Tex-Mex Sausage Pizza with Poblano Crema
It’s glaringly obvious from looking at this site that Tex-Mex food is our favorite. The seven glorious months we spent in Texas, way back in 2007, totally spoiled us. If you could see all the recipes I have saved, you would find that a majority of them, at least the savory ones, are Tex-Mex (let’s not talk about the oodles of dessert recipes I’ve got piled up). As such, this is my go-to food category when I’m feeling uninspired or can’t decide what to cook.
A few weeks ago, feeling uninspired, I was perusing my freezer and refrigerator for ideas. I ended up with cilantro nearing its end, frozen corn, and Santa Fe sausage (a chorizo-like version from Whole Foods). My first thought was to do something like this poblano pasta, which is one of my favorite recipes ever, but when the idea of pizza popped into my head, I couldn’t let it go.
This pizza is loaded with things we love, so naturally it was a big hit. I went simple with the sauce, just adobo and/or minced chipotles, depending on your heat preference. There’s sausage filled with lots of Tex-Mex spices, a black bean and corn salsa, and fresh tomatoes to finish it off. The roasted poblano crema is what really set it over the top, though. It added just the right amount of heat (we toned Clara’s down with more sour cream), and after one bite I was tempted to drench both my slices of pizza with it. I showed restraint, however, and was rewarded the next day with a pretty fantastic dip for snacking.
- COOK TIME:
- YIELD: 1 pizza
½ cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
¼ cup finely diced red onion
½ cup cooked black beans, rinsed and drained if canned
½ cup beer or vegetable broth
2 links Mexican chorizo sausage (or other Tex-Mex sausage)
1 poblano pepper
½ cup sour cream
Juice of half a lime
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
1 pound pizza dough
1 large chipotle pepper, minced (or 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce for less heat)
Olive oil, for brushing
1 cup shredded mozzarella or Monterey jack cheese
1 roma tomato, diced
- 1
Heat oven and pizza stone to 500º.
Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle in a small amount of olive oil. Sauté the corn until starting to brown, 3-4 minutes. Add the onion and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes longer. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the black beans. Season to taste with salt. Set aside.
- 2
In the now empty skillet, combine the beer and sausage links. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, turning occasionally, for about 8 minutes or until the sausage is cooked through. Drain any liquid, then sear the sausage over medium-high heat. Set aside to cool slightly, then slice or remove casings and crumble (your preference).
- 3
While the sausage is cooking, roast the poblano. When it’s blackened all over, place in a foil pack to steam until it’s cool enough to handle. Remove the skin, stem and seeds.
Combine the roasted poblano, sour cream, lime juice, cilantro and pinch of salt in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. An immersion blender works really well here, too, if you have one. Set the crema aside while you prepare the pizza.
- 4
Dust a cutting board or pizza peel with cornmeal and stretch the dough into a 12-14 inch circle. Brush with olive oil, then brush or spread on the chipotle/adobo sauce, leaving a 1-inch border. It won’t look like much, but it’s just enough.
Sprinkle the dough with the cheese. Top with sausage and then the corn and black bean salsa.
- 5
Bake for about 10 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.
Allow the pizza to cool slightly, then drizzle with the poblano crema. Top with diced tomatoes and additional cilantro.
I’ve been craving pizza and this looks dy-na-mite. Well done!
This looks SO good. You know my family and I share your family’s love of Tex-Mex!
Tex mex is my favorite also. I can’t get enough! Love the flavors on this pizza…might have to recreate it with a spicy veg sausage!
Wow this is a pizza that would appeal to me. How perfect that I am reading it on cinco de mayo. It splits the difference between Mexican and Pizza too. Potential family fuss averted!