Hot Honey Pepperoni Pizza

Thanks Eduardo's Enoteca, Chicago for inspiring this recipe.  I've eaten your hot honey pepperoni pizza so many times at the bar with great service. I couldn't convince myself it was ok to visit once a week so  I had to try it at home myself.  

Ingredients: 

2 store bought thin crust pizza crusts (like from the pop tube)
1 jar of Terlato Vodka Sauce
1 bag of pepperoni
Mike's hot honey
About 10 slices of provolone cheese
5 oz fresh grated parmesan
1 and half bags of Six italian cheese blend, shredded
4 green onions, chopped
Oregano
Red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper
1 parmesan cheese rind (I keep rinds in my freezer wrapped in plastic wrap for extra flavor bombs like this. If you don't have this, use the rind from the parmesan you shred fresh for this recipe) 
1 tsp sugar

2 TBSP olive oil

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. Heat your vodka sauce in a sauce pan. Add parmesan rind, sugar, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes.  Taste for seasoning.  It should taste savory and a little sweet. 

3. Shred your parmesan cheese and prep your other ingredients

4. Oil a sheet pan and spread around with your hands. Take one pizza crust and spread it around.  Start from the middle and press it with your finger tips to spread it to the ends.  This pizza doesn't have a rolled up crust, just flat. 

5. Brush lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with oregano and red pepper flakes. Poke the crust with a few holes so it doesn't puff up in the oven. 

6. Bake for 5 minutes on top rack. 

7. Remove pizza from the oven. Spread sauce all around pizza pushing it about 1/2 in from the edge. Lay 5 provolone slices around the pizza. Top with your parmesan and 6 cheese blend. Add pepperoni, sprinkle a little red pepper flakes around and drizzle lightly with hot honey. 

8. Bake for 10 minutes on the second from the bottom rack. Check the bottom around 8 minutes. You want to see some brown on tis crust but not too brown. If it's too light, the pizza will be soggy in the middle. At 10 minutes move to the top rack and flip the broiler on to low.  Broil for 1 min or just until the cheese it super bubbly and some of the pepperoni start to curl up. 

9. Remove from the oven and sprinkle generously with green onion and more hot honey.  Serve immediately. 

Wine pairing: 

Unoaked Chardonnay from Oyster Bay was the selection tonight. It was refreshing and helped calmed the spice.