ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — What do you do when you have one successful restaurant?

You open a second one of course.

Paul's Chicago Pizza’s second location is another homage to the Second City.

Starting in Clearwater, Paul Coumoulos and his wife Donna opened a second restaurant in St. Petersburg in late 2017.

Paul demonstrated a Chi-town favorite in this installment of the Chef’s Kitchen: Traditional Thin Crust Pizza.

Ingredients:

10-12 oz. dough ball

6 oz. pizza sauce

5 oz. bulk Italian sausage, out of casing

1/2 small onion diced

1/2 small green pepper diced

20 pieces sliced pepperoni

8 oz. mozzarella cheese

3-4 tbsp. medium grind corn meal

Dough:

1-1/2 c. warm water

1 package active dry yeast

3-3/4 cups bread flour

3 tsp.salt

2 tsp. sugar

Mix yeast according to package.

Then mix all ingredients together in bowl by hand until somewhat smooth. 

Divide into halves. 

Roll each half into a ball.

Put each into a separate bowl seal with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Pizza Sauce:

14 oz.fresh packed tomato (combo of diced and heavy purée will work)

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Mix until blended well

Directions:

Roll out dough ball very thin and poke holes with a fork into entire crust.

Let rest.

Preheat oven and pizza stone to 450 degrees.

Spread cornmeal evenly on a flat surface preferably, cardboard or wood--not metal.

Lay crust on cornmeal.

Spread sauce evenly to within 1/8 inch from the edge of dough.

Add sausage by pinching off approximately quarter-sized pieces and placing them every inch to inch and a half.

Spread the rest of your ingredients evenly over pizza.

Finally, add cheese evenly to within 1/2 inch to edge.

Bake on preheated pizza stone at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes. 

Ovens may and will vary, so check internal temperature of sausage is 160 degrees before removing from oven.

Cut into squares two inches by two inches.

Enjoy.