Mexi-Pizza

I thought this was good! I prefer sausage and mushroom pizza and when I heard of Chorizo (Mexican Sausage) I wanted to try it. I made my own Chorizo. This recipe comes from Rachael Ray. My family was not brave enough to try the pepper/onion half of the pizza - they went for the sausage and cheese only side. I asked Ron who in the family would eat the spicy side with me and he said, "Call Davis" -- so, Davis - what do you think?

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Mexi-Pizza
http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/mexi-pizza/

Ingredients

• 4 poblano peppers (not available so I used Anaheims - very mild)
  
• 3 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 recipe pizza dough (see below -- or use ready-made if you prefer)
  
• 3/4 pound Mexican (fresh) chorizo or make your own
• 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 2 small red onions, 1 chopped and 1 sliced
• 1 cup queso fresco or ricotta
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 avocado ripe, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, sliced

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Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Place peppers on a baking sheet, drizzle them with EVOO and season with a little salt and pepper. Place them under the broiler and char each side, turning them every couple of minutes. (If you leave the oven door ajar, the steam does not collect in the oven such that you will burn your face when you open the door...)

Once the outsides of the peppers are nice and black, remove them and turn the oven down to 400˚F. Place the peppers into a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let sit for 5-10 minutes then peel away the charred skins of the peppers. Cut peppers in half and remove the stem and seeds then cut them into strips.

On a clean work surface, roll out dough so it fits a pizza pan or baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake until golden brown and slightly crispy, about 15 minutes.

While the pizza dough is in the oven, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO. Add the chorizo (see recipe below) and brown well. Remove and reserve on a paper towel-lined plate.

Once the pizza dough is done, remove from oven and sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese, poblanos, chopped red onion and chorizo. Pop the pizza back into the oven for about 3 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle the queso fresco or ricotta and squeeze a bit of lime juice over the top.

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TRIO SALAD

Serve with a salad of sliced avocado (2), tomato (2) and sliced red onion (1) alongside.

I topped my salad with EVOO, fresh lime spritz, s&p.

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Fresh Homemade Chorizo

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/homemade-fresh-chorizo/

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3/4 pound ground pork (I ground my own)
  
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon oregano
• Salt and ground black pepper

Place a large skillet over medium high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO. Place the ground pork in the hot skillet along with the rest of the ingredients, mix it around a little then cook until brown.

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My Favorite Pizza Dough

Bake 20 minutes at 425°

2¼ to 2½ cups flour
2 tablespoons yeast
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 cup HOT water

Mix all ingredients together. Knead until smooth. Press into pan and cover with toppings. Bake. (or prebake the crust for about 20 minutes, the cover with toppings and cook long enough to melt the cheese!)

Note: This recipe works well for bread bowls. After dough is made, lightly grease outsides of small Pyrex bowls and wrap dough around bowls. Bake until done. Fill with soup to eat. Breadsticks are great by this dough also.

Recipe from one of my Laurels in V7YW --- Michelle Kitchen