Homemade 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.