11:16 / Mexican Redux

Since my first attempt at Mexican flavors in my salsa verde pizza, I have had a mental list of the ingredients I could have used and did not. Since I am in the autumn weeks of this project, I have been trying to make each pizza unique, and really count for something. I believe that spirit came out in this week's project, which may be my favorite of my savory recipes.

The recipe is based around a black bean and corn salad, which seems to get made once a week around here in summer. It's a snap to make, you just throw everything together and season to taste. This time, I built it more from the ground up, using fresh corn and basil from the garden. 

I needed a little extra flour, and at the shop I ran into chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It was like the universe giving me a kind look and nodding, meant to be. I ended up using the sauce as a thin layer of tomato substitute, and cut up the peppers themselves as an extra topping. 

To step back from the intense heat of my last Mexican pizza, I went for pepper jack over the admittedly delicious habanero-laced cheddar. For depth of flavor, I added a little Manchego. Extra for dusting over the crust.

Toppings:

3 ears of corn

1 16 oz can black beans

1 red onion

10 oz cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

3 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

6 oz chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

8 oz pepper jack cheese

4 oz Manchego cheese

Prepare the crust, per my improved recipe here, or using your favorite crust recipe. Preheat the oven to 500º F.

Husk the corn, then cut the kernels from the cobs and rinse them along with the black beans. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, and dice half the red onion. Toss everything together with the basil, salt, pepper and olive oil. This stands up on its own as a great salad, so if you are suddenly fatigued, grab a big spoon and go to town.

Otherwise, spread the adobo sauce thinly over the prepare crust, then distribute the bean and veggie mix on top. Slice the rest of the red onion and arrange the slices over the veggies [totally optional]. Cut the chipotle peppers into small bits [not sure how to describe the pieces, as the peppers are soaked with sauce and look a bit like slugs] and sprinkle them over everything. Grate the pepper jack and Manchego cheese over the whole pizza.

Slide into the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and bubbling. Makes two pizzas that will not last long!