When people think Chicago, they think of the many culinary delicacies that the city has to offer. Most notably is the deep dish pizza. People from all over try to recreate our deep dish pies, but in order to really experience the deep dish pizza, you have to travel where it reigns supreme. The truth is, Chicago knows pizza in all forms. It seemed only appropriate that the Omni Chicago Hotel created a pie that they know best, an Italian Sausage and Mushroom Pie. (More “Perfecting Pie” Recipes)
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Perfecting Pie - Italian Sausage and Mushroom Pie

Italian Sausage and Mushroom Pie Recipe

The Crust: 3 1/4 cups All-purpose flour 1/2 cup Yellow cornmeal 1 1/2 tsp Table salt 2 tsp sugar 2 1/4 tsp Dry active yeast 1 1/4 cups Water, 105 degrees 3 Tbsp Unsalted butter, Melted, plus 5 tablespoons softened 5 Tbsp Olive oil 1. Mix yeast and warm water and let stand for 10 minutes in a robot bowl. 2. Mix remaining dry ingredients together. 3. Pour in water, yeast, and remaining wet ingredients (melted butter and olive oil) and mix with a dough hook. 4. After 2-3 minutes dough should come together in a rough ball. Pull dough out of bowl and kneed on a floured board. Kneed dough long enough for the dough to form good ball shape. 5. Place dough ball in an oiled bowl. Cover bowl with plastic or a clean towel. Place bowl in a warm, draft free place and wait for dough to double in size (about 1-1.5 hours). 6. After dough has risen, roll dough out into a large square on a frozen cutting board (do not use flour for this part, it will make the dough tougher). 7. Spread room temp butter over the top of the dough. Work quickly the butter will melt. Leave a one inch, butter free border. 8. roll dough up like you would to make cinnamon rolls. Pinch both ends of the dough and the flap of the dough so no butter oozes out during next step. 9. Use rolling pin to gently roll dough to half its original height. Then fold one end to the middle and the other end over top (the goal is to create layers of butter so you get a sturdy yet flaky crust). 10. Roll the dough into a log shape again. Split the dough into equal halves and place in fridge for one hour. After one hour, pull dough out and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Then roll dough out to 13-16 inch round. Take round cake pan or cast iron skillet and spread a little olive oil on it. Place dough in pan and shape the wall like a pie. You can put back in cooler or start cooking from this point.
ChefTipDon’t use flour after dough has risen, it makes the dough tougher. We suggest using a frozen board to keep the dough from sticking.
The Filling: 8 oz Mozzarella cheese, sliced 4 oz Provolone cheese, sliced 3/4 lbs Fresh Spinach 10 oz Italian Sausage 6 oz Mushrooms, Roasted 2 oz Romano cheese 6 oz Pizza Sauce 1. Preheat oven to 425 or 650 if you have pizza oven. 2. After you have shaped your pizza dough, add the Mozzarella and Provolone cheese. 3. Add sausage and mushrooms on top of the cheese mixture. Then add spinach and top with sauce and grated Romano cheese. 4. Bake pizza 35 minutes to an hour. Pizza dough should pull away from the pan slightly.
chefExecutive Chef Anthony Herve, a native of Brittany in the North of France, proves time and time again that growing up in France can be a fine way to learn culinary art. Anthony was always at his mother’s side in the kitchen growing up or spending most of his summers spearfishing with his Dad on the cost of Brittany, famous for its seafood. He always loved cooking and enrolled at young age in French culinary school, finding inspiration from his native region. After completing his studies, he first started working at the acclaimed restaurant “La Croix Blanche” in his hometown St Brieuc, where he acquired an excellent advance in French gastronomic cooking and developed his sense of rigor in practicing culinary art.Then Anthony left home to cook in a variety of hotels and restaurants mostly in France and United States. His hotel culinary positions included Sous Chef, Executive Sous Chef and Chef de Cuisine in Minnesota and south Florida.Prior to joining the Omni Hotel Chicago, Chef Anthony served as Executive Sous Chef at the Waldorf Astoria in Key West, Florida but also at the Hotel Sofitel Minneapolis for the Colette Bar and Bistro where the restaurant gained considerable acclaim for the culinary artistry and dedication to the community. Chef Anthony shared expertise by supporting the local community, making television appearances and teaching children about healthy eating.Trained in French and international cuisine, Chef Anthony’s 12-year career is benchmarked by exceptional culinary creation, kitchen and service team management and quality performance. Chef Anthony taps into his considerable experience to design innovative menu offerings, direct kitchen production and operations including staff training in the principles of good cooking, good business and teamwork, he believes food should be fun and memorable and should be sourced locally, whenever it is possible to ensure freshness while providing sustainability for those that spend the time cultivating the products. Chef Anthony builds strong relationships with our farmers to provide better meals for his guests because there is a better appreciation for the product when you know who is growing it, where it comes from and when it was harvested. His motto is simple; fresh, locally sourced seasonal ingredients perfectly prepared and seasoned to perfection. This is the lesson learned from his mother that he now brings to all of his cooking.