The Version of Pizza in Mexico

When we talk about pizza, the first thing that comes into our mind are those takeout orders we usually get for dinner. Pizza in the United States has been considered more to be a takeout food because one slice can serve as a meal in itself. Aside from that, it’s convenient to eat and it comes in a variety of flavors. Over the years, the perception of pizza a fast food menu item is quite common. It’s a versatile food that it can also be a made into different varieties depending on the cook’s imagination.
 
Originally, pizza is a food that came from Italy. It’s heralded as one of their distinct food that sets them apart from the other countries in the world. Italians are known to be lovers of wine, cheese, and tomatoes. And surely enough, this is evident with the foods they are known to make. Pizza can be eaten as an everyday meal, but it can also become a gourmet food. What if we’re going to make a pizza with a twist and add a bit of Mexican flavor into it? Sounds interesting isn’t it?
 
When we talk about Mexico and it’s food, we think of tacos, nachos, and chili con carne. This country is known to make spicy foods. How about we combine the Italy’s pride with the Mexican Spice? Let’s make a Taco Pizza.
 
Taco Pizza Ingredients:
(Taco Shells):
 - 2 teaspoons of dry active yeast
 - 4 cups of all-purpose flour
 - 3/4 teaspoon of salt
 - 3 tablespoons of olive oil
 - 10 ounces of warm water
 
(Toppings):
 - 1 can of tomato paste
 - 1 teaspoon of chili powder
 - 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
 - 1 can of fat free refried beans
 - 1/4 lbs onion (chopped)
 - 1/2 lbs ground beef
 - 1/3 cup of salsa
 - 4 cups of cheddar cheese (shredded)
 - 1/4 lbs chopped olives
 
Directions:
1. (Taco): Combine the warm water, salt, dry yeast, and flour into the mixer. Set the desired dough cycle. Check the dough after some time. Make sure that the dough is not too dry or moist, but just the right consistency. If the dough is dry then add 1 tablespoon of warm water at a time until the desired consistency had been reached. The ideal dough must be pliant but not sticky so that it can be easy to work with.
 
2. In a small bowl, mix together the onion, olives and salsa then set aside. Stir together the cayenne pepper along with the chili powder and again set it aside. Mix together the beans and the tomato paste and set it aside as well.
 
3. In a skillet, cook the ground beef and drain the excess fat. Season with some salt and pepper to taste and add a small amount of water.
 
4. Preheat the oven at 400 degrees F or 200 degrees C.
 
5. When the dough is set, form into taco shells and mix (2) and (3) ingredients topped with the shredded cheddar cheese.
 
6. Baked the taco pizza for 10-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Once done, serve the pizza while it’s hot and enjoy!
 
With a little bit of creative imagination and the know-how in the kitchen, we can turn an ordinary pizza into an interesting recipe. Bon appetit!