Pizza. Ooohey, gooey, and so incredibly versatile that dozens of books could be written on pizza recipes alone. One of my favorites is homemade Mexican pizza. I have chosen to use a pizza oven for putting this together. I suggest using oak, maple, or ash as your heat supply. 

Exactly how many people this feeds depends on the hardiness of their appetite. One slice is pretty filling because it’s like a pizza sandwich-two crusts. Any leftovers (yeah, right) last for two days in an airtight refrigerated container. If you want to freeze it, wrap it in plastic followed by aluminum. It will last for 2 months. 

Tip: Always let your pizza defrost fully in the refrigerator before reheating (it’s less soggy that way)

Ingredients for Homemade Mexican Pizza

• 1 pound 80/20 hamburger
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• Pizza dough (enough for 2 equal-sized crusts)
• Enchilada sauce
• 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
• Fresh tomato
• Green onion

Homemade Mexican Pizza Instructions

1. Begin by rendering down the ground beef and draining off the excess fat.
2. Thinly roll your dough (somewhat like a taco shell) on a floured cutting board.
3. Partially cook the dough, then remove it for topping.
4. On one crust drizzle enchilada sauce.
5. Evenly distribute the meat.
6. Sprinkle with 1 cup of Mexican cheese.
7. Put the other crust on top. 
8. Slice the tomatoes (if they’re cherry, just half them)
9. Add remaining cheese, tomato pieces, and green onion.
10. Return to the oven until the cheese melts. 

Other potential toppers include olives, banana pepper slices, bacon bits, mushrooms, red onion, roasted red pepper, grilled pineapple bits, baked garlic, cilantro, and spinach.

PitMaster’s Memo

Pizza has an ancient past, tied to flatbreads. In the 1700s Naples, Italy, was thriving and growing rapidly. A lot of people, however, were quite poor. As workers, they needed filling food that they could eat quickly. So hand-held pizza became a “thing.”

Queen Margherita (name sound familiar, pizza fans?) visited Naples in the late 1800s. She tried an assortment of pizza but was most fond of a pie topped with mozzarella, red tomatoes, and green basil. From that time forward, this style of pie was called Margherita. 

Across the pond, it wasn’t until the 1940s that pizza made some headway. Immigrants from Naples brought their recipes with them and set up establishments in Bostin, New York, Chicago, and St. Louis. It didn’t take long for pizza to win over Americans. In 2020, it’s estimated that people in the United States ate 3 billion pizzas (that’s a B, folks). 

Sides

Nacho potato wedges

Refried beans

Avacado salad

Brown rice 

Tortilla soup

Quinoa salad

From the Bar

Hibiscus tea

Strawberry lemonade

Passionfruit juice

Tequilla

Riesling

Boston lager

Pilsner