Whole Milk Mozzarella, Tomatoes, house-cut Pepperoni, Italian Sausage, Balsamic Red Onions, Herbes de Provence Mushrooms
Let’s start with the ingredients on this pie and then the back story for the name and inspiration.
I start with the base of my plain cheese, same sliced whole milk mozzarella from {xxxxxxxxxx] and whatever tomatoes I’m favoring that day, be it the GustaRosso San Marzano D.O.P.s, Bianco DiNapoli or First Field crushed tomatoes. Then I add the four toppings that to me make up a “supreme” also known as a “combo” in certain parts of the country.
I’m using the in-house cut Hormel Rosa Grande pepperoni, which cups and slightly chars if I’ve got the oven tuned in correctly. Then I add some quarter-sized dollops of sweet Italian sausage from [xxxxxxx] that cooks directly on the pie. I never cook the sausage beforehand as it would dry of and not “leak” those fennel-spiked juices onto the pie. I counter-balance the meats with onions and mushrooms. I’m favoring thinly sliced red onions that I roast with balsamic vinegar in the oven, not quite to the point of caramelization, but close enough. A few fine grinds of Aranya black pepper from my Peugeout mill set on medium course and we’re good to go. The star of the show are my wild mushrooms (you didn’t think I’d use canned buttons, did you?) that I get thru Manhattan Fruit Exchange. Expect creminis, shiitakes and sometimes chanterelles. These are roasted with house-cultured butter, salt & pepper and my favored mix of Herbes de Provence: Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, Savory and Thyme. I certainly do not use lavender in my mix – that’s an American aberration to which I don’t subscribe.
Why is it called Sonny Supreme OG?
5 minutes after I stepped into general pop at FCC Otisville (1997), a Paulie Walnuts lookalike came up to me and said "someone wants to see you - follow me." The guys playing Gin Rummy at the table stopped and John "Sonny" Franzese, legendary Underboss of the Colombo Family, looked up at me and smiled. "I heard you were coming. Pack up your stuff. I told the CO you're bunking with me." One more thing: shave off that goatee. Or go live with the Latin Kings. Your choice." 10 months later, still clean-shaven, I was released. Sonny did another 20 years and got out at age 102. He passed away at age 103 in February 2020. The man lived thru 12 decades. This pie's for you, Sonny.