Pizza Sauce (Pictou County Nova Scotia)

This is a regional pizza style that originated in Pictou County during the 1960s. The name "Pictou" is of unknown origin, although there are some speculations, such as it being related to a Mi'kmaq term or to a province in France. Pictou County Pizza is unique as it's made with a brown sauce, rather than a red sauce and it's loaded with a local, spicy pepperoni. The crust is also a bit thicker, definitely not a thin crust pizza. The most commonly accepted origin story is that two Greek immigrant brothers, George and Demetre Kouyas, opened Sam's Pizza in Stellarton around 1962. For unknown reasons, they decided to make their pizzas with a spicy brown tomato sauce, creating this regional style. Over time, other pizza places, generally owned by relatives of the Kouyas, have opened and also sell Pictou County Pizza. Although the brown sauce (which is actually more of a reddish-brown colour) recipe is supposed to be a family secret, you can find recipes online, such as here, although it's unsure how close those recipes are to the actual sauce. Some pizza shop owners have also bottled their brown pizza sauce, which can be found in grocery stores in Canada, so you can try to make your own Pictou County pizza at home. Pictou County Pizza is usually made with “Brothers-style” pepperoni, which originated from two Polish immigrants, Max and Chris Kielbratowski, who opened meat shops in Nova Scotia. Over time, the family members went off on their own related endeavors, leading to three businesses: Original Brothers, Chris Brothers or 2 Boys: All three produce similar spicy pepperoni, based on the same family recipe, so all three are collectively known as the “Brothers-style” pepperoni.

5-6 medium onions, diced
8 ribs celery, diced
¼ cup sea salt
4 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (12 oz) can tomato paste
2 cups mushrooms, coarsely chopped, optional
4 cloves cloves, chopped
½ cup black pepper, freshly ground
1 cup dried oregano
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups Canola oil
2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached

Sauté the onions, celery and salt until transparent.

Combine in a large pot with tomatoes, tomato paste, mushrooms and garlic.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for 4 hours.

Add pepper, oregano and broth: simmer for about 15 minutes.

Add the oil. It's like making gravy - start with 2 cups of each, blend well (I use a big whisk). Depending on how thick you like your sauce, you may need to add more of either.

Additional chicken broth may also be used if you would like to thin the sauce.

Ready to use, jar, or freeze.

Makes 16 servings.