Thursday, January 10, 2013

chorizo and jalapeño pizza + my favorite pizza sauce ever


when miles and i were in santa fe a couple weeks ago, we ate a pizza with a rich, spicy sauce and chorizo so good i wanted to cry. so for an at-home date night the other night, i was determined to recreate this insanity as best i could. and, we were pretty happy with the result!

the key to this pizza is two-fold:

1. use really good chorizo. i got ours from whole foods. and after tasting the perfection that is chorizo on pizza, i really can't imagine going back to regular sausage on our pizza. this was THAT GOOD.

2. the sauce. i tried my best to mimic the sauce we had in santa fe, which was super rich, very slightly sweet, and good and spicy. i've been known to just use a jar of marinara for pizza sauce, but i promise this is barely more work than opening a jar, and it was SO much better.

my favorite pizza sauce ever
perfect amount for 1 pizza (next time i'll double the recipe and keep the leftovers in the fridge for last minute pizza needs!)

you'll need:
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
5 oz. warm water (i stuck mine in the microwave for 60 seconds)
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoons honey
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
salt to taste (you need a good amount to balance the sweetness of the honey)

in a small bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing very well. cover and keep in refrigerator at least 30 minutes before using, so that flavors can develop. taste for seasoning before spreading on pizza, adding salt and red pepper flakes as necessary.

chorizo and jalapeno pizza
serves 2-3

you'll need:
1 pizza dough (i used this recipe)
prepared pizza sauce (recipe above)
1/2 lb. chorizo
1 large jalapeno, thinly sliced
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

in a large skillet, cook chorizo until crumbly and completely done. set aside on paper towels to drain.

roll out pizza dough on a pizza stone or cookie sheet until it's at your desired thickness (i like a very thin, crispy crust!). spread pizza sauce evenly over dough, then top with slices of mozzarella. next, add jalapeno slices and chorizo. brush edges of pizza crust with olive oil. bake for 12-15 minutes, until crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly. allow to sit for a couple minutes to cool slightly before cutting into slices and serving.

enjoy our new favorite pizza!!!

14 comments:

  1. Loving the chorizo and jalapeno action. Home made pizza sauce is so much better than store-bought I think. To make double the amount is such sage advice, after all, you never know when a pizza-eating emergency might occur, right?

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    1. Thanks, M&H! This was one of our favorites in a while. Yes, it's important to always be prepared... for pizza.

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  2. This looks awesome. Really, I don't know why I've never tried making nor even eating pizza with chorizo on top in place of regular sausage. That with a spicy tomato sauce and jalapenos sounds perfect-- I know so many of my family and friends who would love this!

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    1. Thanks so much! :) I hadn't ever thought of it either, but now I am obsessed!!

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  3. Chorizo and Jalapeño? Wow! These two are my favorite pizza toppings. I love the tasty smell of chorizo that fills the room while the pizza is cooking in the oven. It makes crave more once I smell it. Yummy! I think this is going to be our dinner for tonight.

    >Joseph Carr

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    Replies
    1. I totally know what you mean! These are some of my favorite ingredients, too! If you did end up making it, hope you enjoyed it!! :)

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  4. I’ve got the chorizo and jalapeno pizza recipe on my friend’s food blog. I’ve tried doing it last November. It turned our great and my kids loved it. I also served it to our relatives when they visited us during the holiday. They all found it appetizing as well! Jalapeno and sausage is truly a good combination. ;)

    Alex Staff

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    Replies
    1. So glad you and your family love it! It's probably our favorite pizza combo too!

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  5. Making this tonight--just finished the sauce and it is so delicious. I love how easy it is to make! Will let you know how the rest of it goes. We're using soy chorizo since we're vegetarian.

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  6. I’m always scared to make homemade pizza mainly because no matter how many dough recipes I’ve tried, I can never get it right. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m doing something wrong or I keep comparing it to how my favorite local pizza feels like when I bite into it. It’s probably the latter. Haha! This recipe you shared looks great though, so I might give it a try. :)


    Nita Digirolamo

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    1. I know what you mean! I use Pioneer Woman's recipe most often because it seems to crisp up best for me in my oven. It's hard to get that same dough as your pizza place, but one hint is to keep your pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven while it's preheating so that it gets nice and hot - it helps the bottom get crispier. But without a big pizza oven, I agree it's hard to do!

      Let me know what you think if you do try it! Another hint for getting great dough - ask your favorite place if they'll sell you a ball of their dough - they almost always will! I did this just last week, and even asked if I could get a tutorial on how to shape it, and they obliged! It was a blast! :)

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  7. Diabetes is a serious condition that imposes certain complications to the body. If you are a diabetic, there are many diabetic foods to avoid. It is important that you understand your condition so that you can have a certain level of control over it. little caesars for diabetic pizza

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