Longganisa Pizza with Mozzarella and Red Onion

Longganisa Pizza with Mozzarella and Red Onion Recipe

This Filipino-American pizza pairs fully cooked sliced longganisa with mozzarella, sharp cheddar, red onion, and a tangy banana-ketchup tomato sauce.

Yield: 1 (14-inch) pizza, cut into 8 slices Serving size: 1 slice (1/8 pizza)

Yield note: Six ounces of cooked, thinly sliced longganisa gives even coverage without weighing down a 1-pound dough ball. The pizza serves 4 as a main dish or 8 as a snack.

Shopping List

• 1-pound prepared pizza dough ball
• olive oil
• raw pork longganisa links
• red onion
• low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella
• sharp cheddar cheese
• prepared pizza sauce
• banana ketchup
• cane vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• dried oregano
• crushed red pepper flakes
• scallions

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 pound prepared plain pizza dough, refrigerated or thawed
• 1 teaspoon olive oil for the rim

Longganisa Topping

• 6 ounces raw pork longganisa links (about 3 to 4 links, depending on size)
• 1/3 cup water for cooking the longganisa
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 5 ounces low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, shredded
• 1/2 ounce sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Sauce and Finish

• 1/3 cup (85 grams) prepared pizza sauce
• 1 tablespoon banana ketchup
• 1 teaspoon cane vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Take the 1-pound dough ball out of the refrigerator 60 to 90 minutes before shaping. Keep it covered while it loses its chill.
2. Put the raw longganisa links and 1/3 cup water in a medium skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat, turning occasionally, until the water is nearly gone, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Uncover and continue cooking the links in their rendered fat for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Verify that the center of each raw pork link reaches 160 F on an instant-read thermometer.
4. Transfer the cooked longganisa to a clean plate and cool for at least 10 minutes. Slice the links crosswise into rounds about 1/4 inch thick; do not put the cooked sausage back on a plate that held it raw.
5. During the final 45 minutes of the dough rest, place a pizza stone or steel on a lower-middle rack and heat the oven to 500 F. For a dark heavy pizza pan or sheet-pan fallback, heat the oven to 475 F and allow 2 to 4 extra minutes of baking.
6. Stir the pizza sauce, banana ketchup, vinegar, dried oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Taste the sauce with a small piece of cooked longganisa; it should be tangy enough to balance the sausage.
7. Shape the relaxed dough into a 14-inch round with a 3/4-inch raised rim. If the dough pulls back, cover it for 10 minutes before stretching again.
8. Transfer the dough to an oven-safe sheet of parchment or a prepared pizza peel. Brush the raised rim with the olive oil and spread the sauce evenly inside it.
9. Scatter on the mozzarella and cheddar, then add the red onion. Arrange the sliced longganisa rounds evenly across the cheese, leaving small gaps rather than overlapping the sausage.
10. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone or steel and bake until the underside and rim are browned, the cheese bubbles, and the longganisa edges begin to caramelize, 10 to 13 minutes. Use the same visual cues with a conventional pizza pan.
11. Move the pizza to a cutting board, scatter on the scallions, and rest for 3 minutes before cutting into 8 slices.