Sausage-and-Olive Pizza with Capers and Pecorino Sardo

Thomas McNaughton gives classic sausage-and-olive pizza a tangy twist by adding piquant capers and pecorino sardo, a firm sheep's milk cheese from Sardinia.

Sausage-and-Olive Pizza with Capers and Pecorino Sardo
Photo: © John Kernick
Active Time:
25 mins
Total Time:
1 hrs
Yield:
1 10-inch pizza

Ingredients

  • One portion Perfect Neapolitan Pizza Dough

  • 1/3 cup pizza sauce

  • 2 ounces uncooked Italian sausage, casing removed and meat crumbled

  • 1/4 cup pitted and halved Gaeta olives

  • 1 teaspoon chopped capers

  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped oregano

  • 1/4 cup shaved Pecorino Sardo cheese

Directions

  1. Set a pizza stone on a rack in the top third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 500° for at least 45 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the dough ball from the refrigerator and let stand for 20 minutes.

  2. Working on a floured surface and using your fingers, press and stretch the dough ball out to a 10-inch round, working from the center toward the edge; avoid pressing on the outermost edge. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured pizza peel. Spread the Pizza Sauce onto the dough, making sure to leave a 1-inch border around the edge, and top with the crumbled sausage, olives, capers, oregano and pecorino cheese.

  3. Turn the oven to broil for 5 minutes, then return it to 500°. Slide the pizza onto the pizza stone, opening and closing the oven door as quickly as possible. Bake until the bottom is lightly charred and the toppings are bubbling, about 6 minutes for a chewier crust and 8 minutes for a crispier one; avoid opening the oven door during baking.

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