Norf Sauce

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART (4 CUPS), ENOUGH FOR ABOUT 4 PIZZAS

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 (28-ounce) can pizza sauce (about 3 1⁄2 cups)

• 1 cup warm water

  We the Pizza: Slangin' Pies and Savin' Lives Muhammad Abdul-Hadi

• 1⁄2 cup sugar

• 1⁄3 cup red pepper flakes

• 2⁄3 cup dried oregano

• 5 tablespoons onion powder

• 5 tablespoons garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke

DIRECTIONS 

With a stick blender or in a stand blender, combine the pizza sauce, water, sugar, red pepper flakes, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, and liquid smoke. The mixture should be kinda thick, not runny, and still spoonable. (You can adjust the thickness by adding more water, if you need to.)

Pour the sauce into a covered container and store at room temp if you’re using it within a day, or refrigerate it for up to a week or freeze it for up to 2 months.

“Reprinted with permission from We The Pizza: Slangin' Pies and Savin' Lives, Award-winning pizza (and more) + stories of second chances from Philadelphia's Down North Pizza by Muhammad Abdul-Hadi with Michael Carter and David Joachim (c) 2025. Photographs by Amurri Lauren (c) 2025. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House.”

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