Original Pizzeria Uno
Reports vary on who invented Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. Some say Pizzeria Uno founder Ike Sewell, a former University of Texas football star, invented the style in 1943. But a 1956 article by the Chicago Daily News asserts Uno's first pizza chef, Rudy Malnati, developed the recipe. Regardless, the invention became an instant classic. The pizza is baked in an oiled round, steel pan, giving the pie its characteristically high edge, fried effect on the outside of the crust and a deep surface for large amounts of cheese and chunky tomato sauce. A thin to medium-thick crust is pressed up the sides of the pan, forming a bowl for a thick layer of toppings. Assembled upside-down to avoid burning the toppings, the crust is covered with cheese (generally sliced mozzarella), followed by pepperoni or sausage, and fresh ingredients such as onions, mushrooms and bell peppers. An uncooked sauce, typically made from crushed canned tomatoes, and a flourish of Parmesan finish the pie.
