Chorizo-Topped Pizzas

This the was the perfect Friday night dinner! It was super quick and easy to make and completely satisfied my Mexican food craving. I tore this recipe out of the February 2008 issue of Better Homes and Gardens and I have just now gotten around to making it. I wonder what other little gems are just waiting to surprise me in my "Try This" file. I can't even remember if I tore out the page for this pizza recipe. I think that I was interested in a bean soup recipe on the same page. What luck!

As the name of the recipe indicates, you need chorizo for this pizza. Chorizo is a type of sausage. You can purchase Portuguese or Spanish chorizo. However, for this recipe, I used a fresh chorizo from our neighbors to the South...Mexico. Mexican chorizo is very similar to the American sausage that you're probably accustomed to, the spices are just different. This particular chorizo presented in the form of big sausages, like bratwurst. I removed the casing from 1 and 1/2 sausages and fried them in a skillet, breaking the pieces up as they cooked. I drained mine on paper towel before adding it to my pizza.



Next the recipe called for deli-fresh salsa with corn and beans. I wasn't about to purchase "deli-fresh" salsa when I have perfectly good home-canned salsa in my pantry. Corn and black beans both happen to be staples in this house, so I added corn and black beans to my home-canned salsa and then heated the mixture in the skillet that I used to brown the chorizo. Less dishes!



Now spray a baking sheet with a little non stick cooking spray before laying down your flour tortilla shells. Top with shredded cheese; Mexican blend, Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, Colby Jack...whatever you prefer. Pop them under your pre-heated oven broiler for a bit to melt the cheese and crisp up the edges of the tortillas.



Now top your "pizzas". I spread around the warmed salsa and then sprinkled on some chorizo.



Then, I shaved some Cojita cheese over the top. I popped this back under the broiler for a minute or two to let the Cojita melt a little.



Top the pizzas with green onion and chopped cilantro. Avocado would have been perfect here too...but I ate my last avocado in leftover Taco Soup this week. Oops. Garnish with lime slices. A little lime squeezed over the top of this really brightens it up! Delicious!



If you're thinking, "This looks great to me, but there's no way my picky kid (or spouse) will eat that." You're probably correct. But I bet that they'd eat a cheese quesadilla. After you sprinkle on the cheese and broil, just fold the tortilla in half.



I sliced the quesadillas and served them up with the extra corn that didn't make it's way into the "pizza sauce". Everyone ate. No one complained. My craving was satisfied. Ahhhh. It was a good Friday night.




Chorizo-Topped Pizzas adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Start to Finish: 20 minutes

Ingredients
8 oz. fresh chorizo sausage
1 cup deli-fresh chunky salsa with corn and beans OR 1/3 cup of your favorite salsa with 1/4 cup black beans and 1/4 cup corn stirred in
Nonstick cooking spray
4 7 - to 8-inch flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend or Monterrey Jack or Cheddar, or Colby Jack...
thinly sliced Cojita cheese, I used my vegetable peeler
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges

Directions
1. Preheat broiler. In large skillet crumble and cook chorizo over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain in colander. In small saucepan heat salsa over medium heat until heated through.

2. Lightly coat large baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange tortillas, two at time, on baking sheet; top each with one-fourth the cheese. Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat 2 to 3 minutes, until cheese is melted. Top each pizza with one-fourth the warm salsa, cooked chorizo, and sliced cojita. Return to the broiler until the cojita just starts to melt.

3. Sprinkle with avocado, green onions, and cilantro. Pass lime wedges. Makes 4 servings.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe!