Procedures

1. 1

   Season tomatoes lightly with salt. Place in a strainer lined with cheesecloth or paper towels and set over a bowl to drain excess liquid. Reserve strained tomato juice for another purpose.

2. 2

   Turn broiler on high to preheat. Place the largest cast iron skillet you have under the broiler, on the stove over maximum heat, or on a ripping hot grill. After about 20 minutes, both the broiler and the skillet should be hot enough.

3. 3

   Roll out or stretch pizza dough as thin as possible on a floured cookie sheet. (If you have a pizza peel, roll it out on the counter then transfer it to the peel.) Immediately top with tomatoes, sopressata, and mozzarella, torn into large chunks.

4. 4

   Invert skillet and transfer pizza to underside. Slide under the broiler as close to the heating element as possible without generating copious smoke. Cook until dough is puffy and well-charred, about 3 or 4 minutes, rotating skillet 180 degrees halfway through cooking to brown crust evenly.

5. 5

   Remove excess flour from crust with a pastry brush and transfer pizza to a plate. Top with finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, basil, and a light drizzle of olive oil. Slice and serve.