It is great to have so many choices of locally-made products. Like the pizza sausage, this one is made in the shop by the meat department.

Oh, yes, this one is good, too!

I fried it in a [popup_product]skillet[/popup_product] before adding it to the pizza. You do have to watch it closely. The dried tomatoes and other ingredients can burn if you’re not careful.

This sausage goes nicely with my favorite sauce, Pastorelli. It has a savory zing, spicy but not overpowering.

Now I’ll just have to make a pizza with some of each, and do a taste comparison. Any excuse for more homemade sausage pizzas!

Sausage Pizza – Saturday Night

Posted on August 14, 2010March 26, 2015 by kimbesa

Homemade sausage pizza is so good, it could take me years to get tired of it.

A hot, homemade pizza just hits the spot, especially on Saturday or Sunday night, for a causal meal, easy to eat while relaxing or watching some television.

It’s easy to make homemade dough for the pizza crust ahead of time, even the day before, and allow it to rise in the refrigerator.

Let your dough warm to room temperature before stretching it out on your [popup_product]pizza stone[/popup_product] or baking sheet.

Frying the fresh sausage (destined for pizza) is definitely the way to go, if you have the time. Browning develops the flavor and you have more control if you work in a skillet.

Work in batches so that you brown the sausage rather than steam it
Allow to drain on a paper towel to remove excess grease
Cool the sausage so you don’t burn yourself when adding it to your pizza

Pizza is so versatile that you can add more or less of your favorite ingredients, or try some new ones. Black olives are on my list for this.

And a brain wave – next time I order my favorite pizza sausage from Hollywood Markets, have them leave it in bulk instead of stuffing it in casings. I’m just going to take it out of the casing anyway.

I’d prefer not to freeze it, but buying in bulk (casings or no) I can’t use the quantity before it would spoil, unless I’m making pizza for a serious crowd.

Should I fry it before or after freezing? This is a question for my friend Chef Lynn, to be determined. I want to preserve the wonderful flavor of the seasonings, and freezing can alter them.

Meanwhile, time to enjoy another fresh hot pizza Saturday night!

About the plate: Pfaltzgraff buffet plate in the Seychelles pattern. Generous size for two big pizza slices.

Pizza Sausage – Give Up – NOT

Posted on March 17, 2010October 11, 2010 by kimbesa

Sausage pizza

Dear Governor Granholm,

I like you, but I won’t be giving up my Hollywood Markets pizza sausage this Saturday night.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had some really good vegetarian food, and I make a pretty mean tofu lasagna myself. And, better health is a worthy goal, too.

But I’ve been eating pizza without meat for years and years. I’ve paid my meatless dues.

Pizza sausage

Now that I have found a wonderfully zesty, Michigan made sausage, spiced just right to go on a pizza, I will be having it on Saturday night!

More sausage pizza – a savory supper

Posted on January 28, 2010October 11, 2010 by kimbesa

Another great sausage pizza

I’ve been baking my sausage ahead of making my pizzas. I’ve been using the oven for roast pork and other things, so it has been easy to add an extra ovenware dish with some sausage in it.

This is very convenient when it comes time to make a pizza and has been working out well.

My favorite Hollywood Markets pizza sausage comes in the large links, and five of them is enough for three pizzas, each with a generous helping of sausage, and room for mushrooms, too.

Again this time I baked the sausages in their casings, and put them in the refrigerator to get cold, so they would be easier to work with.

Instead of slicing the them, however, I just cut chunks off in somewhat smaller pieces than last time. I really like this, because it helps the sausage get a little browner in the oven, and makes it even more tasty for that.

So handy to pull out some sausage from the fridge and cut it while the dough is rising, ready to add to my pizza right after the mushrooms.

This is my third pizza in a week, and it went down very well. I could make thinner round slices of sausage, but this method is less fussy and full of flavor.

Good thing I got 10 pounds of pizza sausage, to last me until my next special order!

Big Chunks of My Favorite Pizza Sausage

Posted on January 20, 2010October 11, 2010 by kimbesa

Homemade sausage pizza

I love the pizza sausage that comes from Hollywood Markets, one of our local grocery store chains. Hollywood is known for its meat, and one of the guys in the meat department mixes this up. The last time I got some, I ordered 10 pounds.

This sausage has a great mix of spices that complement everything on your pizza. It does have some red pepper flake, but not too much. I perceive it as savory, not hot. Kinda like Cinderella eating porridge, this one’s just right.

Usually I take the sausage out of the casing, but this week I left it in the large links, and cooked them in a skillet with a lid on top. Then I let them get cold in the fridge, sliced them and put them on the pizza.

I like this method, because I can cook the sausage ahead and keep it in refrigerator for a few days, then use it when I’m creating my next pizza.

That looks so good, I’m going to have to make another one!

PS… I’ve been making pizza at home now for more than 30 years. I guess I know what I’m talking about, because this week I found another person who liked my articles so much that they wanted to “borrow” one of them. Here’s my original article, Homemade Pizza – Great Food as Close as Your Kitchen, on Ezinearticles, an article directory where I am an expert author.