The Donne household that I married into hint their heritage again to Sicily the place their kinfolk made Sicilian Christmas Pizza. That is the particular household recipe we now have each Christmas!
Have a really pizza Christmas!
Once I went to my first Christmas on the Donne’s home, everybody was speaking about Christmas pizza. As this was not a convention in my home, I wasn’t certain what sort of pizza to count on. This isn’t your typical triangular New York slice; fairly, it’s a deep dish stuffed pizza stuffed with floor beef, spinach, and gooey, melted cheese.
This recipe might be traced again to Thomas’s nice nice grandmother, Michelina Gentile, who was from Sicily. It has been handed down and is a Christmas custom. In truth, Thomas’s aunt Layton advised me that the household thought it was taboo to make the recipe on any day apart from Christmas Eve!
Sfincione (Sicilian Christmas Pizza)
In doing a little analysis to see if different folks additionally eat “Christmas pizza” I discovered recipes for sfincione. In response to Severe Eats “The etymology of sfincione isn’t fully clear, however the almost definitely reply is that it comes from the phrase for sponge, a reference to its tall, ethereal texture.”
Whereas our Christmas pizza is just not open confronted or made with a lightweight and ethereal focaccia-like crust, I can see how the recipes might need been related a few years in the past.
Final 12 months at Christmastime (earlier than our kitchen was sledgehammered!), Thomas and I photographed the step-by-step course of so we might digitize this recipe to share with the various of you who’ve requested for it through the years.
Christmas Pizza Recipe
The bottom of the recipe is floor beef, frozen spinach, onions (sure onions!) and American cheese that melts so nicely proper beneath the highest layer of crust. Whilst you actually might make your personal dough, our household buys pre-made dough from Complete Meals that we predict is kind of scrumptious! John talked about that he typically provides a container of mushrooms (sautéed with the onions) and further parmesan cheese sprinkled into the highest layer of his pizza for additional taste.
Whereas this recipe is a bit time intensive, it’s additionally nice for feeding a crowd! The recipe can also be simply doubled, which is what we did in these pictures. You may make the filling prematurely in order that the day you prepare dinner it you’re solely assembling the layers and baking it. The Donne household has it on Christmas morning, and for lunch or a lightweight dinner for days after Christmas. It’s so good the day after Christmas when all of the presents have been opened!
Substances
- 2 lbs. of 90/10 floor beef
- 2 packages of frozen chopped spinach
- 2 yellow onions, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1/2 container of Kraft parmesan cheese
- 3 massive eggs, whisked
- 1 bundle of recent basil, finely chopped
- 2 containers of already made pizza dough – can purchase on the grocery retailer or out of your favourite pizza place
- 1 bundle of Kraft American cheese slices, 30 slices
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
The household feels strongly that the parmesan be Kraft (not recent parm) and you employ American cheese – different cheeses don’t soften the identical. One other word is that the American cheese is ideally the type that comes stacked however NOT the individually wrapped ones.
Supplies
- 1 roll of paper towels (for the spinach)
- Sheet pan
How To Make Christmas Pizza
Step 1: Preheat oven and Brown meat
Preheat the oven to 350 levels. Brown the meat in a skillet over medium warmth with olive oil and add salt and pepper to style.
Step 2: Drain the meat
Put cooked meat in a colander to empty out the liquid – essential step!
Step 3: Sauté onions and garlic, then drain with paper towels
Sauté’ onions within the skillet on medium warmth with olive oil til translucent. Push cooked onions out to the perimeters of the pan and switch to medium/low – add a bit olive oil within the middle of the pan and add the recent chopped garlic, stir for 1 minute. Place about 10 paper towels stacked on prime of one another on the counter, put the onion/garlic combination on the paper towels. Wrap the paper towels across the onion combination to empty out any liquid.
Step 4: Prepare dinner spinach after which drain as nicely
Warmth bagged spinach till nicely thawed and heat. It simply must be thawed, not essentially cooked a lot past that. You possibly can warmth it within the bag or in a glass bowl within the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop. Repeat the identical course of with the spinach that you just did with the onion combination – squeeze out all of the liquid – essential so the crust gained’t get soggy.
Step 5: Combine meat, onions, and spinach along with cheese, egg, basil and oregano
In a big bowl combine the meat, onions and spinach. Add parmesan cheese, whisked eggs, recent basil, dried oregano.
Step 6: Grease baking sheet
Have a big baking sheet and grease with olive oil in the event you don’t have nonstick. Some cornmeal will forestall sticking as nicely.
Step 7: Roll out dough
Roll out one of many packages of dough in a rectangle form to suit the pan. Use flour on the countertop so it gained’t stick. It’s higher to have an excessive amount of than too little. You don’t need the crust to be too thick however too skinny and it’ll tear. You possibly can reduce off the surplus on the perimeters after you set the second piece on prime.
Notice we made two pizzas to feed a crowd!
Step 8: Add the filling
Put filling on prime of the dough within the pan getting it thick sufficient to cowl and as much as all the perimeters. The filling will probably be about 1/2 inch thick.
Step 9: Add cheese layer
Place sliced cheese throughout and down over the entire pizza filling overlapping the cheese by a few 1/4 inch. This makes it additional tacky. Layton says don’t forget the cheese!! She did one 12 months and it wasn’t a simple downside to undo : )
Step 10: Roll out second dough and add on prime
Roll out second bundle of dough in the identical form and fold over as soon as after which twice so it’s simpler to choose up and place on the filling. Then divulge heart’s contents to cowl all of the filling. Pinch it across the edges with solely about 1/4 inch crust as a result of it’s going to double in dimension when it cooks. You don’t need an excessive amount of crust. So you will want to chop additional dough across the edges of the pan as you go across the edges.
Step 11: Make slits and bake for 30-40 minutes
Make slits on prime within the form of a Christmas tree for adornment (or do a giant MC like we did for Merry Christmas!) and bake for roughly 30 – 40 minutes. Take away from oven when it’s golden brown and the cheese is effervescent by way of the slits.
Get pleasure from sizzling out of the oven!
How To Retailer Christmas Pizza
After you’ve had your fill, we reduce up the remaining pizza into slices and retailer in glass containers within the fridge, heating up as soon as slice at a time. You’ll need to reheat within the oven so the crust will get good and crisp. I’ll preheat a bit within the microwave to make sure the center is sizzling too.
Ship visitors house with some additional items wrapped in foil and carried in a paper bag!
Christmas Pizza
This baked, deep dish stuffed pizza stuffed with floor beef, spinach, and many gooey cheese.
Substances
- 2 lbs of 90/10 floor beef
- 2 packages of frozen chopped spinach
- 2 yellow onions finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1/2 container of Kraft parmesan cheese
- 3 massive eggs whisked
- 1 bundle of recent basil finely chopped
- 2 rounds of pizza dough
- 1 bundle of Kraft American cheese slices 30 slice pack
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
Directions
-
Preheat the oven to 350 levels.
-
Brown the meat in a skillet over medium with olive oil and add salt and pepper to style. Put cooked meat in a colander to empty out the liquid – essential step!
-
Sauté’ onions within the skillet with olive oil til translucent on medium warmth. Push cooked onions out to the perimeters of the pan and switch to medium/low – add a bit olive oil within the middle of the pan and add the recent chopped garlic, stir for 1 minute. Place about 10 paper towels stacked on prime of one another on the counter, put the onion/garlic combination on the paper towels. Wrap the paper towels across the onion combination to empty out any liquid.
-
Prepare dinner bagged spinach within the microwave or in a stockpot till thawed and heat. Repeat the identical course of with the spinach that you just did with the onion combination – squeeze out all of the liquid – essential so the crust gained’t get soggy.
-
In a big bowl combine the meat, onions and spinach. Add parmesan cheese, whisked eggs, recent basil, dried oregano.
-
Have a big baking sheet and grease with olive oil in the event you don’t have nonstick. Some cornmeal will forestall sticking as nicely. Roll out one of many packages of dough in a rectangle form to suit the pan. Use flour on the countertop so it will not stick. It’s higher to have an excessive amount of than too little. You don’t need the crust to be too thick however too skinny and it’ll tear. You possibly can reduce off the surplus on the perimeters after you set the second piece on prime.
-
Put filling on prime of the dough within the pan getting it thick sufficient to cowl and as much as all the perimeters. The filling will probably be about 1⁄2 inch thick.
-
Place sliced cheese throughout and down over the entire pizza filling overlapping the cheese by a few 1⁄4 inch. This makes it additional tacky.
-
Roll out second bundle of dough in the identical form and fold over as soon as after which twice so it’s simpler to choose up and place on the filling. Then divulge heart’s contents to cowl all of the filling. Pinch it across the edges with solely about 1⁄4 inch crust as a result of it’s going to double in dimension when it cooks. You don’t need an excessive amount of crust. So you will want to chop additional dough across the edges of the pan as you go across the edges.
-
Make slits on prime within the form of a Christmas tree for adornment and bake for roughly 30 – 40 minutes.
-
Take away from oven when it’s golden brown and the cheese is effervescent by way of the slits.
