Portuguese Pizza topped with Chourico Sausage, Onions & Peppers and a Portuguese Pizza sauce that has a bit of heat. If you never had a Portuguese Chourico Sausage before you are really missing out. They really are just too good.

This is my interpretation of a Portuguese Pizza. Utilizing common Portuguese ingredients and Flavors. It’s a bit of a spicy Pizza, but man is it ever good. Make it up with some side dishes for Pizza Night and have a Feast!

Pizza Dough

Use the Classic Hand Tossed Pizza Dough to make Portuguese Pizza or use the Deep Dish, Thin Crust, or make it as a Pita Pizza, Quick & Easy.

With the Classic Hand Tossed Pizza Dough, dust the counter with cornmeal and place the dough on top. Press the center down with your fist. Ensuring that the crust or outer edge is never touched to preserve the air pockets. Stretch the pizza out to form the pizza, Hand toss it and transfer to a Pizza Screen or Pan.

Portuguese Pizza Sauce

A basic Pizza Sauce with added Pimento Paste. Add about 1 Tbl or more of Pimento Paste (Sweet or Hot) to about 1/2 C of Pizza Sauce with some Parsley.

Add some Garlic sauteed in Olive Oil with a splash of Wine, if desired.

Onions pair exceptionally well with peppers, so you could add shredded Onion to cook a bit in the pan after cooking the Sausages and before the Pizza Sauce goes in. Optionally add Onion & Garlic Powder to the Pizza Sauce.

The Pizza Sauce should be a bit spicy. Hot Pimento Paste adds in the heat naturally. If using Sweet Pimento Paste, add enough Hot Paprika so that the sauce has some heat.

Portuguese Pizza Toppings

The Chourico Sausage is the star of the dish. Along with Onions & Peppers, optionally add some Olives.

Pick up Chourico/Linguica Sausage at your local Portuguese Grocery Store. It will be worth the search and drive. Pick up the Pimento Paste there too. They come in two varieties (Sweet & Hot).

Chop the sausage up any way you’d like, into slices, rustic coarse chop, or diced. Optionally pan fry these a bit to create a fond. Then remove them and add in the Pizza Sauce, just to heat through and pick up the fond. This will add the Chourico Sausage Flavor and some of the rendered Fat to the Pizza Sauce.

Pizza Cheese

Use a 3:1 Blend of High Moisture Mozzarella Cheese to Shredded Provolone Cheese. It’s just perfect for Pizza.

Shred the Mozzarella Cheese in a food processor and then shred the Provolone Cheese.

Combine 3 cups of shredded Mozza to 1 cup of shredded Provolone in a freezer bag and mix well. Freeze and use on various dishes.

How to Cook Pizza in the oven

1. Preheat the oven as high as it will go with a pizza stone in place. Place the Pizza on a screen or pan on top of the pizza stone and cook for 6 minutes.
2. When 1-2 minutes of cook time remain, transfer the pizza directly onto the pizza stone and rotate it so that the back of the pizza is now at the front.
3. Transfer back onto the screen or pan when removing it from the oven.

You want a very high heat so that the pizza cooks up with minimal water loss which will result in a crispy exterior but soft tender dough with air bubbles throughout.

The rack position will generally be the middle position or 1 notch above or below. This is not so much for crusting the bottom of the Pizza. The Pizza stone will do an excellent job at that when the pizza is transferred and in direct contact. The rack position needs to be adjusted to achieve good and sufficient browning for the top of the pizza and crust.

If you find that your pizza cooks up with not enough browning on the crust, raise the rack position 1 notch higher next time.

While not quite as common, if you find your pizza browning too much, lower the rack position next time. There are numerous variables that affect how the pizza cooks up, in general the above is a good guideline with a pizza stone in place.

Pizza Side Dishes

Make up some Twisty Bread or Bagel Twistixs. Add some Cheesy Garlic Fingers with Donair Sauce or some Buffalo Wings.

Don’t forget the Garlic Sauce too. It’s crazy good for dipping your Pizza or Bread Sticks into.