For The Love of Pizza

Homemade pizza, that is.  Roasted fresh red peppers, tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and heirloom garlic, thinly-sliced Soppressata di Puglia, fresh mozzarella and Texas-grown Albahaca basil, all on a thin, crisp cornmeal crust.  Sea salt and cracked black pepper..

Speaking of leftovers..

Here’s last night’s chipotle-roasted chicken on a crisp cornmeal pizza crust with sliced red onions, fresh pineapple and some slightly burnt asadero.  Fresh cilantro from the patio..

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For the Crust  [makes 2 7-inch crusts] (adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart)

1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/3 cups warm water
3/4 cups sprouted wheat flour, plus more for work surface
1/4 cup organic, stone-ground cornmeal, plus more for pizza stone
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for bowl

In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the warm water. Let stand until yeast is dissolved and mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.

Combine flour, cornmeal, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, and add the yeast mixture and oil. Slowly stir ingredients with a wooden spoon just until dough starts to come together. Turn out dough on a lightly floured work surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, 7 to 10 minutes.

Divide dough into four 4-ounce balls. Place balls in a shallow oiled bowl, turning to coat with oil; cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 1 hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees with a pizza stone on lowest rack. Stretch dough into 7-inch rounds. Sprinkle cornmeal on a pizza peel or inverted baking sheet.  Place dough rounds on top, and cooked until light golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Slide rounds onto pizza stone, and bake until crust is crisp and golden and toppings are bubbling, 5 to 7 minutes.

BBQ Pork Pizza on a Crisp Cornmeal Crust with Anaheim Peppers and Crumbled Tajo

Tangy mesquite BBQ sauce and well-marbled pieces of tender, pastured pork on a crunchy corn crust with onions, thinly sliced Anaheim peppers, crumbled Tajo and fresh cilantro.  A little bit Tex-Mex, a little bit San Francisco..

BBQ Pork Pizza on a Crisp Cornmeal Crust with Anaheim Peppers and Crumbled Tajo

Cotija comes in two primary versions. El Queso Cotija de Montaña or “grain cheese” is dry and firm, with little taste beyond salt (the cheese is usually several times saltier than typical cheese, traditionally for preservative reasons).   “Tajo Cheese” is a moister, fattier, and less salty version of the cheese that holds its shape when cut, with a flavor similar to Italian Parmesan and Greek Feta.

El Queso Cotija de Montaña is a seasonal cheese and is of limited production.  Cotija cheese is produced only during the months of July through October because the cows are fed only on the rich grass that grows naturally on the mountains during the raining season, giving the cheese its unique color and flavor.  Queso Cotija is an artisan cheese made by hand, thus every cheese has something unique.  This cheese usually comes in 17 kilogram cylinders with a creamy color crust;  it is a queso de montaña because the cheese makers live in the mountains as high as 1,700 meters (5,500 ft). -Wikipedia

CSA Pizza

Local pork sausage tossed with red pepper flakes & wild boar seasoning, just-milled grape tomatoes with heirloom garlic, fresh oregano and balsamic vinegar, roasted gypsy peppers, green onions, olive oil, Asiago & Manchego cheese, torn arugula and a crisp, thin wheat crust..

Killer Pizza (Austin CSA Edition)

Roast tomatoes and gypsy peppers in a 500 degree oven until charred.  Set both aside until cool enough to handle.

Slips the skins from the peppers and remove the stems and seed clusters.  Coarsely chop the flesh and set aside.

Pass 3/4 of the tomatoes through a food mill and place into a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium low heat. Add garlic, balsamic and the rest of the tomatoes and cook until thick, about 25 minutes.  Add fresh oregano about 5 minutes before the pan comes off the heat.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

Fry coarsely-ground fresh pork in a hot skillet.  Season with wild boar spices and cook until well browned.  Add green onions, toss and set aside.

Drizzle pizza crust with olive oil and place on a pre-heated pizza stone and bake 4 minutes at 500 degrees.  Return stone to oven and set the crust aside.

Working from the center out, spread tomato sauce around the partially-baked crust.  Scatter cooked sausage and green onions over the top.  Follow with roasted peppers and cheese and finish with arugula tossed with a little olive oil.

Sprinkle a little more boar seasoning over the top if desired, then slide pizza onto the stone and bake at 500 degrees until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is crisp, about 7 minutes.   Cut and serve immediately.

Ingredients from

Ground pork (Richardson Farms)
Grape tomatoes (CSA)
Heirloom garlic (JBG)
Fresh oregano (my garden)
Balsamic vinegar (Texas Olive Ranch)
Gypsy peppers (CSA)
Arugula (Montesino Ranch)
Green Onions (Acadian Family Farm)
Cheese (Antonelli’s Cheese Shop)
Pizza crust (Pie Fixes Everything)
Greenling Organic Delivery
Farmhouse Delivery

Chicken Adobado Pizza

Farm-fresh chicken pieces are marinated overnight in a mixture of ancho chiles, garlic, cumin, cloves and Mexican oregano, then slow-roasted, cooled and torn into chunks.  The pan juices are reduced with chopped fresh tomatoes until thick, then spread over a rustic cornmeal crust and topped with the chicken, yellow onions, fresh green chiles and queso anejo..

Chicken Adobado Pizza

For the Chicken and Sauce (adapted from a recipe by Rick Bayless)

2-3 joints of chicken
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 cloves
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon piloncillo
3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn
2 tablespoons raw cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
sea salt

1 small yellow onion, chopped
1-2 fresh Anaheim chiles, sliced

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. When hot, toast the chiles for a few seconds per side, then transfer to a bowl.  Don’t let the chiles burn or they will be very bitter.  Add 1 cup hot water to the bowl, cover and let stand 20 minutes to rehydrate the chiles.

Place the garlic, oregano, pepper, cumin, cloves, paprika, piloncillo, salt and vinegar into a food processor along with the chiles and and its soaking water.  Process into a smooth, thin sauce.

Place the chicken in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over the top.  Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning once.

Drain the chicken, reserving 1/4 cup of marinade.  Roast in a heavy skillet in a 300 degree oven until just done, then set aside to cool, taking care to collect the juices.

Pour the reserved marinade and collected juices into a clean pan set over medium heat and bring to a boil.  Add the tomatoes and cook until disintegrated, about 10 minutes.  Add onions and Anaheim chiles, reduce heat and simmer until thick, about 20 minutes.  Taste and adjust for seasoning and set aside to cool.

For the Crust  [makes 2 7-inch crusts] (adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart)

1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/3 cups warm water
3/4 cups sprouted wheat flour, plus more for work surface
1/4 cup organic, stone-ground cornmeal, plus more for skillet
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for bowl

In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the warm water. Let stand until yeast is dissolved and mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.

Combine flour, cornmeal, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, and add the yeast mixture and oil. Slowly stir ingredients with a wooden spoon just until dough starts to come together. Turn out dough on a lightly floured work surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, 7 to 10 minutes.

Divide dough into two balls. Place balls in a shallow oiled bowl, turning to coat with oil; cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 1 hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

Stretch dough into 7-inch rounds.  Sprinkle cornmeal on a skillet, pizza peel or inverted baking sheet.  Place dough rounds on top, and cook in a 400 degree oven until light golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

For the Pizza

1 cornmeal crust
1 cup roasted chicken, torn into chunks
1/2 cup thickened adobado with peppers and onions
1/4 cup Anejo cheese, shredded
chopped cilantro

Toss the chicken and adobado together, then spread over the top of the cornmeal crust.  Top with cheese and bake at 500 degrees until crisp and bubbly, about 8 minutes.  Garnish with fresh cilantro, cut into wedges and serve immediately.