Matt Wilde – Executive Chef & Partner at Bob’s Pizza
Bob’s Pizza
1518 E Harper Ct., Chicago, IL 60615
Other Locations:
616 Davis St, Evanston, IL 60201
1512 N LaSalle St. Chicago, IL 60610
1659 W 21st St. Chicago, IL 60608
Check Out:
From 4pm to 5pm Monday through Thursday all four Bob’s Pizza locations are buy one pizza, get one pizza free (dine-in and carryout). The Bob’s Pizza Hyde Park location also does 50% off all beer and wine by the glass during those days/times.
Bob’s Pizza Hyde Park is the only Bob’s location that sells select slices (cheese, pepperoni, wild mushroom). Those slices are available for dine and carryout from 11am until 4pm daily.
Recipe:
Bob’s Pizza – The Original Pickle Pizza Recipe
Garlic Cream Sauce
Ingredients
¼ cup of neutral oil
1 cup of whole peeled garlic cloves, smashed
4 cups of Heavy Cream
Cracked Black Pepper, to taste
Kosher Salt, to taste
Method
In a large sauce pan, heat oil on medium heat until hot. Add all of the smashed garlic cloves and sauté the garlic until caramelized – about 1 to 2 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium low, add all heavy cream. Stir occasionally and reduce the mixture until it is reduced down 1/3 of the original volume – about 20 minutes.
Add cracked black pepper and kosher salt to taste. Blend mixture or strain. Remove from heat, let cool to room temperature, transfer to air-tight container, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Dill Pickles
Ingredients
12 whole pickling cucumbers
1 ½ cups of Kosher Salt (1 cup for brine, ½ cup for pickles)
1 ¼ cups of water
1 ⅓ cups of apple cider vinegar
1 ⅓ cups of white vinegar
3 tablespoons of white sugar
1.5 tablespoons of whole black peppercorns, wrapped in cheesecloth
1.5 tablespoons of whole peeled smashed garlic cloves, wrapped in cheesecloth
3 tablespoons of fresh dill
Method
Wash all cucumbers. As thinly as you can, slice all the cucumbers. Place all sliced cucumbers in a large bowl, cover with 1 cup of kosher salt, and fill a large bowl with warm water until all cucumbers are covered – allowing for salt to dissolve.
Let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, strain liquid and rinse cucumbers under cool running water for about 2o minutes. Once rinsed and drained, set aside cucumber slices.
In a stock pot – with the heat on high – combine all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT for the dill and bring to a boil ensuring that the salt and sugar are completely dissolved – about 15 minutes. Make sure the peppercorns and garlic are secured in cheesecloth.
Transfer cucumbers into a different large bowl, and place all of the dill on top of the cucumbers. Pour hot brine onto cucumbers and make sure they are completely submerged.
Put pickles in the refrigerator for two hours – if possible – before using.
Assembling & Cooking Your Pickle Pizza
Ingredients
Your favorite store-bought raw pizza dough
3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
4 slices of mortadella sausage – sliced as thinly as possible
3 tablespoons neutral oil
3 tablespoons of fresh dill, roughly chopped
⅓ cup garlic cream sauce
About ½ cup of dill pickles – enough to cover or “shingle” your pizza
¼ cup of mozzarella cheese, grated
2 tablespoons of Swiss cheese, grated
1 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, grated
Cracked Black Pepper, to taste
Kosher Salt, to taste
Method
Preheat your oven to 550 degrees. Make sure to preheat your oven with a sheet pan or pizza stone in the oven during the pre-heating.
Stretch and/or roll out your favorite store-bought pizza dough to about 12 inches in diameter – incorporate the three tablespoons of all-purpose flour if needed in order to make sure the pizza dough is not sticky.
Lightly brush your pizza dough with three tablespoons of neutral oil – do not brush the oil around the outside inch of the perimeter of the pizza dough.
Add all of the garlic cream sauce to the pizza dough and spread it evenly – do not spread the garlic cream sauce around the outside inch of the perimeter of the pizza dough.
Lay the four slices of mortadella sausage on top of the garlic cream sauce – do not overlap the slices.
Combine all three of your grated cheeses into a small bowl and mix to combine. Sprinkle all of the combined cheeses evenly on top of the mortadella – do not sprinkle the cheese around the outside inch of the perimeter of the pizza dough.
Cover the entire top of the cheese on the pizza dough with enough dill pickle slices to ensure full coverage – also known as “shingling”.
Top the pickles with all the fresh dill evenly.
Place your pizza directly onto the heated pizza stone or sheet pan in your 550 degree oven. Cook for 9 to 10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Remove the pizza and finish with salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Cut into triangles, eat and enjoy.
