Italian Sandwich Pizza and Gosford Park

Hello and welcome to Pizza and a Movie! It’s been a little while since we did a skillet pizza so today we have an Italian Sandwich Pizza – loaded with all the toppings you might find on an Italian sub. We have Calabrese salami, mortadella, provolone and mozzarella cheese; arugula, roasted red pepper sauce, topped with olive tapenade. I have been on a Downton Abbey kick lately and this week’s movie is what started it all. Gosford Park came out in 2001 and was written by Julian Fellowes. With an all-star, ensemble cast, this is a great film, especially if you enjoy the upstairs/downstairs storytelling that Fellowes does so well. Let’s get right to it!

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place an oven rack on the middle-lower position. The roasted pepper sauce is really simple, I just blended a jar of roasted red peppers until smooth. That’s it! We only need a few tablespoons of it, so you can save the rest in a jar in the fridge for another use. Lightly oil the inside of your oven-safe skillet.

Pull, stretch or roll the pizza dough to line the bottom of your skillet. We will start with the provolone cheese slices. 3-4 large slices will suffice. Just enough to cover the surface of the dough.

Drizzle on some of the roasted red pepper sauce. Spread a large handful of baby arugula on top of the roasted red pepper sauce.

Layer the Calabrese salami over the arugula. Top the salami with some mozzarella. We will layer the mozzarella between the meats, so only use about about half first.

Top the mozzarella with folded mortadella slices. Then top the mortadella slices with the rest of the mozzarella cheese.

Finishing Touches

Drizzle on a little more red pepper sauce and dollop on the olive tapenade.

Ready for the Oven!

Bake the Italian Sandwich Pizza on the lower middle rack for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is puffy and golden and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

When the pizza comes out of the oven, use an offset spatula or knife to loosen the edges from the pan and slide the pizza out on a cutting board. Let the pizza sit for a few minutes, then slice and serve! This pizza has it all – the salami and mortadella make a great flavor and texture combination. The red pepper sauce brings a bright acidity, and the olive tapenade adds a briny tartness. And of course the gooey melted cheeses!

Movie Night: Gosford Park

We have our Italian Sandwich Pizza ready, so let’s get to the movie! Gosford Park was released in 2001, written by Julian Fellowes and directed by Robert Altman. If you’re a fan of Downton, you can see how the wheels were turning for Fellowes in this movie. In fact, Downton was supposed to be a spin-off of Gosford Park, but ended up being a stand alone series, taking place at an earlier point in the early 20th century.

The movie centers on a gathering of aristocrats for a shooting weekend at an English country house in the 1930s. Mystery and intrigue envelop both the upstairs guests and the downstairs staff. Fellowes’ clever dialog and comedy is a joy to watch. Maggie Smith’s character in Gosford Park is like the precursor to her Dowager Countess of Grantham – she gets all the one-liner zingers the Dowager is known for on Downton. A classic Agatha Christie-style whodunnit, Gosford Park is a fun, comedic romp. Available to rent on Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu and Amazon Prime Video.

Thank you all so much for joining me today for Pizza and a Movie. If you’re looking for another sandwich-inspired pizza try Detroit Style Meatball Pizza. Have a wonderful weekend! Take care and be well, xo Kelly

Print Recipe

Italian Sandwich Pizza

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Dinner, Main Course – American/Italian

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 15 Minutes – Cooking Time: 15-20 Minutes – Total Time: ~30 Minutes

Salami and mortadella make a great flavor combination. Red pepper sauce for a bright acidity and olive tapenade adds a briny tartness.

Ingredients

• 1 12-oz. Jar Roasted Red Peppers, blended until smooth
• 1 Prepared Pizza Dough
• Grapeseed Oil, for oiling the skillet
• Provolone Cheese Slices
• Baby Arugula
• Calabrese Salami or Pepperoni
• Low-Moisture Mozzarella Cheese, grated or torn into small strips
• Mortadella
• Olive Tapenade

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place an oven rack on the middle lower position. Lightly oil the inside of your oven-safe skillet.

2

Pull, stretch or roll the pizza dough to line the bottom of your skillet.

3

Start with the provolone cheese slices.

4

Drizzle on some of the roasted red pepper sauce.

5

Spread a large handful of baby arugula on top of the roasted red pepper sauce.

6

Layer the Calabrese salami over the arugula. Top the salami with about half of the mozzarella.

7

Top the mozzarella with folded mortadella slices.

8

Then top the mortadella slices with the rest of the mozzarella cheese.

9

Drizzle on a little more red pepper sauce and dollop on the olive tapenade.

10

Bake the pizza on the lower middle rack for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is puffy and golden and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

11

When the pizza comes out of the oven, use an offset spatula or knife to loosen the edges from the pan and slide the pizza out on a cutting board. Let the pizza sit for a few minutes, then slice and serve!