Meatzzapalooza

Last year, when Josh was traveling for work quite a bit, I met him in Chicago for a weekend getaway that may have involved a meatzza and two(ish) bottles of champagne.  I'll set the scene.

Josh:  Where should we go for dinner?

Christie:  I'm fine with anything.  Let's just make sure they can do gluten free.  Oh, and dairy free.  Maybe we could see if there's a place that doesn't use canola oil?  But other than that, I'm up for anything!

Josh, having been through this before, pops a bottle of bubbly to prepare for the series of interviews he will have to conduct to find a suitable dining experience....what a trooper.

Josh: (On the phone with pizza place #17) Hi, yes, can you guys accomodate for gluten and dairy allergies?  A meatzza, you say?  We'll need a reservation for two.  Oh...and do you guys use canola oil on that meatzza?  Perfect.  

I love this man.  

Two bottles of champagne later, we are on our way to enjoy our first meatzza in the deep dish capital of the world.  The meatzza was described as  gluten free option that allows you to enjoy the experience of eating a traditional deep dish pizza with out the dose of gluten.  A ground beef/pork blend is used to form the crust of the pizza with the option to fill the pizza with any veggies, cheese, or, you guessed it, meat.  I opted for a veggie filled pizza, hold the cheese, while Josh went for a meat lovers nirvana.

At the time, we had never come across such a creation and were enthralled that we had found a decent gluten free option with so much substance.  Looking back, I'm not sure if the meatzza was just that good or if the two bottles of bubbly were talking to us.  I would guess the latter. 

We do get a hankering for a pizza taste every now and again, and when we do, you can be sure we'll make it a meatzza night.

1/2 pound ground pork (pastured)

1/2 pound ground beef (grass-fed 90/10)

1 large zucchini

6 small radishes

pizza sauce

5-6 slices bacon

raw goat milk cheese

salt

cayenne pepper

Pop a bottle of champagne.

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix pork and beef mixture with salt and cayenne pepper.

Mold mixture to a cast iron skillet.

Make sure to take crust all the way up the edge as you will loose volume once the water cooks out.

Place crust in oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Bake bacon until crispy.  Reserve fat.

Dice zucchini and sauté in bacon fat.

Top crust with pizza sauce, zucchini, sliced radishes, cheese, and crumbled bacon.

Bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy*

*Optional second bottle of champagne can be opened here...