Name: Copycat O'scugnizzo Pizza
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 pounds of fresh pizza dough; My pizza dough recipe or use store bought.; I use a deep rectangular baking sheet (around 2 inches deep); 1 pound of Italian sausage any heat you prefer( although the original recipe is to add raw sausage to the pizza, I fry mine first and drain the oil).; 2 cups of pizza sauce per pizza pie ( or more if you like) for the top; Note Pizza Sauce Suggestions: use canned, homemade pizza sauce or crushed Italian plum tomatoes; around 8 thick slices of whole milk mozzarella (best to have the deli slice it fresh); For more topping suggestions see under notes below

I grew up in a town called Utica, New York, this is a copycat favorite upside-down pizza that has been around since 1914 called O'scugnizzo.

The pizzeria remains open and ships its famous style all of the U.S. still open to date, and that's many Uticans' first stop when visiting home.

This was my favorite place to hang out with friends any night of the week and a family favorite so I decided since moving away to try and recreate it.

Although nothing will take the place of the real deal, upside-down pizza is assembled the same and is a delicious copycat or a miles-away memory.

The sauce is delicious and full of flavor, but the secret is using a great whole milk cheese and layering the pizza.

I can only savor the moments of getting a slice of #8 when I visit again which is my favorite loose sausage-style pizza.

When making a copycat recipe, you really want it to come together as the original and our pizza will be a pleasant surprise.

If you're familiar with Utica, New York, check out the links below for other foods our town is famous for.

Utica is famous for Tomato Pie, Italian Greens, Italian Lemon Ice, Pizza Fritta, Chicken Riggies, Manny's Cheesecake, Oscugnizzo Pizza, Pusties, and Rosato Chocolate Cookies.

Scroll down and get my printable directions and recipe.

Upside Pizza

The sauce and grated cheese are on the top of the cheese, so that makes the difference of calling it an upside pizza, check out the photos below.

This pizza made by O'scugnizzo Pizzeria is one of the best pizzas around if you love this style.

Of course, nothing can compare to the original, but being 1900 miles away it's the next best pizza available making our copycat recipe.

This pizzeria was founded in 1914 by Eugeno Burlino, who came to Utica from Naples in the late 1800s. They were officially declared the 2nd oldest pizzeria in the country..

If you go to their website you can try the original shipped from Utica, N.Y., and order online!

Upside Pizza What's The Difference?

steps for upside-down pizza
the dough is pre-baked since we don't have a pizza oven
meat goes first on top of dough IE sausage etc.
the cheese goes on next
the sauce goes on when the pizza is cooked all the way through
last, the pizza is loaded with Pecorino Romano cheese last (we love the cheese you can use less if you prefer)

All I could do is try and make the best "upside pizza" possible until I visit home again.

This will certainly take care of that craving until you can get there to eat the best upside-down pizza around in Utica, New York.

this is a famous copycat pizza in a local restaurant in Utica New York this one has sausage, sauce and mozzarella on it

Tomato Sauce and Tips

use a good quality tomato from Italy/European brands only(if using local brands, it won't have the same fresh-tasting tomato sauce)
crushed tomatoes have a little more pulp in them and work perfectly
use the heated sauce to the finished pizza cooked
my sources tell me the loose sausage goes on raw and cooks in a hot 800-degree pizza oven, I cook mine first and drain the grease

Tools Needed

This pizza requires a rectangular baking sheet and cut into squares or a round pan for a smaller-sized pizza
pizza cutter round or scissors style
fry pan
saucepan
wooden
spoon
Note: for pizza dough homemade is best or you can use store-bought from a bakery

this is a pan of loose sausage frying for a topping on a pizza

Pizza Topping Ideas

peppers
olives
eggplant
pepperoni
crushed meatballs finely chopped
leftover cooked buffalo chicken and cheddar cheese
loose cooked sausage
ham, and pineapple
mushrooms finely chopped broccoli and cheddar cheese
finely chopped zucchini or spinach with ricotta and garlic
minced finely minced shrimp and garlic
anchovies
loose cooked ground beef, cheddar cheese, finely chopped onions
tuna, cheddar cheese, minced onions
leftover cooked meats, pizza sauce, and cheese of choice
broccoli rabe sauteed
5 kinds of cheeses
garlic, oil, and shredded cheese
tomato basil
sliced onion
make the combination your family prefers (we are sausage and cheese lovers)

Utica N.Y. Local Copycat Recipes:

Chicken Riggies

Utica Greens

Lemon Ice

Manny's Cheese Cake

Tomato Pie

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Upside Down Pizza

The nickname for this style of pizza has always been called upside down because of how the layering is unique to this pizza pie.

Living so far from my hometown I have spent many days and nights in the kitchen trying to recreate my favorites until I can get back home for a visit and this is one of them.

The best of the best still remains in Utica, New York and of course and its originality, this is just a knockoff and it's pretty darn good to us for now.

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Italian food, copycat, pizza recipes, copycat pizza

Italian

Yield: 15

Author: Claudia Lamascolo